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On-campus study

Cooperative doctoral program

With a doctorate from the University of Southern Denmark you will be well prepared for a future international research career. Given the increasing demand for employees with a research background, you will also be well qualified for employment in the public or private sector.


on-campus study | English | Full- or part-time | Hamburg, Esbjerg

Content Overview Fees Contact

YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS HERE

In cooperation with the renowned University of Southern Denmark (Syddansk Universitet, SDU), the Brand University of Applied Sciences (BU) supports dissertation projects by selected graduates.

Thisis are supervised whose topics focus on application-oriented research in the areas of brand management, communication or design and establish an intercultural link between China and Germany.

The doctoral students receive individual support from a mentor and one supervisor from BU and one from SDU. They are also supported in their doctorate with seminars and workshops for further academic training.

The academic degrees awarded are Dr. phil. (Doctor of Philosophy, PhD) and Dr. rer. pol. (Doctor of Business Administration, DBA). The degrees are internationally recognized and are awarded by the SDU.

OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAMME

University degree

PhD (Dr. phil.) or DBA (Dr. rer. pol.),
internationally recognized
awarded by the SDU

Contents

Application-oriented research in the areas of brand management, communication or design

Langauge

English

Study location

Hamburg (Germany) and Esbjerg (Denmark)

Duration of studies and tuition fees

3 years full-time or 3-5 years part-time possible

Total € 39,000 for EU citizens and € 51,000 for non-EU citizens.

Admission requirements

Admission requirement is a Master's degree with a specialization in business, management, design or a related field and completion of the application process.

Course content

Work on your doctorate full-time or part-time. Our flexible programme allows you to study in a way that suits you within your field.

In collaboration with SDU, we offer a comprehensive international programme with a wide variety of courses, projects, conferences, teaching opportunities and resources:

  • Courses: mandatory research seminar (at BU), brand thinking seminar (at BU), seminar on responsible conduct of research seminar (at SDU). In addition, a selection from a wide range of courses at SDU

  • Study abroad: Spend a research period at one of our partner universities in China.

  • Conferences: Continuous presentations at international conferences.

  • Teaching: Courses taught in collaboration with a BU professor.

  • Resources: Online access to the IT network, libraries and databases Use of the BU brand

  • Research lab: Support for data collection

We combine high-level scientific research with practical, real-world needs and solutions.

  • unique interdisciplinary focus on brand management, communication and design

  • international and intercultural orientation,

  • especially China and Germany

  • applied research in cooperation with partner companies

  • close and individual support

The scientific focus of the Brand University of Applied Sciences is the topic of “Brand”. At its core, research concentrates on the research clusters “Brand and Brand Culture” and “Brands in the Digital Age”.

Doctorates are supervised that focus on application-oriented research in the areas of brand management, communication or design. There must always be a business reference.

  • Unique focus on the topic of brand and international exchange, especially with China.

  • Large selection of doctoral courses at SDU and seminars at BU (e.g. on the topics of “scientific work” and “brand thinking”).

  • Research stays at the University of Southern Denmark and our partner universities in China.

  • Close supervision of the doctorate, including individual support from two reviewers and Prof. Dr. Sattler as mentor, as well as annual assessments of the status of the work.

  • Comprehensive access to IT networks, databases, libraries and the Brand Research Lab of the Brand University of Applied Sciences.

  • Participation in international conferences.

Doctoral supervision

During your doctorate, you will receive individual supervision from Prof. Dr. Henrik Sattler, as mentor and head of the programme, Prof. Dr. Oliver Schnittka, reviewer from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), and a reviewer of your choice from Brand University (BU). When choosing your BU reviewer, please refer to the research focus areas listed below.

Your mentor: Prof. Dr. Henrik Sattler

Prof. Dr. Henrik Sattler
henrik.sattler@brand-university.de

  • Director of the doctoral programme.

  • He is a scientist who has won several awards. He has repeatedly been ranked among the top one percent of researchers in Germany in the field of business administration.

  • He has written five books and more than 50 internationally peer-reviewed articles in his core areas of research – brand management and social media marketing – that have appeared in leading international journals such as the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Research and Marketing Science.

Supervisors from SDU and BU

Prof. Dr. Oliver Schnittka (SDU)
oliver@sam.sdu.dk

Professor of Marketing and Branding

  • Strategic Brand Management and Marketing

  • Brand Valuation

  • Brand Communication in Digital and Social Media


Prof. Dr. Yonca Limon-Calisan (BU)
yonca.limon-calisan@brand-university.de

Vice President Research
Professor of Communication Studies

  • Influence of loyalty programmes on consumer brand engagement

  • Cross-cultural Cosumer Research

  • Packaging Design

  • Endorsement

  • Emotions and social context

  • Mood induction and reactions to product design

  • Priming and brand choices

  • „Made in“ label

Prof. Dr. Sven Christiansen (BU)
sven.christiansen@brand-university.de

Professor of Business Administration and Economic Basics

  • Company and brand valuation

  • Customer life value

  • Dynamic pricing

  • General prognosis methods and simulations for marketing relevant questions

Prof. Michael Jonas (BU)
michael.jonas@brand-university.de

Professor of Brand Communication

  • Spatial immersive interfaces/experiences

  • Machine learning/
    artificial intelligence

Prof. Dr. Thomas Suwelack (BU)
thomas.suwelack@brand-university.de

Professor of Digital Customer Experience

  • Data based A/B/n-tests in marketing

  • Effects of marketing stimuli on buyer behavior

  • Money-back guarantee

  • Cost transparency

  • Brand management

  • Private label brands

  • Brand extension

  • AI in customer management

Prof. Dr. Stefan Waller (BU)
stefan.waller@brand-university.de

Professor of Intercultural Brand and Innovation Culture

  • Fundamental research

  • Cultural philosophy and anthropology of brands

  • Brand aesthetics

  • Ethics and brand culture

  • Based on this, research with a focus on German-Chinese exchange:

  • Brands a spart of certain cultures

  • Brands in intercultural exchange

  • Brands as transcultural phenomena

Application

We accept applications all year round. Please send your application documents to: phd@brand-university.de

Admission requirement is a Master's degree with a specialization in business, management, design or a related field and completion of the application process.

A complete application includes:

  • Letter of motivation,

  • curriculum vitae,

  • Master's transcript,

  • Proof of English language skills at least IELTS 6.5 level,

  • 2 letters of reference,

  • Presentation of the research project on 3 pages.

Please send your application documents to: phd@brand-university.de

  • Step 1: After receipt and positive review of your application documents, we will be pleased to conduct a personal interview with you, during which you will present your research project in a 20-minute presentation.

  • Step 2: After a successful presentation, the detailed elaboration of the research project will take place over a period of 3 months with the support of the BU reviewer.
    After the final presentation to Prof. Dr. Sattler, Prof. Dr. Schnittka and the reviewer, a decision is made as to whether the research project will be proposed to the SDU.

  • Step 3: Submission of the relevant documents to the SDU.
    If you meet all the requirements of our cooperation partner, you will be admitted to the doctorate.

Fees and charges

As a state-recognised university in private sponsorship, the Brand University of Applied Sciences is financed exclusively by tuition fees.

The doctoral programme can be completed full-time in 3 years or part-time in 3-5 years.

The total tuition fees are € 39,000 for EU citizens and € 51,000 for non-EU citizens.

During the application process, you will receive intensive support from your mentor and the reviewers. We therefore charge a Registration & Research Proposal Fee of € 2,450 in addition to the tuition fees.

This is to be paid in two equal installments - before Step 2 and before Step 3 of the application process.

YOUR UNIVERSITY: BRAND UNIVERSITY

Creating added value through brands - this is what the Brand University in the heart of Hamburg stands for. And this is exactly what makes BU a university whose alumni are highly sought-after professionals in the marketing world, and whose alumni are in high demand.

With us, you will benefit from interdisciplinary teaching with practical relevance and an international focus - thanks to strong partners from Asia. Your studies combine Western and Eastern branding philosophies in a unique way.

Eine idyllische Szene in der Speicherstadt von Hamburg mit Blick auf einen historischen Backsteinbau und eine Brücke über einen Kanal. Im Vordergrund fährt ein Boot durch das Wasser, und im Hintergrund ist die Kirche St. Katharinen mit ihrem markanten Turm zu sehen. Diese Umgebung, die für ihre architektonische Schönheit bekannt ist, bildet den inspirierenden Standort der Brand University of Applied Sciences.

Brand University: awarded, accredited and certified

PERSONAL ADVICE

Do you have any questions? We are happy to advise you: whether it's about the choice of your specialization, the application process or the admission requirements for your PhD or DBA.

Prof. Dr. Yonca Limon-Calisan

yonca.limon-calisan@brand-university.de Submit application