Academic Programs > Doctoral Program > Program Description
Program Description
The Doctoral Program is a 36-month, 80-semester credit program of post masters study completed in six 12-week
semesters.
Under the auspices and general supervision of Institut d'Administration des Entreprises, Université Nice Sophia
Antipolis (IAE-UNSA) the doctoral program is the result of a collaborative initiative between IAE-UNSA and the
International University of Monaco (IUM). The program leads to the conferral of the Doctor of Philosophy in Business
Management (PhD) degree by IAE-UNSA.
IUM is accepting applications for this program in 2008.
The doctoral program is a highly innovative, comprehensive, advanced degree that offers students the opportunity to
investigate and explore business disciplines at a sophisticated, in-depth level.
The program culminates in original research that may be:
Practitioner-oriented and designed to be of functional significance to the practice of management.
A sustained theoretically-based investigation of the management field leading to novel re-considerations of
existing work.
Purely research-based, original analysis and consideration of data and phenomena to correspond with similar
research extant in the academic milieu.
Rigorous reflection and deliberation focused on academic examinations of current developments in the business
and management field.
In a dynamic format that combines intensive coursework and applied or research-oriented scholarship, the doctoral
program seeks to leverage the research achievements and theoretical knowledge of IUM and IAE-UNSA faculty, as well as
their managerial expertise and real world experience. The program aims to produce academically well-qualified graduates
with a meaningful understanding of the ways in which working managers may impact the multinational business setting -
as well as the implications of such actions.
There are effectively two
tracks students may choose from: to become theoretical researchers, academics, or teachers; or to embark on careers as
applied researchers, consultants, and senior corporate roles.
A distinctive feature of the doctoral program is the project-based nature of both coursework and dissertation; students
are not permitted to proceed to doctoral candidacy until they have identified a firm, government entity, or other type
of organization that is willing to "sponsor" their research. This sponsorship provides students with a real world
laboratory where they can identify specific problems to address through their research, and create useful applications
of that research to the firm in question.
The doctoral program consists of four major instructional components: research foundation requirements, the advanced
core seminar, the project-based research tutorial, and the dissertation.
These components are structured within four frames as follows:
1. Frame 1: Research Foundation Requirements (8 credits)
2. Frame 2: Advanced Core Seminar (32 credits)
i. Part I: Domain Survey (8 credits)
ii. Part II: Colloquium (24 credits)
3. Frame 3: Project-Based Research Tutorial (16 credits)
4. Frame 4: Dissertation (24 credits)
Within this architecture, each frame builds on its predecessor, establishing an increasingly complex schema of basic
theory and methodology for research. Using this broad base of knowledge, students create a blueprint for their research
work that channels original ideas into a research agenda.
From this - and with the close assistance of a designated IAE-UNSA or IUM faculty member - students develop a roadmap
that enables them to perform research that addresses management research and the current business world.
Although students must be continuously enrolled for the entire doctoral program they are required to be in residence
for semester one only.
Students may choose to specialize in finance, management, or marketing through the dissertation only; formal coursework
is completed by all students regardless of their dissertation topic.
The program is divided into six semesters so that frames are configured to maximize student-professor interaction as
described below.
SEMESTER 1
1. Frame 1: Research Foundation Requirements (8 credits)
In Frame 1 all students fulfill research foundation requirements by completing the same four courses designed to
provide a comprehensive grounding in doctoral level research methodology. These courses are undertaken in semester one.
Frame 1 aims to instill in students a respect for the rigor necessary to produce advanced, original research that has
current applicability, and to provide them with the methodological tools to perform such research.
By the end of Frame 1 students should have developed the broad parameters of their dissertation topic, including
defined area of research, preliminary research design, and a general implementation plan.
2. Frame 2: Advanced Core Seminar - Part I: Domain Survey (8 credits)
After completing Frame 1 students move on to advanced core seminar (ACS) in Frame 2.
The ACS provides a comprehensive survey of management subjects and builds on the research techniques mastered in Frame 1.
ACS courses use an intensive seminar model or online teaching (domain survey) and directed study (colloquium) to assist
students in identifying innovative research sources, and developing clear presentation of ideas.
The ACS is divided into the 8-credit domain survey and the 24-credit colloquium.
The domain survey is completed in semester one and comprises four courses deemed essential to an understanding of the
broad range of business fields at the doctoral level. Students are required to demonstrate their mastery of this
subject matter by successfully completing one compulsory and three elective courses in this part of Frame 2 before they
move on to more specialized research. The three elective courses are completed using a distance learning format.
The Dissertation Proposal
By the end of semester one students must present a dissertation proposal that clearly states the dissertation topic,
shows how the research will be designed in a detailed way, carefully demonstrates how the research will be implemented,
and provides a project plan with specific signposts and dates of completion.
The dissertation proposal will be completed in collaboration with an assigned IUM or IAE-UNSA faculty member who will
become the dissertation supervisor, but also act in a coaching capacity to support and guide the student.
Finally, students may also be required to identify a firm, government entity, or other organization that is willing to
"sponsor" their research by providing a real world setting for the student's research. This distinctive project-based
approach ensures that where necessary research is closely linked to actual business problems, and provides students
with invaluable experience in a concrete "consulting" situation.
SEMESTER 2
3. Frame 2: Advanced Core Seminar - Part II: Colloquium (24 credits)
The colloquium requires students to carry out sophisticated, wide-ranging research across a broad spectrum of sources.
These can include print materials, working papers, websites and other electronic material, industry analysis and
publications, seminars, meetings, and conferences.
The aim of the colloquium is to expose students to a broad array of research in their area of interest - from an
extensive range of provenances and in a variety of formats - so that they leave the "comfort zone" of traditional
sources.
4. Frame 3: Project-Based Research Tutorial (16 credits)
The Project-Based Research Tutorial (PRT) is completed in Frame 3. It requires students to broaden their grasp of
important issues in their area of study and to perform guided superior research with their dissertation supervisor.
The PRT is designed to allow students access to the resources of both IUM and IAE-UNSA in order to become thoroughly
acquainted with the implementation phase of their research topic, and with the range of interests and areas of research
specialty of IUM and IAE-UNSA faculty. It consists of a semester-long seminar where students will hone the knowledge
and skills they have mastered thus far in the program. The tutorial is a "dress rehearsal" for the writing of the
dissertation; students will be able to use the long essay they complete (usually the first chapter of the dissertation)
as a basis for the final document.
Finally, the PRT also acts as a comprehensive examination of students' progress in the doctoral program and its
successful completion certifies their mastery of all course subject matter.
The Master Administration des Affaires Recherche en Sciences de Gestion and Doctoral Candidacy
After successfully completing Frame 3 students are awarded the Master Administration des Affaires Recherche en Sciences
de Gestion by UNSA-IAE indicating that that they (1) have mastered the research methods and techniques - and
demonstrated the writing abilities - required for doctoral study, (2) possess the skills necessary to carry out
supervised research based on limited data or information, and (3) understand that doctoral level study will require
them to conduct original, independent research that advances subject area knowledge. The conferral of the Master takes
the place of comprehensive examinations.
Students are then admitted to doctoral candidacy and begin working on their dissertation in close consultation with
their dissertation supervisor. Henceforth, they liaise constantly with their supervisor to produce the final
deliverable for the doctoral program: the dissertation.
Please note that students must fulfill all requirements of Frames 1, 2, and 3 in order to qualify for doctoral
candidacy. In certain cases a student may be awarded the Masters as a terminal degree.
SEMESTERS 3-6
5. Frame 4: Dissertation (24 credits)
In Frame 4 all students complete four 6-credit dissertation courses.
On successful completion of Frame 3 -- and closely supervised by an IUM or IAE-UNSA faculty member - students are
expected to produce a sustained piece of original research.
The dissertation will be the result of close consultation with all IUM and IAE-UNSA faculty and other resources, as
well as the various departments and personnel of any sponsoring entity. In this way students will engage directly with
the worlds of theory and practice to test their hypotheses and findings over the entire frame.
After a successful dissertation defense, and provided they have fulfilled all other academic and administrative
requirements, students are awarded the doctorate.