Specialisation in International Business

Content of the specialisation

The coursework consists of mandatory and elective courses making up a minimum of 30 ECTS credits (students often end up taking more courses). The course-package for each student is defined in coordination between the student, the supervisor and the programme director and is approved by the PhD committee.

The coursework is divided into two main areas: theory courses and methods courses:

Theory courses are intended to give the students a thorough grounding in the main literature of his/her research area and to get an overview of major theories applied in the field. At the School of Business and Law we also offer a unique course titled “Theory of Knowledge and Core theories in Management” which covers theory of science, research ethics and a dive into some of the main theories typically applied in management research.

The purpose of the methods courses is to provide students with a solid methodological foundation and an insight into what constitutes science. All candidates should take at least 10 ECTS of method courses covering quantitative methods and qualitative methods. It is often needed that students take additional method courses covering the specific methods applied in their dissertations.

Candidates in the specialization in International Business is required to do coursework as outlined in the following table:

In addition to courses mentioned in the table the School of Business and Law frequently organizes other PhD courses fitting the needs of enrolled candidates. The candidates should also take a minimum of 5 ECTS credits in an elective course from UiA or another recognized institution within their field so the coursework component is a minimum 30 ECTS.

The candidates admitted into the PhD programme specialization follows the study plan for the PhD programme