Program details
The PhD program prepares students for a career in research and academia
Itzak Gilboa
The HEC PhD program is a full-time program that prepares students for a career in research and academia. This requires in depth knowledge of a particular field of management research, solid training in research methods, as well as hands-on experience in collecting and analyzing data, writing and presenting papers, academic networking and publishing research.
The PhD program is structured in two phases
In the first two years, our students fulfill at least 320 hours of coursework. Foundations of Management Courses address the fundamental principles of management, while Specialization Courses offer state-of-the-art insight in a particular management discipline. Methodology Courses help students to develop the skills needed to produce research publishable in top academic journals. Finally, Professional Development Courses aim to prepare students for the academic job market by offering training in pedagogy and career management. Note that students have the option to take French Language Courses throughout the PhD Program.
At the end of the first year, students take a comprehensive exam in their field of specialization. In the second year, students move from merely consuming to producing research. They choose an advisor with whom they closely collaborate to develop theory and design empirical studies. Phase I is concluded with the successful defense of a dissertation proposal.
Foundations of Management
- Microeconomics
- Organizational Theory
- Social Psychology in Organizations
- The Economics of Organization
Foundations of Research
- Research Methods
- Introduction to Econometrics
- Statistical Programming with R
- Applied Research in Financial Accounting
- Consumer Behavior
- Corporate Strategy
- Digital Currencies and Blockchains
- Game Theory
- Inventory Models
- Work, Labor Markets, and Human Resource Management
Learn more about research areas and specialization courses here.
- Applied Econometrics STATA
- Bayesian Statistics
- Bounded Rationality in Uncertainty and Games
- Econometrics of Limited Dependent Variables
- Experimental Design
- Identification Methods
- Introduction to Meta-Analysis
- Macroeconometrics
- Modeling Choice, Count, and Duration
- Network Analysis
- Qualitative Methods: Disciplinary Overview
- Qualitative Methods: Hands-on Workshop
- Semi and non-Parametric Econometrics
- Structural Econometrics
- The Psychology of Risk
- Pedagogy
- Reverse Engineering an Academic Career
- Workshop: Presenting Research
- Workshop: Writing Academic Papers
During this dissertation phase, students are encouraged to present their research at national and international academic conferences. Most students spend time as a visiting scholar at a top university or business school abroad to build an academic network, work with co-authors, and receive feedback on their research. Students benefit from funding for presenting in academic events and additional scholarship for research visits.
The HEC Paris PhD Program offers generous support to students to present their research output at academic conferences. Conference funding includes transportation, food and lodging, visa costs, and conference fees. On average, our students participate in two academic conferences annually.
HEC Paris Faculty have a strong network of co-authors who work at top business schools and leading research universities around the world. They call on this network to help PhD students receive invitations for research visits ranging from a few weeks to a full academic year. These visits present a great opportunity for students to get feedback on their dissertation papers, collaborate with renowned faculty, grow their academic network, and prepare the job market. The HEC Paris PhD Program has a Research Visit Fund to which students can apply to receive additional funding.
Institutions visited in recent years
Boston University, Questrom School of Business, USA
Columbia University, Graduate School of Business, USA
Cornell SC College of Business, USA
Duke University, Fuqua School of Business, USA
Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, USA
HEC Montréal, Canada
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, USA
New York University, Stern School of Business, USA
Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, USA
Stanford University,Department of Psychology, USA
Texas A&M University, Mays Business School, USA
University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, USA
University of California at Berkeley, Haas School of Business, USA
University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business, Canada
University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, USA
University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School, USA
University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management, Canada
York University, Schulich School of Business, USA
Yale School of Management, USA
Cass Business School, City University of London, UK
Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
London School of Economics, UK
London Business School, UK
Luiss University, Italy
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, UK
Swedish House of Finance, Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden
UNIL – University of Lausanne, Switzerland
University of Saint-Gall, Switzerland
Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Hong Kong
Korea Univesity, South Korea
Royal Melbourne University of Technology (RMIT) Melbourne, Australia
