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PhD

Read all about PhD at CBS

In­ter­dis­cip­lin­ary Re­search with Im­pact

Busi­ness Found­a­tions

CBS is anchored in the core dis­cip­lines of busi­ness eco­nom­ics and cor­por­ate man­age­ment, in­clud­ing mar­ket­ing, fin­ance, ac­count­ing, man­age­ment ac­count­ing, or­gan­iz­a­tion, entrepreneur­ship, and in­nov­a­tion.

Our re­search ad­vances un­der­stand­ing of how or­gan­iz­a­tions are gov­erned, man­aged, and de­veloped in com­plex and com­pet­it­ive en­vir­on­ments. These dis­cip­lines form the found­a­tion of our aca­dem­ic pro­file.

Con­tem­por­ary Chal­lenges

Build­ing on this found­a­tion, CBS ad­dresses the struc­tur­al trans­form­a­tions shap­ing the glob­al eco­nomy. Re­search areas in­clude sustain­ability, busi­ness law, di­git­al­iz­a­tion and in­form­at­ics, in­ter­na­tion­al eco­nom­ics, in­ter­cul­tur­al dy­nam­ics, and me­dia.

Our am­bi­tion is not only to un­der­stand change, but to help shape re­spons­ible and sus­tain­able busi­ness prac­tices in a rap­idly evolving world.

In­ter­dis­cip­lin­ary Per­spect­ives

CBS strengthens busi­ness re­search by in­teg­rat­ing per­spect­ives from philo­sophy, psy­cho­logy, polit­ic­al sci­ence, an­thro­po­logy, and busi­ness his­tory.

This in­ter­dis­cip­lin­ary ap­proach en­hances ana­lyt­ic­al depth and en­sures that busi­ness re­search is in­formed by broad­er so­cial, cul­tur­al, and polit­ic­al con­texts.

CBS PhD School

Mission of the CBS PhD School

The mission of the CBS PhD School is to foster a high-quality national and international research environment that supports the development of PhD students as independent researchers and future contributors to academia and society.

Focus and Responsibilities

The CBS PhD School sets the overall framework for the PhD programme at CBS and ensures consistent academic standards and quality across departments.

The PhD School supports PhD students throughout their enrolment and provides administrative and academic guidance in close collaboration with the departments. It works closely with departments and the PhD Committee to ensure transparent procedures, clear governance, and the continuous development of the programme.

Through this coordinated structure, the PhD School contributes to a strong, integrated, and supportive research environment across CBS.

Strategic Priorities

The CBS PhD School places strong emphasis on:

  • ensuring a sufficient and relevant portfolio of up-to-date PhD courses across all research fields and methodological approaches at CBS
  • maintaining high academic standards in the PhD programmes through continuous quality assurance and the ongoing development of existing courses
  • supporting the development of new PhD courses
  • strengthening and quality-assuring PhD supervision
  • supporting PhD students in presenting their research at international conferences, publishing their work, and undertaking research stays abroad
  • attracting leading international scholars to participate in the PhD School’s activities as lecturers, discussants in work-in-progress seminars, supervisors, and members of PhD assessment committees
  • establishing formalised collaboration agreements with international researchers and research environments
  • creating and maintaining a forum for the exchange of ideas and best practices to support PhD activities across CBS departments

PhD Courses

The CBS PhD School of­fers a broad port­fo­lio of PhD courses cov­er­ing re­search design, qual­it­at­ive and quant­it­at­ive meth­od­o­lo­gies, as well as spe­cial­ised sub­jects with­in fields such as or­gan­isa­tion­al ana­lys­is, mar­ket­ing, fin­ance, man­age­ment, eco­nom­ics, and polit­ic­al sci­ence.

Most courses are de­livered in in­tens­ive one-week formats, al­though al­tern­at­ive formats are also avail­able.

PhD courses are open to stu­dents from oth­er uni­ver­sit­ies and coun­tries, sub­ject to any spe­cified pre­requis­ites.

Sign up for a PhD course

Do­ing a PhD at CBS

The PhD pro­gramme

is a re­search-fo­cused de­gree de­signed to train stu­dents in con­duct­ing in­de­pend­ent schol­arly work.

Core Elements of the PhD Programme

All PhD programmes include the following core elements:

  • conducting independent research on the PhD project under supervision
  • participating in PhD courses, conferences, and research stays
  • disseminating research findings

Formal Requirements for Award of the PhD Degree

To be awarded a PhD degree, you must:

  • complete the PhD programme
  • submit a PhD thesis that is approved by the assessment committee
  • successfully defend the PhD thesis at a public defence

Re­quire­ments for Ad­mis­sion

Entry Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the PhD programme, you must:

  • have completed a relevant three-year Bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS credits)
  • have completed a relevant two-year Master’s degree (120 ECTS credits)*
  • have achieved a minimum weighted grade point average of 8.2 on the Danish 7-point grading scale across the entire programme (i.e. combined Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees), or alternatively a minimum grade point average of 9.5 for the Master’s degree alone
  • have obtained at least grade 10 for your Master’s thesis or an equivalent final examination project

*You may apply for admission before completing your Master’s degree. However, the degree must be successfully completed prior to enrolment in the PhD programme.

Entry Requirements for the 4+4 PhD Programme

To be eligible for admission to the 4+4 PhD programme, you must:

  • have completed a relevant three-year Bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS credits)
  • have completed one year of a relevant Master’s degree programme (60 ECTS credits)
  • have achieved a minimum weighted grade point average of 8.2 on the Danish 7-point grading scale across the entire programme (i.e. the Bachelor’s degree and the first year of the Master’s degree combined)
  • have obtained at least grade 10 for your Bachelor’s project or an equivalent final examination project

Min­im­um Grade Re­quire­ments and For­eign De­grees

Ap­plic­ants Be­low the Grade Re­quire­ment

Applicants who do not meet the minimum grade requirements may still apply if they are ranked within the top 40% of their graduating class. Documentation confirming the class ranking must be submitted with the application.

In exceptional cases, an exemption from the grade requirements may be granted by the Head of the CBS PhD School. Such exemptions require a formal recommendation from the relevant department, including documented justification that the applicant possesses the academic qualifications necessary to complete the PhD programme successfully.

For­eign De­grees

Equivalent qualifications, including foreign degrees, may be assessed as meeting the specified entry requirements.

Foreign degrees may be submitted to the Ministry of Higher Education and Science for an official assessment of their equivalence to a Danish degree at the corresponding level.

How to Pur­sue a PhD

Find Your Way

There are four different ways to pursue a PhD at CBS, each designed to accommodate different academic backgrounds, career stages, and professional ambitions. Whether you are applying directly after completing your master’s degree, are already employed at CBS, or plan to pursue a PhD in collaboration with an external organisation or company, there is a pathway suited to your profile.

Below, you can explore the four routes in more detail and learn about their structure, admission requirements, funding models, and application procedures. We encourage you to reflect on your academic background, professional experience, funding opportunities, and long-term career goals when deciding which option is the right fit for you.

Four ways to do a PhD

Re­search Fel­low

Research Fellow

“Research Fellow” is an official job title. The position is salaried in accordance with the relevant collective agreement and is equivalent to other publicly employed academic positions.

PhD fellowships may be funded by CBS’s own research funds, external funding sources, or a combination of both.

Find a PhD Scholarship

All PhD scholarships are advertised together with other vacant positions at CBS. 

CBS positions are also typically advertised in relevant professional media, such as DJØF-bladet, Magisterbladet, and similar outlets. Most fellowships are announced within specific academic disciplines, and some within more specialised research areas.

Employment as a Research Fellow

As a Research Fellow, you are employed by CBS while simultaneously enrolled as a PhD student in the PhD programme.

As an employee, you are provided with office facilities and become part of the department’s academic environment. As a PhD student, you receive supervision and have access to PhD courses.

The position typically includes teaching responsibilities, meaning that you are expected to contribute to teaching activities at CBS.

The employment period is three years, corresponding to the standard duration of the PhD programme.

How to Apply as a Research Fellow

To become a Research Fellow, you must apply for an advertised PhD scholarship.  Applications must be submitted online through the specific webpage of the advertised PhD position you are interested in.

Please ensure that you carefully review the eligibility criteria and application requirements before submitting your application.

4+4 PhD Stu­dent

The 4+4 Scheme

The 4+4 scheme is a four-year integrated PhD programme designed for students who have completed a relevant Bachelor’s degree and at least one year of a Master’s programme.

As a 4+4 PhD student, you are enrolled as:

  • both a Master’s student and a PhD student during the first two yearsa 
  • PhD student during the final two years

During the first two years, you complete the remaining requirements of your Master’s degree while simultaneously initiating your PhD research activities. After successfully completing the Master’s degree and fulfilling the requirements for continuation, you transfer to the final two years of the PhD programme.

Throughout the programme, you are employed and salaried as a PhD student in accordance with applicable regulations.

How to Apply for a 4+4 PhD programme

To be admitted under the 4+4 scheme, you must apply for a vacant PhD position where the 4+4 scheme is explicitly stated as an option.

In addition, you must meet the admission requirements for enrolment in a relevant Master’s programme at CBS. CBS will assess which Master’s programme you qualify for based on your academic background.

For further information, please see the Guidelines for the 4+4 PhD Programme at CBS

In­de­pend­ent PhD Stu­dent

What is an Independent PhD Student?

The number of funded PhD fellowships at CBS is limited. Therefore, it is possible to enrol as an independent PhD student.

An independent PhD student is affiliated with CBS but is not employed by the university and does not receive a salary from CBS. As an independent PhD student, you are enrolled in the PhD programme without any teaching obligations.

Tuition Fee

Independent PhD students are required to pay a tuition fee.

The tuition fee includes overhead costs to cover CBS’s indirect expenses. The PhD programme may be pursued on a full-time or part-time basis, and the total fee depends on the agreed enrolment period:

Tuition fees:

  • 354,000 DKK for 3 years
  • 364,000 DKK for 4 years
  • 374,000 DKK for 5 years

If the independent PhD programme extends beyond the agreed enrolment period, an additional fee of 10,000 DKK per extra year will apply.

The tuition fee may be financed personally, by an employer, or by an external funding provider.

Requirements for Enrolment

The admission requirements for independent PhD students are the same as for other PhD students at CBS.

As you are not employed by CBS, you do not need to apply for a specific advertised PhD position. Instead, you may propose your own research topic within CBS’s overall research areas.

How to Apply as an Independent PhD Student

If you wish to apply  as an Independent PhD student, you must submit your application directly to the relevant department.

Please contact the department well in advance to obtain information about specific requirements, required documentation, and application deadlines.

In­dus­tri­al PhD Fel­low

What is an Industrial PhD?

As an Industrial PhD student, you are enrolled in the PhD programme at CBS while being employed by a private company or public organisation.

You receive your salary from the company or organisation and will typically have your primary workplace there.

As you are not employed by CBS, you do not have teaching obligations at the university. However, you are subject to the general PhD requirements, including those related to research dissemination.

You are expected to spend approximately 50 per cent of your time with the company. Periods spent at CBS may be longer during coursework and intensive writing phases.

Requirements for Enrolment

To become an Industrial PhD student, you must establish collaboration with both a company and a department at CBS.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to identify and establish collaboration with a relevant private company or public organisation.

The company must be willing to employ you for the duration of the PhD project and enter into a formal collaboration agreement with an affiliated department at CBS.

How to Apply for an Industrial PhD

Applicants are encouraged to initiate dialogue with potential companies at an early stage and to develop a joint PhD project proposal that meets both academic and business objectives.

Once collaboration has been established with both the company and the CBS department, the department will apply for your pre-approval through the CBS PhD Committee. This pre-approval is required before you can submit your funding application to Innovation Fund Denmark.

For further information about the Industrial PhD programme, please visit Industrial researcher on Innnovation Fund Denmark

En­quir­ies

Questions?

For general questions regarding admission to the PhD programme at CBS, please contact phdadmission@cbs.dk. Carefully review the information on this page before contacting us as your question may already be answered.

CBS Research Departments

Please note that enrolment in the PhD programme is managed by the individual departments at CBS. As an applicant, you must therefore identify the CBS department most closely aligned with your research interests

Find a CBS PhD Co­ordin­at­or

Un­sure which de­part­ment suits your pro­file? Each de­part­ment is rep­res­en­ted by a PhD Co­ordin­at­or. Please reach out to the ap­pro­pri­ate co­ordin­at­or for fur­ther in­form­a­tion and ad­vice re­gard­ing your eli­gib­il­ity.

CBS PhD Co­ordin­at­ors

A PhD Coordinator is affiliated with their department and the CBS PhD School, where they serve as a representative on the CBS PhD Committee. They support the PhD programme at the departmental level and act as a key point of contact for PhD students:

Department of Accounting (ACC) - Professor Peter Skærbæk

Department of Business Humanities and Law (BHL)  - Associate Professor Justine Grønbæk Pors

Department of Digitalisation (DIGI) - Professor Michel Avital 

Department of Economics (ECON) - Professor Dolores Romero Morales

Department of International Economics, Government and Business (EGB) - Professor MSO Eddie Ashbee

Department of Finance (FI) - Professor Kristian Miltersen

Department of Organisation (IOA) - Associate Professor Ursula Plesner

Department of Marketing (MARKTG) - Professor Gülen Sarial Abi

Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC) -  Associate Professor Thilde Langevang

Department of Operations Management (OM) - Associate Professor Leonardo Santiago

Department of Strategy and Innovation (SI) - Professor H.C. Kongsted

 

An­nu­al Up­take

En­rol­ment Dates

CBS has two co­ordin­ated an­nu­al in­takes of new PhD stu­dents, with en­rol­ment on:

1 Feb­ru­ary
1 Septem­ber

In ex­cep­tion­al cases, al­tern­at­ive en­rol­ment dates may be agreed.

The Ap­plic­a­tion

Application Documents

Before applying, please ensure that you have identified which of the four PhD pathways applies to you. Regardless of which PhD pathway you apply under, your application must include the following:
 

  • copies of diplomas and academic transcripts (Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees), including any grades obtained at the time of application if the degree has not yet been completed
  • documentation confirming that you are ranked within the top 40% of your graduating class (only required if the minimum grade requirements are not met)
  • a curriculum vitae (CV)
  • a list of written work (if relevant)
  • a sample of written work (for example, a Master’s thesis)
  • a short project description (maximum five pages)

All of the above documents form a central part of the assessment of your application.

The Project Description

The project description must present a clear overview of your proposed PhD project and your motivation for pursuing the chosen topic. It should define specific research questions and outline the methodological and theoretical approaches you intend to apply.

The proposal must demonstrate the originality of the project and clearly position it within the existing literature, showing how it will contribute to research in the relevant field or fields.

Both the academic content and the overall quality of presentation will be taken into account in the assessment of the proposed research project and the applicant.

Con­tent of the Pro­ject De­scrip­tion

The project description should the following:

  • a brief statement of the overall aim and purpose of the project
  • a clear account of the research problem, including the hypotheses and/or research questions to be addressed
  • a positioning of the project within the department’s research area
  • a review of relevant state-of-the-art research in the field
  • a presentation of the theoretical framework underpinning the project
  • a description of the methodology to be applied
  • an indication of the project’s expected contribution to scientific development
  • a brief work plan outlining the main phases of the project, including the planned components of the PhD programme

Form and Re­quire­ments of the Pro­ject De­scrip­tion

The project description must not exceed five pages and must be:

  • be written as an academic proposal intended for specialists within the relevant research field, rather than as a popular or general account
  • not assume predetermined answers to the research questions, but clearly reflect that the project requires further investigation
  • demonstrate the project’s feasibility and your ability to make a significant contribution to addressing or clarifying the research questions within the framework of the PhD programme
  • have a clear and well-defined focus and be written in precise academic English or Danish

As­sess­ment Pro­ced­ure

Assessment Procedure

Applications are assessed by the relevant department.

All applications are first reviewed to ensure that the formal requirements have been met. Applications that fulfil these requirements are forwarded for academic assessment. A shortlist of candidates may be drawn up.

Assessment Committee

Applications selected for assessment are evaluated by an assessment committee consisting of at least two members of the academic staff, each employed at a minimum of Associate Professor level or equivalent.

The committee assesses the academic quality of the proposed project and the applicant’s ability to complete it successfully.

The applicant’s CV, diplomas, academic transcripts, and other submitted documentation are reviewed as part of the assessment. The committee prepares a written evaluation of each application, which is shared with the applicant for information.

Decision

The decision to offer enrolment is based not only on the applicant’s individual qualifications, but also on the availability of adequate funding and appropriate supervisory capacity for the proposed PhD project.

The PhD Committee

Departments forward the applications and the assessments of recommended candidates to the PhD Committee for final approval of enrolment in the CBS PhD School.

Applicants are informed of the outcome by the relevant department.

Vis­it­ing PhD Stu­dents

If you are a PhD stu­dent en­rolled at an­oth­er Dan­ish or in­ter­na­tion­al in­sti­tu­tion and wish to un­der­take a re­search stay at CBS, please con­tact the de­part­ment most rel­ev­ant to your re­search area dir­ectly.

In col­lab­or­a­tion with the de­part­ment, you may ar­range su­per­vi­sion, course par­ti­cip­a­tion, and work­space dur­ing your stay.

PhD Coordinator