PhD Program for Executives

4 years

The PhD programme for executives is a four-year, research-based programme for senior executives

11 modules

Facilitate your work-life-study balance as a Senior Executive: the programme consists of 11 modules (3 to 4 days each) spread over 4 years.

60+ year of experience

Antwerp Management School has been at the forefront of innovation, transformation, entrepreneurship and ecosystems for 60 years, always in the best interest of people and society.

Why the PhD program for executives at AMS?

For the past 60 years Antwerp Management School has been at the forefront of innovation, transformation, entrepreneurship and ecosystems, always in the best interest of people and society. In all these years our ambition has remained unchanged. Our baseline perfectly captures what we stand for: “Opening minds to impact the world”. Our three key values are at the heart of everything we do: global perspective, societal consciousness and self-awareness.

Highly ranked and accredited business school

We, at Antwerp Management School, continuously strive to provide high quality management training and research which has given a powerful impulse to economic and social activities in Belgium and far beyond. The AACSB and NVAO accreditations awarded to Antwerp Management School clearly demonstrate AMS's permanent attention to quality education. On top of that, AMS is also listed in the Financial Times Rankings and takes into account the principles for responsible management education as presented by PRME.

Find out more about our accreditations.

Research that matters and that strives for a positive impact on the world

As an excellent management school, we want to remain at the forefront of business innovation and transformation. Thanks to our extensive research team, we stay on top of business, management and organization science. We achieve this by both creating new knowledge through research and bringing about effective changes together with our partners. Thus, our ambition is clear: “Opening minds to impact the world”.

Three pillars that make us stand out as a business school

We motivate our students to create sustainable value by becoming Global Citizens, mastering the art of decision-making and leading people. To accomplish this mission, Antwerp Management School delivers state-of-the-art management knowledge, anchored in a business and organizational context. This is the fundamental basis on which we put three value pillars that we believe are needed to become Global Citizens:

Self-Awareness
That leads to better cooperation with others. All our programs offer specific tracks to improve your leadership and personal development skills.
Global Perspective
That leads to ingenuity for providing adequate and responsible solutions to problems and issues.
Societal Consciousness
Which contributes to the development of a sustainable society.

The PhD program for Executives here at AMS is fantastic. You get to know a lot of exciting peers, industry experts and professors from all over the world. Combined with fast response times and strong support from my PhD promoters makes it a well-tailored program fitting my situation as a busy manager. I’m very happy that I made the right choice.
— Fabian Hänle - Managing Director of the Blickle Group, China

Program

Practical information

The PhD Programme for Executives is a 4-year programme offered in collaboration with the University of Antwerp. Over a period of 4 years, you will acquire competencies that are crucial for successfully advancing your career, both at an academic and a business level. You will gain the latest theoretical and practical insights in your chosen field of management and learn the skills to advance knowledge through methodologically robust applied research methods.

Start date: 7 October 2026
End date: June 2030

Download the Key Stage dates file

Why this program?

Our program and curriculum have been meticulously crafted in order to allow you to:

Ease your work-life-study balance as a Senior Executive: the program consists of 11 modules (3 to 4 days long) spread over 4 years;
Dive into a combination of theory & practice;
Sharpen your academic insights and enrich your everyday management challenges;
Become part of an international PhD cohort: share knowledge and network with fellow Executives across the globe;
Receive support and be advised by our top international Faculty members;
Develop your personal, professional and academic leadership.

The added value of an Executive PhD according to Tracy

Curriculum

The PhD program for executives is divided into 2 general stages. The program contains both compulsory and elective elements.

Stage 1 leads to the preparation of a PhD research proposal
Stage 2 focuses on supervised research, advanced teaching competencies and lecturing skills, and culminates in the defense of a doctoral dissertation

Find a detailed curriculum in the downloadable brochure

Now what makes this program unique?

Research Cluster Track

As we aim to foster dialogue between PhD candidates and the AMS research community, we have created a Research Cluster Track, that is based on the broader Research Domains within AMS. The idea is that PhD candidates can be embedded into the AMS research domains and its thought leaders.

Within your Cluster of interest, you will be able to share your ideas and challenges with your academic peers and cluster leaders/members.

This track will run 2-3 times a year, outside the core modules and will be offered in a virtual mode.

Learning outcomes

After attending this program, you:

are able to generate, interpret and transfer academic knowledge within your professional and academic network;
will master business research tools and methods and will be able to independently apply them to practical business challenges;
possess knowledge and experience in all our Academic Tracks.
might collaborate with the Faculty team at Antwerp Management School and continue your research activities in one of our Expertise Centers.

Admission procedure

Entry requirements

Antwerp Management School provides a straightforward yet thorough application and admission process. It will help you determine how you can get the most out of the PhD program and gives us better insight into who you are and how your profile will fit into the select group of PhD students.

Antwerp Management School only admits participants to the PhD program for executives with the intrinsic motivation and eagerness to contribute to academic research and to become the next generation business leaders. Candidates must hold an MBA or master's degree from an accredited academic institution and must have extensive managerial experience. The program is taught in English therefore an excellent knowledge of English is required, both verbally and in writing.

Applicants whose native language is not English might be required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

Application procedure

Step 1: Create a profile and fill in the non-binding online application form. Attach the requested documents.
Step 2: After positive evaluation of your application, you will be invited for an in-depth intake interview on our campus or via Teams/Zoom. During this interview we will discuss your previous work and study experience in general, your motivation to embark on this PhD journey and whether you fit in our target group as a candidate.
Step 3: If your candidacy is accepted, you will receive an offer for a place in the program and a link to finalize your enrollment.
Step 4: To ensure your place in the program you will be requested to pay a deposit of 3000 euro.

Fees & Funding

Fees

The program tuition fee for the 2026 – 2030 PhD cohort is € 67.950 (€ 38.500+€ 29.450) (VAT exempt)

The respective fees will be invoiced according to the invoicing milestones hereafter, on a yearly basis. All invoices are payable within 30 days.

Invoicing milestones:

Stage 1: € 38.500 will be invoiced in July 2026, of which:
o € 19.250 (minus your deposit paid) will be due in July 2026
o € 19.250 will be due in April 2027
Stage 2: € 29.450 will be invoiced in August 2028, of which:
o €14.725 will be due August 2028
o €14.725 will be due April 2029

In case you need an additional academic year (and/or need an extension of the program support), there will be an additional fee of € 6.500.

For further details about the tuition fees, please contact the PhD Program Advisor.

Financial benefits

SME conditions: You can receive 20% to 30% subsidy from the “KMO portefeuille” of the Flemish Government.
A similar subsidy is available for SMEs that are located in Brussels.
Public and Social Profit sector: candidates from public and social profit organizations can contact the Program Advisor for special conditions.
Antwerp Management School Alumni: please contact the Program Advisor for the requirements.

Testimonials

We could tell you why you should choose the PhD Program for Executives at AMS. But who better to hear it from than the people who have experienced it themselves? Our current participants and alumni know firsthand how the program can broaden their perspective, strengthen their expertise, and create impact in their professional and personal lives.

Take Rosa Paulina López Pérez’s story. For Rosa, the guidance tailored to the reality of executive life made all the difference. It helped Rosa combine a PhD with a demanding career and personal life. At the same time, the diverse, international cohort broadened Rosa’s perspective and showed how academic research and professional practice can strengthen each other. The PhD brought not only academic depth, but also new insights into the people Rosa works with and helped her grow as a professional and a leader.

For Ilse Daelman, the Executive PhD Program was an opportunity to broaden her perspective. She wanted to develop new skills, dive into a new field, and expand her network, with the ultimate goal of taking her career in a new direction. She found the combination of academic rigor and practical relevance she was looking for. The modular approach allowed her to apply new insights directly to her own research, while learning alongside a diverse, international cohort and engaging closely with academics further broadened her perspective. It was an intensive journey, but above all, one she looks back on with pride and gratitude.

From coffee cups to configurational thinking: How Dr. Paula Peng brewed her PhD dream

“It’s never too late to pursue your dreams. It’s never too late to grow.” That belief inspired Dr. Paula Peng to pursue a PhD for Executives at Antwerp Management School.

Her research grew out of her own coffee shop in Guangzhou, where everyday interactions sparked her curiosity about the customer experience. She turned that curiosity into research on how service providers and customers create value together, exploring the balance between human connection and operational efficiency.

For Paula, the program’s flexibility made all the difference. She was able to continue running her business while researching a topic that truly mattered to her. Through Professor Bart Cambré, she also discovered QCA (Qualitative Comparative Analysis), an approach that resonated with the way she sees the world: there is rarely just one path to a meaningful outcome.

Today, Paula is bringing her research back into practice. She develops courses on creating engaging commercial spaces and uses her insights to help her baristas deliver more thoughtful, personalized customer service.

Her key takeaway? A PhD doesn’t just change what you know. It changes how you see the world.

Endgame to Evolution: How Dr. Hendrik Leder Turned Research into Reinvention

When Dr. Hendrik Leder started the PhD for Executives at Antwerp Management School, he wasn’t looking for prestige. He was looking for answers.

As CEO of a software company serving the postal industry, he saw digitalization rapidly transforming the market for physical mail. That challenge led him to explore the under-researched concept of business “endgames”: industries facing not just decline, but a fundamental threat to their future.

What started as a personal search for answers grew into research with broader relevance. His findings ultimately led to a turning point in his own career. Hendrik left his company and launched a new venture, better aligned with the future. Today, the company employs more than 40 people and continues to grow.

Combining a PhD, a start-up, three children, and a global pandemic made the journey intense, but also transformative. With strong guidance and collaboration, Hendrik developed a more analytical and resilient mindset. His research gained academic recognition and provides practical insights for companies navigating long-term decline.

As Hendrik puts it, the experience changed his life. And his story is far from over.

From C-suite consulting to classroom conversations: How Dr. Tracy Nickl Is Paying It Forward

After a successful career in marketing and branding, Dr. Tracy Nickl was ready for a new direction. She wanted to share her experience, support others, and ultimately transition into academia. The Executive PhD Program helped her turn that ambition into reality.

The program’s flexibility allowed Tracy to pursue her PhD alongside her professional career. At Antwerp Management School, she also found the personal guidance and academic challenge she was looking for.

Her research explored how professional social media profiles, content, and networks shape both personal and corporate brands. Today, those insights directly inform her teaching and consulting work.

As an Assistant Professor of Marketing at California Lutheran University, Tracy now uses her experience to help students build their professional futures. Creating that kind of impact is exactly what she hoped to achieve through her career transition.

For Tracy, earning a PhD was not the end of the journey. It marked the beginning of a new chapter, bringing together academic knowledge, years of professional experience, and her ambition to help others move forward.

Dima K. Braiteh - Senior Banking Executive Beirut- Lebanon

"After having gained ample experience in the corporate world, an executive position is a hindrance to stepping into research-focused programs. Nevertheless, the design of the AMS PhD program for Executives offers flexibility as well as the opportunity to develop your academic expertise while still successfully maintaining your full-time role. A congregation of senior executives from around the globe with valuable cultural diversification enriches the academic input provided by the program and provides a tangible, solid variety of corporate experiences.

To orchestrate all this together, a dedicated, driven, and professional team supports you from start to finish with backup tailored to your individual progress level. Now halfway through the program, I have been passionately enjoying every step of this journey while being consistently mentored to successfully reach my ultimate objective." Dima shares her experience of how she successfully obtained her PhD degree, at times under very challenging circumstances.

Read graduate Dr. Dima Braiteh’s story to get a more detailed insight into the PhD program for Executives and discover more about: Dima’s motivation and decision-making The transformative nature of studying for a PhD How the tailored structure and support of this program aided Dima’s accomplishment

Find answers to the questions we get asked most.

Who is the PhD Program for executives for?

The program is designed for senior executives who want to apply research skills and academic knowledge to contemporary business problems in their industry or workplace.

Can I combine the Executive PhD with work?

Yes. The program is designed to support work-life-study balance. It runs over four years and consists of 11 modules of 3 to 4 days each.

When does the program start and end?

The next program starts on 7 October 2026 and ends in June 2030.

What is the tuition fee?

The total price is €67,950. Stage 1 costs €38,500 and Stage 2 costs €29,450. A €3,000 deposit is required to secure a place.

How does the application process work?

Candidates complete an online application and add the requested documents. After a positive evaluation, they are invited for an intake interview on campus or via Teams or Zoom. If approved, they receive an offer and enrolment link.

What funding options are available?

Flemish SMEs may use the SME portfolio subsidy, Brussels-based SMEs may use a similar subsidy, and public, social profit, and AMS alumni participants can contact the program advisor for applicable conditions.

What are the admission requirements for the Executive PhD Program?

Candidates must hold an MBA or a master's degree from an accredited academic institution, have extensive management experience, and demonstrate excellent written and spoken English proficiency. Non-native English speakers may be required to submit a TOEFL score.

In what language is the program taught, and where does it take place?

The Executive PhD Program is taught in English. In-person modules are held at Antwerp Management School in Antwerp, Belgium, while some additional activities are conducted online.

How is the Executive PhD Program structured?

The program consists of two stages. Stage 1 leads to the development of a doctoral research proposal. Stage 2 involves supervised research and culminates in the defense of a doctoral dissertation.

Will the final degree be titled as a “PhD” or an “Executive PhD”?

The final degree awarded is a PhD from the University of Antwerp, not an “Executive PhD.” Depending on the approved field of study, the degree will be titled PhD in Management or another relevant field. The term “Executive PhD” refers to the structure and target audience of the programme, rather than the official degree title.

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