PHD PROGRAMME IN ECONOMICSAND MANAGEMENT

At HEC Liège,

We are a recognized

into 7 subunits associated with strategic re-

Research at our School is conducted within the HEC Research Unit, which is subdivided 

experience and a critical mass of researchers, search fields in which the school has significant  

publications, teaching and corporate collaborations.

Asset and Risk Management

Changing Workplace and Strategic HumanResource Management

Economic Analysis and Policy

Marketing and Service Innovation

Social Enterprise and Business Ethics

Supply Chain Management and BusinessAnalytics

Sustainable Performance: Tax, Audit andAccounting

Strategic Research Fields @HEC Researchwe strive for

and we train and educate qualif ied and productive

player in the production and transfer of knowledge

scientists

lence in manage- ment and economicstudies

academic excel-

The School has strong partnerships with the FreeUniversity of Brussels (ULB, Solvay Brussels Schoolof Economics and Management), the University ofMons (UMons, Warocqué Faculty), the CatholicUniversity of Louvain (UCLouvain), the Universityof Namur (UNamur) and the Saint-Louis-BrusselsUniversity. These partnerships guarantee ourcommitment to deliver a high quality doctoralprogramme.

We offer a single degree for doctoral studies ineconomics or in management: 

PhD in Economics and Management

Our Doctoral programme offers the possibility to choosebetween the Management or the Economics track, which havetheir own thematic schools.

For both tracks, candidates are expected to:

spend time in Belgium for undertaking the mandatory courses.complete their doctoral training within the first 2 years of theirprogramme.

Encouraging an international outlook, excellence and scientificinnovation, the programme delivers courses in English and French withan increasing number of international guest professors each academicyear.

Furthermore, HEC Liège has also significantresearch collaborations with other Belgian univer-sities, such as KU Leuven and the University ofAntwerp, as well as with first-class institutions suchas HEC Montréal, Georgia Tech, Paris Dauphine andthe University of Oxford among others. Thesecollaborations extend to the neighbouring coun-tries, within easy reach from Liège, namelyMaastricht University (The Netherlands), the Uni-versity of Luxembourg (Luxembourg), the Universityof Lille 1 and Université Paris I Panthéon -Sorbonne(France).

Teaching methods are typically participative and project-based.Assessment is based on continuous evaluation of work and progressin class, participation and level of commitment, as well as writtenand oral coursework.

The Thematic Doctoral School of Management Sciences

Core learning (15 ECTS) Advanced courses (15 ECTS) Research activities andtransversal skills (30ECTS)

Mandatory courses

Candidates are encouragedto attend seminars andenrol in courses or activi-ties that enhance theirtransversal competencesand skills.

Including the presenta-tion of a paper or posterat a national or interna-tional conference.

Epistemology and CriticalIssues in ManagementStudies

Doctoral Seminar

Quantitative Methods

Qualitative Methods

The candidate will choose among a list of courses intheir respective field of specialization

Methods

International Trade/Development Finance / Accounting Information Systems/ Supply Chain Management/Quantitative Methods 

Marketing/Strategy 

Human resources/Organization

Innovation/Entrepreneurship 

Doctoral Training Overview - Management Track

Set up jointly by the University of Liège (HEC Liège), the Free University of Brussels (ULB, Solvay Brussels School ofEconomics and Management) and the University of Mons (UMons, Warocqué Faculty).The programme is organized around a general principle: the creation of value in an increasingly globalized world, asapplied to the various fields of management: strategy, finance, marketing, supply chain management, informationsystems, organization, human resources, etc.

The candidate will chooseone of the following courses:

The Thematic Doctoral School of Economics

Doctoral courses (25 ECTS)

Publications and scientificpresentations (25 ECTS)

Transversal skills (10 ECTS)

2 mandatory courses in:

Candidates are encouraged to attendseminars and enrol in courses oractivities that enhance their transversalcompetences and skills

Microeconomics,Macroeconomics orEconometrics.

Including the presentation of a paper or aposter at a national or internationalconference

Doctoral Training Overview - Economics Track

The candidate will chooseamong a list of courses givenby our partner universities.3 courses should be morespecifically related to theresearch field of the can-didate

The thematic school of economics is developed in partnership with UCLouvain, UNamur, the Saint-Louis-Brussels University, and the Free University of Brussels (ULB). Our candidates have access to the doctoraltraining offered by the thematic school, and the remaining doctoral training and research is done at HECLiège, where they receive support for their research during their doctorate.

Our programme providesrigorous training in appliedeconometrics.

Our candidates use empi-rical and applied theo-retical analysis to evaluatepolicy-relevant issues. They apply different eco-nomic approaches to faci-litate the decision-makingprocess at the firm and atthe government level.

Career prospects

The PhD programme is

These competences will help you in

you develop your critical think-

conceived to enhance your

ing skills and equip you withthe tools to face challenges (froma research, managerial  or eco-nomic perspective) with a rigourous-

any professional environment, whetheryou decide to pursue an academic pathor develop a professional career in the private or public sector.

Whether fundamental or applied, research at HEC Liège is focused on delivering knowl-

ly scientific mindset. 

edge with impact to our stakeholders.

personal competences, help  

Admission requirements

Previous 1 and 2 cycle studies that account for300 ECTS or equivalent.A Master degree (120 ECTS or equivalent) withhonours.

When to apply?You can apply anytime. However, to enrol in the currentacademic year, you must register no later than May of eachyear.

Tuition feesPlease visit  www.hec.uliege.be/en/phd/phd-in-economics-management for the current tuition fees

st nd

For the management track, your degree must be inmanagement or a related field. For the economics track, it is mandatory that youhold a Master in economics. The agreement of one of our professors to be yoursupervisor.A compelling and well-thought-out researchproposal in a specialized field of economics ormanagementAn advanced level of English

What our alumni say about us

“I chose to do my PhD at HEC Liège because I felt supportedby all the teachers that would finally be part of mycommittee. What I enjoyed the most was to be able to thinkahead with the people who taught me everything I knowabout financial markets and instruments. We were alllearning and developing new theories and applied themtogether. The programme helped me enhance and developmy knowledge and work methodology.” Daniel Capocci, Director, Advisory and Consultinggroup at Deloitte Luxembourg

“My PhD programme at HEC Liège was reallymultidisciplinary and encompassing. It has allowed me towork in an international environment where I deal not onlywith academics, but also with private-sector managers,public-sector officials and civil-society representatives. I therefore recommend this programme” Giovanni Esposito, Research scholar at the Universityof Naples L’Orientale in Italy and policy advisor at theInternational Center for Migration Policy Development(ICMPD) in Malta

What our alumni say about us

“What I enjoyed the most at HEC Liège wasdefinitely the working environment: I made manygood friends, and everyone was very welcomingfrom the first day. The doctoral programme helpedme learn different approaches to research and toobtain skills. I would definitely recommend to do aPhD at HEC Liège; it might not be the easiest path(you have to work a lot!), but the rewardingbreakthrough moments, and the opportunity ofunderstanding and working on state-of-the-artresearch makes it definitely worth pursuing!” Elisabeth Rodriguez-Heck, PostdoctoralResearcher at RWTH Aachen University

About HEC Liège

HEC® Liège is the management school of the University of Liège. HEC® Liège is one of theleading Belgian university business schools for graduate and postgraduate programmes withover 200 academics and researchers and over 2900 students. HEC® Liège is a dynamic institutionthat heavily promotes an active pedagogy leading students to contribute actively to their owneducation. The international vision of HEC® Liège translates into multiple research activities inmanagement and economics, numerous partnerships with worldwide companies anduniversities, and growing internationalization of its programmes and faculty. The School's commitment to, and continuing investment in, quality improvement has beenrecognized through prestigious international accreditations: HEC Liège has become the firstcomplete Belgian business school to hold both AACSB and EQUIS institutional accreditations.HEC® Liège holds the EPAS award for each of its three main programmes: the Master inManagement, the Master in Business Engineering, and the Doctoral Programme. HEC Liègeis BSIS labelled and part of the CFA Institute University Recognition Program for its master inmanagement (Banking and Asset Management). HEC® Liège is also a member of the Conférencedes Grandes Ecoles.

About Liège HEC® Liège is located in Liège, Belgium’s third largest city, andthe largest agglomeration of the French-speaking Walloonregion. At the heart of the EU, Liège is the third inland port of Europeand the seventh freight airport in Europe. Recognized for itsquality of life and rich historical heritage, Liège is ideallysituated within the Meuse-Rhine Euregio, 30 km fromMaastricht (the Netherlands) and 60 km from Aachen(Germany). It is less than 1.5 hours away from Cologne, 2.5hours from Paris and 4 hours from London by high-speed train(TGV) starting from the magnificent train station designed bythe renowned architect Santiago Calatrava.

For the Management track, please contact:doctorat.hec@uliege.be

For further information, please visit:

www.hec.uliege.be/en/phd/phd-in-economics-management 

For the Economics track, please contact: Professor Joe Tharakan j.tharakan@uliege.be