It’s no secret that Austrian economics is flourishing around the world and that more students than ever are searching for careers that will allow them to contribute to the Austrian tradition. However, students often ask where they can go to study Austrian economics at the PhD level in preparation for teaching and researching in academia, or for work in the non-profit sector or in business generally.
Thankfully, there are now a variety of options available, but one pathway that is especially important, and which is also one of the fastest-growing routes, is to pursue a PhD in management. Thanks to the pioneering work of people like Peter Klein, Austrian economics is flourishing in business schools, in entrepreneurship and in various other management disciplines, and Klein and scholars like Per Bylund now actively support doctoral research at their respective universities.
In addition to those programs, I want to invite prospective students to consider studying for a PhD at the University of Manchester in the UK.
Why study at Manchester?
Our doctoral program is open to students from anywhere in the world, and it offers a variety of advantages and benefits to graduates.
First, studying for a management PhD at Manchester gives you the opportunity to develop serious research within the Austrian tradition that is actually supervised or co-supervised by an Austrian. The PhD is in management, and there are many potential research topics related to Austrian economics that are well-suited to this line of study. (You can see some of my work here for a few examples.)
Second, the University of Manchester’s brand is strong and globally recognized: not only does it have an excellent reputation among higher ed institutions in the UK, it’s also usually ranked among the top 30-70 universities worldwide. A PhD from Manchester is thus highly valued, and it positions students quite well for careers in academia, non-profit work, or in business or finance.
Third, Manchester is a terrific place to live, especially for students: in addition to its historical significance as the cradle of the industrial revolution and the birthplace of the free-trade movement, today it’s a cultural and a technological center with all types of music scenes, night life, etc. (not supervised by me). It has an enormous student population and is substantially cheaper to live in than London, and it’s regularly voted one of the best cities to live in the UK and in Europe.
What are the entry requirements for the program?
One major difference between doctoral study in the UK as compared to the US is that in the UK you will develop a detailed (3,000 word) research proposal to be submitted with your application. This proposal will serve as the basis for your doctoral thesis should you be accepted to the program.
A second important difference is that applicants to the PhD program must generally hold a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from a suitably accredited university.
Funding is available for qualified students who apply early enough. Other details about admission requirements, costs, scholarships, and application deadlines can be found here.
If you are interested in studying at Manchester, please contact Matthew McCaffrey at matthew.mccaffrey@manchester.ac.uk to discuss the program and potential research proposals.
