Monarch Business School · Applied doctoral study
Doctor of Applied
Neuroscience in Management
Understand behaviour. Examine evidence.
Inform responsible management practice.
Explore how cognitive and behavioural insights can deepen your understanding of decisions, leadership and organisational life through rigorous applied doctoral research.
Program Facts
The Doctor of Applied Neuroscience in Management (DANM) at Monarch Switzerland is a fully online, part-time doctoral programme offered through Monarch Business School, with a standard duration of 24 months. Designed for experienced managers, HR professionals, consultants and executive coaches, it enables doctoral study alongside a career without the need to relocate.
- Institution
- Monarch Switzerland
- Department
- Monarch Business School
- Award
- Doctor of Applied Neuroscience in Management (DANM)
- Study Mode
- Fully Online
- Standard Duration
- 24 Months
- Study Format
- Part-Time
- Designed For
- Experienced Managers, HR Professionals, Consultants and Executive Coaches
- Residency
- No Relocation Required
- Language
- English
- Institution Location
- Switzerland
This doctoral program may be completed fully online, including the doctoral defence. No relocation is required. Candidates may select an in-person doctoral defence when offered by Monarch.
An extended-duration pathway is available. Completion depends on research progress and fulfilment of the programme’s academic requirements.
Scientific insight. Managerial relevance.
Understand the human dimensions of management.
The Doctor of Applied Neuroscience in Management (DANM) at Monarch Business School Switzerland is an advanced applied doctoral programme for professionals seeking to understand how neuroscience, cognitive psychology and behavioural science inform managerial practice and organisational performance. It connects scholarly inquiry with the realities of decision-making, leadership, collaboration, motivation and workplace dynamics.
Positioned firmly within management, the programme examines how cognitive processes, emotional regulation, attentional systems and neurobiological responses relate to individual and collective behaviour in organisations. Drawing on organisational neuroscience, behavioural economics, neuroeconomics and organisational science, candidates investigate questions concerning bias, stress responses, team dynamics, strategy execution and innovation.
Through critical evaluation of research and applied inquiry, candidates develop evidence-informed management frameworks and recommendations addressing decision quality, organisational learning, resilience and ethical behaviour. The aim is to develop reflective scholar-practitioners who can translate appropriate scientific insights into responsible managerial practice, leadership development and organisational change—while recognising the limits of the evidence and the importance of context.
A clear non-clinical remit
The Doctor of Applied Neuroscience in Management is a non-clinical, management-focused doctoral degree. It does not provide medical, therapeutic or diagnostic training, or authorise clinical practice.
Interpret evidence critically
Assess the quality, limits and relevance of neuroscientific and behavioural findings. Distinguish well-supported insights from popular claims and neuromyths.
Examine decisions and behaviour
Examine the cognitive, emotional and neurobiological processes relevant to managerial behaviour. Investigate emotional regulation, attentional control, motivation, bias, stress responses and collaboration, without reducing complex organisational questions to explanations about the brain alone.
Develop a practical contribution
Develop research-informed management frameworks and recommendations addressing decision quality, resilience, ethical behaviour, leadership development and organisational learning, with attention to ethical implications and contextual limits.
Your doctoral journey
From a management question to an applied contribution.
Progress through defined research milestones with individual faculty guidance and academic review. Develop advanced research design, analytical interpretation, academic writing and reflective practice while strengthening your identity as a rigorous scholar-practitioner. Your inquiry remains anchored in a professional or organisational context.
01 · Prepare
Develop research design and academic writing through Research Skills I and II. Engage critically with relevant foundations in cognitive psychology, behavioural science and applied neuroscience in management.
02 · Frame
Refine a management question, conceptual approach and appropriate methodology. Academic approval of the proposal marks entry into the research stage.
03 · Investigate
Gather and interpret evidence within organisational, consulting or professional settings through an appropriate research design, with attention to research ethics and the limits of inference.
04 · Synthesise
Develop an integrated doctoral manuscript connecting your findings with management scholarship, contextual interpretation and practical recommendations.
05 · Present
Present your completed research, findings and professional implications before the Review Committee.
Who this programme is for
For professionals working with people, decisions and change.
Bring a substantial professional context, a question worth investigating and a willingness to examine evidence critically.
Managers and executives
Explore decision-making under uncertainty, organisational learning, motivation and the human dimensions of strategy and change.
HR and organisational development professionals
Investigate culture, collaboration, trust and development, with careful attention to fairness, privacy and psychological safety.
Consultants and executive coaches
Strengthen the research foundations of management advisory and development work while recognising the boundaries between professional practice and clinical care.
Responsible inquiry
A critical perspective—not a promise of quick answers.
Possible areas of inquiry include cognitive bias in managerial decisions, stress and recovery in working life, trust and team dynamics, learning and change, and the responsible use of behavioural insights. These are starting points for discussion, not a prescribed list of projects.
Evidence before claims
Evaluate the methods and limitations of the research you draw upon. Findings from one setting do not automatically establish what will work in another.
People before techniques
Consider consent, privacy, fairness and the ethical implications of influencing behaviour in organisations.
Management as the context
The aim is an applied contribution to management practice, not a medical diagnosis, clinical intervention or claim to laboratory expertise.
Recognition and progression
Doctoral achievement.
Connected recognition.
Master of Arts in Business Research
Candidates who successfully complete all requirements for the Doctor of Applied Neuroscience in Management receive the Master of Arts in Business Research in passing upon conferral of the doctorate.
If your circumstances change
The corresponding Master-in-Exit may be considered where a candidate does not complete the doctorate but meets the applicable master’s-level requirements. It is subject to formal academic review and approval, and is not automatic.
Research and professional practice
Human insight. Real organisational contexts.
Meet two members of Monarch’s community connecting behavioural insight with leadership and management practice.
Sally Duxfield
New Zealand
Doctor of Applied Neuroscience in Management
An executive performance coach with over four decades of experience, Sally explores how leaders learn and adapt under pressure. Her research interests connect stress, recovery and experiential learning with better decision-making and sustained leadership performance.
Dr. Marlene González
United States / Venezuela
PhD in Business Research / DBA (Organizational Neuroscience)
A Monarch dual-doctorate graduate with over three decades of leadership experience, Marlene examines how identity, emotional regulation and organisational context shape leadership transitions. Her research connects organisational neuroscience with inclusive, evidence-informed management practice.
Admissions and support
A supported route into applied doctoral study.
For experienced professionals ready to investigate a management question with intellectual curiosity, ethical awareness and a critical approach to evidence.
Academic and professional preparation
Applicants normally hold a master’s degree from an accredited institution. Experienced professionals with a bachelor’s degree and substantial leadership responsibility may also be considered. In exceptional circumstances, significant professional achievement or recognised professional certifications may be assessed at the Dean’s discretion.
Admission is subject to individual academic review of readiness, intended inquiry and available supervisory expertise.
Study alongside your work
Remote, asynchronous study with individual faculty guidance allows you to remain in your professional setting. No relocation or mandatory residency is required. Optional doctoral workshops in Switzerland support research development and community engagement.
Admissions are rolling, with programme starts on the first day of each month, subject to admission.
Discuss your eligibility →Planning your study
Professional flexibility.
Clear tuition.
Choose the standard 24-month or extended 48-month pathway to suit your professional commitments. These are minimum registration periods, not guaranteed completion times. Tuition remains payable throughout active registration.
Review the current Tuition Policy and programme tuition table for periodic payments, payment arrangements and any separate fees.
Your experience. Your next contribution.
What management question will you take further?
Discuss your professional background and research interests with our Admissions Office. Explore the Doctor of Applied Neuroscience in Management as your next step.