Each year in the beginning of October, we publish a list of fields and topics in which future PhD students will be able to work. We most strongly suggest that you wait with your application until this time and that you refer to this list when you write the description of your research interests (explicitly referring to one or two of the listed fields/topics).
After your application, we will try to match you with a supervisor for your PhD studies. Only matched candidates will be admitted to the PhD program.
Admitted candidates will start their coursework in the following September. Admitted candidates will also be hired as research assistants at their supervisor's chair for the full four years of the PhD studies (unless you bring your own funding, for example via a national grant – in this case, please be sure to explicitly state this in your application). In some cases, applicants can start as research assistants already before September. The salary for research assistants may vary depending on the contract offered by the supervisors. However, as a rule, the remuneration will cover the living costs in St. Gallen and fees throughout the coursework and dissertation phase. In addition, the PiF programme offers generous funding for conference attendance.
Review Dates and Applications
Two main reviews of the applications will take place. Please apply before the latter deadline the latest (note these dates differ from the formal application deadlines of the university, but your chances to be admitted will be minimal if you do not apply before the second deadline below).
- November 15, 2019. Candidates who wish to maximize their chances of success should apply before this deadline. Only a few candidates will be matched right after this deadline and applications of candidates who are not matched immediately will be considered again at the next review date. Only apply before November 15 if you can commit to accepting a PhD position within this calendar year!
- January 31, 2020. We aim at matching all available supervisors to PhD candidates as soon as possible after this date.
Applicants who already hold a master's degree submit their application online via the university's admission portal. Applicants who do not yet hold a master's degree, but who will graduate between January 15, 2020, and July 31, 2020, send all documents in one pdf file (!) to pif@unisg.ch (except for the reference letters, which should be sent directly to this address by the letter writers).
Documents
To apply, please check which documents exactly are needed at the university's admission portal (please also check these specifications if you do not hold a master's degree yet). In brief, the most important are the following:
- Master's degree in finance, economics, or a related field with very good grades (current master students who will finish their degree before June 30 may also apply, as described above)
- GRE/GMAT
- Transcripts of record
- Description of research interests (explicitly referring to the list of proposed fields/topics)
- CV
- Evidence of English language proficiency
- 2 reference letters, sent directly by the letter writers (or their secretaries)