Overview

Ph.D. studies at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences lead, after a successful completion of a dissertation, to the title Doctor rerum oeconomicarum, Dr. rer. Oec.

When you obtain a degree in Business Administration from the University of Bern, you receive an internationally recognized degree.

Structure

Proof of achievement in the Doctoral Seminar in Business Administration is given in form of a public lecture on the dissertation lasting a maximum of 30 minutes as well as a discussion lasting a maximum of 30 minutes. The members of the departmental committee present at the seminar will award individual grades. The grade in the Doctoral Seminar in Business Administration is calculated using the arithmetic mean of these individual grades.

If the grade is not sufficient, the Doctoral Seminar in Business Administration can be retake once, at most. The organizational responsibility for conducting the Doctoral Seminar in Business Administration lies with the spokesperson of the Department of Business Administration.

Programme Structure

Students wishing to pursue a doctorate in Business Administration must obtain at least 24 ECTS credits during the doctoral program. As part of this, 4 ECTS credits must be acquired in the “Doctoral Seminar in Business Administration”.

In addition, at least 12 ECTS credits must be obtained in courses that, at the discretion of the supervisor in question, fall within one or more of the areas of “Analytical Methods in Business Administration”, “Empirical Quantitative Methods in Business Administration”, and “Empirical Qualitative Methods in Business Administration”.

The remaining ECTS credits are to be obtained from courses that are related to the dissertation on a theoretical or methodological level.

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 36 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-09-20 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-10-15 00:00:00
Starting 2028-02-22 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-03-31 00:00:00

Language

English

Credits

24 ECTS

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Bern, Switzerland

Disciplines

Business Administration View 20 other PhDs in Business Administration in Switzerland

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

We are not aware of any English requirements for this programme.

Other requirements

General requirements

A necessary prerequisite for admission is a Master's degree (or equivalent degree) from a recognized university. Additionally, the Master’s degree must be no more than ten years old. Furthermore, a minimum overall grade in the Master's program must be achieved. For students at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Bern, this minimum grade is 4.75 (under the Swiss grading system). Moreover, at least 60 ECTS credits must have been obtained in the field of Business Administration.

Graduates with a Master's degree in Business Administration from a university of applied sciences cannot start a doctoral program in Business Administration at the University of Bern directly. In addition to the admission requirements mentioned above, they must first obtain a Master's degree from a university. For further information, please contact the Academic Student Advice.

Student Insurance via Studyportals Partner

Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items like Additional medical costs, Repatriation, Liability etc. Make sure your student insurance covers your needs.

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Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at University of Bern and/or in Switzerland, please visit Student Insurance Portal.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

400 CHF / year

≈ 400 CHF / year
Domestic Applies to you

Applies to you

Citizens or residents

400 CHF / year

≈ 400 CHF / year

Living costs

Bern

Switzerland

1655 - 2130 CHF / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Business Administration.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

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