DISTANT ⏐ 2 – 3 YEARS ⏐SELF–PACED⏐ENGLISH, GERMAN
Robin Sharma
Leadership is a dynamic and evolving field – and this doctoral programme embraces that complexity through interdisciplinary inquiry. Students explore leadership across contexts, drawing on theories and perspectives from management, psychology, sociology, and beyond.
The programme encourages original empirical research that tackles real-world leadership challenges and contributes viable, practice-oriented solutions. Whether investigating workplace dynamics, governance structures, innovation cultures, or societal change, students are supported in developing work that bridges academic rigour and practical relevance.
This programme is ideal for professionals and researchers who are passionate about leadership and want to critically engage with – and contribute to – the future of leadership thinking. By anchoring your own topic within broader theoretical debates, you’ll shape new insights and leave a mark on both scholarly literature and professional practice.
The doctoral programme "Leadership" is designed for individuals who want to explore how leadership can be practiced with greater insight and real-world impact. It is ideal for experienced professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of leadership theory and practice, as well as for early-career researchers aiming to contribute original ideas to the academic field. Whether you work in business, education, public service, or the nonprofit sector, this programme offers the tools, guidance, and flexibility to investigate pressing leadership challenges – and to shape meaningful change through research.
Following our template, you should develop and send a research proposal that presents your overall plan for the future dissertation. This 5-10-page document includes key elements of your research such as topic, aim, questions / hypothesis, methodology, and structure.
We will review your research proposal and provide feedback on its key elements. Special attention will be given to the research topic and the formulation of the final dissertation title. We will communicate with you any potential changes if such are needed in order to align your topic with the research field of the doctoral programme.
Once your research proposal has been approved and refined, you should develop the grounds of your dissertation, following a template provided by us. This 50-60-page document includes a draft of your dissertation's introduction and theoretical foundations. You may also write how you plan to structure the next chapters of your thesis, and develop briefly some parts of them. The dissertation grounds will later become the basis for your complete dissertation.
Once your dissertation grounds is ready, you should present online your research project - its current status and the plan for its further development. During the meeting, you may receive constructive feedback and useful recommendations for what and how to implement in your dissertation.
You will receive a total of 6 or 7 assignments, which you can complete at your own pace and fully remotely. The assignments are designed to help you foster your critical thinking when working with literature, improve your academic writing, including proper citation. Your personal mentor will provide you with templates and further guidance.
In the course of the programme, you should create and publish scientific articles related to the topic of your research. Each of the publications must have an ISBN, ISSN or DOI number in a journal or conference with a scientific review procedure. The minimum number of publications required is defined based on two factors - number of the authors and ranking of the journal. The majority of our students publish up to 3 scientific articles.
Complete your dissertation, following the feedback and recommendations of your scientific supervisor and personal mentor, as well as the resources in our online learning platform. The recommended total volume of your finalised thesis is around 200 pages.
Along with the dissertation, you should also prepare a dissertation summary, following a template provided by us. This 30-40-page document covers the most important points of the dissertation.
Present your finalised dissertation to a scientific committee, following a presentation template provided by us. Receive feedback from the professors and make last adjustments to your work before the final defence procedure.
Present on site your finalised dissertation in front of a scientific committee, consisting of professors from different universities appointed to evaluate your work. After your presentation, the professors read their scientific reviews and statements about your thesis. Then follows a discussion about your work between the professors and yourself. Upon successful voting procedure, you are awarded the "Doctor" title!
Applicants should provide a Master's Degree or an equivalent qualification at EQF Level 7 that gives access to doctoral studies.
Applicants should provide a CV in English, including their photo, contacts, academic and professional background.
Applicants should fill in and send an Application Form, following the provided template.
Applicants should prepare and send a Research Concept / Proposal, following the provided template.
Start by reviewing the list of application documents. Then prepare and send your documents by email or through our online form. Applications are accepted all year round.
We will review your application within 1 month to make sure that you are eligible for doing doctoral studies, and that your research proposal fits within the chosen doctoral programme.
We will invite you to an online meeting to discuss your research proposal and the chosen doctoral programme. Additionally, we will discuss pricing and explore payment possibilities.
We will draw up and sign a study contract. This marks the start of your studies. Starting is possible all year round.
"Professor Stieger as well as The PhD Club have always been helpful through the process. If I had any questions, they would be answered immediately. The doctoral program turned out to be a clearly structured and very well organised process. What I liked most about the program was that it was very personalised."
"I have to say, that it was an excellently structured program, that made it possible to quickly complete the doctoral thesis in plannable stages alongside full-time employment. Thanks to the team. I can only recommend it to everyone."
"What did I like most? It was the clear and simple structure. Also the clear assignments, the time planning and all the process flows. There were no deviations or debates or changes. Everything was well defined. The second thing is the independence. I was able to do everything from home and balance my time with my job so that it fits me perfectly."
“Retention and development of Generation Z employees in their jobs through applied transformational leadership”.
"Incorporating the digital and AI competencies of managers when expanding competency models"
"Impact of leadership behaviour on employee motivation and engagement in a hybrid work environment".
"Effects of ambidextrous leadership - (dual) consequences for employees and gender-related leadership issues"
"Influence of Shared Leadership on Employee Satisfaction of German Subsidiaries in China."
“The role of leaders in implementing mentoring programs in a multigenerational sales environment”.
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