Only students who have completed master's studies at the university level or comparable studies may enrol in the Ph.D. programme at the School of Business. Students who have completed undergraduate studies at the university level may begin research-related graduate studies for a doctoral degree, but need to have completed studies comparable to a master's degree before they can formally apply for admission to the Ph.D. programme.

Applications may be submitted at any time, although the School of Business may post an advertisement for doctoral candidates with a specific application deadline.

How to apply

1.      Potential candidates should contact a possible advisor.

The role of advisors is to advise doctoral candidates in their studies, track their progress and monitor quality. Advisors shall meet the following academic requirements:

• An advisor shall have a Ph.D. degree.
• An advisor shall be a permanent employee of Reykjavik University and have the research qualifications of associate professors
• A doctoral candidate's research project shall pertain to the advisor's field of specialisation.
• An advisor shall be an active participant in the research community and a recognised expert in his or her respective field.  Assessment of this qualification shall take account of published articles in peer-reviewed journals and the advisor's experience of international research cooperation and funding for research projects.

2.      Apply to the programme.

Applications for admission to the Ph.D. programme shall be submitted to the Dean of the School of Business. Applications may be submitted at any time, although the School of Business may post an advertisement for doctoral candidates with a specific application deadline.  The following documents shall accompany the application:

• Transcripts of university diplomas in which the ranking of students in individual courses is listed.
• A curriculum vitae (photo included) and list of publications.
• The names of three referees who may be contacted.  
• A report describing the subject of the proposed doctoral research.
• For international non-native English speaker applicants a proof of sufficient proficiency in English is required (e.g. via TOEFL or a master thesis written in English).

Documents are mailed to the following address:

Ph.D. programme Office

School of Business

Ofanleiti 3

IS - 103 Reykjavik

Iceland

3.      Get a final answer within 2 months

The Research Council will assess the qualifications of applicants and submit its conclusions in writing to the Dean. The assessment shall take into account:

• Whether applicants have demonstrated outstanding performance in their studies and whether they are perceived as capable of showing initiative and achieving results in the advancement of knowledge in their fields of specialisation.
• Whether applicants possess sufficient basic knowledge within the field and in the area of research methods.
• Whether the research subject entails opportunities for the advancement of knowledge in accordance with the School's requirements concerning doctoral thesis (see Article 9 of the Ph.D. rules at the School of Business).
• Whether the research subject is consistent with the School's policy on research and the expertise of prospective advisors.

To assist in the assessment, the Research Council is permitted to interview applicants, conduct standardised qualification tests and seek experts' opinion, including the opinion of prospective advisors.  Should the Research Council find that the above conditions have been fulfilled, it shall include a list of eligible advisors in its written opinion.  Where it is only possible to accept one doctoral candidate out of two or more qualified applicants, the Research Council shall include an ordered qualifications assessment in its written opinion.

The Dean shall decide whether an applicant should be admitted to the School's Ph.D. programme within two months from the reception of the application.

If accepted into the programme, an applicant shall be assigned an advisor by the Dean. Moreover, the Dean shall arrange for a contract to be made between doctoral candidates and their advisors providing for the progress of studies, as well as the rights and obligations of the candidate on the one hand, and the advisor and the School on the other hand.

Please see the Ph.D. programme rules for more detailed application information, and the International Officeweb pages for student visa requirements and accommodation information. The office also maintains a web page with a collection of useful links.