ISM's PhD in Business Administration prepares experienced and highly motivated business professionals to embark on careers of engaged instruction and original research. In addition to training scholars and future professors in research techniques and the psychology of education, every year ISM accepts a few managers who do not plan to teach, but for whom the depth of research and the additional methodologies acquired in pursuing a PhD are indispensable.

Over three years, PhD candidates deepen their understanding of research methodology and advanced data analysis techniques, while benefiting from the direct supervision and personal instruction of their research supervisor. Their coursework lays the foundation for a lifetime of original research and contributions to the knowledge of their discipline, while their dissertation channels and focuses their efforts to give them a competitive advantage in their field.

In addition to its Paris seminars, the PhD program offers students the opportunity to make corporate contacts and pursue academic study with Temple University Japan in Tokyo and St. John's University in New York, where ISM's strategic partnerships reinforce its global programs. Thus, ISM students may study on three different continents in some of the world's most important financial and commercial capitals.

The ISM PhD can be taken on one of two tracks:

Traditional Track
Candidates are expected to successfully complete the required 6 credits of private instruction the 24-hour teaching requirement in Paris. If, lacking a DBA, they are required to participate in DBA seminars, they may attend those seminars in ISM's traditional classrooms in Paris, or with our international partners in New York and Tokyo.

E-Learning Track
Candidates opting for the e-learning track are eligible to complete the private instruction and dissertation preparations (and any DBA seminars) online, with all other requirements being fulfilled in person at ISM Paris

Some candidates might enter the program with previous course work or relevant experience, which may allow them to alter the standard program. Such exceptions must be arranged before the candidate begins the program. Any individualized program must be negotiated with the candidate's advisor, and an outline of the study plan must be written and approved to finalize any proposed change.

Part I : Course of Study
The curriculum of the ISM PhD is designed to integrate fieldwork with academic study. Through rigorous coursework, constant engagement with real-world organizations, and careful research supervision, candidates are able to cultivate and apply their knowledge and skills. This allows them to formulate practical, relevant questions to advance their studies. All candidates receive a strong foundation in research and inquiry; e.g. quantitative methods, qualitative or naturalistic methods or historical, philosophical and theoretical methods of inquiry. General topics covered in the PhD program include: education, psychology, case study development and application, and research.

Part II : Teaching Requirement
To qualify for the Doctor of Philosophy candidates must also research, prepare and deliver a 24-hour course of study. Multiple opportunities exist within the ISM international educational network for candidates to satisfy this requirement. Before delivering the course of study, the seminar program must be presented to and approved by the Doctoral Committee. This seminar will be reviewed by the student participants, who will evaluate the candidate according to several pedagogical criteria. In order to receive credit for the teaching project, a candidate must earn at least a 2.5 average (on a 5-point scale). Each candidate will have three opportunities to achieve this score.

Candidates may be eligible to receive financial assistance towards their tuition according to the established rate for teaching services, and commensurate with the number of courses they opt to teach. For more information please contact the ISM registrar.

Part III : The Doctoral Dissertation
An integral component of the ISM PhD program, the doctoral dissertation demands a deep level of commitment and effort from the candidate. The dissertation, normally due one year after the completion of the seminar and teaching requirements, will be closely supervised by the candidate's academic advisor and the Doctoral Committee. This work should not only reflect the needs of the candidate, but also those of the program. Having written the dissertation, the candidate must present an oral defense of his or her work before the Dissertation Committee.

Part IV: International Partner Programs: ISM New York at St John's University and ISM Tokyo at Temple University Japan

ISM New York at St John’s University
One of the annual highlights of ISM's PhD is its program in New York City. Every year, our PhD candidates can opt to stay for two weeks in Manhattan, where they study in conjunction with St John's University, which offers a rotating curriculum of three intensive courses for 6 seminar credits per summer. Students can enroll in ISM's New York program for no additional tuition fees.

ISM Tokyo at Temple University Japan
Each fall 25 ISM students may participate in our two-week Tokyo program. Their curriculum comprises four essential topics in East Asian business trends and practices. While in Tokyo, ISM students have the opportunity to go on a number of Business Site Visits, gaining direct, first-hand experience in the operations of successful Japanese firms. As with ISM's New York summer session, students can enroll in ISM's Tokyo program for no additional tuition fees. The program represents 6 credits.

Seminars offered in Tokyo 2006
East-West Negotiations
Marketing: Corporate Image Strategy in Japan
Asian Business Perspectives: Globalization in East Asia
E-Business in Japan


No additional tuition is asked from those students who take advantage of ISM's international programs, but they are responsible for the costs of travel, room and board.

Case Study Development & Application – Qualitative Research & Case Study Applications in Education
This course includes an expanded discussion on the nature of qualitative research, the different types of qualitative research and how to design a qualitative study including problem formulation and sample selection. All material has been updated in relation to current advances, resources and case studies. An excellent resource for teachers and researchers.

Education – Teaching & the Human Brain
Learn powerful and practical success strategies to boost motivation, attention, understanding, meaning and recall. This course attempts to integrate what we now know about the brain with standard education practices. Candidates will learn how to apply brain-based learning principles to achieve immediate results with methods that follow the way our brains learn best. This course was developed using the most current information from the recent explosion of brain research as it applies to teaching and learning.

Psychology – Career Counseling in the 21st Century
Speaking to the needs of beginning and experienced career counselors alike, this course:

	Considers such topics as : what career counseling is, how to set up a career counseling practice, understanding the client's motivation and what tools to use.
	Discusses the history of ideas in the field since 1900, who invented these ideas and what their present usefulness is.
	Addresses the problems a career counselor runs into, how to deal with these problems and how to deal with one's own need for motivation.

Research – Planning, Conducting and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research
This course offers a balanced, inclusive and integrated overview of the field of educational research. It comprehensively addresses both quantitative and qualitative approaches to educational research and applies them to the research process. It begins by introducing the general process of research in six steps. Within this context it describes both quantitative and qualitative approaches in detail. It closes with eight research designs-experimental, correlational, survey, grounded theory, ethnography, narrative, mixed method and action research-to implement the process. This course is ideal for all individuals involved with any aspect of research in their professional or academic careers.

ISM provides top-level business programsfully accredited in the United States and Europe at a very competitive rate. When measuring the real value of ISM—our excellent professors with first hand business experience, dynamic international students, and partnerships with some of the best universities in Asia, Europe and the US—prospective students should also compare our tuition fees with other international business schools offering fully accredited degrees. ISM tuition is significantly more attractive than other leading business schools while offering programs of equal quality.

Should the PhD candidate be required to complete certain DBA requirements in the course of their PhD studies, tuition fees will include all academic services as well as ISM programs held in New York and Tokyo. Any costs associated with transportation or housing are the sole responsibility of the candidate or his or her sponsor.

Individuals are allowed to pay tuition fees in either one lump-sum payment or in payment plans of three to four installments.

If a student chooses to pay his entire tuition in one payment, he or she is eligible for financial assistance of 15%, or 5,460€. This brings the total lump-sum payment to 30,940€.

If a student chooses to pay his or her tuition over 3 installments, he or she is eligible to receive financial assistance of 15%, or 2,730€, on half of the individual tuition. The three installments will be as follows:

15,470€
9,100€
9,100€

If a student chooses to pay his or her tuition over 4 instalments, he or she
will pay 4 installments of:

9,100€

Companies that pay the entire tuition in one lump sum are entitled to 10% financial assistance, or 4,040€, reducing the tuition to 36,360€.

Sponsoring companies can pay in 3 installments:

20,200€
10,100€
10,100€

The International School of Management provides both need-based and merit-based aid to qualified candidates. Need-based aid includes scholarships and teaching-assistantships. Merit-based aid is awarded for previous academic performance.

The scholarship amount varies, covering at most 30% of all fees.

Early applications receive full consideration for all forms of support. You are encouraged to make a timely application.

There is no separate application for ISM scholarships. All candidates are automatically considered for academic (merit-based) and financial (need-based) scholarships when applying for admission.

Additional information is available by contacting the Registrar at +33 (0)1 45 51 09 09.

Tuition Assistance Program
ISM Tuition Assistance Grants are awarded on a highly competitive basis to prospective candidates who exhibit strong academic ability and have substantial professional experience, intending to pursue full-time or part-time study in any degree program at ISM.

The Next Step Scholarship
The Next Step Scholarship is a competitive scholarship available only to ISM graduates who are enrolling in a doctoral study on a full-time or part-time matriculated basis. Information and applications are available by contacting the Registrar.

Dean’s Opportunity Scholarship
A limited number of Dean's Opportunity Scholarships are available as need-based awards for candidates from under-represented or economically disadvantaged minorities intending to pursue full-time or part-time study in any degree program at ISM.

Teaching Assistantship for PhD Study
The Teaching Assistantship for PhD Study is offered on a competitive basis to new PhD candidates. Candidates are recommended to the President of the International School of Management by the Program Director. Selection is based on academic/teaching abilities and research potential.

To understand the true value of ISM programs, it is useful to compare the tuition fees of other major international business programs with those of ISM's fully accredited programs. The average price of a PhD from institutions such as ESSEC or INSEAD is 54,250€. ISM provides programs of equal quality and rigor that cost roughly 60% the tuition at comparable institutions.