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c b s o b s e r v e r 1 f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 0 2 3The visitors have the PhD-advantageTaking your education at CBS gears you to a career in the business world, not the academic world.But that may be changing, channelling more CBS-students into the PhD programsl e v e l l i n g t h e f i e l dBy Sebastian SchwolowPhoto: Liselotte ØstergaardYou don’t get to go from schoolright back to school at CBS – atleast only rarely. Only a small percentageof CBS’ PhD scholarshipsare given to CBS students whowant to continue with a PhD directlyafter they have graduated fromtheir Master’s.According to Peter Lotz, ViceDean of PhD Education at CBS,there are two main reasons for thispattern: Good CBS students generallyhave had no problems gettinglucrative jobs in business. Also, theCBS curricula are not targeted aPhD study.Home team disadvantageCBS, being a school of business,has traditionally been chosen asa place of study by students whowant to learn to do just that – business.That is why the study programsand education at CBS is generallymore oriented towards preparingstudents for a work- life inbusiness than an academic career.- We have a bit of a problemsince we are not preparing ourown Master’s students well forthe PhD program. We give ourown students a relatively broadtraining in terms of subjects anddisciplines. Likewise, our methodtraining is not very deep. However,to pursue a PhD degree you needto specialise. This is actually whyCBS hires many PhD students frommore traditional universities, PeterLotz points out and goes on:- This results in an advantagefor the applicants from fieldswhere the PhD has a long traditionover our own applicants fromCBS. It’s also why we have moreforeign MSc’s entering our PhDprogrammes than we have CBSgraduates.Training the local talentBut CBS is working to do somethingabout that. Peter Lotz andhis colleaguesare these dayscontemplatingways and meansto offer a modifiedversion ofthe second yearof CBS Master’sstudies.- Our idea isto offer interestedstudentsa second year,which is morefocused onmethods thanon subjectareas, Peter Lotzexplains.For students taking advantage ofthis offer, the vision also includesan adjustment of their Master’sthesis in a way that lets them makecomprehensive use of the methodsand approaches acquired duringthe second year of their Master’s.- The idea is to be able to makethe transition from the Master’slevel to the PhD level smootherfor CBS’ own graduates, Peter Lotzsays.‘The PhD title in itselfhas very little value in theDanish labour market forsocial science candidates.You don’t get much creditjust because of the title.The PhD is valuable onlybecause of the knowledgeyou have gained.Peter LotzVice Dean of PhD EducationWhy shoot at the titleCBS’ Vice Dean of PhD Educationdoes, however, point out that thereis another problem for PhD candidates– at least in Denmark:- The PhD title in itself has verylittle value in the Danish labourmarket for social science candidates.You don’t get much creditjust because of the title. The PhDis valuable only because of theknowledge you have gained, PeterLotz comments.He compares the Danish recognitionof an academic title to how itis perceived on the continent, forexample in Germany where titlesin themselvesare worth muchmore. While aPhD doesn’t decidedlyharm youin the Danishlabour market…- As a PhD inDenmark youhave to provethat your trainingis valuable. Ifyou want to becompetitive, youhave to convincinglydemonstratethat it wasbetter to spendthree years taking a PhD than startingright off with work, Peter Lotzpoints out.So unless they want to spend therest of their lives in academia, whyshould people become PhD’s?In Peter Lotz’ opinion, studentsshould pursue a PhD if they areinterested in researching a specifictopic and willing to devotethemselves to a thorough training,especially in scientific methods.For such students, another threeyears of formal training will havea good chance of yielding a higherlife income than expertise based onbusiness experience.1Vice Dean of PhD Education Peter Lotz says that you often more skills thanyou acquire after five years of university education to make it as a PhD.Jan Skovgaard – navigator turned PhD-fellowJan Skovgaard is a PhD fellow at the Institute for Innovation and Organisational Economics.Graduating as a navigator in 1990 he never thought that he would ever go back to school.Jan Skovgaard worked for the Danish Maritime Safety Administration, where his area ofexpertise was ISO9000 and quality management implementation, for seven years. Then hespent another six years working at Danish National Survey and Cadastre’s hydrographicaloffice as an international coordinator.In 2009, he applied for an open PhD position at CBS, was accepted and began his studiesin the autumn of the same year. Why did he goback to school?- Well, it wasn’t because I wanted to make acareer. I just rather enjoy learning and being ableto get deeply involved with subjects that I am interestedin, he explains.For Jan Skovgaard, his PhD-student life is notmuch different from work life timewise – nine tofour. And though he doesn’t earn as much as he usedto, he claims to be content and that money isn’t aproblem. There is, however, one thing that he findschallenging:- In my previous jobs I didn’t have to work to getA’s all the time. And then there’s the teaching, hereflects and smiles at the question of whether or nothe’ll go on to go to teach at CBS once he has finishedhis PhD.- Right now I have no idea what I’m going to dowhen I finish, Jan Skovgaard says.1Ida Lunde Jørgensen – thinking about taking a PhDIda Jørgensen will graduate as an MSc in International Business and Politics in 2011.These days, she is considering a PhD as a real option for her life after graduation.- I always wanted to be a professor. I love to research things in depth and spendlots of time with a particular topic, Ida Lunde Jørgensen says.Ida thinks that being a researcher at a university is a job that offers luxury in theform of a dynamic and diverse research environment. She is looking for a job thatnot only rewards her financially, but also offers her intellectual stimulation.- A PhD is perfect for that, says Ida Lunde Jørgensen who, even though she is abusiness school student doesn’t really find the prospect of going out there to do onlybusiness all that attractive. She has had severalresearch and teaching jobs in her life and thinksshe has gained a good understanding of the obligationsthat come with a non-academic job:- I’ve had so many years of work experiencethat I feel I can contribute with a lot of knowhowfrom the world outside CBS’ walls, Idaexplains, emphasizing that a PhD if anythingshould be about the real world.The main areas of interest that Ida LundeJørgensen would like to investigate as aresearcher are sustainability and the relationshipbetween economics and art. She is optimisticabout what a future in academia might bring:- We are a new generation of academics andto us being an academic means something different,Ida Lunde Jørgensen points out.1