About the Doctoral School

Education Programme

Education programs

• Socio-economic Inequalities
• Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development
• Marketing and Tourism
• International Economics and Management
• Finances
• Business Economics and Management

Socio-economic Inequalities

Program Director: Prof. Dr. László Kulcsár

The connections between economic and social relations are of key importance for the development of a country. The positive and negative consequences of inequalities experienced in this area throughout history and today are characteristically reflected in the structural and territorial connections of society and economy and both demonstrate the importance of this research area.

The doctoral program, with the help of the connection of demography, social sciences and economics, provides space for doctoral research and studies that deal with the mutual influence and role of demographic, social and economic resources in both domestic and international aspects.

Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development

Program Director: Prof. Dr. Attila Fábián

The aim of the doctoral program is to provide modern training and research opportunities that deeply affect economics and its subfields (e.g. environmental, ecological, resource and energy management) by systematizing advanced theoretical knowledge of the concept of sustainable development, and by presenting new challenges, areas of investigation, analysis methods, existing or planned good practices, and benchmarking issues based on empirical research.

By clarifying the fundamentals, investigation dimensions and methodological issues related to sustainable development, and by possessing analytical tools, there is an opportunity to carry out research that can fill gaps and provide progressive results from an environmental, social and economic perspective. The doctoral program welcomes applicants to examine topics arising at the global, regional and local, as well as micro (corporate) levels. The program encompasses areas critical to sustainability (e.g. energy, mass tourism, climate change) and research topics closely related to sustainability (e.g. social well-being, urban and rural development, corporate embeddedness, supply chain management), which are the focus of scientific and social debates, thus providing a suitable field of study for future researchers.

Marketing and Tourism

Program Director: Dr. habil. Árpád Papp-Váry

The Marketing and Tourism Program’s main goal is for doctoral students to produce scientific results during their training and later work that can be utilized in practical life.

When joining the program, we consider the following to be of particular importance. Mastering the theoretical background and practical application of modern research methods and incorporating them into their own doctoral work.

The doctoral program considers sustainable development-related solutions important in both tourism and marketing, which simultaneously take into account the needs of economic development, social needs, and environmental issues, and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN.

The doctoral program draws attention to the fact that marketing is now - according to Philip Kotler - in the 5.0 era, one of the key questions of which is how to best use modern technology to meet consumer needs, from product design to personalized marketing communication, and how business models are changing in individual sectors, including tourism.

International Economics and Management

Program Director: Dr. habil. Zoltán Pogátsa

The goal of the doctoral sub-program of International Economics and Management is to examine the development, characteristics, operation, and future of the international economic order that is characteristic of our time and has now become global. This includes the process of European transnational economic integration, as well as the analysis of the globalized economy and the operation of transnational companies. The studies are, on the one hand, economic in nature, i.e. they examine the processes of global competition and cooperation, the chances of catching up, and the international economic and geopolitical context that determines the scope for economic policy from the perspective of national economies. On the other hand, they are of a management nature, i.e. they examine the issues of internationalization, transnational production chains, the international business environment, international finance, taxation, and marketing from the perspective of companies.

Finances

Program Director: Prof. Dr. Zsuzsanna Széles

The Finance program of the Doctoral School aims to provide doctoral candidates with current knowledge based on scientific results. With the development of the economy, the financial field is also transforming, new methods, procedures, and standards are used to understand economic processes, to demonstrate results, and to plan the future. The program offers applicants a variety of research topics involving macro finance, corporate finance, accounting, controlling, and related fields. Doctoral candidates will be able to master modern quantitative tools and methods. The program aims to train highly qualified professionals with in-depth knowledge in their field of study and applying the latest methods, who will contribute to the dissemination and development of knowledge related to the field of finance.

Business Economics and Management

Program Director: Prof. Dr. Csaba Székely DSc

The aim of the program is to examine the establishment, operation and development of enterprises and other economic organizations using scientific methods, and to explore the trends influencing corporate development. Basic knowledge of the field: in addition to corporate economics, strategic management and organizational theory, closely related management knowledge such as human resource management, supply chain management, process (operation) management, innovation management and information management, etc. can also be selected as research topics. The examination of the corporate economic aspects of recent trends in science (e.g. sustainable development, circular economy, social responsibility, digitalization, globalization, etc.) is also part of the doctoral program. In addition to the theoretical approach to individual topics, taking into account practical aspects is a fundamental requirement of the program, therefore, processing the researched topics with empirical studies is inevitable for PhD students participating in the program.

Doctoral Events

• Habilitations
• Public defenses
• Internal defenses
• Complex exams

Data of the Doctoral School

Students

• Current students
• Former students

Habilitation Requirements

Admission Process

ADMISSION INFORMATION

The doctoral office

Forms of training

Who can apply?

The admission procedure

Documents required for application and required attachments

Point system for evaluating the admission procedure

The doctoral office

István Széchenyi Economics and Management Doctoral School

Alexandre Lamfalussy Faculty of Economics

9400 Sopron, Erzsébet u. 9.

Head of Doctoral School: Prof. Dr. Csilla Obádovics, professor

Secretary of Doctoral School: Dr. Richárd Resperger, assistant professor

Doctoral coordinator: Ildikó Petróné Tóth

Phone: +36 99 518-106, +36 30 957-5587

E-mail: lkk-doktori@uni-sopron.hu

Forms of training

• organized full-time doctoral (PhD) training (with scholarships or self-funded),
• organized correspondence (part-time) doctoral (PhD) training (self-funded)

Who can apply?

All those who

• have a university degree of at least good quality, appropriate to the nature of the chosen field of study (discipline), or another university degree (MA/MSc) that provides the necessary foundational professional knowledge in the chosen discipline (doctoral school) can apply for doctoral training (doctoral school may waive the requirement of a diploma of at least good quality only in the light of extremely well-founded facts);
• have at least an intermediate (B2) complex, state-recognized English language exam, or equivalent language proficiency certification (university graduated in English);
• propose a research topic in their application that is worth pursuing and fits into the profile of the Doctoral School.

The current topic announcements can be found on the data sheet of the National Doctoral Council. 

The admission procedure

• The Admissions Committee decides on the admission of the applicant to the admission procedure based on the submitted documents,
• The Admissions Committee examines the applicant's preparedness for scientific work based on an admissions interview. The examination covers the scientific researchability of the doctoral topic and the ideas aimed at solving the problems.

In the case of those with a non-specialized degree, the Admissions Committee also examines the applicant's proficiency in the scientific field of the chosen doctoral school. Based on this, it may also require the taking of additional specialized subjects or the passing of differential exams. Credit cannot be awarded for specialized subjects or differential exams that provide the required basic knowledge.

Documents required for application and required attachments

Admission process: https://international.uni-sopron.hu/admissions-1

Point system for evaluating the admission procedure

Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance Plan 2024 (pdf) >>>

Information about the Education

• The training structure of the Doctoral School
• The courses offered by the Doctoral School

Education Program

We are waiting for lecturers and researchers who would like to continue their scientific work in one of the following areas:

• Business Economics and Management,
• Marketing, and Tourism
• Finances,
• International Economy and Management,
• Relationships Between Socio-economic Inequalities,
• Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development.

The Training structure of the Doctoral School 

The primary objective of the doctoral education program is to prepare future researchers and lecturers for scientific activity. The system lays special emphasis on the acquisition of knowledge and skills that are indispensable for professional research at the international level.

From September 2016, the doctoral education program was divided into 2+2 training phases, where:

First phase (education and research)

The first phase offers introductory training in theory and methodology for all participants in the form of compulsory methodology courses and elective courses (1st year).

In the second year, the emphasis shifts to the acquisition of an extensive knowledge and proficiency.

During the first two years, it is mandatory to complete four elective subjects that are necessary for the student based on the supervisor's recommendation.

The phase closes with the complex exam.

Catching up. For those students for whom the Doctoral School prescribes catch-up training in economics and/or statistics, since their previous training did not include these at an adequate level, the catch-up requirements must be met in the 1st semester.

Second phase (the phase of research and dissertation)

The second phase (5-8. semesters) is the phase of the degree procedure. It entails the preparation, the internal defence and the public defence of the dissertation. Until the dissertation is complete, the candidate performs individual research under the guidance of his/her supervisor, participates in scientific public life, publishes works and, optionally works as a teacher.

The courses offered by the Doctoral School

Methodological foundation subjects (required)

Semester 1:

- Research methodology - Quantitative methods

- Literature processing

Semester 2:

- Research methodology - Qualitative methods

- Writing a scientific publication

16 hours are available for the methodological foundation subjects per subject and per semester. Completion of the subjects is worth 6 credits each.

Elective subjects (based on the decision of the student and the supervisor)

The role of electives is to acquire knowledge that matches the student's research topic. Credit value 4. Courses related to training programs are announced every semester.

The languages of the education are Hungarian and English.

For the model curriculum of the Doctoral School are summarised in the tables below:

 (1) The definition of the education and research requirements of the Doctoral School for is based on the following credit values:

a) The student can earn 40 credits in education, 104 credits in research, and 24 credits in consulting, 56 credits in publication, and 16 credits in professional, academic and public activity. 16 additional credits can be earned through teaching. PhD students must complete at least 240 credits up the end of the 8^th active semester.

Scholarship students may be required to give four hours of educational activities per semester. If a student teaches more than four hours per week, this fact must be recorded in his student contract and the remuneration must be determined (e.g. hourly rate for full-time students, discounted tuition for part-time students).

b) A minimum of 90 credits must be completed by the end of the fourth active semester; this must include at least seven publication credits.

c) “Professional, scientific and public activities”: two credits per semester in any combination of:

• workplace and public defence participation in a local or other doctoral school
• compulsory participation in workshop events at the local doctoral school
• participation in a professional and/or scientific event (e.g. conference, workshop, committee meeting, professional scientific presentation)

A certificate of task completion must be presented, signed by the organiser of the event, but a copy of the attendance sheet is also acceptable. Two participations = 2 credits.

d) The 56-credit publication activity must be completed no later than the end of the eighth semester. A minimum of six publications must be completed as follows:

• at least three articles or communications published in peer-reviewed scientific journals or volumes, at least one of which must be in a foreign language (one in Hungarian/native language = 11 credits, one in a foreign language = 15 credits); at least one of these must be a first-authored article and at least one "B" or "Q2" level;;
• at least two articles or communications (not abstracts, min. 10.000 characters) in your mother tongue or in a foreign language, published in a conference publication with ISBN or ISSN. (1 = 7 credits);
• at least one other publication (e.g. review) (1 = 5 credits)

Substitutability: a part of the publication with a lower credit value can be replaced by a publication with a higher credit value, but at least one conference paper must be included. An English-language publication can be an English-language journal or study volume published abroad, or a peer-reviewed journal or peer-reviewed study volume published in Hungary.

The scope of the publication and the number of authors must be taken into account in the evaluation. A study prepared jointly with a co-author is considered a full-fledged publication for the PhD student. If the student has two supervisors, the communication written jointly with the supervisors is also considered a full-fledged publication. In the case of a study with multiple authors, the portion that can be credited to the student is reduced in proportion to the number of authors.

e) The evaluation of the publication activity is based on journal lists accepted by Hungarian Scientific Academy (MTA).

Scientific publication in a journal possibly not included in the list, is also acceptable, as long as the research topic justifies it and the rating of the journal meets the DI's expectations.

Only those scientific publications that contain a reference to other scientific work and whose topic is related to the candidate's training and research program can be taken into account.

The following cannot be considered as publications:

• oral presentation;
• a research report made to order or in the context of a tender, owned by the customer, or not made public;
• TDK thesis, thesis, diploma thesis;
• notice published in predatory publications (see MTA's current position).

Publication credits are recognized by the head of the doctoral school at the end of the 4th and 8th semesters in the Neptun system.

Students are required to register in the MTMT system and upload their publications. Works not included in the MTMT database will not be taken into account in the assessment of the student’s scientific publication activity. Only those studies that are

 (2) Full-time and part-time PhD students must complete at least 240 credits.