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 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.

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.

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.

Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy at CEU are fully funded study program with a standard duration of 4 years that awards a US and an Austrian degree. The Department of Philosophy offers a Doctoral Program in a variety of areas, for instance, Metaphysics and Philosophy of Mind and Cognition, History of Philosophy, and Moral and Political Philosophy.

The purpose of the program is to offer doctoral-level education matching the highest international standards in the fields of Sociology and Social Anthropology for prospective scholars and teachers. The Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology offers a doctoral program accredited by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York (US) for and on behalf of the New York State Education Department and on behalf of the Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria (AQ Austria).