PhD in
Management
This programme jointly offered by the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano and the University of Trento aims to equip talented young people with the mindset and principles of responsible management and sustainable leadership, preparing them to contribute to a better future world and economy by balancing social, ecological, and economic aspects appropriately.
Course description
Our programme invites young scholars to explore, learn, and grow in a vibrant environment. Students benefit from two diverse universities, inspiring collaborations, and exciting networking opportunities.
As a PhD student in our programme, you will have access to a broad spectrum of professors, seminars, and workshops that will equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in your field of study. Our joint faculty brings together experts from various disciplines, providing a unique and comprehensive approach to management studies.
Moreover, being a part of our community means connecting with a strong alumni network that offers support, guidance, and a lot of opportunities for professional development.
How do you benefit from our joint PhD programme?
The specific feature of this programme is that you will have two tutors/supervisors: one from Bozen-Bolzano and one from Trento.
This is beneficial in terms of:
- Scope of expertise, i.e. exposure to a wider range of knowledge and perspectives,
- Networking opportunities, as you will be part of two different professional networks,
- support and guidance, through access to different perspectives, which will allow you to consider alternative viewpoints and refine your work,
- opportunities for collaboration, as co-supervision can lead to increased interaction between your two supervisors, which may ultimately lead to joint publications.
The joint programme is inspired by the principles of responsible management education and research. It aims at the development of theoretical and applied research in business and management sciences through the acquisition of specialised skills and competencies. The main research themes focus on behaviors and decision-making in various kinds of organizations (e.g., start-ups, SMEs, family businesses, corporations), especially entrepreneurship, innovation management, organization design and HRM, strategy and knowledge management, accounting and accountability. The program proposes and stimulates the adoption and application of advanced theoretical and methodological approaches.
The three-year full-time doctoral programme combines core seminars in quantitative and qualitative methods, relevant organisational and management theories and research strategies with additional individual training. Depending on the specific research interests and career ideas goals of the doctoral student, the content and learning methods research topics, the theoretical and methodological approach as well as the target journals and conferences are determined with the two supervisors.
This topic-specific individual support and mentoring, the promotion of interdisciplinary approaches and critical thinking, as well as financial support for research stays at renowned universities and a generous scholarship are features that set our programme apart from comparable programmes.
Doctoral students will be introduced to specific research areas of both faculties and will have the opportunity to participate in innovative research projects. They will benefit from a powerful combined set of resources (e.g. libraries, datasets, laboratories, facilities) to conduct relevant, international research. The international academic staff of both partner universities offer a wide range of research opportunities.
Applicants for a PhD position can should use the overview of current research interests of potential supervisors as an orientation and contact the respective Collegio members directly to see if their own research ideas are of interest and/or can be supported
In collaboration with:
In collaboration with:
At a glance
Duration of the programme: 3 years
Courses will be taught in English
Places available: 6 with scholarship + 1 without scholarship
Campuses: Bozen-Bolzano and Trient-Trento
Stay abroad: 4 to 6 months stays at renowned research institutions
Programme structure
Students are assigned two tutors (unibz and UniTrento) who support the integration phase and ideally take over the supervision later. The first six months of the programme provide basic knowledge of methods and theories in the field of responsible management in order to develop a common skill set among our doctoral students, regardless of their background. Depending on individual research interests, information and opportunities for specialist training will be provided. Ideally, a working paper will be completed by the end of the first year. Over the summer months, the first-year doctoral students have to develop a research proposal in close consultation with their supervisors, which they have to present to the Collegio in the first week of September. A positive review is a prerequisite for approval to continue the doctoral programme.
The second year is used to further develop the specific research topic, to present initial results at conferences, to expand methodological and conceptual knowledge and, ideally, to develop a second working paper. Preferably, PhD students will already spend part of their external research stay at partner institutions. The academic year ends with the second progress review / exam which again decides on the continuation of the PhD programme.
The third year is devoted to completing or refining further publishable research and submitting it to academic conferences and journals.
The dissertation, consisting of at least three published or publishable articles, must be submitted in early summer and defended at the end of the year after being assessed by external referees. Successful doctoral candidates will receive a doctorate from both participating universities.
International Research Collaborations
The Faculty and Collegio members of both partner universities have close academic networks within their specific research areas, too numerous to list here. Our PhD programme benefits from the guidance and support of an Advisory Board of leading, internationally recognised colleagues from different countries and disciplines, which currently consists of the following members:
- Massimo Contrafatto, University of Sussex, Great Britain
- Fabrizio Ferraro, IESE, Spain
- Claudia Gabbionetta, University of York, Great Britain
- Christoph Grimpe, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
- Giuseppe Grossi, Nord University, Norway
- Nadine Kammerlander, WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, Germany
- Linda Osti, Bangore University, United Kingdom
- Tanja Rabl, TU Kaiserslautern, Germany
- Martin Schnitzer, Universität Innsbruck, Austria
Additionally, our faculty members have established partnerships with colleagues, research groups, and institutes for instance from:
- Baruch College, USA
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
- Lee Kong Chian School of Business – Singapore Management University, Singapore
- Manchester Business School, UK
- NYU – New York University Stern;
These and many more professional contacts will provide our PhD students with numerous opportunities to pursue their research interests, to develop and maintain important networks, and to experience the life of a young scholar on a truly international level. Finally, it will be of help with starting a successful academic career.
People
PhD Programme Coordinator: Prof. Michael Nippa (photo) and Prof. Fabio Zona (at UniTrento)
Student representative in the Collegio: Yasser Basstawy El Sayed
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Studying at unibz
Living in South Tyrol, Housing, Scholarships and more
Coming to unibz from Abroad
Application procedure, Visa, Residence permit and more
Application and Admission
ou can find key information to apply and gain admission to this PhD Programme. Detailed information are available below in the general and specific calls (PDF).
In order to gain admission to the PhD programme, you will have to demonstrate competence in the languages of the PhD programme with a recognised language certificate and be successful in a public competition.
1st Call
Publication of the call: 27/03/2025
Application deadline: by 29/04/2025 (by noon local time)
Admission interviews (online): by 30/05/2025 (via MS Teams)
Publication of ranking lists: by 16/06/2025
Confirmation of the PhD position - 1st Call
Applicants with scholarship: by 01/07/2025
Applicants without scholarship: from 02/07/2025 to 17/07/2025
Enrolment: Starting from 02/07/2025 until 31/10/2025 (by noon local time)
Total Positions: 7
1st Call
Positions with university grants: 6
Positions without grant: 1
In the academic year 2025/26, the board members of the programme offer 60 research topics.
1st Call
At this link you can find a list of potential research projects and their corresponding proposed supervisors.
In order to gain admission to this PhD programme, you will need to have:
- Applicants holding a postgraduate degree as per Italian Ministerial Decree no. 509/1999, a postgraduate degree as per Italian Ministerial Decree no. 270/2004 in the indicated degree classes (LM-18, LM-31, LM-47, LM-49, LM-50, LM-51, LM-52, LM-55, LM-59, LM-63, LM-75, LM-76, LM-77, LM-91, LMG-01) with a minimum final grade of 95/110
or
- an equivalent qualification (Master degree) obtained abroad at an officially recognised academic higher education institution. Applicants achieving one of the above-mentioned titles within the enrolment deadline. In the latter case, applicants will be conditionally admitted to the public competition and are required to present the qualification by the enrolment deadline, under penalty of forfeiting admission to the programme. The minimum grade required for foreign degrees is ECTS or GPA 3.00 out of 5.00.
Applicants whose mother tongue is not English must document their language skills by presenting a language certificate (minimum level C1), such as TOEFL, IELTS or the First Certificate in English (grade "A") recognised by the Language Centre of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. Knowledge of English may also be demonstrated by qualifications (secondary school/bachelor/master) related to a program held entirely in English. In this case, Italian and EU candidates must declare this on the pre-enrolment portal.
Non-EU citizens must upload a copy of their diploma and any additional documentation indicating the language of instruction related to the foreign qualification. Candidates demonstrate their language proficiency in the application portal (in the section “upload language certificates” and/or “enroll for language exams”) after they have created an application in the section “create/manage applications”.
Applications to the selection procedure can be submitted from the date of the announcement of the public competition.
Each application is subject to a payment for administrative expenses (50 €). This registration fee cannot be reimbursed under any circumstances.
In order to apply, you need to follow these steps:
- Create an account at Application Portal and upload in electronic format a passport-size colour photo and a valid ID (passport or identity card, front/back);
- In the application portal, select the PhD programme and pay the registration fee of 50 € (see instructions in the portal);
- Fill in the online form in the same portal and upload the additional required documents (see the specific attachments to the call for each PhD programme).
Completing the application online is the only way to submit the application. Applications will not be considered if:
- incomplete or without compulsory entry qualifications/requirements;
- sent by e-mail.
It is necessary to upload the required documentation for each PhD programme chosen in the portal. A traffic light system indicates complete/incomplete documentation (missing documents will be marked in red).
Only documents uploaded by the deadline will be evaluated. It is advisable to apply online well in advance and to check the portal regularly to take note of any notes concerning missing and/or incorrect documents.
After the deadline, it will no longer be possible to complete/correct incomplete applications.
The University is not liable if the portal is overcharged, due to the net or to the software itself.
To apply to the PhD programme, applicants must include the documentation listed below. Incomplete applications will be excluded from the competition.
Diploma supplement or the Master degree diploma together with the transcript of records of all passed exams (=certificate with exams list of Master degree):
- if graduated in Italy: diploma supplement or self-declaration (following the Italian D.P.R. no. 445/2000) of the degree awarded with the exams passed (if graduated) or just with the exams passed (if not graduated yet);
- if graduated abroad: diploma supplement or final degree certificate with exams passed (if graduated) or transcript of records (if not graduated yet) in Italian, German or English.
The above must contain the following information: final grade, exams passed with grade and date of passing, credit points, scientific fields (the latter only for Italian titles), university where the degree was or will be awarded and date of graduation.
For qualifications obtained abroad, also: scale of grades awarded by the home university (with a minimum final grade to obtain the qualification and a maximum final grade achievable). unibz reserves the right to request a description of the contents of the single courses and/or teaching hours where necessary.
If the certificates or diplomas were awarded by Italian public institutions, the relevant self-certification forms must be completed in the portal.
If the certificates or diplomas were awarded by foreign institutions, the certificates or diplomas must be uploaded to the portal.
- Language certificate for English: if certificates were issued by Italian public institutions, a self-declaration must be uploaded in the portal. If certificates were issued by foreign public institutions, a scanned copy of the original certificate must be uploaded in the portal.
- Curriculum vitae (CV) in English (possibly following the EU format that can be downloaded here). The CV must be updated with all data and information of the current year 2024.
- Two recent letters of reference from current or former professors, supervisors of theses or co-authors of articles published in peer-reviewed management journals, which need to be specifically prepared for the application to this PhD programme.
- A research proposal in English (pdf-format, max. 1,200 words plus bibliography, tables, graphs, if applicable), which is scientifically rigorous and highlights the applicant's particular research interest and possible research questions as well as conceptual and methodological approaches. The research interests expressed in the research statement must be related to the research priorities of the faculty and consider the availability of supervisors in the proposed research area. Should the formal criteria, especially the volume limit, not be respected, the applicant will be excluded from the procedure. Note: a motivation letter is explicitly not required.
- Payment of the registration fee for the selection procedure.
All documents must be submitted in English (including copies of official certificates if they are in languages other than English, German, or Italian), otherwise the applicant will be excluded from the evaluation and selection process without further consultation.
Other documents/qualifications (recommended, if applicable)
- Publication list if relevant; preferably with respective links to the full text
- Certificates of special courses or awards and special achievements of relevance with regard to the PhD programme, or any other document that provides evidence of the qualifications necessary to successfully participate in our joint PhD programme.
The selection procedure takes place in two stages:
Stage 1
- Evaluation of the candidates' scientific qualification and suitability on the basis of written documents (qualifications) (max. 70 points).
- The selection committee examines and evaluates the following elements:
- The Master's final grade or the grade point average of examinations taken in the Master programme (in the case of candidates not yet in possession of the master’s degree) in combination with the quality of the issuing university(ies) or faculty/business school(s) by using recognized international ranking systems (total max. 20 points).
- Content proximity/affinity of previous education and qualifications to the subject content of the Joint PhD programme in Management, i.e., scientific proximity (total max. 20 points).
- Quantity and quality of scientific publications and/or research-related work experience (only those that match the subject content of the PhD programme in Management will be considered), if this represents added value for the PhD programme and the targeted research area (total max. 7.5 points).
- Comprehensive evaluation of the curriculum vitae and letters of recommendation. If the candidate has a very good GMAT or GRE test (not older than five years) it will be credited here (total max. 7.5 points).
Candidates who do not reach the threshold of 35 points (out of 55 points) regarding the evaluation of criteria 1) to 4) are declared ineligible at this stage and their research statement is not evaluated.
Evaluation of the research statement by designated or potential supervisors and/or other experts in the research field (max. 15 points)
Candidates who reach at least 45 out of max. 70 points in the assessment of criteria 1) to 5), including at least 10 points for the assessment of the research statement under 5), will be admitted and invited to the personal interview.
Stage 2
- Personal interview (max 30 points)
- The further assessment of applicants' qualifications and their aptitude as researcher is based on an interview (oral examination) (max 30 points).
During the interview, the selection committee will assess the following elements in particular:
- The applicant's preparation, education, and specific suitability for academic research in the field of Management at the Faculty of Economics and Management.
- The ability of the candidate to present his/her research interest and ambition and corresponding competencies and skills in a convincing manner in English.
The final score is made up of the sum of the scores obtained in the assessment of the documentation and interview. Applicants and candidates who have obtained at least 65/100 points will be eligible.
The final rankings will be published here. Such publication has the value of an official communication. No individual communications will be made.
To confirm your study place, you need to log in to the application portal and pay the following fees (€ 250 in total) using one of the payment methods indicated on the portal by the specified deadline.
- Administrative fees: € 50
- One-off registration fee: € 200, including a € 16 revenue stamp
If you fail to meet this deadline, you will automatically lose your place. Once you have confirmed your place by paying the instalment, there is no refund of tuition fees unless you are a non-EU applicant living abroad and you have not received the necessary documents from the Italian authorities in your country.
There are no other fees to be paid.
1st Call
CALL GENERAL PART (PDF): EN – IT – DE
CALL SPECIFIC PART (PDF): EN – IT – DE
For further questions contact us by phone at +39 0471 012800 or send us an e-mail: phd@unibz.it
Application
Visiting PhD students and sabbatical stay
The Faculty of Economics and Management at unibz and the Department of Economics and Management at UniTrento may accept PhD students from other universities who would like to undertake a short period of research (i.e., up to four months). We ask for your understanding that we are not able to accept all students who make an application to visit the Faculties and therefore need to be selective based upon qualifications and mutual fit of the research interests.
To facilitate your application and ensure we can manage our limited resources effectively, prospective visiting PhD researchers need to find and contact a Collegio member, who is working in the same research area and willing to host the applicant. The host will forward the complete application (CV; purpose and research objective of the stay; topic of a research seminar to be provided at the beginning of the visit) together with a recommendation for approval to the PhD Collegio.
In preparation for your visit with us, neither the Faculty of Economics and Management of unibz nor the Department of Economics and Management of UniTrento are able to provide access to Italy or any other secure data to visitors or visiting students. If you require this service, please contact your home institute, as they will be required to provide such access. Both faculties also recommend that you bring your own laptop with the required software.