PhD Student Stories

The student view

I've been able to study with 18 different nationalities in a group of 20 students. The diversity of opinions and perspectives is truly remarkable.

The flexibility that ISM offers is truly unparalleled. The ability to seamlessly transition between regular lectures and distance-based e-learning is yet another advantage.

If you want international exposure and practical learning, and you don't want to interrupt your work while you study, then ISM is the place to be.

Studying at ISM is a great way to learn, see the world, and expand your international network.

Testimonials by program:

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As a dual UK-Libyan national with extensive experience in the railway transport sector, I was drawn to ISM due to its stellar academic reputation, focus on entrepreneurship and diverse student body. My background has given me a deep appreciation for the transformative power of business, particularly in developing critical...

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For the last 20 years, I have worked as a senior executive as a Finance Director and then as a Managing Director after completing my MBA in Innovation and Technology. I wanted to ensure that in my journey as an executive leader, I mastered the social skills and emotional intelligence that leaders need in the C-suite.

I conducted research for a year to...

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I have tremendously enjoyed my academic experience at ISM and can truly recommend it to all those hard working business minded individuals who have the drive for success and achievements.

The ISM allowed me to conduct research at Governmental level namely in the fields of OPCW and CSDP that might not be available in other academic institutions and for...

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The PHD program at ISM is highly distinguished. In general, course structure, subject matter, and materials of the DBA courses are very contemporary and cover critical issues. More specifically, the finance courses that I completed whether in Paris or on-line were both interesting and challenging. the assignments, mainly of on-line courses, were...

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I was looking for higher education institutions that allowed me to continue to work as a busy financial professional and study overseas. I believe ISM is the only institution that offers this flexibility. Prior to joining ISM, I was a young professional trying to build my practice in wealth management.

I have had the best experience at ISM. I take...

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Annette Templeton, PhD Candidate from the USA

"I feel that this is such an international experience. Now I'm making personal friends from countries ranging from Egypt to Singapore to Portugal to Nigeria and because we are sharing so much of our professional experiences, we are developing professionally as well. We are sharing not just problems and finishing papers for class, we are actually...

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Between my teaching schedule with both daytime and evening classes, my family, and the frequent travel I do leading study abroad programs, I needed a PhD program with maximum flexibility. Living in Los Angeles, of course I had plenty of schools I could choose from. But it was a much better use of my time to fly to classes every couple months and finish...

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Prior to my enrollment at ISM, I had a well-rounded career as an engineer and management consultant in the United States. While working as a management consultant, I was frequently traveling, mostly domestically in the United States, and increasingly doing work which I no longer found interesting or challenging. There was an aspect of consulting which...

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I graduated from ISM with a PhD in International Business Management, specializing in Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Graduating in 2021 fulfilled a lifelong dream.

My confidence as a scholar skyrocketed as the training equipped me to make informed contributions to any discourse, regardless of the discipline. The consequential increase in social...

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I found the participants, at the ISM NY Program at St. John's University, an inspirational network of future leaders and self-investors. The professors and students, gathered under one roof for several weeks, provided a world class learning environment. The entire time spent in NY was - in the words of Shakespeare - "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

In 2005, while I was living in Shanghai, I decided to pursue a doctoral degree to further my passion for teaching. Before enrolling at ISM, I did extensive research on accredited institutions, exploring which programs would offer the best combination of location flexibility and robust academic curriculum. There was only one program that fit my...

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Grace Chew, PhD Candidate from Singapore

The decision to start a doctoral program was not easy. However, I enjoyed the study and travelling to China, Paris, New York and Brazil to mingle with all the high quality cohorts and lecturers.

The decision to enroll in the ISM PhD in Business Administration was an interesting journey for me. I started to look for a suitable program in 2012. I...

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I have always studied while working, so when a fellow scholar mentioned ISM, I felt I was ready to take on that challenge. I started in fall 2019 and every interaction with ISM was smooth and friendly. I was looking forward to taking some courses in Paris and going to my hometown of NYC to take some courses there too.  

As I joined...

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I thoroughly enjoyed the Advanced Corporate Strategy seminar. Professor Weber was truly inspiring and he made this seminar interesting and motivating. His style of teaching brought out the best in the students, and the classroom format was an excellent mix of lectures, discussion, case studies and student presentations.

The materials covered in the...

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You should choose to study at ISM to obtain the benefits of its outstanding International Business programs. I studied in both Paris and New York and I enjoyed the interaction with the disciplines presented by the doctoral professors. I specifically enjoyed the two-week courses and subsequent research projects given at St. John's University in New York...

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Prior to joining ISM, I had done thorough research. I had compared the ISM PhD program with various universities from Europe. According to my personal research, the ISM PhD program was the most comprehensive in terms of professional development and teaching methodology. Moreover, I had contacted numerous ISM alumni and from every single resource, I...

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I am a PhD candidate in International Business Management with a specialization in Finance, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. I hold an MBA from GIBS and have thirty years of corporate experience in the mining sector, having worked with diamonds, platinum, coal, and gold. My area of expertise is sustainability, and I currently work for a gold mining...

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Kimberly Reeve, PhD Candidate from the USA

I knew that I didn’t want to leave my work for an extended amount of time. One of the things that I value about ISM is their flexibility in allowing us to essentially have the condensed modules where you're on site for three to four days at a time to take a course. I found it very helpful that you can break your coursework into manageable amounts so...

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My education at ISM has been instrumental in my personal and professional development. The rigorous PhD program equipped me with a strong foundation of knowledge and skills in International Management, specializing in finance. The faculty members at ISM were not only experts in their fields but also dedicated mentors who guided me through complex...

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The thing that first inspired me to apply to ISM was the flexibility and ability to attend courses in different countries. Prior to starting the program, I was working in academic business providing executive educational solutions and also teaching academic courses for level 3-7.

It was a brilliant experience meeting different lecturers from...

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