MONARCH GLOBAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
PhD in
Organizational
& Cognitive
Neuroscience
COGNITION · LEADERSHIP · SCHOLARLY INQUIRY
Understand cognition. Examine leadership. Contribute new perspectives on organisational life through rigorous inquiry and individual faculty supervision.
PROGRAMME BROCHURE · SEPTEMBER 2026
NEUROSCIENCE AND ORGANISATIONAL INQUIRY
Look beyond behaviour.
Examine the thinking behind it.
A research-intensive doctorate at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience, organisational behaviour and leadership.
36 or 60 months
Standard and extended pathways support different study paces while retaining the programme’s academic requirements.
Fully online, faculty-guided
Part-time, asynchronous study, including the doctoral defence. No relocation required. Monthly entry, subject to admission.
Develop an original scholarly perspective.
Examine how cognition, consciousness and emotion inform decisions within complex organisational environments. Engage critically with neuroscientific theories and debates, connecting scientific literature with the lived experience of individuals and institutions.
Research explores conscious and non-conscious processes and their implications for strategic judgement, ethical reasoning and organisational culture. The purpose is an original contribution to knowledge, not the uncritical application of a neuroscientific model.
Interpretive inquiry. Scientific care.
Monarch’s Standard Research Methodology emphasises interpretive reasoning, meta-analysis and ethically grounded inquiry. Research is primarily qualitative, with interdisciplinary insights incorporated where appropriate to the approved design.
No prior training in neuroscience is required. Develop the capacity to interpret neuroscientific literature critically—including the limits of its claims.
PLAN YOUR DOCTORAL STUDY
Programme facts
The PhD in Organizational & Cognitive Neuroscience combines faculty-guided research with the flexibility of fully online, part-time study. Develop an original contribution to knowledge at the intersection of cognition and organisational life while remaining active in your professional life.
| Institution | Monarch Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Department | Monarch Global Research Institute |
| Award | Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Organizational & Cognitive Neuroscience |
| Study mode | Fully online, including the doctoral defence |
| Study format | Part-time |
| Standard duration | 36 months |
| Extended pathway | 60 months |
| Designed for | Experienced professionals and aspiring researchers |
| Residency | No relocation required |
| Language | English |
| Institution location | Switzerland |
Online study. Individual progress.
The programme may be completed fully online, including the doctoral defence. Candidates may select an in-person defence when offered by Monarch.
Completion depends on research progress and fulfilment of the programme’s academic requirements. Both pathways retain the same supervision standards and degree outcomes.
SHAPE YOUR RESEARCH QUESTION
Bring a question that deserves
deeper examination.
These themes are illustrative, not prescribed thesis topics. Your question, methods and scope are refined with faculty, subject to academic approval and supervisory fit.
Executive decision-making
Critically examine neural correlates of executive judgement and interactions between conscious reasoning and non-conscious processes.
Cognitive load and leadership
Investigate cognitive overload, stress and their relationship with leadership performance and decision quality.
Attention and strategic judgement
Explore how attention, selective perception and conscious awareness shape strategic thinking.
Non-conscious processing and bias
Examine theories of cognitive bias and their implications for leadership behaviour and institutional decisions.
Neuroscience-informed coaching
Explore the evidence informing self-awareness, behavioural change and leadership development frameworks.
Emotion and organisational change
Investigate emotional regulation, communication, adaptation and resistance to change in organisational contexts.
Evidence before assertion.
Distinguish between findings from organisational inquiry and claims about neural mechanisms. Consider what the literature supports, what remains uncertain and which interpretations your methods can justify.
YOUR DOCTORAL JOURNEY
From a significant question
to an original contribution.
Six stages connect research preparation, supervised inquiry and academic review. Progress depends on meeting the requirements of each milestone.
01 · Prepare
Build research skills, academic writing, critical thinking and foundations in the philosophy of science and interdisciplinary inquiry.
02 · Propose
Refine the question through the Research Proposal Perfecting Module. Establish literature, contribution, methods, ethics and feasibility with your adviser.
03 · Research
Develop the conceptual framework and research design through sustained literature engagement and the opening dissertation chapters.
04 · Engage with evidence
Undertake interviews, case studies, observation or other approved inquiry. Maintain ethical practice and care in interpreting neuroscientific claims.
05 · Synthesise
Integrate findings and discussion into a coherent dissertation demonstrating an original contribution to knowledge.
06 · Present and defend
Prepare through the Defense Preparation Course and defend your dissertation in a viva voce before the Academic Committee.
Scholarship alongside professional life.
Individual supervision, digital resources and milestone-based review support your progress. Optional workshops in Switzerland offer scholarly exchange. The programme and doctoral defence may be completed fully online.
YOUR PROGRAMME DIRECTOR
Critical inquiry.
Experienced academic guidance.
Dr. Norman Madarasz
Programme Director
Dr. Madarasz is an international specialist in political philosophy, contemporary French philosophy and international geoeconomic relations. His scholarship addresses ethics, economics, politics, history, religion, language and logic.
He studied philosophy at McGill University, graduating with honours, before continuing his studies in Paris. He earned his doctorate at Université Paris VIII in 1999 under the supervision of Alain Badiou, with the highest distinction.
The author of six books and editor of ten collected volumes and translations, he has published more than eighty essays and book chapters and supervised over forty master’s and doctoral projects.
His academic career includes service as Associate Professor in Political Philosophy and Linguistics at PUC-RS in Brazil and Director of Philosophy at Universidade Gama Filho. He has taught and lectured across the Americas and France.
He holds a Doctor of Literature from Monarch and is a Certified Management & Business Educator with the Chartered Association of Business Schools in the UK.
A foundation for careful interpretation.
Philosophical reasoning, conceptual clarity and ethical reflection are central to examining the relationship between neuroscientific knowledge and organisational experience.
DEVELOP YOUR SCHOLARLY VOICE
Independent thinking.
A contribution you can defend.
Neuroscientific literacy
Critically interpret theories of cognition, consciousness and brain science in organisational contexts.
Research mastery
Design coherent interpretive inquiry and critically synthesise literature through appropriate analytical methods.
Ethical analysis
Assess the human and ethical implications of neuroscientific interpretations of management and leadership.
Scholarly communication
Construct sustained academic arguments, communicate your findings and contribute thoughtfully to research debate.
Recognition along the journey.
Candidates completing all doctoral requirements receive the M.Phil. in Business Research in passing upon conferral of the PhD. Candidates concluding before the PhD may qualify for a master-in-exit through a completed five-chapter master’s dissertation and the applicable academic requirements.
An optional sequential dual pathway.
The PhD establishes an original theoretical contribution. A subsequent Doctor of Applied Neuroscience in Management (DANM) manuscript develops a distinct applied contribution through frameworks, models or tools relevant to management practice.
Progression is subject to academic review and research readiness. The second doctorate is not automatic, and one manuscript is not submitted for two awards.
PLAN YOUR NEXT STEP
Academic preparation.
Research potential. Supervisory fit.
Applicants normally hold a recognised master’s degree or equivalent and demonstrate the capacity for critical, independent inquiry. Previous research or publication is advantageous, but not mandatory.
Experienced bachelor’s degree holders may be considered on the Dean’s recommendation, taking account of professional achievement, leadership experience and equivalent preparation. The Academic Board reviews readiness and alignment with supervisory expertise.
Who is the programme for?
Leaders, coaches, consultants, educators, researchers and organisational development professionals with relevant research interests.
When can you start?
Admissions are rolling, with programme starts on the first day of each month, subject to admission.
Plan your pace and investment.
The standard duration is 36 months; the extended pathway is 60 months. Completion depends on research progress and fulfilment of academic requirements. Duration is not a guarantee of completion or a tuition cap; current payment and continuation conditions apply throughout active registration.
View current tuition and payment options →
What question will you take further?
Bring your professional experience, intellectual curiosity and commitment to rigorous inquiry. Discuss your research interests and academic preparation with Monarch.
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