Course phase
The purpose of the course phase is to deepen subject knowledge and to teach methodological skills. It ensures a solid background before starting the dissertation phase.
During the course phase, you must complete the requirements for your specialization, and write and present your research proposal.
A maximum of four semesters is allowed for this phase, but the Program Committee strongly recommends to finish the course phase after 2 semesters. In order to pass, the grade average of all courses must be 4.0 or better.
Compulsory Courses
The 3 compulsory courses are Master Courses. Students may apply for crediting the compulsory courses. The courses have to be equivalent to HSG MiQEF courses in terms of course contents and methodological aspects. When applying for crediting courses that you consider equivalent to PEF courses, add the following information:
- course title
- course grade
- the professor's name
- the reading list and literature used in the course
- any other material that is helpful in judging the quality of the course.
The students need 12 credits for compulsory courses from the Master level. Not any further Master courses were credited!
Doctoral courses
Most of the courses are blocked in two or three week intervals. There will be an exam after each course. Each PEF course has 6 ECTS.
* = These courses are offered by the University of Konstanz. They can be credited to the PEF curriculum.
Doctoral Courses from partner universities/programs
Crediting of courses from our partner programs at the University of Frankfurt, the University of Constance and the University of Lugano is possible. You may also attend NCCR FINRISK courses or the Gerzensee program.
However please note that not all courses get credited! The courses have to be equivalent to PEF courses in terms of course contents and methodological aspects. The PEF program committee decides. Please hand in your crediting request to the Executive director and add the following information:
- course title
- course grade
- the professor's name
- the reading list and literature used in the course
- any other material that is helpful in judging the quality of the course, such as exercise sheets, exam sheet, seminar paper, slides of oral presentation etc.
Crediting Doctoral Courses from Gerzensee program
12 weeks Gerzensee count as 12 weeks PEF, which means that six courses can be credited (grades will be confered) and two more courses have to be PEF doctoral courses.
The Gerzenseeprogram substitutes any potential supplementary work in Economics and/or Econometrics.
By spring term 12 also single tracks of the Gerzensee program are credited. One track results in 10 ECTS. It always substitutes one compulsory course in the field of specialization and one doctoral course. If the whole program is attended it results still in 36 ECTS.
Please note: The change of program is only possible during the course phase. The research proposal must be written following the PEF rules.
Research Proposal
At the end of the course phase students have to present a detailed research proposal for their Ph.D. dissertation, which has to be accepted by the Ph.D. thesis committee.
In the research proposal, Ph.D. students shall describe their thesis project as well as present initial research work they have already completed. The date of submission has consequences to the requested state of the research proposal:
- A Research Proposal handed in during the third term must consist of at least three outlines of papers to be accepted.
- A Research Proposal handed in later must consist of at least one paper and two outlines.
In the colloquium for the research proposal Ph.D. students shall present their dissertation project and defend their approach to the thesis committee. The colloquium is not public and will not be graded, but has to be accepted.
Thesis Committee
The minimum composition for a thesis committee is the suvervisor and a co-supervisor, but the programm committee may designate additional members from the University and/or from business or the public sector. The thesis committee must be in place by the time the students submit their research proposal (at the latest), although the program committee can approve later additions to it upon request.