PhD in Business Administration and Management

Call for Applications

The PhD program in Business Administration and Management at Bocconi University is seeking applicants with exceptional academic credentials and the drive to excel at scholarly research.

Our PhD is a 4-year full-time program that offers training in a variety of disciplines related to management studies and emphasizes the skills necessary to integrate different approaches and develop coherent and cutting-edge research. We provide a collaborative, supportive and intellectually stimulating research environment for discovery and dissemination of scientific knowledge applicable to the business community. Students will develop the theoretical and methodological skills required to participate and publish at the highest standards of the international scientific community.

Our PhD program includes two curricula, Management and Marketing (students select one curriculum when they apply). Our first-year students acquire a broad set of theoretical and methodological skills relevant to various fields in management studies through a series of common compulsory courses, and attend courses specific to their curriculum, and begin developing their own research. In the second and third year, our students will attend a series of elective courses and continue developing their research work. Starting from the second year, students will more intensively research and progress their dissertations.

Faculty members are leading scholars in their fields. They contribute to the international debate by publishing in and serving the editorial boards of research journals, such as: Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, Management Science, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, Marketing Science, and many others. Visiting professors from top international schools complement our permanent Faculty.

Our students have placed very well on the international job market. Recent academic placements include: INSEAD, National University of Singapore, Wharton, Tsinghua University, Northeastern University, Tilburg University, EM Lyon, LMU Munich, UC Dublin, Erasmus University Rotterdam, HEC Paris, Imperial College, Catolica Lisbon, SKEMA, ETH Zurich, University of Amsterdam, among others.   

QUALIFICATIONS:

Applications can be submitted by candidates of any citizenship who:

• have completed or are completing their graduate studies and
• have at least a “proven” B2 (CEFR) level of competence in English 

The PhD School offers a maximum of 10 places with a fellowship for the PhD in Business Administration and Management. One of them is fully funded by Tech Europe Foundation (TEF) and the selected candidates will conduct research on entrepreneurship, innovation, entrepreneurial finance, startups, firm strategy, and related areas.

Fellowships amount to € 27,000 gross per year for four years. Students with fellowship are exempt from the payment of tuition fees for the duration of the four-year program. 

The PhD School also offers 2 places with payment of tuition fees which amount to € 15,000 for years 1 and 2 and € 5,000 for years 3 and 4. 

For more detailed information, please see the full official call published on the website by clicking the Apply button above.

For more detailed information about our program, please visit the website here. 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

To apply for our PhD program, only our online application procedure may be used.

Applications are due by 18 January 2027. 

The assessment of the applicant is based on:

1. Personal curriculum: full CV (mandatory)
2. Academic records: transcript of exams and certification of undergraduate and graduate degrees awarded and final grade (if any); if the graduate program has not been completed, an enrollment document with the full study plan, the exams taken and the grades achieved (mandatory)
3. International Graduate Admission Tests scores: Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) – (not mandatory but highly recommended)
4. Statement of purpose: short description (max 1200 words) of the candidate’s motivation for enrollment in a Bocconi PhD program, his/her research interests and professional goals (mandatory)
5. Reference letters: up to three reference letters uploaded by referees appointed in the online application procedure (not mandatory but highly recommended) 

A minimum of 60 total points out of 100 is required to be eligible for admission to the program.

Please consult our website for complete details of our application procedure. Click the Apply button above to access.

For more information about the program, please feel free to contact phdadmission@unibocconi.it