The application process starts in October and finishes at the end of April. The online application for the 25/26 academic year intake will be available in September.
Admission requirements
Requirements to enter PhD
(via Master of Research)
You will be initially registered for a Master of Research which will cover the specialized research coursework of the PhD.
Direct registration at the PhD
(Candidates already holding and Master of Research)
There is a specific process of direct registration as a PhD students for candidates who have already an MRes or another type of clearly research oriented Master.
Admission process
Esade is seeking applications for the Doctoral Programme in Management Sciences starting in September 2026. The Programme is full time and taught in English at our Barcelona-Sant Cugat campus.
Esade offers full funding for a two-year Master of Research (MRes), which comprises the specialized research coursework, and three years dedicated to the development of the PhD dissertation (further information: PhD website). If needed, there is an additional fourth year not funded (further information: PhD website).
Areas of specialization include: Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Social Innovation, Marketing and Data Driven Decisions, Leadership& Organizational Behavior, Supply Chain & Operations Management, Innovation and Knowledge Management, Economics, Accounting & Finance and Geopolitics and Public Management. During your application process you have to indicate explicitly wich research area you are interested in.
When to apply
Applications for September 2026 intake are now open. Please complete your online application form and send us the required documentation before the deadline of January 23rd 2026.
How to apply
1. Submit your Application Form
Apply online (after registering as a new user). In the online application you must indicate the research area in which you are interested and upload your research proposal, CV, and two letters of recommendation.
We do not start processing it until is filled in, so please make sure you fill in all fields.
2. Send us the required documentation
Once you have done the online application you will receive an email requesting to upload additional documentation as follows:
• Your university academic record (scanned copies of Official transcripts and university diplomas to be uploaded in PDF format)
• Language Aptitude test results (TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC)
• An official GMAT or GRE score on a test taken less than five years before or indicate the planned date (When taking the exam, please indicate the code of Esade's PhD: GMAT 93M-3K-62, GRE 5761)
3. Interview
Interviews can be made online or face-to-face.
Visiting PhD candidates
Admission Process
Files
Visiting PhD candidates admission to Esade PhD Program
Tuition Fees
Students entering the PhD directly from the MRes Program are not required to pay the registration fee (see Financing).
MRes (year 1,2)
Fee: €25,000/year
PhD (year 3,4,5)
Fee: €5,000/year
Reservation
Admitted candidates must make a payment equivalent to 8% of the tuition fee. You must make this payment in the period indicated in the letter of admission for the place to be reserved, irrespective of whether you are pending the awarding of a scholarship or whether you intend to opt for any other financing system. Admitted candidates with scholarship will be refunded the reservation fee after successfully joining the program
You can pay your reservation fee online through Flywire, our preferred payment partner. Flywire provides a
secure global payment network that simplifies the payment of your fees.
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![Georges Samara]()
PhD in Management Sciences - 2018
American University of Beirut - Assistant Professor"Why do a PhD at Esade? While many of my peers will emphasize the research skills that you acquire at Esade, my testimony will be about your life story. On our first day of class at Esade, we started by narrating our life story as an introduction to epistemology for social sciences. Doing so we were not really aware how the next couple of years at Esade were going to transform us and shape our future life stories. You start as an individual citizen from a country and join a community of researchers from all over the world who are committed to the pursuit of knowledge and a sustainable society. Diversity, freedom, and integrity: This is why you should do a PhD at Esade."
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![Mohammad Ghaderi]()
PhD in Management Sciences - 2017
Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and Barcelona Graduate School of Economics - Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics and Business"The Esade PhD programme is truly unique of its kind due to its highly dynamic, supportive, friendly, and incredibly multicultural environment. The programme gives you the freedom to explore, and to be creative with your research. Moreover, Esade has high-profile and diverse board of faculty and PhD candidates, where everyone is very collegial and accessible and willing to listen to your ideas. Esade has helped me to grow as a researcher, and to develop strong pedagogical skills by teaching at BBA, MSc, and the prestigious Esade MBA programme"
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![Stefan Markovic]()
PhD in Management Sciences - 2016
Copenhagen Business School - Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing"The Esade PhD programme has helped me to develop qualitative and quantitative methodological skills that have allowed me to grow as a researcher and to publish in highly-regarded journals. It has provided me with the opportunity to work with multicultural and multidisciplinary scholars in a friendly and supportive environment. It has also offered me many teaching opportunities across different programmes that have enabled me to develop my pedagogical skills. All in all, I highly recommend the Esade PhD programme to all those pursuing a successful academic career in Management Sciences."
