PhD in Economics

BI Norwegian Business School is one of Europe's largest educational institutions, with over 20.000 students. As Norway's leading business school, BI builds on a unique tradition of combining academic rigour and professional relevance. Our programmes range from bachelor's to master's and PhD programmes. BI is also known for its many customized executive education programmes. BI boasts some of Europe's leading academic departments within the fields of economics, finance, strategy, marketing, management and data science. As an employee at BI Norwegian Business School you will meet exciting challenges in an engaging and international environment, with over 800 colleagues who continuously push the frontiers of knowledge. PhD Candidates in Economics BI Norwegian Business School offers a four-year Ph.D. Programme with specialization in Economics, which trains students to engage in high quality scientific research, making use of economic theory and state of the art econometric methods. The Department of Economics has a strong research-oriented faculty working within microeconomic theory, macroeconomics, econometrics, labour economics, natural resource and energy economics, political economics, industrial organization, and international and development economics. The department hosts five research centres; Centre for Monetary Economics (CME), Centre for Research in Economics and Management (CREAM), Centre for Applied Macro and Petroleum Economics (CAMP), Centre for Experimental Studies and Research (CESAR), and Centre for Applied and Theoretical Econometrics (CATE). The doctoral programme is an important element in the department's research excellence strategy and in BI's vision to become one of the leading research business schools in Europe. The selected candidates will join a group of talented and ambitious PhD candidates at the department that work in close collaboration with faculty members. PhD students are expected to participate actively in research seminars and workshops. The place of work will be at BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo. A PhD from BI can be a gateway to prestigious academic positions at universities and research institutions around the world. We encourage and support our candidates in the international job market. Recent graduates of BI's PhD specialization in economics have been hired by, among others, Sciences Po, University of Chicago, Harvard Business School, Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics, King’s College London, University of Oslo and Research Division of Norges Bank. Eligible applicants must have completed a Master of Science degree with thesis work, a Research Masters/M.Phil degree, or a comparable degree relevant for the specialization in Economics by the time the programme starts in early autumn of 2026, with a grade point average of B or higher. An MBA degree does not fulfill the requirements for admission. The four-year scholarship is set according to the Norwegian State Salary Scale, and currently pays NOK 623,200 (this will be adjusted). The position is linked to The Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (Statens Pensjonskasse). The scholarship involves 25% work obligation. BI Norwegian Business School is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage women to apply for the positions. Applications must be submitted electronically by using the "Send Application" button on the right-hand side of this announcement. Paper or e-mail applications will not be accepted. You are required to submit the following electronically together with your application: Background Information:

• A short personal statement describing your research interests and potential research projects. Please also include BI Department of Economics faculty members that you may be interested in working closely with should you be admitted to the PhD program. The list of our faculty members can be found here.
• Curriculum Vitae (CV).
• We do not require full research proposals for concrete projects (while applications to other departments may do).

Letters of Recommendation:

• We require a minimum of two (preferably three) letters of recommendation from people that can comment on your research potential. These should be emailed directly to us by the letter writers rather than uploaded by you. However, you must include the names of your letter writers in your application. Please arrange with the people submitting recommendation letters to email their recommendations to phd.economics@bi.no by the application deadline.

Academic Transcripts:

• Certificate of a Master of Science degree or equivalent, including transcript of grades.
• Certificate of a Bachelor degree or equivalent, including transcript of grades.
• A Diploma Supplement or a similar document describing in detail the study and grade system associated with the obtained degree.
• Signed transcript verification document (to be found here). (Please note that this document should be uploaded with your application and not sent to your university. We will use the document to request an official transcript if you are considered for admission to the program and check for any discrepancy with the transcript you uploaded.)

Test Scores:

• GRE General/GMAT test score: All applicants, except those who hold a master's degree from an institution inside the European Economic Area/the European Union or Switzerland, must submit results from GMAT or the GRE General test. Note that we need scores for the Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical Writing sections of the GRE General or GMAT to consider your application. Incomplete sections or partial scores are not sufficient to consider your application.
• TOEFL/IELTS test score: Applicants whose native language is not English must take either TOEFL or IELTS. To be considered for admission, applicants must have a minimum TOEFL score of 575 (written test)/233 (computer-based test)/90 (internet-based test) or a IELTS score of 6.5. In some cases, applicants can request a waiver from TOEFL/IELTS by submitting a waiver form (found here) together with the application. As a general rule, exemptions are made for applicants:
• who have two years or more of higher education where the language of instruction was English.
• from a country which is a member of the EU/EEA and/or the Council of Europe/UNESCO-Cepes who have English as the first foreign language taken over a period of at least 7 years in primary school, secondary school and upper secondary education.
• We accept scanned copies of test scores. TOEFL/IELTS scores must be from within the last two years. For scanned IELTS scores, the TRF number must be visible. In case of sending official score reports from the test center, you can use the following codes for BI Norwegian Business School:
• TOEFL/GMAT: 0529.
• GRE: 7365.

Additional documents:

• In addition, you may upload the following documents:
• A writing sample that documents relevant research activities (e.g. a Master's thesis or academic paper).
• Certificates from previously completed courses at the doctoral level, if requesting approval of these for the PhD programme at BI Norwegian Business School (see section 2 in our PhD Regulations). If you have taken any courses at PhD level please complete the following form (maximum 18 ECTS).

All documents, apart from the recommendation letters, must be uploaded in the electronic application and may not be submitted by e-mail or on paper. Furthermore, note that any documents forwarded after the application deadline will not be considered. Exceptions will only be made for students who are completing their master's degree in 2026 and do not have a final certificate when applying. Please note that you will not be able to revise your application once it has been submitted. Candidates may, at a later stage, be asked to forward further information and/or be called in for an interview. Candidates who are admitted to the programme must provide a more detailed progress plan with milestones and courses for the four years of study. Additional information about the doctoral programme and admission requirements can be obtained from the doctoral administration at BI Norwegian Business School. E-mail: info@bi.no .