BI Norwegian Business School offers a four-year PhD program in business and economics. We are pleased to announce that we are inviting applications for PhD scholarships for the Leadership and Organization specialization.

Department of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour is a top publishing department. The department has several active researchers who regularly publish on a broad range of issues in the field’s top journals.

Such journals include Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Human Resource Management, Human Resource Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Management Studies, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Research staff regularly attends the most important international conferences and has large international networks of top scholars in the field.

The four-year program is designed for students who wish to pursue an international career within academia and who can contribute to the international arena with their research and publications. This is in keeping with the school’s vision of being one of the leading research business schools in Europe.

Eligible applicants must have completed a Master of Science degree with thesis work and a research master's/M.Phil degree, or a comparable degree relevant to the specialization in Leadership and Organization, by the end of summer of 2026, with a grade point average of B or higher. An MBA degree does not fulfill the requirements for admission.

Final year Master of Science students are encouraged to apply.

Accepted applicants will be offered close supervision and follow-up by the research faculty.

The four-year scholarships are currently NOK 572 800- per year (will be adjusted during 2026). The positions provide for automatic membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (Statens Pensjonskasse). The scholarships require 25% of the teaching responsibilities of a full-time professor position. PhD candidates will have their place of work at BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo, Norway.

Additional information about the doctoral program, admission requirements, and the application can be obtained from the Doctoral Administration at BI Norwegian Business School (Email: info@bi.no) and the department’s website.

You are required to upload the following with your application:

• Certificate of a Master of Science degree or equivalent, including transcripts of grades Certificate of a Bachelor degree or equivalent, including transcript of grades.
• A Diploma Supplement or a similar document describing in detail the study and grade system and the rights for further studies associated with the obtained degree.
• A project proposal (5-10 pages including topic, proposed method, schedule).
• CV.
• Letters of recommendation from relevant employers/tutors providing evidence of your skills as a researcher (a minimum of 2 letters). Please arrange with the people submitting recommendation letters to email their recommendations to phd.leadership@bi.no by the application deadline.
• Certificates from previously completed courses at the doctoral level, if requesting approval of these for the PhD program at BI Norwegian Business School (see section 2 in our PhD Regulations). If you have taken any courses at PhD level please complete the following form (maximum 18 ECTS).
• A complete list of all publications and/or other documented relevant activities.
• Signed verification document.
• Test scores TOEFL/IELTS (conditions for a TOEFL / IELTS waiver here: Language requirements).

Please note that all documents must be uploaded in the electronic application. Documents may not be submitted by e-mail. Furthermore, note that any documents forwarded after the application deadline will not be considered. Exceptions will only be made for students who are completing their Master’s Degree in 2026 and do not have a final certificate when applying. Please note that you will not be able to revise your application once it has been submitted.

Candidates may, at a later stage, be asked to forward further information and/or be called in for an interview.

Candidates who are accepted for the program must provide a more detailed progress plan with milestones and courses for the four years of study.