Areas of Specialisation
Our eight choices of specialisation cover the whole breadth of business – and the entire business school curriculum. During the first two years of the programme, there are core courses common to all areas, giving you insights from other disciplines and confidence for your future career. As a PhD student, along with these core courses, you will take a set of advanced course requirements applicable to your chosen field and these must be met in order to qualify and progress in your PhD studies.
Accounting
Decision Sciences
Entrepreneurship
Finance
Marketing
Organisational Behaviour
Strategy
Technology and Operations Management
Research
Research is a fundamental component of the PhD Programme at INSEAD. Our doctoral degree is designed to teach you many cutting edge research methodologies to enable you to contribute to a global body of knowledge that informs how business is and should be conducted. Our programme will train you to create and even publish your own original body of research, which will become the foundation for your career as a professor in business.
INSEAD-Sorbonne Behavioural Lab
Doctoral Dissertations
Awards & Publications
Strategy Foundations Interview Series
PhD Research Series
Campus Exchange
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Our Campuses
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With campuses in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and North America, INSEAD’s business education and research spans around the globe. The PhD Programme, although taught across the Europe and Asia campuses, benefits from this truly global educational experience.
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Campus Exchange
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With campuses in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and North America, INSEAD’s business education and research spans around the globe. The PhD Programme, although taught across the Europe and Asia campuses, benefits from this truly global educational experience.
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The INSEAD - Wharton Alliance
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INSEAD's alliance with The Wharton School is a major strategic partnership between the two schools. Each school offers complimentary centres of expertise and campus locations for a compelling global network that no other school can offer. Exchanges and visits of doctoral students are significant pillars of this long-standing relationship. PhD students primarily benefit from this collaborative relationship between the two schools. Some financial aid may be available through the Alliance Centre for Global Research and Development for exchanges and other research-related activities, all subject to prior approval by both schools.
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Sorbonne Université Alliance
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As part of our ten-member Sorbonne Université Alliance membership, PhD candidates benefit from the partnership with Sorbonne Université through the use of our INSEAD-Sorbonne behavioural lab, etc. INSEAD is proud to be part of the Alliance Sorbonne Université, which provides members with access to numerous shared programmes and projects in a cross-disciplinary and global approach to education and research.
INSEAD PhD Accreditation and the Dual Degree
The INSEAD PhD in Management is a five-year doctoral degree in management delivered entirely by INSEAD and accredited through the school's institutional international accreditations, the same standards that apply across all of INSEAD's degree programmes. This structure underpins the degree’s strong global reputation: the INSEAD PhD is globally recognised for its research rigour and the strength of its faculty mentorship, and its graduates go on to pursue distinguished careers at leading business schools and research institutions worldwide.
INSEAD PhD students can choose to pursue a French doctorat through the INSEAD-Sorbonne Dual Degree, offered in parallel with the INSEAD–Sorbonne Alliance. Through this Alliance, INSEAD is affiliated with Sorbonne Université and represented via its research unit, Markets and Organisations. Students pursuing this path enrol in the Sorbonne Université doctoral school Concepts and Languages (ED433), following a distinct set of requirements and an admissions process set by Sorbonne, and complete all required doctoral milestones under its framework. Under the INSEAD-Sorbonne Dual Degree arrangement, the PhD student at INSEAD receives two diplomas: a PhD in Management diploma conferred by INSEAD and a Doctorat diploma from Sorbonne Université. For more information, please visit Sorbonne Université’s doctoral schools page.
Download the FAQs here or visit the FAQs section of the website. For any questions or clarifications, please email phd dot info at insead dot edu.
Upcoming Events
Doctoral Programme
PhD Admissions Q&A and Applications Workshop (Online) | 01 October 2026
Attend our PhD Admissions Q&A and Applications workshop for the 2027 intake.
Doctoral Programme
DocNet PhD Recruiting Forum in Singapore | 08 October 2026
Join INSEAD and leading US business schools for the DocNet PhD Recruiting Fair in Singapore
Doctoral Programme
PhD On-Campus Info Session in Europe Campus | 09 October 2026
Join us for our in-person INSEAD PhD On-Campus Information Session on Europe Campus
