Record number want to do research at BI
8 March 2017The doctoral program at BI is more attractive than ever before, and the proportion of applicants has risen by over 50 percent from the previous admission. This is the highest number of applications ever.
The article can be read in Finansavisen 08.03.2017.
– BI has put a particular focus on highlighting the program both in Norway and on the international research arena, BI President, Inge Jan Henjesand said. It is therefore very pleasing that we have succeeded in increasing applications so significantly in recent years, and that so many want an academic career at BI.
BI's admission of new fellows for three out of six doctoral specializations is biennial. This year, BI has 351 applicants for the doctoral study, against 222 applicants last comparable year in 2015, 218 applicants in 2013 and 108 applicants in 2011.
– BI has worked to make the doctoral program better known in recent years. The use of social media and better information on our website has helped to attract more applicants, Dean Doctoral Programmes, Øyvind Norli said.
Mathias Tidemann Krafft is one of the candidates who became a part of the research environment at BI in fall 2016.
"I was very happy from the beginning, and since then it probably just fell naturally to continue. The doctorate is for me just as much a job as a study, although a lot of time is spent reading."
Chose nine years of higher education
After 18 years in the classroom and practical experience from DNB Markets and SEB, the opportunity to immerse in various topics with expert guidance was very tempting. Now he has embarked on the 4-year doctoral specialization in finance.
– I was very pleased at BI through both the bachelor and master degree, and got a good impression of the financial department, both academically and socially, during the study period. In addition, the faculty is considered among the very best in Europe, with many talented researchers. The fact that you controls large parts of the course yourself, has the opportunity to study abroad, and has a relatively flexible schedule were also key factors, Krafft said.
The disciplined student at BI were awarded the prestigious Presidential Scholarship after three years at BI, and when he two years later graduated with an MSc in Business, he received the award for best graduate student in all areas of study. Nevertheless, the plan was never to pursue an academic career.
– Had someone asked me after high school where I would be in 10 years, I had probably answered pilot, chef, special-hunter or something else entirely. Definitely not a PhD student in Finance, Krafft said.
– I was very happy from the beginning, and since then it probably just fell naturally to continue. The doctorate is for me just as much a job as a study, although a lot of time is spent reading.
"BI has put a particular focus on highlighting the program both in Norway and on the international research arena. It is therefore very pleasing that we have succeeded in increasing applications so significantly in recent years, and that so many want an academic career at BI."
Only a few fellows get through the needle eye
On the basis of an academic overall assessment, candidates will be admitted to about three doctoral positions per doctoral specialization. BI's ambition is to attract the best minds, and the number of places is adjusted depending on the quality of the applicants.
– BI has a fundamental belief that research will help to develop the knowledge society in a positive way. To recruit the best minds to BI will strengthen our ability to deliver on this, Henjesand said.
This year under half applied for the program in strategic management, 115 applied to management and organization, while 82 applied for a specialization in marketing.
Most people who complete a doctoral degree at BI continue their career in a research position in academia in a research institution. A minority chooses a career in business.
Understanding the doctoral program:
- Candidates are temporarily employed by BI and receive financial support for four years.
- They work closely with well-established researchers who actively publish in academic journals.
- They develop their own research in close cooperation with the supervisor, and is well positioned for a career in academia after completing a PhD at BI.
- Candidates of the program teach their area of expertise for 25 percent of their course of study.