How can I finance my Ph.D. studies?
Most GPEF students are employed as research assistants at the University of St.Gallen. Positions offered are typically between 35 and 70 percent of a full-time position. This corresponds to a gross salary of around 30 to 60k Swiss Francs per year.
There are no internal scholarships for GPEF students. Depending where you come from, there are several organisations which offer various external scholarships:
- Swiss Government
- Institute of International Education
- Fulbright programme
- German DAAD
What is the profile of candidates that you are looking for in the admission process?
We welcome excellent graduates of Master's programmes in finance, economics, or quantitative methods. Applicants whose native language is not English shall provide evidence of an adequate command of the English language unless they have obtained a degree for an English-language Master programme. Applicants without a master’s degree from the University of St. Gallen must provide GRE (at least the quantitative part) or GMAT results.
Is it possible to work (externally) during my Ph.D. studies?
Some graduate students work part-time outside the university during their doctoral studies to support themselves. Realistically, part-time commitments should, at least in the coursework stage, be less than 40 percent of a student's total time. The programme committee does not consider a job to be an important reason to grant an extension of the deadline for handing in the research proposal.
What are the career prospects for GPEF students?
The GPEF prepares students for top academic as well as non-academics careers that require a good education in economics, finance and quantitative methods.
What are the differences between the different specialisations of GPEF?
Which specialisation you should choose depends on your interests. After completing one of the specialisations economics or econometrics, you will obtain the degree Ph.D. in Economics and Econometrics, after completing the specialisation finance, you will obtain the degree Ph.D. in Finance. Officially these are two distinct degree programmes – in practice differences in rules and regulations between these programmes are minimal.
Is it possible to do an exchange during the Ph.D. programme?
Yes, this is possible. Many Ph.D. students spend one or two semesters abroad during the research phase. Research visits at foreign universities are usually discussed individually with your supervisor.
Additionally, you can take courses during the coursework stage at cooperating universities such as other Swiss universities, University of Frankfurt, University of Konstanz, University of Mannheim, or universities of the NCCR Finrisk Network (among many others).