PHD Programs in Austria 2025

The Ph.D. in Business and Socioeconomic Sciences curriculum prepares qualified candidates with state-of-the-art approaches to conducting scholarly and applied research. The program emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to finding solutions to research problems, drawing upon advanced concepts and methods from business management, economics, policy studies, sociology, and philosophy of science. Required foundation courses are taught in theory, methods, and research design.

The Doctoral Program in International Business Taxa­tion (DIBT) offers an excellent doctoral education to outstanding students from all over the world, fully preparing them to conduct research on international business taxation.

The PhD program is a 5-year, full-time program that is structured into coursework and research. The aim of the coursework is to equip students with the tools necessary to develop innovative research in finance. VGSF students are fully funded, allowing them to completely focus on their PhD.

Doctoral programs at CEU are fully funded study programs with a standard duration of 4 years that award a US and an Austrian degree. The Doctoral Program of the Department of Legal Studies offers a unique opportunity to conduct independent research, complete doctoral-level course work and gain experience with teaching and other academic activities. The Department of Legal Studies welcomes doctoral projects on topics about our research and teaching areas.

The goal of the ISTA PhD program is to produce intellectually broad, curious, open-minded scientists who are able to approach problems from different angles and can collaborate with diverse types of scientists. To this end, our students complete an innovative interdisciplinary training program consisting of both research and taught elements, and receive close mentoring by world-class faculty from different disciplines.

Doctor of Philosophy in Cognitive Science The Department of Cognitive Science offers a PhD program in Cognitive Science. This research-based, interdisciplinary program offers specialization in the fields of social cognition, cognitive development, and formal and biological models of perception and learning. Students may take courses in cognitive psychology, philosophy of mind, cognitive anthropology, visual perception and computational modelling.

The PhD in Comparative Gender Studies is a 4-6 year program for students with substantial MA-level background in gender studies theory and methodologies who wish to specialize in interdisciplinary research and teaching in an academic setting. Accredited in both the US and Austria, the program combines elements of North American and European style degrees with coursework, research proposal development, and a Comprehensive Exam in the first year, followed by research and dissertation writing alongside professional development in subsequent years.

The PhD in Comparative History offers doctoral education matching the highest international standards for prospective scholars and teachers. A particular - indeed unique - feature of the program is that it focuses on the comparison, interconnectedness, and entanglements of distinct geo-cultural regions: Central, Southeastern, and Eastern Europe, and the Eastern Mediterranean, in close relation to the history of other historical regions, most notably with Western Europe and the Middle East. 

The PhD program in economics prepares you to conduct cutting-edge original research addressing the fundamental economic questions of our time.  Learn the skills of leading economists, choose from many specializations, and develop your research program.  You can utilize your knowledge in faculty positions in academia, in governmental organizations, as well as in the private sector.

The Environmental Sciences and Policy Doctoral Program* provides a unique opportunity to pursue fundamental and applied research to address some of the most urgent environmental challenges in the world. Our graduates emerge from the Program with a broad understanding of diverse approaches to environmental problems, extensive practical research experience, professional networks and analytical and practical thinking skills with a commitment and capacity to addressing environmental challenges.

The PhD in Late Antique, Medieval and Early Modern Studies has earned international recognition for its methodological richness and the application of innovative research tools; the curriculum stresses the interconnectedness of various disciplines, emphasizing multi- and interdisciplinary comparative research. Our departmental faculty of recognized experts in their respective fields provides students with supervision and guidance not only to help them accomplish the immediate goal of submitting their dissertations successfully within four years but also to assist them with regard to their future careers.

The PhD program in Network Science is a research-oriented program that provides the only PhD degree in this field in Europe. Network science provides essential tools to study complex systems including society online and offline, the economy or urban traffic. Accordingly, the program provides hands-on experience with large datasets characterizing those systems and the skills needed to analyze them.

The DBA is the professional equivalent of the academic Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) but is designed specifically to support participants in undertaking practice-based research related to their professional environment. While the knowledge gained from this research is equally rigorous to the Ph.D., it is distinctive in that the research findings tend to be highly applicable within the students’ organisation and/or within their community of professional practice.

The Geoinformatics PhD programme is a highly sought-after framework for top academic credentials. Doctoral research is an integral part of Z_GIS’ overall structure, linking advanced education with cutting-edge research. Doctoral students at Z_GIS equally emphasize the importance of excellent research as well as outstanding academic qualifications.