The doctoral programme in Business Administration is the largest one at JIBS and has a variety of different focus areas in which to write a doctoral thesis.

Within Business Administration there is a variety of sub-subject to chose from. Areas commonly written about in doctoral theses are family business, media management and supply chain management. The latter three are represented in three of JIBS centres.

Doctoral studies in Business Administration comprise a total of 240 credit points [120 credits for the licentiate degree, respectively], 90 [45] credit points of coursework and 150 [75] credit points for the doctoral thesis [licentiate thesis], which normally requires four [two] years (48 months) of full-time study.

Coursework for doctoral studies in Business Administration include compulsory courses as well as broadening and/or deepening elective courses.

The compulsory courses for both the licentiate and doctoral degree are:
• Philosophy of Science and Research Ethics (7.5 credit points/ECTS credits)
• Scientific Method: Quantitative (7.5 credit points/ECTS credits)
• Scientific Method: Qualitative (7.5 credit points/ECTS credits).

For the doctoral degree the following course is also required:
•Classics in Economics (3 credit points/ECTS credits)
•Classics in Accounting (3 credit points/ECTS credits)
•Classics in Organisation theory (4 credit points/ECTScredits)
•Classics in Marketing (3 credit points/ECTScredits)
•Classics in Entrepreneurship (2 credit points/ECTS credits)

Elective courses aim at providing broad and in-depth knowledge and reflect areas of research at JIBS.  

The compulsory postgraduate courses are offered at Jönköping International Business School.. In addition, JIBS offers a number of elective courses each academic year, e.g. courses within the specific profile areas. Students may also increase their selection of elective courses by taking doctoral courses at other universities. A course examiner for a doctoral course at JIBS needs to be at least a reader/docent.

A doctoral student is required and expected to participate in research seminars given at JIBS, including research proposal seminars and regular research seminars. The doctoral student is also required to act as opponent at another doctoral student's research proposal seminar and is expected to present his or her own work at different seminars and conferences throughout the doctoral programme. It is compulsory for the doctoral student to give at least two different presentations at seminars, i.e. the research proposal seminar and the final seminar.

Doctoral students are encouraged to spend part of their studies (normally one term) at another university in order to take postgraduate courses and/or work with their thesis.

The doctoral thesis comprises 150 credit points/ECTS credits. The student shall prepare the thesis individually. The thesis could either have the form of a compilation of articles, (see separate document for detailed requirements), or take the form of a monograph.  

The Licentiate thesis comprises 60 credit points/ECTS credits.  The student shall prepare the thesis individually. It can have the form of a monograph  or a compilation of articles.  

The thesis is written in English unless there are particular reasons for it to be written in Swedish or some other language.