Structure of the PhD programme in Management Science

The PhD programme in Management Science is a three-year programme that provides training to enable students to produce original research of high quality. The programme is suitable for highly motivated and talented individuals who would like to pursue an international career at universities and other academic institutions, or in public or private sector jobs. The programme has a strong international focus. The programme is relatively small, which ensures close interaction with the department's faculty members.

Programme overview

The table below provides an overview of the programme structure for the PhD in Management Science:

Years 1

Coursework

Research activities

Qualifying exam

Formulation of research topic for thesis

Years 2 and 3

Focused work on PhD thesis

End of programme

Submission of PhD thesis with oral examination

Course portfolio

The first year of the programme is dedicated to taking courses. A minimum of seven courses must be completed with satisfactory results. Students are strongly advised to take more courses than the minimum seven. Due to the demanding nature of the PhD courses students may be required to take complementary courses from our Masters programme early in their course sequence. These may be related to either economics/finance skills or mathematics/statistics skills, depending on the student's background.

The course portfolio in the PhD programme in Management Science consists of both mandatory and elective courses. Students must take at least two of the elective courses.

Core courses

The following table offers an overview of courses that are offered on a regular basis. More specialised courses that are offered on an ad hoc basis are not listed.

Mandatory courses	Click for course descriptions
MET 510	Scientific Methods
SAM 508	Advanced microeconomic theory

Students must choose two of the following

	Topics in Optimization and Dynamic Structuring
	Topics in Mathematical and Numerical Modeling
	Topics in Probability and Decision Theory
	Games: Theory and Computational Aspects

The courses will consist of at least two modules to increase flexibilities. Students are expected to earn a B or better in these core courses in order to satisfy the core course requirement.

Elective courses

The remaining course credits (normally 3 courses) must be selected to support the topic of research in accordance with the student's advisory committee.

Examples of topics in EREE are

	Market design
	Aspects of Resource and Energy Markets: financial and taxation issues
	Resource economic modeling
	Economic aspects of environmental issues an climate change

Examples of topics in BPC are

	Contract Theory with Applications
	Strategic Analysis

Summer paper

Students must complete during their first summer a paper under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Students should identify a faculty advisor and a topic for their summer paper by the end of the second semester. At that time a short (one-page) summer paper proposal should be signed by the student and the main advisor and returned to the PhD coordinator. Students should work closely with their advisor throughout the summer. A completed paper must be submitted to the PhD coordinator at the end of the summer.

Qualifying exam

The qualifying exam consists of a written part and an oral part. The written portion of the qualifying exam is taken at the start of the student's first summer. Each student takes a written exam in their chosen area of specialisation. Each specialisation determines the format of their exam. The oral exam is scheduled at the end of the first summer and it gives the student the opportunity to present their summer research to the faculty. Students are notified of their results shortly after the oral exam.

The EREE group evaluates students based on the quality of their summer paper and their performance on the written exam. A student receives a passing grade for the qualifying exam if the faculty determines that the student has sufficiently mastered the skills needed to continue progress towards a PhD in the chosen specialistion.

Doctoral thesis

The second and third years of the programme are dedicated to work on the student's doctoral thesis. Students are expected to start this work under the guidance of an advisor after they have fulfilled the minimum course requirements.