Adam Smith Business School

Programmes

The Adam Smith Business School offers PhDs in the three subject areas of Accounting & Finance, Economics and Management.

PhD programmes are aimed at those who wish to become experts in a specialised field. A PhD is increasingly necessary for a successful academic career, but is also becoming an important distinguishing qualification for those who aspire to top positions in business, politics, and the media. As a research graduate, you will be equipped to design and conduct high-quality research and you will be prepared for employment where excellent analytic and communication skills are valued.

Unlike a taught degree programme in which students are awarded credits according to successful performance across a number of courses through examination or coursework, the PhD is a research-based degree assessed on a completed thesis and an oral examination. You will be supervised by staff at the forefront of academic research. By the end of the programme you will have produced an original piece of work that makes a contribution to the advancement of knowledge in your chosen field. The programme will give you intellectual development, and you will become an acknowledged expert in your area of study.

As a research student, you would be part of a group of academics with an excellent research standing within a high quality, research led University. In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, the Adam Smith Business School ranked collectively top among Scotland's Universities.

Recent PhD initiatives include a First Year PhD Study Day, advanced PhD training courses by external academics and funding for PhD students to attend academic conferences. PhD students have had papers published in top academic journals including: European Economic Review, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Banking and Finance, Journal of International Money and Finance, Journal of Money, Credit and Banking and Review of Economic Dynamics.

Destinations of our PhD graduates include the European Central Bank, the Bank of Ireland and academic posts at Durham University and Kent University.

The Adam Smith Business School aims to provide a friendly but also academically challenging research environment encouraging students to discuss their work with staff and students both within their subject area and also across the three subject areas within the school.

The Adam Smith Business School offers PhD programmes in the following areas: