PhD Studies in Marketing
As a doctoral student/candidate, you strengthen your competence and become an expert in the area you have chosen within marketing. A Doctor's degree gives you a possibility to have a career in the university world, at business schools, or as a specialist or manager in companies. As a doctoral student, you conduct research within the area of your choice within the marketing discipline, and work with collecting and analysing data as well as developing theory and new knowledge for the discipline. You can also publish articles in recognised scientific journals. As a doctoral student, you can take part in conferences and connect with an international network of researchers around the world.
Hanken's doctoral students in marketing are also associated with the department's research centre CERS and work in close cooperation with the researchers and other doctoral students. CERS has four research focus areas:
- Innovation & Strategic marketing,
- Customer-centricity & Market insights,
- Consumers & Well-being,
- B2B Marketing & Sales.
More information about the focus areas can be found here. You can conduct research within these focus areas or choose your own, specialized field of research. As a doctoral student, you contribute to research in the marketing discipline as well as to how companies and managers think and work. Many of our doctoral students work in close contact with companies of different industries. Our graduated doctors move forward either (1) to pursue university careers as post-doctorate researchers, assistant professors or professors, or (2) to work in companies of different industries -- as specialists, consults, managers, executives, or also as board members.
Practical information on PhD studies and how to apply:
Doctor's degree comprises 240 ECTS, of which 60 ECTS consist of PhD courses. The degree takes about four years to complete. Hanken takes part in several national doctoral schools and in international networks, which makes a wide selection of courses available for the doctoral students at Hanken. Courses can be taken via Hanken, KATAJA (the national doctoral school in business economics) and by EDEN Programme (a part of EIASM, the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management), or via other universities that offer courses suitable to you and your field of research. The courses give you knowledge of different research methods and marketing theories.
Most of the work during your doctoral studies consists of a Doctoral dissertation that is either a monograph or a compilation of articles and/or essays you write on your chosen focus area.
As a doctoral student in marketing, we expect you to work independently and choose a field within Marketing that can be developed further. We like to see new thinking and challenging of existing theories, models and/or presumptions. If you want to take a look at dissertations that have been written by our former doctoral students, you can visit this page.
Hanken's doctoral students belong to Hanken’s PhD Programme and on their page, there is information available to you who are thinking about applying.
If you are interested or have questions, do not hesitate to contact the Head of Subject (Marketing), or the professors of the subject Jaakko Aspara, Maria Holmlund-Rytkönen, Kristina Heinonen, Peter Björk, Mika Gabrielsson, Johanna Gummerus or Kaj Storbacka.