The HSG is considered to be one of the leading universities for management, economics, law, social sciences and international affairs in Europe. The campus of the University of St. Gallen presents itself as a clearly structured, compact development with a modern infrastructure. The campus is also a place of culture and art: works by artists such as Arp, Miró, Braque, Cucchi, Giacometti and Richter are engaged in a unique dialogue with the buildings designed by the architects Walter M. Förderer and Bruno Gerosa.
Ph.D. studies at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) give Ph.D. students the necessary preparation to apply both theory and practice in their later work. The methodology that is essential for this task is reinforced in the lectures and seminars during the coursework stage and research stage, and is refined individually when doctoral students write their thesis.
Application process
To apply, you will have to fill in the online application on our website. During this process, you will be informed about the documents you have to submit. Once you have entered your data, uploaded the required files and paid the admission fee, your application for a Ph.D. programme is complete. If it is accepted, you will receive confirmation by e-mail. When you are in possession of this confirmation, it is your own responsibility to find a professor to act as supervisor for your doctoral thesis.
This professor will have to submit the form for the supervisor’s letter of recommendation to the Ph.D. Office within the online application time frame; this is a prerequisite for admission to Ph.D. studies. You can find an overview of the various institutes and of the professors and their fields of research on our website. If you meet all the requirements, you may be admitted unconditionally. If your admission is subject to certain conditions such as supplementary work, your admission is conditional until they have been fulfilled.
Online application time frame: To start in September (Autumn Semester): 1 February to 30 April of the current year. To start in February (Spring Semester): 1 September to 30 November of the preceding year. Extended deadlines are applicable for research assistants at the HSG’s institutes.
Admission to Ph.D. studies at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) is contingent on a Master’s degree obtained from a university. Applicants must have obtained their Master’s degree in consecutive degree courses, i.e. Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree must be in the same field of studies. The entirety of the studies (Bachelor’s and Master’s Levels) must amount to a minimum of 270 ECTS credits, with a minimum of 60 ECTS credits earned for the Master’s degree. You must be able to demonstrate a Swiss grade average of at least 5.00 (Germany/Austria 2.00; US GPA 3.5).