Doctoral (PhD) studies - VU Business School

Doctoral (PhD) studies

Doctoral (PhD) studies include PhD courses, focused research, dissertation preparation and defense. The full-time and part-time PhD studies are available at Vilnius University. The duration of a full-time PhD programme is four years, the duration of part-time PhD programme is six years.

The application with all required enclosures must be registered in the system at https://is.vu.lt/pls/dokt/isas.register?p_kalba=en and sent by e-mail .

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Find more about PhD studies at Vilnius University

Admission 2026

Admission to PhD studies in 2026 will take place:

From 3 March 2026 to 25 June 2026,
- Until 18 May 2026 (12:00 noon) for applicants who have completed their studies outside Lithuania, and do not have a document confirming the recognition of their diploma in Lithuania.
- Until 25 June 2026 (12:00 noon) for applicants who received their education in Lithuania.

Within the indicated deadlines, applicants must submit their application and required documents via the Vilnius University online admission system for third-cycle (doctoral) studies (ISAS):
https://is.vu.lt/pls/dokt/isas.login

Required Documents

Applicants must submit the following documents:

A research proposal (in PDF format; uploaded as an attachment to the registration form).
The topic must be selected from the approved list of dissertation topics and supervisors (see section “Research Proposal”).
Application form.
Motivation letter.
Proof of payment of the application fee:
- EUR 50 for citizens of Lithuania and European Union countries,
- EUR 100 for citizens of other countries
Copy of a personal identification document.
Copy of a document confirming a change of surname (if applicable).
Curriculum Vitae (CV).
Copy of a Master’s degree diploma or an equivalent higher education qualification diploma with its diploma supplement (if ISAS does not contain data on your grade point average).
Two recommendation letters from scholars in the field of science to which the applicant is applying (one of them must be from the prospective dissertation supervisor or a written confirmation of their agreement to supervise).
Copies of scientific publications and/or documents confirming participation in academic conferences (optional).
Other documents considered relevant by the applicant (e.g., certificates of completed courses, passed doctoral-level examinations, etc.).

Applications submitted without at least one of the required documents listed above (except for publications and/or documents confirming conference participation) will not be considered.

Contact information:

Lauryna Macijauskaitė –

Agnė Masonė – ;

Greta Svirupskytė – .

Admission Process

The admission process consists of two stages:

Stage 1 - Evaluation of the Research Proposal

During the first stage, the submitted research proposals are evaluated by members of the Admission Committee.Only applicants whose research proposals receive a positive joint evaluation by the Committee will be invited to the second stage.

Stage 2 - Motivational Interview

During the second stage, applicants participate in a motivational interview with the Admission Committee. The final competitive score is calculated as follows:

Evaluation of the research proposal and interview - 70%

Weighted average grade from the diploma supplement - 20%

Evaluation of research experience and scientific publications - 10%

Motivational interviews will be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams. Applicants will be informed of the interview time by email, therefore please ensure that you provide a correct email address.

Motivational interviews with the Admission Committee are scheduled for 26 June - 2 July 2026.

In accordance with the VU Regulations on Doctoral Studies, the Doctoral Admission Committee establishes the ranking list for admission to state-funded and tuition-based study places.

Topics and Supervisors

No.	Topic	Potential supervisor
Economic
1.	Sustainable business strategies in the era of artificial intelligence (AI)	Prof. dr. Tadas Gudaitis
2.	The Efficiency of Investment Portfolio Diversification Strategies Valuation Under Climate Risk and the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy	Prof. dr. Deimantė Vasiliauskaitė
Management
3.	The antecedents of brand engagement, brand evangelism and intentions to spread oppositional referrals towards rival brand among the representatives of different sub-cultures and closed groups	Prof. dr. Mangirdas Morkūnas
4.	Reasons for consumers in Eastern European countries to engage in a more sustainable and healthier food system based on the consumption of alternative proteins	Doc. dr. Elzė Rudienė
5.	Unlocking the potential of AI, while strengthening competitive advantages of companies via creativity and innovation: liaising global trends, preconditions, organizational capabilities, and key strategic drivers	Dr. Mindaugas Laužikas
6.	The Role of Innovation Management and Technology Transfer Arrangements in Shaping Organizational Resilience Configurations in Life Sciences Small and Medium Sized Enterprises	Prof. dr. Saulė Mačiukaitė-Žvinienė (Business School and Life Sciences Center)

Topics and Supervisors https://www.vu.lt/stojantiesiems/doktorantura/socialiniai-mokslai

Research project

Requirements for the Research Project

The proposed research project topic may coincide with one of the approved Economics or Management PhD dissertation topics, or it may address a narrower issue coordinated with the potential supervisor. After successful admission, the candidate will be able to change the topic in the future.

The scientific project should be up to 3000 words, including references. The scientific project may be written in English or Lithuanian.

The PhD applicant’s scientific project will be evaluated based on, but not limited to, the following aspects:

The project title is clear and accurately describes the research question.
The research question is clearly formulated, relevant, and well-motivated.

a. What is the main research question?

b. On what grounds is the relevance of the scientific problem established?

c. What are the objectives and tasks of the research?

The level of existing research on the scientific problem is analyzed.

a. What is the current state of research on the topic?

b. What are the main contributions that have shaped the existing body of knowledge?

c. What will be the contribution of the proposed research to the academic field?

The theoretical background and research methodology are described.

a. What are the main theoretical/empirical challenges in studying the chosen scientific problem?

b. What data (type of data) will enable the research to be conducted?

c. What is the planned research process and its stages?

d. Which organizations or other researchers are expected to collaborate in the project?

e. Is the project realistically feasible?

A brief description of the applicant’s qualifications.

a. What prior knowledge and experience will enable the applicant to carry out the research successfully?

b. What new knowledge or skills will need to be acquired?

Funding and fees

Scholarship

The amount of the scholarship is as follows:

First year: EUR 1406 per month
Second and subsequent years: EUR 1628 per month

Tuition fees

State-funded PhD students are exempted from tuition fees.

Vilnius University tuition fee for full-time (part-time) PhD students is set to 12449 Eur (8299 Eur) per year. Tuition fee can be reduced to Vilnius University employees who have been working at Vilnius University for at least 20 hours per week for the past 10 months.

Employment possibilities

Candidates, showing outstanding academic potential or applying to project-funded topics, in addition will be offered a full-time or part-time position of a Junior Assistant Professor.

Sidebar

Admission 2026

Admission Process

Topics and Supervisors

Research project

Funding and fees

Study Programs