7 Best Business Doctoral Degree Programs in Japan for 2024

The Ph.D. Programme on Innovation, Economics, and Governance for Development (IEGD) is a multidisciplinary course offered by UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance. The programme focuses on research skills and methods, training fellows to become both scholars and practitioners in the fields of governance and the economics of technology. The programme provides advanced training in the knowledge and skills most relevant to the economics of technology and innovation, and to governance, social protection, and migration. Built around a core of courses on innovation and development, the programme also features modules on the economics of technological change, complex social systems, governance and policy evaluation, social protection, and migration. During their first year, fellows complete an intensive programme of required and elective courses, taught by leading scholars of UNU-MERIT and our partner universities. These courses are taught in English, in Maastricht, and spread across two semesters, starting in September each year. The course work is followed by three years of dissertation research and writing, ending with a completed Ph.D. thesis. At the end of the programme, the doctoral degree is awarded by Maastricht University upon successful defense of the thesis. Our students pursue a wide variety of dissertation topics, fitting into any of the institute’s eight research themes: 1. Economics of Knowledge and Innovation 2. Structural Change and Economic Development 3. Economic Complexity and Innovation 4. Governance and institutions 5. Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Sustainability Transitions 6. Migration and Development 7. Social Protection 8. Population, Development and Labour Economics

ABS offers two doctoral courses of study. The Ph.D. program is a unified 5-year full-time doctoral program targeting individuals who hold undergraduate degrees. It aims to cultivate superior academic researchers rich in creativity. In contrast, the DBA program is offered to individuals who have already acquired a master’s degree (e.g., MBA) and follows a curriculum that allows students to acquire a doctoral degree while working. It aims to cultivate researchers who handle practical research issues for corporations, etc.

The specialization available in our doctoral program is in “Health and Sports Science”, for which enrollment capacity is set at 10 students. Graduates are awarded the degree of “Ph.D. (Health and Sports Science).”

The Management Program admits five students annually in preparation for research and teaching careers in the management sciences and related fields of business administration. The program equips future leaders with the conceptual framework and specific skills needed to be successful in business administration. Students take the required courses of Accounting, Finance, Operations Research, Marketing Science, Management Information, Risk Management, Corporate Investment, Financial Engineering, and Statistics.

This program aims to foster graduates capable of functioning in an international setting by equipping them with comprehensive knowledge and skills for resolving conflicts and managing global environmental issues. Internship study (domestic or overseas) and the preparation of a doctoral thesis help students develop the skills required for environment-related work after graduation. Graduates of the doctoral program are expected to find employment in government or municipal institutions, environment-related international NGOs and universities, environment-related industries, environmental positions in various industries, and government and private-sector research organizations with an environmental focus.

Upon successful completion of the study program students receive an international private Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree awarded by the school's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, based on the recommendation of the faculty of the local campuses where credits were earned.

Upon successful completion of the study program students receive an international private Doctor of Philosophy in Management (Ph.D.) degree awarded by the school's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, based on the recommendation of the faculty of the local campuses where credits were earned.