Why a Doctoral Program at IUM?
- Highly innovative, comprehensive, advanced degree
- Tailored to the needs and constraints of professionals and executives
- One of the world's most diverse student bodies
- Unparalleled networking and career opportunities in Monaco
- Renowned international faculty from industry-specific backgrounds
DBA or PhD?
There are effectively two tracks students may choose from:
The DBA is practitioner-oriented and designed to be of functional significance to the practice of management.
It could be oriented towards sustained theoretically-based investigation of the management field leading to novel
re-considerations of existing work, or towards a purely research-based, original analysis and consideration of
data and phenomena to correspond with similar research existent in the academic milieu.
The DBA degree is a 36-month program intended to allow you to embark on careers as applied researchers, consultants, and senior
corporate roles.
The PhD is a rigorous reflection and deliberation focused on academic examinations of current developments in the business and management field.
The PhD program is structured 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. It is particularly relevant for candidates aiming to become theoretical researchers,
academics, or professors.
The PhD degree requires 12 additional months to allow the candidate to adapt the dissertation to the format and content
required to obtain the French Doctorate (the PhD).
Program Description
The doctoral program consists of
five major instructional components, structured within five frames as follows:
Frame 1: Research Foundation Requirements (12 credits)
Frame 2: Advanced Core Courses (12 credits)
Frame 3: Specialization Seminars (14 credits)
Frame 4: Dissertation Proposal (12 credits)
Frame 5: Dissertation
- Option 1: DBA Dissertation (30 credits)
- Option 2: PhD Dissertation (50 credits)
Within this architecture, each frame builds on the one
before, establishing an increasingly complex scheme of
basic theory and methodology for research. Using this
broad base of knowledge and with the close assistance
of a designated UNS-IAE or IUM faculty member,
students create a blueprint for their research work that
channels original ideas into a research agenda and
develop a roadmap that enables them to perform
research that addresses management issues relevant to
the current business world.
Students may choose to specialize in Economics and
Finance, Luxury Business, International Management, or
International Marketing through the formal coursework,
but the dissertation will have to focus on Management
regardless of their specialization field. The program is
configured in a way that maximizes student-professor
interaction as described below.
Program Curriculum
Frame 1: Research Foundation Requirements (12 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.
The Research Foundation Requirements 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.
Frame 2: Advanced Core Courses (12 credits)
The advanced core courses in Frame 2 provide a
comprehensive survey of management subjects and build
on the research techniques mastered in Frame 1. They
comprise four courses deemed essential to the
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 four elective courses from two areas of
specialization of their choice.
Frame 3: Specialization Seminars (14 credits)
Specialization seminar courses use several teaching
methods including directed study (domain survey),
participation in seminars (colloquium), and online teaching
project-based tutorial, organized to assist students in
identifying innovative research sources, and developing
clear presentation of ideas.
The
domain survey is conducted on a distance learning
mode that requires the students to write an essay on a
topic related to their area of specialization. The objective is
to prepare the students to structure their research work in
the appropriate style required for their dissertation, under
the guidance and supervision of experimented professors.
The
colloquium’s aim 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. It
requires students to attend seminars and conferences,
organized by IUM/UNS or elsewhere and write a report
on the intellectual activities they attended explaining how
they contributed to the understanding of the problems
they investigate in their dissertation. The aim is to broaden
the horizons of the students and to provide them with the
latest scientific innovations in their field of interest. It will
also allow them to develop interesting networking with
practitioners and researchers that will be very useful for
their career.
Frame 4: Dissertation Proposal (12 credits)
The Dissertation Proposal starts in Frame 1 and is
completed in Frame 4. 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 dissertation proposal should include a clear
statement of the question of the doctoral research, the
theoretical framework that constitutes the background of
their investigation, the methodology they chose to answer
the research question and data sources they plan to use.
Finally, the Dissertation Proposal 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 final
proposal is due by mid-august and the oral presentation is
due before mid-September.
Frame 5: DBA Dissertation
Option 1: DBA Dissertation (30 credits)
Upon successful completion of Frame 4 -- and closely
supervised by an IUM or UNS-IAE faculty member -
students are expected to produce a sustained piece of
original research. The DBA is meant to be of functional
significance to the practice of management. It could be
oriented towards theoretically-based investigation of the
management field, or towards an original analysis and
consideration of phenomena similar to existing research.
After a successful dissertation defense, and provided
they have fulfilled all other academic and administrative
requirements, students are awarded the
Doctor of
Business Administration. Students are expected to defend
their final thesis dissertation within a 24-month period from
the presentation of their dissertation proposal. Exceptionally,
they can get an extension for 12 additional months, pending
the approval of the Director of the Doctoral Program.
Option 2: PhD Dissertation (50 credits)
The PhD requires a comprehensive and detailed
enlightenment of the theoretical foundations of the
problem under investigation and a significant addition to the
theoretical literature on the subject. The PhD is particularly
relevant for candidates aiming to become theoretical
researchers, academics, or teachers.
After a successful PhD dissertation defense, and provided
they have fulfilled all other academic and administrative
requirements, students are awarded the
Doctor of
Philosophy in Business Administration. Students are
expected to defend their final thesis dissertation within
a 36-month period from the the presentation of their
dissertation proposal. Exceptionally, they can get an
extension for 12 additional months, pending the approval of
the Director of the Doctoral program.
Course Descriptions
DISS 701, 702, 703, 704: Dissertation
DOCT 701: Business Research Methods, Writing, and Presentation
DOCT 702: Advanced Statistics and Data Analysis
DOCT 703: Experimental Research Design and Assessment
DOCT 704: Qualitative Research Techniques
DOCT 705: Advanced Business Strategy Seminar
DOCT 706: Financial Economics
DOCT 707: Advanced Management Theory and Practice
DOCT 708: Advanced Marketing Management Seminar
DOCT 709: Doctoral Workshop
DOCT 710: Seminar Requirement
DOCT 711: Project-Based Research Tutorial
Learning Environment and Program Expectations
The program is targeted at experienced individuals who have excelled in business or can demonstrate strong academic achievement and the potential to perform advanced research. The program is intended to provide graduates with the skills, knowledge, and ability to succeed as academic researchers and teachers, research-oriented practitioners, and high-level consultants.
Applicants are expected to hold a Master degree, preferably an MBA or equivalent, and will need to demonstrate excellent results in their previous studies. The doctoral program is taught entirely in English.
Program participants are carefully selected according to the doctoral admissions profile and their willingness and suitability to commit to a substantial period of intensive, self-regulated research. It is expected that doctoral students will become integral parts of the university community, and use their time to prepare for a career of advanced research and publishing. In this context, they enjoy a status as colleagues rather than "students" in the accepted sense, and faculty will endeavor to treat them in this fashion at all times.
The doctoral program assumes students are capable of undertaking research at a high level and that their field of specific inquiry will be clearly identified before they move to on to full doctoral candidacy. In some cases students may be asked to audit courses in Frame 1, 2 and 3 in order to ensure they are thoroughly prepared for the writing of their dissertation. This decision will be made during the admissions process.
Students are strongly encouraged to purchase a personal laptop computer equipped with a LAN card, and Microsoft Office 2000 or XP (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel).
