Focus in Behavioral Science

The specialization in Behavioral Science of the Ph.D. Programme in Management (PMA) is focused on the scientific investigation of human behavior in corporate structures, organizations, and other contexts from a management perspective.

The comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach of the Behavioral Science track enables doctoral students to understand human behavior in depth and apply it to relevant management contexts for use in research and practice. Doctoral students will be prepared to practice data- and evidence-based management and to develop product and service propositions with a human-centered approach.

Potential PhD students should be genuinely interested to investigate, understand, and change human behavior from a multidisciplinary angle and a management perspective. Therefore, candidates might have a master's degree in in a behavior-focused field (e.g., psychology, communication, cognitive science) or a touchpoint with the empirical study of human behavior (e.g., management, marketing, economics, finance, data science).

Most dissertations in behavioral science are of quantitative empirical nature – reflecting the foundational principles of behavioral science. Human behavior is determined by multiple factors of a person and their environments. Hence, to investigate, understand, and predict human behavior in management, interdisciplinary perspectives and a multi-methodological approach from different domains are essential. According to the tradition of the research field as well as the orientation of the supervisor, a wide range of methods may be used including experimental research, online data processes, machine learning, behavioral analytics, mobile sensing, or unstructured data analytics.

Graduating from the PMA with a focus on Behavioral Science PhD students will have received a comprehensive and interdisciplinary education that equips them to independently succeed in a range of academic and industry careers where they can apply their deep understanding of human behavior. Those pursuing academic careers may secure tenure-track positions at leading research universities or gain additional research experience through postdoctoral fellowships. For those pursuing industry careers, opportunities include innovative roles in management and strategy consulting, data science and business intelligence, marketing analytics and customer insights, as well as leading quantitative roles in UX research.

Most focus-specific courses and seminars are offered in English; passive German language skills might be helpful in the general study context.