Admission Procedure
The Executive PhD is Université Paris Dauphine – PSL’s executive training program in applied research (with a strong research element) within Organizational and Decision-making Sciences.
It is a part-time, cohort-based Executive Education training program for international managers with an academic background. It provides them with training in responsible management research practices, which balances practical, real-world relevance with scientific rigor.
Requirements
- Applicants must hold a Degree equivalent to at least Bac+5 (Master’s Degree in Research / DEA (Post-Graduate Degree), Professional Master’s / DESS, MBA, Engineering Degree, for example).
- Applicants must demonstrate at least 10 years of professional experience within positions of responsibility.
- You must have an interest in research, and a defined research topic. The nature of the Executive PhD program means that a particular approach to study is required. Applicants should have an inclination for reading and structured reasoning, and the motivation to work with scientific methods and models.
- Applicants must at a minimum have a good level of English reading skills.
Candidate selection
By application
DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION FORMS
Please complete and return via email, along with the documents specified below.Documents to attach to your application
- Your CV
- Ten-page research proposal..
Applicants to the Executive PhD program must submit a proposal outlining their chosen research topic at the time of application, and must be able to justify their interest in this topic from both a practical and theoretical standpoint. This research proposal outline will be refined at a later stage. For the purposes of the application, the proposal can take the following form: :- Outline the nature of the problem/question that you are interested in. (2 pages)
- Why is this an important issue for businesses/organizations ? (2 pages)
- What academic reading have you done on the subject? How has this helped you to develop your thinking on the topic ? (2-3 pages)
- Do you have any ideas on how to develop a research plan on the basis of the problem identified? If yes, how would you go about this ? (2 pages)
- Once your research has been completed, who would be the target audience for the knowledge gained through the research work? (2 pages)
- Bibliography specifying the references used within the document.
- 2 letters of recommendation
To be sent by email along with the completed application forms, in pdf format.
- Your CV
Interview
Participants selected following review of their application will be invited to attend an individual interview at Université Paris Dauphine – PSL, which will take place either in-person or online. The selection interview will take place before a panel, made up of Executive PhD program directors, a faculty member and/or a former participant.
The panel will assess the candidate on the basis of a series of indications of their ability to carry out rigorous research for the Executive PhD thesis, based on the research plan that has been submitted.
Interview dates : there will be a set date, 1 day per month, from May to September.
What are the selection criteria for the Université Paris Dauphine – PSL Executive PhD ?
What will the panel base their decision on, when deciding whether or not to offer the candidate a place on the program ?
A combination of professional experience, the written work submitted, and the research proposal outline... In this video, Lionel Garreau, Co-Director of the Executive PhD, explains all (you can watch the video here or on YouTube).
Program fees
€38,000 excluding taxes
The cost of the Executive PhD program includes seminars, catering, supervision by a Research Director, academic preparation for the thesis defense at Université Paris Dauphine – PSL or online, as well as access to the library and to the University’s digital collections, for a period of 3 years.
Extensions are subject to additional cost, providing participants with continued access to the University’s resources, and enabling them to continue to benefit from the Research Director’s supervision:
- 4th year : €2,000
- 5th year : €4,000
Authorization for an extension is subject to a presentation at the end of the year, as well as the approval of the program directors, in agreement with the Research Director.
Qualification awarded
The Executive PhD is a University Diploma (DU) that is internationally recognized.
Upon completion of the Executive PhD, you will have gained a Bac+8 level, doctoral level qualification.
Graduates of the Dauphine Executive PhD program may use the title "Executive PhD" or "Exec PhD" – but not "PhD" or "Doctor", which is reserved for "doctoral theses", as defined by the Ministry.
It should be noted that in the American education system, the title of "Doctor" is used interchangeably to denote the various doctoral degrees, which include the Executive PhD. Graduates will therefore be able to join the teaching staff at private business schools in France and abroad, or universities abroad (while French universities require a national doctorate approved by the Ministry).
To gain the qualification, participants must produce an Executive PhD thesis and defend that thesis publicly, before a panel that has been selected according to stringent rules.
