Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.)

A Manuscript-Based Post-Doctoral Program for Accomplished Professionals

The Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) at Monarch Business School Switzerland is a reflective, manuscript-based post-doctoral doctorate designed for accomplished professionals and scholar-practitioners who wish to consolidate a lifetime of managerial, societal, or intellectual insight into a major written contribution of enduring value.

The program provides candidates with the intellectual space to develop a mature scholarly voice and to craft a manuscript structure tailored to their thesis and domain of expertise. Rather than revisiting prior doctoral work, the D.Litt. invites candidates to extend their concerns into new contexts, deepen their analysis, and articulate a coherent, critically informed narrative rooted in lived experience.

The D.Litt. is aligned with Monarch’s core domains of inquiry—Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & Global Business Ethics, Leadership, and Critical Management Studies—while permitting flexibility for candidates to position their manuscript at the intersection of these themes or within a related field of scholarly significance.

What You Will Achieve

The Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) is designed for accomplished professionals and experienced scholar-practitioners who seek to consolidate their intellectual maturity and produce a substantial, original manuscript of enduring scholarly significance. The outcomes below reflect the advanced developmental achievements candidates typically gain through the program’s highly autonomous, mentor-supported progression.

 
Manuscript Design & Scholarly Craft Develop the ability to design, construct, and refine a substantial manuscript that demonstrates conceptual sophistication, reflective insight, and a defensible scholarly argument grounded in professional experience and advanced inquiry.
Original Intellectual Contribution Produce a meaningful and original scholarly contribution that advances understanding within a selected domain of practice, leadership, ethics, or applied social thought. The D.Litt. emphasises conceptual innovation and the articulation of new interpretive perspectives.
Advanced Reflective & Interpretive Inquiry Demonstrate mastery of reflective analysis, interpretive reasoning, and meaning-based inquiry, integrating lived professional experience with scholarly reflection to generate mature, insightful academic work.
Scholarly Autonomy & Intellectual Leadership Cultivate the independence, academic judgment, and intellectual authority expected of senior scholars, enabling candidates to lead discourse in their chosen field and engage confidently in high-level scholarly debate and publication.
Ethical & Responsible Scholarship Strengthen awareness of ethical responsibility in scholarly work, including methodological transparency, respectful engagement with lived experience, and the pursuit of responsible, socially grounded research contributions.
Professional Impact & Thought Leadership Translate scholarly insights into frameworks and perspectives that support meaningful impact in professional, organisational, or societal contexts. Candidates learn to articulate their contribution in ways that influence practice and strengthen professional leadership.
Preparation for Senior Scholarly Engagement Build the confidence and scholarly readiness required for participation in editorial boards, research advisory functions, academic writing initiatives, and contributions to the Monarch Research Paper Series (MRPS) or external publication venues.

Together, these developmental achievements position the D.Litt. candidate as a reflective and independent scholar capable of producing a manuscript of lasting value, advancing interpretive thought within their professional domain, and contributing meaningfully to responsible management, leadership practice, and applied social inquiry.

Program Structure

The Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) is structured to support the creation of a substantial, reflective manuscript that stands as the candidate’s advanced scholarly contribution. The program emphasizes intellectual independence, methodological clarity, and the thoughtful integration of lived professional experience with academic insight.

Unlike traditional doctorates that follow a rigid, predetermined chapter format, the D.Litt. affords candidates the freedom to design a manuscript structure that best conveys the depth and nuance of their thesis. This flexibility enables mature scholars to move beyond conventional academic constraints and articulate a narrative that is coherent, meaningful, and reflective of their intellectual and professional trajectory.

The structure of the program is intentionally designed to accommodate senior professionals who must balance ongoing leadership responsibilities with advanced scholarly work. Candidates progress through the manuscript development process at a measured pace, receiving periodic academic guidance while retaining full responsibility for the design, development, and authorship of their work. At its core, the D.Litt. structure supports a dignified scholarly process—one that encourages deeper reflection, critical engagement, and the articulation of a distinctive scholarly voice grounded in experience, ethics, and responsible management practice.

he key structural elements of the program include:

Manuscript Development

Candidates develop a substantial scholarly manuscript using a format that best supports their thesis—book-style, thematic essays, or a hybrid structure—within an approved academic framework.

Reflective and Conceptual Integration

The manuscript must demonstrate reflective synthesis, critical engagement with theory, and a clear integration of professional experience and scholarly inquiry.

Supervisor Consultation

Candidates receive periodic academic guidance focused on coherence, scholarly positioning, methodological transparency, and the articulation of meaningful contribution.

Scholarly Independence

The program emphasizes advanced autonomy and the ability to develop and defend a mature scholarly position.

Flexible Timeline

Designed for part-time study, the program accommodates the demands of senior professional roles while allowing candidates sufficient time to produce a rigorous, high-quality manuscript.

Together, these structural elements ensure that the D.Litt. provides both the scholarly rigour expected of a post-doctoral doctorate and the reflective space necessary for advanced professional inquiry. The program enables candidates to shape a manuscript that not only demonstrates academic maturity, but also captures the depth of their lived experience and the evolution of their intellectual journey. In doing so, the D.Litt. stands as a meaningful culmination of prior doctoral achievement—supporting the development of a distinctive, enduring contribution that strengthens the candidate’s scholarly identity and enriches the wider discourse on responsible management and leadership.

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Key Program Features

•Reflective, manuscript-based post-doctoral program
•Designed for candidates holding a PhD, DBA, DSS, or equivalent doctorate
•Manuscript structure tailored to the candidate’s thesis and domain
•Integrates lived managerial, societal, and professional experience
•Aligned with CSR & Global Ethics, Leadership, and Critical Management Studies
•Periodic supervision supporting conceptual clarity and scholarly independence
•Part-time format compatible with senior professional responsibilities

Program Features

The Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) provides a distinguished set of features tailored to experienced professionals and scholar-practitioners who seek to advance their intellectual contribution through a substantial written work. The program combines academic rigor with reflective depth, enabling candidates to produce a mature, meaningful, and enduring scholarly manuscript.

Key program features include:

Program Orientation The Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) is a reflective, manuscript-based post-doctoral doctorate for accomplished scholar-practitioners who wish to consolidate a lifetime of professional, managerial, or societal insight into a substantial written contribution of enduring value.
Post-Doctoral Level The program is designed specifically for holders of an existing doctorate (PhD, DBA, DSS, or equivalent) who seek a true post-doctoral pathway to deepen, extend, and refine their intellectual contribution beyond their initial doctoral work.
Integration of Experience The D.Litt. explicitly values the lived experience of senior professionals, encouraging candidates to draw on ethical dilemmas, leadership practice, and organisational challenges as core material for critical reflection and scholarly development.
Manuscript Flexibility Candidates design a manuscript structure that best supports their thesis—book-style, thematic essays, or a hybrid format—within an approved academic framework, allowing for coherence, conceptual depth, and an authentic scholarly voice.
Scholarly Guidance Individual supervision provides periodic academic guidance on conceptual clarity, reflective integration, methodological transparency, and overall contribution, while preserving full authorship responsibility and advanced scholarly independence for the candidate.
Professional Compatibility The D.Litt. follows a part-time, manuscript-driven format that accommodates senior professional responsibilities, enabling candidates to pursue advanced post-doctoral scholarship without stepping away from their leadership roles.

Together, these features position the Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) as a distinguished post-doctoral pathway that honours both scholarly rigor and the depth of lived professional experience. The program enables candidates to advance their intellectual identity, articulate a reflective and mature scholarly voice, and contribute a manuscript of lasting significance to the fields of management, leadership, and responsible practice. In doing so, the D.Litt. affirms Monarch’s commitment to supporting accomplished professionals in achieving deeper impact through advanced, meaningful, and ethically grounded scholarship.

Program Philosophy

The Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) reflects Monarch’s commitment to advanced scholarly reflection grounded in the lived experience of senior professionals. The program invites candidates to move beyond traditional academic structures and to engage deeply with the ethical, human, and societal dimensions of management practice.

D.Litt. scholarship values interpretive depth, conceptual integration, and intellectual independence. Candidates are supported in shaping a mature scholarly voice capable of articulating insight derived from professional practice—producing a manuscript that stands as a meaningful and enduring contribution to responsible management thought.

Admission & Entry Requirements

Admission to the Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) is reserved for accomplished professional, scholar-practitioners who have already completed a doctoral-level qualification and who are prepared to engage in advanced, independent scholarly work. As a true post-doctoral degree, the D.Litt. requires candidates to demonstrate both the academic preparation and the reflective capacity necessary for developing a substantial manuscript of enduring significance.

Doctoral Qualification Applicants must hold a completed PhD, DBA, DSS, or equivalent terminal doctorate from a recognized institution. As a post-doctoral degree, the D.Litt. is open exclusively to candidates who have already achieved a doctoral-level qualification.
Professional Experience Candidates should demonstrate a substantial record of professional leadership, practice-based experience, or domain expertise capable of supporting a reflective, manuscript-based scholarly contribution.
Autonomous Scholarship Because the D.Litt. is a post-doctoral qualification, candidates must be self-directed researchers capable of independently planning their milestones, managing their manuscript schedule, and sustaining progress without externally imposed deadlines or coursework structures.
Proposed Topic Alignment Applicants must provide a preliminary topic or area of inquiry aligned with the orientation of the D.Litt. and Monarch’s research ethos—typically within leadership, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), ethics, or critical management studies.
Reflective Capacity Candidates must demonstrate the ability to integrate theory, lived experience, and critical reflection, forming the basis for a manuscript of depth, coherence, and scholarly maturity.

Applications are evaluated on the coherence of the proposed manuscript direction, the candidate’s professional background, and their demonstrated ability to engage in independent, advanced scholarly work. Successful applicants join the program as experienced scholar-practitioners prepared to shape a meaningful and enduring intellectual contribution.

Tuition

All applied doctoral programs at Monarch Switzerland follow a milestone-based structure designed to support the practitioner-focused research, applied analysis, and organizational inquiry central to advanced professional studies. Tuition is assessed on a quarterly basis for the duration of the candidate’s active registration in the program, ensuring uninterrupted access to supervisory guidance, academic resources, and institutional support throughout the research process.

Dual Pathway Structure

The DBA may be pursued through either the Standard Duration Pathway or the Extended Duration Pathway, both of which carry the same total tuition. This dual-pathway model enables candidates to select the pacing that best aligns with their professional responsibilities while maintaining full academic standing.

Under the Standard Duration Pathway (24 months), tuition is payable at €3,250 per quarter, with an optional monthly payment arrangement of €1,083 to support financial planning and continuity of study. Candidates who prefer a more gradual progression may elect the Extended Duration Pathway (48 months), which carries a proportionally lower quarterly fee of €1,625 or a monthly equivalent of €542, while preserving full access to supervisory and institutional services.

Candidates who require additional time beyond the 24-month Standard Duration Pathway or the 48-month Extended Duration Pathway may continue their registration under Monarch’s continuation policy, which is assessed on an annual basis at 50% of the regular tuition rate. This continuation framework maintains academic standing and ensures uninterrupted access to supervisors, research platforms, and administrative services while allowing candidates the necessary time to complete their applied research manuscript at a responsible and achievable pace.

Detailed information regarding billing cycles, payment procedures, and administrative policies is provided in the official Application and Information Package, available upon request. The global tuition table for all programs may be viewed here.

Who Should Apply

The D.Litt. is designed for accomplished scholar-practitioners who wish to consolidate their professional and intellectual journey into a reflective manuscript of lasting significance.
Candidates are typically senior professionals who have already completed a doctoral degree and now seek deeper impact through advanced scholarship.

•Senior or executive managers wishing to synthesise decades of leadership and organisational experience
•NGO, IGO, and public-sector leaders engaged with questions of responsibility, governance, and social impact
•Consultants, coaches, and advisors working at the intersection of leadership, ethics, and organisational change
•Experienced academics and professionals seeking a reflective post-doctoral program to consolidate their intellectual trajectory
•Doctoral graduates committed to developing a mature scholarly voice grounded in lived professional experience
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