The programme combines taught modules in the first year with seminars, research and time abroad across all three years. In year one every PhD candidate takes two core modules shared by the whole programme and four modules specific to their curriculum. All teaching is in English and every module ends with a final assessment.
Year 1
Core modules
Taken by all candidates
Quantitative Techniques
36 hA refresher in linear algebra, probability and statistical inference, followed by an introduction to econometrics — the classical linear regression model, OLS, hypothesis testing — with hands-on sessions in Stata.
Research Methods
36 hHow research is done across economics, management and statistics: framing a question, applying the right tools to real cases, and turning results into publications — including how research output is evaluated.
Curriculum modules
Taken according to the chosen curriculum · 24 h each
Economics
Microeconomics
Consumer and producer theory, partial and general equilibrium, welfare theorems, market power, oligopoly and repeated interaction.
Macroeconomics
Growth models and growth empirics, determinants of development, macro-labour and structural transformation, dynamic programming.
Advanced Topics in Economics
Frontier literature on institutions and growth, taxation and redistribution, and the historical roots of development.
Mathematics for Economics
Multivariate calculus, concavity and generalised concavity, implicit function theorems, differential equations.
Management
Current Perspectives of Business Administration
Performance management and strategic control; corporate social responsibility, ESG disclosure and sustainability reporting.
Advanced Management
Strategic management, technology and innovation management, and digital transformation — with the research methods of each field.
Corporate Finance and Financial Markets
Empirical corporate finance; derivatives for risk management, VaR models, credit scoring and portfolio models, operational risk.
Circular Economy and Sustainability
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCA, LCC, S-LCA), circularity assessment, circular economy and urban symbiosis.
Statistics
Topics in Advanced Mathematics
Advanced mathematical tools for equilibrium problems: existence and characterisation of equilibria.
Topics in Advanced Statistics
Inference in depth — confidence intervals and hypothesis testing — plus difference-in-differences and propensity score matching.
Econometrics and Time Series I
Discrete and limited dependent variable models, endogenous switching, ARMA processes and the Box–Jenkins approach, in Gretl.
Econometrics and Time Series II
Multivariate models, long-run relationships, switching models, ARCH/GARCH and multiplicative error models.
Years 1–3
Seminars and research
Seminars
Field seminars in every year of the programme, with internal and visiting speakers.
Research and visiting
Years two and three focus on the thesis, conferences, summer schools and research stays abroad.
Research budget
Every PhD candidate, with or without a scholarship, has a yearly research budget of about €1,600 (10% of the scholarship) for conferences, summer schools and research missions. How it is reimbursed →
Progression
Each step requires the approval of the Faculty Board
From Year 1 to Year 2
Passing the assessments of all Year 1 modules and presenting a seminar to the Faculty Board at the end of the year.
From Year 2 to Year 3
Presenting a seminar on the preliminary results of the doctoral research to the Faculty Board.
Admission to the final exam
Presenting a seminar on the completed research to the Faculty Board.