PhD in Business Administration

No. The GMAT or GRE are not an admission requirement for the PhD in Business Administration program.

No. You must select one specialization in your application. We expect applicants to have a fairly developed idea of their research interests and, thus, which specialization is most relevant.

No. We do not pre-assess prospective applicants.

If you meet the minimum admission requirements, then you are eligible to apply for the program. However, the competitiveness of your application will also depend upon the other applicants for that same term. The only way to find out for sure whether you are accepted into the program is to apply and, as such, we advise you to focus on putting together the best overall application you can. Our Admissions Committee takes a holistic approach to assessing an application and will consider every aspect including academic history, research experience, professional experience (not required), reference letters, statement of purpose, etc.

As a business school, we accept and encourage applicants from all academic disciplines. In fact, we believe that our program benefits from bringing together students from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. As such, please do not consider a non-business background as a hindrance to applying to our programs.

However, regardless of the discipline, you should have pursued a research-based Master’s degree to demonstrate your research experience.

Depending on their background, accepted non-commerce students may be asked to take one or more supplemental courses.

No. Seats are very limited in our program and we do not grant conditional admissions on incomplete applications. Once all the admission requirements are uploaded to your application and the application fee is paid, it will be considered complete and, thus, ready for assessment by the Admissions Committee.

You may start your application and ensure that you have uploaded all the other admission requirements prior to the application deadline. Please add a “Note from Student” to your application explaining when you expect to be able to submit your unofficial test results. The Admissions Committee may grant you a 2–3 week extension to submit this last requirement.

No, although we are aware of the economic challenges that many applicants are currently facing, Concordia University has a strict policy of not waiving the application fee.  Please ensure that you have the financial means to pay the application fee, as well as plan your finances to cover the costs of studying and living in Montreal. Please visit our website for more comprehensive information on Financial matters relating to pursuing a graduate degree in Canada.

The PhD in Business Administration can only be pursue on a full-time basis.

This full-time program can be completed in 5 years. By the end of the fifth year, students are expected to submit and defend their thesis.

No. Although courses were switched to online in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 safety measures, John Molson’s programs are designed to be delivered in person. Concordia University returned to offering all classes in person in February 2022.

For the most up-to-date information on Concordia University’s response to COVID-19, please visit this webpage.

No. The first year of the program will allow you to create connections with the various faculty members and establish a supervisor relationship. By the end of the first year, you will be expected to select your supervisor.

Any questions related to admissions should be directed to gradadvisor.jmsb@concordia.ca, however, you are free to reach out to our faculty with research-related questions.

Non. Il n’est pas possible de suivre notre programme entièrement en anglais. Le programme est offert en collaboration avec l’université McGill, HEC Montréal et l’université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Quelques cours offertes à HEC Montréal et UQAM vont être en français, mais les cours offertes aux universités Concordia et McGill sont en anglais.

Yes. The John Molson School of Business and Concordia University provide guaranteed funding to all newly-admitted PhD candidates for a period of five years. The total value of this funding exceeds $115,000 for the Canadian students and $150,000 for the international students. All funding is conditional upon good academic standing, which includes being compliant with the standard program timeline. Please consult our tuition and aid page for additional details. 

For newly admitted candidates, the tuition is waived for the first three years of the five-year PhD program. The three-year mark coincides with the end of the course work for most students and the tuition fees go down after having completed the course component of the program.  Therefore, the three-year tuition fee waiver covers the most expensive part of the program, which corresponds to approximatively $8,000 for Canadian students and $46,000 for international students. Subsequently, you will need to pay approximately $1,700 per semester for your remaining time in the program (N.B. tuition and compulsory fees are subject to change).

Any admitted candidate benefits from a total fee waiver during their first three years.

Yes. Many graduate students receive support in the form of a stipend paid by a faculty member holding a research grant. In addition, John Molson School of Business typically allocates funds annually to individual departments for teaching assistants, markers, lab demonstrators, conference leaders, etc.
Other funding opportunities are available on our tuition and aid page.

Immigration Quebec regulations require that all international students be covered by a health insurance plan that meets government standards. In keeping with this government directive, Concordia University has negotiated a compulsory health and accident insurance plan with Blue Cross at a competitive cost that all international students must have. Consequently, personal health insurance plans are not accepted. Canadian citizens and Permanent residents may register with Concordia’s health insurance plan, however, they may also be covered under another plan.

The PhD degree leads primarily to roles in academia, as professors and researchers. It may also lead to specialist roles in industries such as Consulting or Analytics (depending on your research area / expertise). 

Upon graduating, international students are eligible to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), which allows them to work in Canada. The PGWP can grant access to work up to a maximum of three years. To qualify for the PGWP, you must meet certain requirements; for more details, please visit Concordia University’s International Students Office website and the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.

Generally, international students are permitted to work up to 20 hours per week off-campus, however, there are strict guidelines. The International Students Office provides useful information on its Working in Canada webpage and you may also consult the Canadian government's Studying and working in Canada as an international student webpage.

Absolutely! Please contact our team so we can assess which of our ambassadors would be the best fit to chat with you and to share experiences that are relevant to your goals.