PhD in Management

About the programme

This programme seeks to bring academic research in management closer to management practice in business, non-profit, and public organisations, thereby focusing research on topics that will generate new knowledge for real world problems.

Research can be related to planning, acquiring, developing, organising, leading, and controlling the human, financial, material, intellectual, or intangible resources to achieve organisational objectives efficiently and effectively. These research areas are of high strategic importance as organizations strive to meet evolving challenges and opportunities in an ever increasing global, advanced, and fragmented world.

Academic content

The PhD programme will be based on a broad definition of management as a core and overarching field of research in business schools. The focus will be on management as the process in business, non-profit, and public organisations related to planning, acquiring, developing, organising, leading, and controlling the human, financial, material, intellectual, or intangible resources to achieve organisational objectives efficiently and effectively. 

Management is a broad, yet well-defined field of research within the social sciences that has membership organizations including academics and practitioners, dedicated scientific journals, and academic programmes offered at all levels. Management is a core academic field within any business school and an important element in all study programmes.

The PhD in Management will focus on balancing rigor and relevance. By training students in rigorous execution of research, sustainable business strategy development, and fundamental substantive theories in management-relevant research fields, the programme will provide students with the knowledge and ability to engage in critical thinking with regard to promoting sustainable social development. 

The overall aim of the programme is to produce candidates of the highest international standards who can carry out high-level research suitable for publication in leading academic journals and other outlets and who are capable of addressing research issues important to academia, business practice, and society.

Phd Committee

• Leader:  ​​​​​​Professor Eiri Elvestad, Vice Dean RDI & PhD. 
  USN School of Business
• Professor Anja Hagen Olafsen
  Department of Business, Marketing and Law, campus Ringerike
• Associate professor Carl Åberg
  Department of Business, Strategy and Political Science, campus Kongsberg 
• Professor Håvard Ness, Department of Business, Marketing and Law
• Associate professor Marius Rohde Johannessen, Department of Business, History and Social Sciences, campus Vestfold
• Phd Research fellow Lucy Zhou Korvald, Department of Business, Strategy and Political Science, campus campus Drammen
• Ph.d Research Fellow Cathrine Furseth, Department of Business, History and Social Sciences, campus Vestfold
• Professor Etty Ragnhild Nilsen (external member)
  USN Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, campus Porsgrunn

Courses

No courses are offered Autumn 2025.

Research groups

PhD students enrolled in the program are involved in one of the faculties research groups:

• Business Management and Economics
• Center for Security, Crisis Management and Emergency Preparedness
• Collaborative Innovation, Societal Transformation and Operations Management
• Corporate Governance, Board of Directors and Top Management teams
• Cultural Experiences and Stakeholder Interaction
• Digitalization Management
• I-Merse
• Innovation Management and Market Dynamics
• Market and Strategy
• New Perspectives on Work-life and organizations
• Political Culture
• Social Analysis
• Sustainability Management
• Work Motivation and Optimal Functioning

PhD candidates

• Our current PhD Candidates

Campus

The PhD research fellows in Management are employed at one of the departments and administered by the USN School of Business at Campus Drammen.

Midterm evaluation

The midterm evaluation is normally conducted during the third or fourth semester. The PhD candidate's work is assessed by the midterm evaluation committee appointed by the programme committee. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the academic quality and progress of the PhD project and to provide constructive feedback to the PhD candidate, the supervisor, and the programme committee.

• Guidelines for midterm report (candidate) (.docx)
• Midterm evaluation group appointment form (main supervisor) (.docx)
• Midterm evaluation form (evaluation committee) (.docx)