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Advance the edge of knowledge.
Doctor of Philosophy
An EQF / MQF Level 8 research doctorate organized around eight governed phases, individual supervision, original contribution, examination, and oral defence.
01EQF / MQF
Level 8Higher Education Program
Level 8Higher Education Program
02Research doctorateDegree
038 phasesFormal progression
04SupervisedResearch model
05English and multi-lingualSupport
06OnlineStudy environment
What this changes
Take a question beyond current knowledge and develop an original contribution that withstands doctoral examination.
The PhD is not a sequence of taught courses. It is a governed research journey from initial intent to formal proposal, supervised inquiry, transfer review, thesis examination, oral defence, and degree conferral.
Create original knowledge
Design and execute sustained independent inquiry with specialist supervision.
Build scholarly authority
Produce, present, and defend a contribution that can influence research, policy, institutions, or practice.
Program learning outcomesOpen the complete outcome profile+
Competences
- Lead the development of new ideas or new processes in the respective field.
- Make judicious judgements involving a multitude of interlinked factors.
- Promote social, scientific and ethical advancement in the respective field.
- Advise on theory/practice that is complex and possibly even unpredictable, and which may require new strategic approaches.
- Command of high-specialized know-how relevant in the particular context of the field of study.
- Demonstrate intellectual capacities in the ability to deal with very complex problems, including problem formulation, problem solving and innovation capacity.
- Be responsible for academic rigor, creativity and adaptability in addressing specific issues within one’s fields of specialization.
- Manage the necessary resilience and dynamism in the face of very complex phenomena.
Knowledge
- Outline the theoretical foundation of the respective research area which is at the forefront of the concerned field of study
- Design original research with consideration for contemporary societal perspectives that advances empirical/theoretical knowledge in the respective research area
- Create new knowledge at a most advanced frontier of a field of study through original and advanced research of a quality to satisfy peer review and merit publication
- Engage with a diverse specialized audience as a scholar regarding the relevance of theories, applications and practical solutions
- Design solutions to challenges in the local and/or global domain based on original and scholarly research that substantially advance theory/practice
- Undertake rigorous research at the highest level
- Identify ethical issues in the respective research area and assume an academic leading role to promote progress ethically
- Critique the range of knowledge, theory, specifics and philosophical paradigms that underpin research in the respective field of specialisation
- Illustrate empirical qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method approaches or of philosophical inquiry to research
- Implement research methodologies used by researchers in the respective field of studies
Skills
- Analyse complex, incomplete or contradictory areas of knowledge communicating the outcome effectively with critical awareness
- Synthesize information in a manner that may be innovative, utilising knowledge or processes from the forefront of the respective area of study with critical awareness
- Address dilemmas and choices that allow researchers to critically evaluate research-based scholarship and practice and to argue alternative approaches
- Demonstrate substantial initiative and originality in problem solving
- Solve issues by establishing criteria, using appropriate decision techniques including identifying, formulating and addressing problems
- Analyse, synthesize and assess new and complex phenomena, issues and situations autonomously and critically in an organisational and/or global business context
- Identify and formulate issues with scholarly precision, plan and use appropriate methods to undertake research within predetermined time frames
- Critique major challenges in the respective research area
- Recognize ethical situations, applying personal and organisational ethical values to situations, managing the implications of dilemmas and working proactively with others to formulate solutions
- Promote social, cultural, commercial, scientific, and ethical advancement through theory and practice
- Communicate expertise to peers through different media
Who this is for
Recognize your next professional altitude.
Professionals and emerging scholars with a defined research direction and the ambition to create an original contribution in one of SMC’s doctoral fields.
What the route can open
01Academic research and higher education02Specialist consulting and advisory work03Research leadership in organizations and industry04Policy, public-sector, and entrepreneurial impact
Supervised research with formal progression
Candidates work with supervisors, submit progress reports, present thesis chapters in doctoral seminars, participate in relevant academic engagement, and complete formal examination and oral defence.
The doctoral journey
Eight governed phases. One original contribution.
The PhD follows eight formal research phases at EQF / MQF Level 8 rather than a classic taught curriculum. Candidates initially register as MPhil and transfer to PhD status after formal evidence of sufficient progress.
01
StageResearch intent
Turn an area of interest into an academically viable direction.
1,000-word Letter of Intent
Developing a Letter of Intent
Submit a Letter of Intent of around 1,000 words. It establishes the proposed field, research problem, initial relevance, and the candidate’s readiness to begin doctoral work.
Research proposal of around 3,000 words
Developing a Research Proposal
Develop the research direction into a proposal of around 3,000 words, clarifying the question, literature context, intended methodology, and potential contribution.
02
StageCandidacy
Test the proposal, confirm supervision, and formally enter the doctorate.
Committee presentation, interview, and Q&A
Research Proposal Interview
Present the proposal to the Doctorate Committee and respond to academic questions. The review tests coherence, feasibility, doctoral scope, and the candidate’s command of the proposed inquiry.
Approved title, supervisors, and timeframe
Commencement of Studies
Following approval, the title, supervisory team, and indicative timeframe are confirmed. The candidate formally enters supervised doctoral research.
03
StageResearch progression
Demonstrate doctoral progress and develop the original contribution.
MPhil-to-PhD transfer review
Transfer from MPhil to PhD Interview
Demonstrate sufficient progress, methodological clarity, and emerging contribution through the MPhil-to-PhD transfer review before proceeding to full PhD candidature.
Quarterly seminars, supervision, and thesis chapters
Writing of the Thesis
Develop the thesis through sustained supervision, formal progress reporting, doctoral seminars, chapter development, scholarly exchange, and relevant academic engagement.
04
StageExamination & award
Submit, defend, complete corrections, and pass final verification.
Thesis of around 100,000 words and oral defence
Submission of Thesis, Evaluation & Oral Defence
Submit a thesis of around 100,000 words to an appointed Board of Examiners. Complete the oral defence and address any revisions or corrections required by the examination process.
Corrections verified and degree conferred
Doctor of Philosophy degree is Conferred
The Doctor of Philosophy degree is conferred after the Board of Examiners confirms a successful outcome and all required corrections or amendments have been formally verified.
Research & evidence
Deepen the question before choosing the route.
These SMC editorial guides connect the formal program framework with the research problems, distinctions, and professional contexts behind it.
Insight 01
What EQF Level 8 means
Understand the shared doctoral level before comparing research fields and award types.
→Insight 02How to study a PhD in AI
Frame the research question, preparation, and route into doctoral AI inquiry.
→Insight 03Studying an online PhD in Economics
Examine the research demands, intellectual fit, and doctoral economics pathway.
→Insight 04Understanding PhD programs in Law
Explore how original legal research develops through a supervised doctorate.
→Twelve doctoral fields
Your doctorate begins where your question belongs.
Every field follows the same formal eight-phase PhD framework, while the research problem, literature, methods, supervision, and contribution remain field-specific.
01
Intelligence · governance · implementation
→
02
Artificial Intelligence
Advance AI methods and the systems that govern their real-world use.
Organizations · strategy · value
→
03
Business Administration
Investigate how organizations decide, adapt, and create sustainable value.
Systems · security · resilience
→
04
Information Technology & Cybertech
Create new knowledge for trustworthy, resilient, and intelligent digital systems.
Markets · risk · capital
→
05
Finance
Examine how capital, behavior, technology, and governance shape financial systems.
Theory · evidence · policy
→
06
Economics
Investigate the forces that shape decisions, markets, growth, and welfare.
Human action · markets · institutions
→
07
Austrian Economics
Advance economic inquiry through the distinctive tradition of the Austrian School.
Power · institutions · public life
→
08
Political Science
Explain how institutions, ideas, identities, and power shape political outcomes.
Markets · states · distribution
→
09
Political Economy
Analyze the reciprocal forces between political institutions and economic systems.
Governance · service · public value
→
10
Public Administration
Improve the institutions, systems, and decisions through which public value is created.
Rights · institutions · change
→
11
Law
Produce original legal scholarship for rapidly changing institutions and societies.
Learning · leadership · change
→
12
Education
Shape how people learn and how educational systems improve.
Behavior · cognition · wellbeing
→
Psychology
Investigate how people learn, decide, adapt, lead, and thrive.
Tuition & payment
Know the financial route before committing.
The approved specialization, research route, and tuition arrangement are confirmed in a personalized written offer.
Academic review and admission come first. Payment instructions are released only through the secure SMC account.
Entry requirements
Academic ambition starts with a credible threshold.
Undergraduate degree
A qualification from an internationally recognized institution in a subject relevant to the proposed research.
Graduate degree
A graduate qualification from an internationally recognized institution in a subject relevant to the proposed research.
Research direction
A defined area of inquiry capable of development into a Letter of Intent and formal research proposal.
English proficiency
IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL iBT 100 for applicants who are not native English speakers, unless an exemption applies.
Admission remains subject to individual academic review. Prepare your documents before entering the application.
Start application →