New interdisciplinary Business Administration doctoral study programme

In response to the growing need to take an interdisciplinary approach to the development and implementation of study content, this autumn Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) is offering a new doctoral study programme in Business Administration. According to head of the new doctoral study programme, prof. Tatjana Muravska, this will be a unique opportunity for holders of a Master’s degree in social sciences to acquire in-depth knowledge in business management theory and methods to be further applied for researching and dealing with topical problem issues faced by the business environment and society in general.

'The demand for the ability to integrate cross-sectional knowledge in the management of diverse processes and project management is high, therefore interdisciplinarity is at the forefront of the newly established study programme. In order to implement this approach we intend to enrol students of different previous professional backgrounds, e.g. entrepreneurs, marketing specialists, political scientists, medical specialists and others, to offer them the opportunity to analyse and study the underlying processes of their professional area from the perspective of management science. We will prepare high-profile specialists, able to make use of their professional capacity in research, business management or the academic environment,' Prof. T. Muravska explains.

Before taking up PhD studies, each student will have to choose one of three offered specialisations – business management, health management or marketing management. According to the head of the programme, this will be the first attempt in Latvia to merge management and medical sciences in one doctoral study programme. The Health Management specialisation is intended for management staff of medical institutions to acquire more extensive knowledge and capabilities for the effective solution of field-specific problem matters.

The study programme has been accredited as a bilingual study programme, which means that the study process will be organised in Latvian and also English, which makes the doctoral programme accessible to students from other countries. Preference will be given to prospective students with a previous track record of scientific publications. Following graduation, students will be awarded a PhD in Management.

This year the plan is to enrol eight students in the doctoral programme. PhD students specialising in Health Management may apply for state funding as there are two study places funded by the Ministry of Health.

Academic staff involved in implementation of the new doctoral study programme comprise 15 lecturers, the majority of them representing RSU faculties of social sciences and healthcare. Guest lecturers from other domestic and foreign universities will be invited to present individual study courses.