We invite you to discover our doctoral degree programs in Business Administration and Economics and the opportunities they can offer you. The ESSEC PhD Program prepares you to play an active role in the international academic community and to develop research at the cutting edge. Learn more about our different concentrations and specializations and about the privileged conditions ESSEC is offering its doctoral candidates.
ESSEC Business School is consistently ranked as one of the best business schools in Europe, with several of its Master's programs are ranked in the Top 5 worldwide (at the time of this writing: #4 in Finance, #4 in Business Analytics, #4 in Marketing Management, #3 in Strategy, #6 in Management). Its proximity to the Paris business hub and its reputation in executive education (ranked #5 in the world for its customized programs) also contribute to a vibrant atmosphere in constant contact with the business world.
Our faculty is world-renowned, highly international, and deeply committed to research and mentoring young scholars. Under their guidance, you will learn to ask insightful questions and design and execute studies that provide rigorous and creative answers.
Because top-notch research requires a true commitment free of financial worries, ESSEC Business School offers full-tuition scholarships and a tax-free stipend covering living expenses so that, from day one, you can focus entirely on your research. Unlike many schools, that tuition is not conditional on teaching for the first four years. It also offers the possibility of obtaining, at the same time as the PhD, a French doctorate. Knowledge of French is neither required nor expected to join the program.
We are looking for bright, motivated young people from around the world, from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, aiming to become academics at excellent universities and business schools. I invite you to undertake the PhD journey in our school.
Arnaud De Bruyn,
Professor, Associate Dean of ESSEC PhD Program
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The goal of the ESSEC PhD Program is to prepare you for cutting-edge research and create the conditions for your integration into and active involvement in an international academic community. Our program is full-time, entirely in English and it meets the highest international standards.
We are offering seven concentrations:
- Accounting and Auditing,
- Data Analytics,
- Economics,
- Finance,
- Management with specialized tracks (Organizational Behavior, Strategy, Entrepreneuship, Digitalization and Information Systems and Management Control),
- Marketing,
- Operations Management and Operations Research
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We believe that quality research in business administration and economics demands both discipline specialization at the cutting-edge and a broad intellectual inscription with wide-ranging understanding and perspective. Only this kind of combination can generate and nurture truly innovative and relevant research. Our program fosters an interest for issues of current concern in our complex transnational business and economic world. The research developed in the Program is both theoretical and empirical – and we acknowledge the importance of scientific rigor as well as the necessity to be empirically relevant. The ESSEC PhD Program values a community approach to research. As you enter the program, you become a junior member of our international and vibrant community of lead researchers. We also create the opportunity for you to join in the broad international academic debates of your discipline as early as possible by encouraging and supporting participation in conferences and workshops and periods of stay in one of our many partner Universities and schools.
The ESSEC PhD Program has two phases. The first two years is an intense period of coursework where you will be given the opportunity both to acquire a well-rounded and wide-ranging intellectual training and to deepen knowledge and mastery of your specialized field.
- General Requirement Courses: They provide you with an overview of the different fields of business administration and of the various epistemologies and methodological tools available. This endows our students with a unique interdisciplinary perspective and with broad-based methodological competencies.
- Specialized courses and seminars: These courses provide you with in-depth theoretical and methodological knowledge fitted to your concentration and area of specialization. They are tailored to give you access to current state-of-the-art research in your particular field of specialization. After the successful completion of the first two years of the program and of preliminary exams, students are awarded an Advanced Master in Business Administration Research (MS BAR). You then enter the second phase of the PhD Program.
- Dissertation Proposal: You will work with one or two ESSEC professors who will guide and direct your research. You should validate your Dissertation proposal in January of your third year.
- Dissertation Defense: It is expected to take place by the end of the fourth year. You will be working closely with your supervisor(s) with tight inscription in the broader intellectual community of your concentration and beyond.
ESSEC boasts a top-level international Faculty that is deeply committed to research. When you enter our Program, you join an intellectually vibrant community that is connected across the world to a broad network of scholars and institutions. Our Faculty members hold PhDs or Doctoral Degrees from the best Universities in the world.Many members in our Faculty have an international reputation in their discipline and field – hence contributing to the brand name and international reputation of ESSEC. ESSEC Business School is a leading global business school (ranked #4 for its MiM Program by the Financial Times), with a double accreditation (AACSB and Equis) and two main campuses – one outside Paris and the other in Singapore.Accounting and Auditing, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Operations and Data Analytics, Management with specialized tracks – OB/HR, Strategy, Entrepreneuship, Information Systems and Management Control.
- Accounting and Auditing
The ESSEC PhD program in Accounting and Auditing (A&A) is devoted to training doctoral candidates to conduct research at the highest level on questions (...)
- Data Analytics
The ESSEC PhD program in Data Analytics, launched in 2022, provides doctoral training with advanced courses and research opportunities in (...)
- Economics
"We live on an island surrounded by a sea of ignorance. As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance." John Archibald Wheeler (...)
- Finance
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that (...)
- Management
ESSEC’s PhD program in Management applies social science disciplines and research methods to management problems. It prepares students for (...)
- Marketing
The ESSEC PhD program in Marketing is devoted to training doctoral candidates to conduct rigorous and high impact research in a dynamic business environment (...)
- Operations Management and Operations Research
Operations Management & Operations Research (OM/OR) is an interdisciplinary concentration of ESSEC Business School PhD (...)
Direct access to student profiles per concentration :
- Economics
Raphael GOMES DE OLIVEIRA
Since 2020
My main research interests are social welfare and individual and collective decision-making.
- Economics
Rajarshi GHOSH
Since 2019
I am interested in microeconomic theory, especially game theory and the game theoretic reasons for the existence of today's social and economic institutions. I am also interested in market failures, market design, and the economics of incentives.
- Management
Anna KRAVCHENKO
Since 2020
My dissertation research engages with the topic of institutional work to address grand challenges. I am interested in how organizations work across fields, how specific characteristics of meta-organizations shape their institutional work, and how organizations form alliances to tackle grand challenges through political work. My approach to these questions is based on qualitative and conceptual research.
- Operations and Data Sciences
Yuanyuan LI
Since 2020
Research interests:
• Large scale problem solving
• The integration between OR and Machine Learning
• Building bridge between theoretical study and practical usage
- Economics
Xin LONG
Since 2019
My research interests lie in international economics and macroeconomics, especially topics related to monetary policies.
- Accounting and Auditing
Hao MA
Since 2020
My primary research interests lie in labor and accounting, auditing, disclosure, and financial analysts.
- Economics
Mélanie MARTEN
Since 2019
Microeconometrics and policy evaluation, environmental economics.
- Management
Shubham SINGH
Since 2019
I am a sixth-year PhD candidate in strategy at ESSEC Business School. My research interests include stakeholder strategy, non-market strategy, corporate social responsibility, corporate sustainability and shareholder activism.
- Management, Strategy
Matthias TRÖBINGER
Since 2020
My research explores how crowds engage in distributed problem-solving and innovation. I am interested in understanding (1) how resource seekers can coordinate with crowds to leverage their support and (2) what governance interventions enhance crowd decision-making processes. To explore these questions, I employ qualitative methods and experiments.
- Finance
Mo WANG
Since 2019
My research interest lies in empirical asset pricing. I'm currently working on investigating the momentum effect in the Chinese stock market and exploring the predictability of options in the US market.
- Accounting and Auditing
Jong Hyuk LEE
Since 2023
My research interest is centered on understanding ESG and fraud detection. I am particularly focused on employing statistical methods, including structural modeling and machine learning.
- Accounting and Auditing
Yilan LI
Since 2022
My current research interest lies in the combination of Machine Learning and Accounting Research. There are two aspects I would like to explore in the future:
(1) using machine learning techniques to convert unstructured data into structured data and
(2) detecting the consequences of the use of machine learning in capital market
- Accounting and Auditing
Hao MA
Since 2020
My primary research interests lie in labor and accounting, auditing, disclosure, and financial analysts.
- Accounting and Auditing
Hui TAN
Since 2021
My research interest lies in financial accounting and corporate governance.
- Data Analytics
Lihan FANG
Since 2022
My research mainly focuses on Reinforcement Learning, Machine Learning, and Computational Statistics.
- Data Analytics
Vahe KARAGULYAN
Since 2023
My research interest is around high-dimensional statistics
- Data Analytics
El Mahdi KHRIBCH
Since 2022
My research interests are Bayesian nonparametric methods with an emphasis on Monte Carlo Methods, unbiased estimation, and PAC Bayesian bounds.
- Data Analytics
Patrick TANG
Since 2019
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- Public Economics
Omar AL HUMSI
Since 2022
I am interested in Public Economics, Labor Economics, and Macroeconomics.
- Economics
Maxime BERROU
Since 2020
My research focuses on the interaction between public policy and globalization. My current project is empirical and aims at estimating the effects of trade liberalization and labor market regulations on the informal sector in India.
- International Economics
Zijun CHENG
Since 2022
My current research interest is in International Trade. More precisely, the spatial productivity difference between different countries. Another research area of interest is macroeconomics, especially in the business cycle and inflation index generation.
- Economics
Mahaut DE VILLENEUVE BARGEMON
Since 2020
I am interested in theoretical Environmental Economics.
- Economics
Rajarshi GHOSH
Since 2019
I am interested in microeconomic theory, especially game theory and the game theoretic reasons for the existence of today's social and economic institutions. I am also interested in market failures, market design, and the economics of incentives.
- Economics
Raphael GOMES DE OLIVEIRA
Since 2020
My main research interests are social welfare and individual and collective decision-making.
- Economics
Mohammad LASHKARBOLOOKIE
Since 2020
I am interested in microeconomics theory, specially, game theory and its applications in information economics and Industrial organization.
- Economics
Shuying LIU
Since 2023
My current research interest lies in the intersection of microeconomic theory, information economics and industrial organization within the realm of digital markets.
- Economics
Xin LONG
Since 2019
My research interests lie in international economics and macroeconomics, especially topics related to monetary policies.
- Economics
Haoyu LUO
Since 2023
My interest research is in spatial economics and labor market.
- Economics
Zipeng MA
Since 2020
My research interest lies in two main fields: Macroeconomics, Monetary Policy and Financial economics; Also, Development economics and Environment economics.
- Economics
Mélanie MARTEN
Since 2019
Microeconometrics and policy evaluation, environmental economics.
- Public Economics
Mira SERHAL
Since 2022
I am interested in family and gender economics, economics of education, and environmental economics.
- Economics
Ke SHI
Since 2021
I am interested in gender economics, environmental economics and public economics.
- Economics
Jean TOUPOUVOGUI
Since 2022
Interested in issues of international macroeconomics such as debt crises due to uncertainty shocks and the challenges of international finance and trade in a multipolarized world that threatens both the hegemony of the dollar and the role of Bretton Woods institutions, such as the IMF, as lender of last resort for economies at risk of bankruptcy.
- Economics
Xiaowei ZHANG
Since 2019
My research interests are Labor Economics, Environmental Economics and Development Economics.
- Finance
Huilin HUANG
Since 2021
My current research interests lie in the fields of asset pricing, behavioral finance and climate finance.
- Finance
Hélène IUNG-MATHURIN
Since 2018
My research interests lie in the fields of theoretical macro-finance, asset pricing, machine learning and climate finance.
- Finance
Dailei LIU
Since 2023
My research interest lies in the field of financial econometrics, banking finance and household finance. It may be changed several months later.
- Finance
Wenliang MIN
Since 2023
My research interests lie in the field of empirical asset pricing, machine learning and green finance.
- Finance
Menglong NA
Since 2020
I am working on the intersection between sustainable finance, asset pricing and behavioural finance. I am interested in studying the how investors' sentiment and preference affects ESG asset prices.
Personal website
- Finance
Rachel PAYA
Since 2022
Broadly speaking, my research interest lies in the fields of environmental and financial economics. In particular, I focus on the behaviour of firms regarding corporate investment decisions in the context of the ecological transition and the public policies able to influence those decisions.
- Finance
Roya SOLTANI
Since 2021
I am interested in empirical research within various topics in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurial finance, corporate finance, and industrial organization.
- Finance
Mo WANG
Since 2019
My research interest lies in empirical asset pricing. I'm currently working on investigating the momentum effect in the Chinese stock market and exploring the predictability of options in the US market.
- Management
Arushi AGGARWAL
Since 2022
I am interested in exploring decision-making within organizations as a function of the actors' social interactions (or networks). Furthermore, I am also keen to understand the dynamics of status, power as well as identity within these contexts.
- Management, Information Systems
Saideh ALAEI
Since 2021
Exploring the fascinating intersection of technology and society, my main research project reveals the dual impact of national digital initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide on the social sustainability outcomes of countries and firms. I aim for a harmonious balance between technological progress and social sustainability aspects such as individual well-being, equitable opportunities, and cohesive social networks. Alongside, my journey ventures into the realm of innovation, where I discuss the potential of machines to assist designers in creating products that attract consumers. For these projects, I employ econometrics and computational methods to illuminate technology's nuanced role in modern society.
- Management
Yosra ALEAHMAD
Since 2019
I am a 5th-year Ph.D. Candidate in Management Control at ESSEC Business School in France. My research focuses on management controls and gender; aiming to uncover the ways in which management controls contribute to the persistence of gender inequality. Additionally, my work investigates what shapes accounting calculative techniques.
- Management
Abhay BHARGAVA
Since 2022
My research interests lie at the intersection of creativity & innovation, driven by AI and new technologies. This includes their design and implementation. I have authored a book “Creativity Secrets: Creativity & innovation Secrets for Design, Art, and Business” based on my several creativity and innovation experiences that include bringing new innovative technologies to market in the US as a consultant and a serial entrepreneur.
- Management Control
Federica BRAGAGNOLO
Since 2023
My research lies at the intersection of management and accounting. I am interested in studying the readiness of organisations to engage in changes within their accounting workflows and procedures. Further analysis will include the study of the social (i.e., organisational employees and executives) and technological (i.e., incremental innovations of cloud computing, Optical Character Recognition, Robotic Process Automation or more breakthrough innovations such as blockchain based Accounting Information System or smart contracts) components shaping the phenomenon.
- Management, Information Systems
Ali KIAEI
Since 2023
Driven by a fascination with science and mathematics, my journey in Mechanical Engineering began. During my Bachelor's, I excelled in national-level RoboCup competitions, which fueled my passion for innovation. This led me to engage in design and simulation projects during my Master's in Mechanical Engineering. Professionally, my path has spanned diverse industries, including automotive and mining equipment maintenance. In these sectors, I have contributed to various tasks ranging from product development engineering to creating platforms that enhance machinery uptime through user feedback. As I embark on a PhD in Information Systems, my focus is on harnessing AI for design and innovation.
- Management
Anna KRAVCHENKO
Since 2020
My dissertation research engages with the topic of institutional work to address grand challenges. I am interested in how organizations work across fields, how specific characteristics of meta-organizations shape their institutional work, and how organizations form alliances to tackle grand challenges through political work. My approach to these questions is based on qualitative and conceptual research.
- Management, Organizational Behavior
Taeho KWAK
Since 2021
His research focuses on how the interdependence between subunits of an organization shapes the ways in which solutions for localized problems are discovered and implemented. Taeho uses computational modeling as his primary research method, alongside other methodologies such as lab experiments.
- Management Control
George Boyang LI
Since 2023
My current research interest lies in applying psychological theories and behavioural economic theories in management accounting and control topics by using experimental (lab/field) methods. Key areas include performance measurement systems, forecasting, budgetary processes, and motivations behind employee misbehaviour (e.g. collusion).
- Management, Information Systems
Mengyue LIU
Since 2023
My research interest lies in user behaviors under digital transformation and innovation, especially how the digital era reshapes users' identification, decision-making, and interaction patterns.
- Management, Organizational Behavior
Evgeny NIVA
Since 2021
I am interested in a wide array of topics related to group dynamics, interaction rituals, microsociology of creativity, individual and team mindfulness.
- Management, Strategy
Dong Nghi PHAM
Since 2018
Dong-Nghi Pham is a 5th-year Ph.D. Candidate in Management at ESSEC Business School in France. Her research focuses on the micro-foundations of organizational learning. In her Ph.D. dissertation, Dong Nghi investigates how intra-organizational learning shapes and is shaped by:
(1) organizational politics,
(2) organizational design,
(3) the shift to remote work, and
(4) the replacement of human capital.
Because of the complex, emergent nature of these issues, Dong Nghi uses computational modeling as her primary research method, along with a particular enthusiasm for machine-learning approaches.
- Management
Yiran QUE
Since 2022
My interest in research is digital transformation influence and process in corporate level/ new technologies adoption in corporate and individual levels/the function and network effect of digital platforms.
- Management
Shubham SINGH
Since 2019
I am a sixth-year PhD candidate in strategy at ESSEC Business School. My research interests include stakeholder strategy, non-market strategy, corporate social responsibility, corporate sustainability and shareholder activism.
- Management, Strategy
Marselia TAN
Since 2022
My main research interest are broadly on 1) nascent industry (the collaborative and/or competitive dynamics between entrepreneurial ventures and non-market stakeholders in shaping the new industry's legitimation) as well as on 2) (de)stigmatization process across levels of analysis (e.g. individual, occupational, organizational, industry category). I use qualitative research approaches to investigate underexplored organizational phenomena.
- Management, Strategy
Matthias TRÖBINGER
Since 2020
My research explores how crowds engage in distributed problem-solving and innovation. I am interested in understanding (1) how resource seekers can coordinate with crowds to leverage their support and (2) what governance interventions enhance crowd decision-making processes. To explore these questions, I employ qualitative methods and experiments.
- Management, Organizational Behavior
Helen Tsz Ching TSUI
Since 2023
My research investigates the emotion regulation of female leaders. I am interested in studying how beliefs about the emotions displayed by leaders and females shape the way female leaders regulate their own emotions, and how this consequently influences their well-being.
- Management, Organizational Behavior
Aleksey TYULYUPO
Since 2020
My research interests revolve around online labor markets as a part of the platform economy. Having done some research with digital traces from online labor markets , I am now trying to overcome the self-imposed limitation of a single data source and platform. In doing so, I intend, first, to embed the view of online labor markets into the broader economy and, second, use them as the empirical ground to advance social theory. For instance, I am interested in questions like:
• Can quality labor force at online markets be self-reproducible, or is it bound to only replete with retirees, outcasts and escapists from the office?
• How do market matching processes change in the new informational environments, such as those of online labor markets?
- Management
Chuning XIAO
Since 2022
I am interested in a range of topics related to decentralization, organizational adaptation and organizational identity, especially in the context of creative industries.
- Management, Strategy
Zipeng ZHENG
Since 2023
My research interest is currently anchored in the domain of corporate strategy, with a particular focus on how digital technologies reshape traditional business models and facilitate novel pathways for value creation. I am also interested in exploring the strategic complementarities between firms and their complementors to enhance innovation capabilities and market competitiveness.
- Marketing
Madhav ARORA
Since 2020
My research interest lies in the domain of emotions and decision-making. I explore how different emotions affect consumer goals and their choices.
- Marketing
Haofan CHEN
Since 2023
My research interest revolves around consuming atmosphere and queer consumption. Currently interested in combining queer theory and CCT to explore how consumer culture shapes and is shaped by the fluidity of gender and sex from a non Western perspective.
- Marketing
Mohammadhesam HAJIGHASEMI
Since 2021
As a consumer behavior researcher, my focus revolves around investigating the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence, as well as emerging technologies like NFTs and blockchain. I am passionate about uncovering how these innovations transform consumer perceptions, influence decision-making behaviors, and ultimately generate value for both consumers and businesses.
- Marketing
Lina OECHSNER
Since 2021
My research focuses on creating insights from user-generated content with the help of machine learning, natural language processing or image mining.
- Marketing
Anjana RAJMOHAN
Since 2023
I am interested in CCT-oriented research with a focus on sustainability and climate change.
- Marketing
Danhan WANG
Since 2020
Bayesian statistics, sales forcasting using behavioral and transaction data to understand and predict future purchasing activities.
- Marketing
Pujith Niel WOOD
Since 2023
My research is centered on examining morality and deception within the context of consumer psychology, integrating insights from marketing, social psychology, and philosophy. I employ experiments to unravel the nuanced ways in which ethical considerations shape consumer behaviors. Additionally, I enjoy exploring decision-making and purchase behavior in immersive and virtual retail environments.
- Marketing
Wenze ZHAO
Since 2021
I have enjoyed marketing's interdisciplinary nature with an extensive reach. Methodologically, I am interested in quantitative modelling and machine learning. Substantively, I am currently interested in social media and online advertising.
- Operations and Data Sciences
Yerlan KUZBAKOV
Since 2018
Application of operational research methods in various fields such as supply chain management, pricing, demand and supply management, and production management.
- Operations and Data Sciences
Yuanyuan LI
Since 2020
Research interests:
• Large scale problem solving
• The integration between OR and Machine Learning
• Building bridge between theoretical study and practical usage
- Operations and Data Sciences
Minakshi Punam MANDAL
Since 2018
My main interests are in optimization methodologies, robust modeling, stochastic and dynamic programming and decision making under uncertainty that can be applied to operations research and risk management.
- Operations Management & Operations Research
Sara MESRAR
Since 2022
I am a software engineer with nine years of corporate experience. During this time, I've played a pivotal role in assisting clients in leveraging technology and data to enhance operational excellence. Furthermore, my background in strategic consulting has provided me with a profound understanding of organizational dynamics, exposing me to global challenges, including issues such as Climate Change. These combined experiences have equipped me with the skills necessary to address intricate real-world problems situated at the crossroads of sustainability and operations.
My research interest is driven by a desire to explore innovative approaches for integrating sustainability into the fabric of operational decision-making. My goal is to develop advanced models that empower businesses not only to thrive economically but also to make positive contributions to the environment and society at large.
- Operations Management & Operations Research
Moein QAISARI HASAN ABADI
Since 2023
My research interests are Applied Optimization, Sustainability, Supply Chain Management, and Robustness & Resilience.
- Operations and Data Sciences
Shaghayegh RAMEZANPOUR SHALMANI
Since 2020
My research interests include the applications of operations research in production planning, pricing and decision making under uncertainty.
- Operations and Data Analytics
Wenjin YAN
Since 2021
My research interests lie in polyhedral approaches for mixed integer programming and optimization under uncertainty, with applications in transportation, logistics and network design problems.
We provide full financial support for four years, and 5th year support conditional on strong performance.
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Tuition fees waiver during all your studies
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Around € 25,200 living allowance per year for four years
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Possibility of an associate lecturer contract for your fifth year
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Conference budget provided your paper is accepted for presentation
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Overseas internship package
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External doctoral consortia and courses budget
Your Ph.D. Supervisor is selected officially only during the second year of your Ph.D., based on the research interests you will have developed by then. Although it is useful (and recommended) to scan the research interests of current faculty at ESSEC, it is not necessary to contact them before you have been accepted in the program. Admission decisions are collegial. If you believe your research interests may match well with those of current faculty, please mention it in your motivation letter.
- Fill in the online application form indicating university degrees and grades, including a statement of purpose and your Curriculum Vitae
- Upload your official transcripts
- Upload certified copies of all your grades and university diplomas unless award of the degree is specified on your final official transcript
- Upload 3 letters of recommendation to be completed by faculty or research scholars (available in the Application online procedure). Please ask you referees to check their spam/junk folder if they do not receive the recommendation request from ESSEC
- Provide a high GMAT or GRE score (test taken within the past five years). Last year's cohort had an average GMAT of 700. The ETS code center for the ESSEC PhD Program is X 6R-91-50 (GMAT) and 0839 (GRE)
- The program being in English, applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the TOEFL, for which the PhD program code is 0045. IELTS is also accepted.
Tuition fees to the PhD Program amount to 10,000 euros per year for the first two years. For students from the European Union, reduced tuition fees of 5,000 euros per year apply.
After the first two years, tuition fees for students in residence amount for 2,400 euros for year. An exceptional waiver of half this amount applies for periods of non-residence.
ESSEC offers a generous package of tuitions waiver, scholarships and conferences funding. If not funded by other sources (governments, foundations, etc.), admitted students are eligible to apply to the ESSEC package. No student is admitted without external or ESSEC funding.
Everybody knows Google’s “20% time” rule, where employees can spend one day per week learning new skills, working on their pet projects, and having the freedom to launch initiatives of their own.
Now, imagine that level of freedom for your career, but five days a week instead of just one.
In academia, the visible tip of the iceberg --the one students are the most familiar with-- is that ESSEC faculty teach courses. However, outside the classrooms, a faculty’s time is largely dedicated to research. In a world where immediacy and speed are paramount, and everything seems rushed, research faculty are given the luxury of time to study the world, explore business problems in-depth, and recommend innovative solutions.
Academic research is a rewarding path for students who are self-driven, hard-working, and wish to work in-depth on interesting research topics. While highly competitive, a career in academia can be fulfilling and intellectually stimulating and provides a level of freedom and independence that few professions offer.
To embrace an academic career, however, a key requirement is that the candidate must hold a Ph.D. or a Doctorate. The Research Track in the Master in Management program is a path to embark on that journey.
The aim of this track is to promote a career in academic research and encourage students to pursue a Ph.D., either at ESSEC Business School or in a different institution. The track is designed to coach students and help them apply to the best Ph.D. programs in the world (including the one at ESSEC) and give them a head start in their Ph.D. journey.
The research track offers seven different concentrations and many more specializations, mimicking the structure of the Ph.D. program at ESSEC. Please visit this page for an overview
Students apply to the track no later than 12 months prior to fulfilling their graduation requirements and no earlier than 24 months prior to that same deadline. When they apply, students are invited to send the following documents to the Coordinator: (1) a motivation letter, (2) their resume, (3) their course transcripts, and (4) their results to GMAT or GRE tests, if available.
With the help and guidance of the Coordinator, the student needs to secure the involvement of a Research Advisor (a research-active ESSEC faculty) who agrees to work with the student on a research project of shared interest to both parties.
Students need to validate three courses at the Ph.D. level or equivalent. The courses are selected from the standard Ph.D. student roadmap in their selected concentration, with the help and guidance of the Coordinator and Research Advisor. The UV will be registered as equivalence and will count toward the total number of UV students needed to validate to graduate in the Master in Management program.
Students need to validate two independent research projects under the supervision of their Research Advisor. The UV will be registered as equivalence and will count toward the total number of UV students needed to graduate in the Master in Management program. Please see “personal research projects” in the Master Student Guide for more details.
The students in the Research Track will also attend a seminar (one afternoon) where they will be coached about the requirements to apply to a Ph.D. Program (ESSEC or otherwise), the pros and cons of an academic career, what makes a good file or motivation letter, how to select a good Ph.D. program in their field, etc.
Students accepted in the research track will be invited to attend research seminars and research events organized by their concentration. Attendance is encouraged but not required.
