Cooperative Doctoral Programme at HSBA
Hamburg School of Business Administration · Hamburg, Germany
QS World University Ranking: N/A
Quick Overview
Apply Now📘 Program Overview
The Cooperative Doctoral Programme at HSBA Hamburg is a part-time PhD designed around application-oriented research in cooperation with HSBA partner universities. You conduct your doctorate through practice-based research projects, while HSBA supports you with systematic supervision and tailor-made seminars for academic education.
The programme runs with a standard period of study of four years and supports doctoral students via an orientation phase, intensive research phases, and ongoing academic engagement through the HSBA community and partner universities. You apply by submitting your research project proposal (exposé) and supporting documents, and the doctoral programme starts on 1 April and 1 October each year.
🎯 Course & Curriculum
Course structure
- Orientation phase with intensive supervision by HSBA professors to sharpen your research ideas.
- Develop a solid publication strategy and prepare your research proposal/exposé for the cooperative doctoral project.
- Ongoing intensive research phases supported by annual meetings, research group meetings, and expert lectures.
- Active participation in teaching at the HSBA community and further academic education through tailored seminars.
- Cumulative doctorate based on publication of your respective research progress.
- Successful completion of your project culminating in the award of your doctorate after a disputation.
Curriculum
The four-year part-time cooperative doctoral programme combines application-oriented doctoral research with intensive supervision, academic seminars, research exchange, teaching participation and support from a degree-awarding partner university. HSBA does not publish semester-specific modules, ECTS credits or a credit-based doctoral study plan for this programme.
| Semester | No. of modules | Module / subject category | ECTS / CP | Semester total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation Phase | 3 components | Collaboration with experienced supervisors | Initial doctoral planning and research orientation; no ECTS allocation published | |
| Refinement of the research idea and doctoral project | ||||
| Development of a publication strategy | ||||
| Research Phases | 5 components | Application-oriented research and dissertation work | Intensive research and academic development throughout the programme; no ECTS allocation published | |
| Cumulative doctorate: publication of the respective research progress | ||||
| Annual meetings | ||||
| Research Group Meetings | ||||
| Expert lectures | ||||
| Academic Qualification and University Integration | 3 components | Tailor-made seminars for further academic education | Accompanying academic qualification and integration activities; no ECTS allocation published | |
| Active participation in teaching at HSBA | ||||
| Additional academic opportunities offered by the partner university | ||||
| Completion Phase | 3 components | Successful completion of the doctoral research project | Completion of the cooperative doctoral procedure; no ECTS allocation published | |
| Disputation | ||||
| Award of the doctoral degree by the partner university | ||||
| Total | Orientation, research, academic qualification, teaching integration and doctoral completion | 4 years standard period of study | ||
Career outcomes
- You get a practice-oriented PhD experience where your dissertation topic is developed from real business-world questions, so you graduate with job-relevant research depth.
- You improve career opportunities by completing your doctorate while working and building both academic and professional credibility at the same time.
- You benefit from systematic supervision and support through a cooperative doctoral procedure with an HSBA professor, helping you turn your research into completed doctoral outcomes.
- You strengthen your publication track record through a cumulative doctorate approach, which supports long-term academic and industry progression.
- You gain access to a national and international university network through the cooperative setup and partner universities, expanding your future collaboration options.
- You leave the programme with a doctoral degree path that is designed to culminate in a disputation after successful completion of your project.
Employability rate
For this field, graduates with doctoral qualifications typically see an employability rate of around 88% and an unemployment rate of about 12% in Germany, reflecting ongoing demand for advanced, research-capable specialists.
Together, these figures point to a steady career outlook where the doctorate can strengthen your long-term stability and professional advancement.
✅ Entry Requirements
Academic qualification
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Previous degree (economics-focused) and research plan | International applicants must have completed university studies with an economics focus, 300 ECTS credit points, and an average grade of 2.5 or better. HSBA also requires a diploma thesis or master’s thesis as part of the degree and an outline of the research project in an exposé. |
| Degree level for admission | Applicants should have completed a university degree at least at the master’s or diploma level, including a thesis component, as required for the cooperative doctoral programme admission. |
Module matching by study area
| Study area | Match possible? | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Management | Direct match | HSBA requires an economics-focused university degree with 300 ECTS credit points and a thesis component. |
Language requirements
The cooperative Doctoral Programme at HSBA requires good English proficiency at approximately B2/C1 level for international applicants, demonstrated by accepted test certificates. HSBA states that no proof is required for native speakers or for applicants who have studied or worked in English for more than 6 months.
MOI (Medium of Instruction)
💶 Fees & Funding
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | EUR 4800 / per year | Tuition fees at HSBA: 4,800 EUR per year. Additional fees may apply at the cooperating partner university. |
Proof of financial resources
If you are admitted, you will need to plan for tuition fees for the HSBA part of the cooperative doctorate and any additional partner-university costs that may apply. HSBA states that tuition is charged per year and that additional fees may apply at the cooperating partner university.
- Tuition fees at HSBA (HSBA states the program tuition is 4,800 EUR per year).
- Possible additional fees at the cooperating partner university (HSBA states that additional fees may apply).
Important dates
Application window
| Milestone | April - Winter intake | October - Summer intake |
|---|---|---|
| Application portal opens | N/A | N/A |
| Application deadline (final submit) | N/A | N/A |
| Application deadline (EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Application deadline (Non-EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Recommended apply-by | N/A | N/A |
| Semester begins | April 01, 2027 | October 01, 2027 |
Pre-application & reviews
| Milestone | April - Winter intake | October - Summer intake |
|---|---|---|
| VPD request - recommended | N/A | N/A |
| VPD result expected | N/A | N/A |
| APS - recommended | N/A | N/A |
| Start eligibility check | N/A | N/A |
Document submission deadlines
| Milestone | April - Winter intake | October - Summer intake |
|---|---|---|
| Application submission deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Document submission deadline (EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Document submission deadline (Non-EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Language certificate deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Official transcripts deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Certified translations deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Postal / hard-copy documents deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Missing documents (if requested) | N/A | N/A |
🎓 Scholarship
| Provider | Scheme name | Coverage | Eligibility notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAAD | EPOS — Development-Related Postgraduate Courses | Tuition fees, monthly stipend, travel allowance, health insurance | DAAD EPOS funds development-related postgraduate studies in Germany at selected universities, and in exceptional cases may also support a doctoral degree. This programme is a doctoral programme at HSBA, and applicants can check whether their specific project and eligibility fit the EPOS call requirements. |
| DAAD | DAAD Research Grants — Doctoral Programmes | Monthly stipend, travel allowance, health insurance, research allowance | DAAD Research Grants support doctoral programmes in Germany and provide research-focused financial support. International applicants should confirm that their doctoral project and profile meet the DAAD call requirements for research grants. |
📝 How to Apply
Check formal admission requirements
Review the HSBA cooperative doctorate admission requirements, including an economics-focused university degree with 300 ECTS credit points, the required thesis component, and the research exposé. Confirm that you can provide good English proficiency at B2/C1 level as required for international applicants, or that your situation qualifies for no proof. Also ensure you can align your dissertation topic with a supervising HSBA professor and the cooperative partner university model.
Prepare your application documents
HSBA asks you to prepare a motivation letter (one page in English), a CV (in English), degree certificates including Diploma Supplement and Transcript of Records, and proof of English skills at B2/C1 level. You also need to include an exposé describing your research project in English. HSBA states that you should send all application documents as one coherent PDF file.
Submit your application for review and selection
HSBA indicates that you can submit your application documents at any time and that it can take three to six months from receipt of the application to formal admission. After the formal review, HSBA invites selected applicants to a personal interview with a supervising professor. In the interview, you can discuss your research potential and development goals and you get the opportunity to choose a preferred partner university.
Complete enrolment steps after admission interviews
After the admission interviews at HSBA, the doctoral agreement can be concluded, which sets out the supervisory relationship and programme details. HSBA also describes enrolment at the title-awarding partner university taking place in parallel with the early months at the HSBA Graduate Centre. Continue to follow any exposé revisions requested during the process.