Department of Business Administration

The general aim of the study programme is to provide in-depth knowledge and research skills in business to individuals either pursuing an academic career or seeking career advancement. PhD students will acquire and deepen specific skills and competences needed for conducting independent research in a selected field of business (business administration).

The scientific education offered in the specialization promotes the United National Sustainable Development Goals; the goals 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent work and economic growth), 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure), 11 (Sustainable cities and communities), 12 (Responsible consumption and production) and 17 (Partnerships for the goals) in particular.

After completing the programme, the student: 

• has obtained a broad and systematic overview of contemporary research and debates in the field of business;
• demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of his/her specific research topic;
• defines research problems relevant in business and society, chooses appropriate research methods, and critically assesses the quality of solutions;
• publishes research results in peer-reviewed international journals of high quality and communicates the relevance of the findings to other societal actors.

The doctoral programme comprises extensive research, university-wide general courses to support the research done by the PhD students and field-specific courses that can be chosen according to their research interests.

The courses are taught in English. PhD students are required to complete at least 30 ECTS points of course work. The compulsory course of the business speciality are Business Research, Entrepreneurship Theories, and Organisation Development and Managementis. In addition, a variety of courses can be selected from the transferable skills module. Research module contains all activates related to individual R&D or creative activities which contribute to the PhD thesis of the student. The volume of the research module is 210 ECTS.

Doctoral studies in Business is a flexible programme that is adaptable to individual person’s interests. The PhD students are encouraged to take courses and participate in winter and summer schools of the universities forming part of TalTech’s network.

The PhD students are also members of the department’s research groups, take part in seminars, give presentations at scientific conferences and have the opportunity of teach and/or supervise theses at the bachelor's and master's levels.

The PhD studies are finalized by a doctoral thesis that contributes to new knowledge of a timely and relevant research problem. The doctoral theses are supervised by internationally recognized researchers from the Department of Business Administration.