Program details
The PhD program prepares students for a career in research and academia
Itzhak 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
The HEC Paris PhD Program is an integrated PhD Program that is structured in a Research Master and Doctoral Studies phase.
The first two years of the PhD program are aimed at providing students with a strong basis to conduct research at the highest level.
The Research Master phase is built around four pillars:
• Foundations in Management and Research (20 ECTS)
• Specialization in a Management Discipline and Research Methods (40 ECTS)
• Research: Seminars, Tutorial, Summer Paper, Research Thesis (50 ECTS)
• Professional Development (10 ECTS)
Foundation Courses address the fundamental principles of management research, while Specialization Courses offer state-of-the-art insight in a particular management discipline. Methods Courses help students to develop the skills needed to produce research publishable in top academic journals. Under the guidance of their advisor, students build theory and design empirical studies culminating in a Summer Paper (end of Year 1) and Research Thesis (end of Year 2).
Finally, Professional Development Courses prepare students for an academic career by offering training in academic writing and presenting, pedagogy, and career management. Note that students have the option to take French language courses throughout the PhD Program.
Students who validate all requirements of the Research Master phase obtain a Master Degree recognized by the French Ministry of Higher Education.
Foundations of Management
- Microeconomics
- Organizational Theory
- Fundamentals of Individual Behavior in Organizations
- The Economics of Organization
Foundations of Research
- Research Methods
- 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
- Meta-Analysis
- Macroeconometrics
- Modeling Choice, Count, and Duration
- Network Analysis
- Qualitative Methods
- Semi and non-Parametric Econometrics
- Structural Econometrics
- Reverse Engineering an Academic Career
- Academic Writing Workshop: Presenting Research
- Academic Presentations Workshop
During the doctoral studies phase, students work on their research paper-based dissertation. They are encouraged to present their research projects at national and international academic conferences. Most students spend time as a visiting student at a top university or business school abroad to build an academic network, work with co-authors, and receive feedback on their research.
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
