PhD in Organizational &
Cognitive Neuroscience
Understand cognition. Examine leadership.
Contribute new perspectives on organisational life.
Explore the relationship between brain science, decision-making and human behaviour through rigorous doctoral inquiry, critical interpretation and individual faculty supervision.
Program Facts
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Organizational & Cognitive Neuroscience at Monarch Switzerland is a fully online, part-time doctoral programme offered through Monarch Global Research Institute, with a standard duration of 36 months. Designed for experienced professionals and aspiring researchers, it enables doctoral study alongside a career without the need to relocate.
- Institution
- Monarch Switzerland
- Department
- Monarch Global Research Institute
- Award
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Organizational & Cognitive Neuroscience
- Study Mode
- Fully Online
- Standard Duration
- 36 Months
- Study Format
- Part-Time
- Designed For
- Experienced Professionals and Aspiring Researchers
- Residency
- No Relocation Required
- Language
- English
- Institution Location
- Switzerland
An extended-duration pathway is available. Completion depends on research progress and fulfilment of the programme’s academic requirements.
Look beyond behaviour.
Examine the thinking behind it.
A research-intensive doctorate at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience, organisational behaviour and leadership.
The programme invites experienced professionals, consultants, coaches and aspiring researchers to examine how cognition, consciousness and emotion inform decisions within complex organisational environments. Candidates engage critically with contemporary neuroscientific theories and debates, connecting scientific literature with the lived experience of individuals and institutions.
Research emphasises the relationship between conscious and non-conscious processes, including their implications for strategic judgement, ethical reasoning and organisational culture. The purpose is an original contribution to knowledge, developed through sustained inquiry rather than 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 question and approved design. Candidates critically consider both the value and the limits of neuroscientific explanations.
No prior training in neuroscience is required. The programme develops the capacity to interpret neuroscientific literature within a professional and research context.
Bring a question that deserves deeper examination.
These themes are indicative rather than prescriptive. Topics and methods are refined with faculty and depend on academic approval and supervisory fit.
Executive decision-making
Critically examine research on neural correlates of executive judgement and the interaction 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 coaching frameworks, self-awareness, behavioural change and leadership development.
Emotional regulation
Investigate cognitive and emotional dynamics in leadership, communication and decision-making.
Organisational change
Examine how cognitive frameworks inform adaptation, resistance to change and behavioural alignment.
Develop an independent scholarly perspective.
Neuroscientific literacy
Critically interpret contemporary theories of cognition, consciousness and brain science in organisational contexts.
Research mastery
Design coherent interpretive inquiry and critically synthesise literature through appropriate analytical methods.
Decision-making insight
Examine conscious and non-conscious processes underlying judgement, leadership and organisational behaviour.
Original contribution
Develop a defensible theoretical contribution grounded in evidence, conceptual clarity and methodological rigour.
Ethical analysis
Assess the human and ethical implications of neuroscientific interpretations of management and leadership.
Academic communication
Construct sustained scholarly arguments and communicate research through advanced academic writing.
Theory and practice
Connect conceptual insight with professional contexts while recognising the limits of available evidence.
Scholarly identity
Develop intellectual independence and contribute thoughtfully to academic and professional debate.
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.
Build foundations
Develop research skills, academic writing, critical thinking and a grounding in the philosophy of science and interdisciplinary inquiry.
Refine the question
Through the Research Proposal Perfecting Module, establish the literature, intended contribution, methodology, ethics and feasibility with your adviser.
Deepen the inquiry
Develop the conceptual framework and research design through sustained literature engagement and work on the opening dissertation chapters.
Engage with evidence
Undertake interviews, case studies, observation or other approved inquiry as appropriate. Maintain ethical practice and a clear distinction between lived-experience evidence and neuroscientific claims.
Develop the dissertation
Integrate findings and discussion into a coherent manuscript demonstrating an original contribution to knowledge.
Defend the contribution
Prepare through the Defense Preparation Course and present the dissertation in a viva voce before the Academic Committee.
Connect theoretical contribution
with applied development.
An optional sequential pathway links the PhD with the Doctor of Applied Neuroscience in Management (DANM).
The PhD establishes an original theoretical contribution. A subsequent DANM manuscript develops the applied dimension through frameworks, models or tools relevant to management practice. These are distinct research contributions, not a single manuscript submitted for two awards.
Progression is subject to academic review and research readiness; the second doctorate is not an automatic component of the PhD.
Serious scholarship alongside professional life.
Individual supervision
Faculty mentorship supports research design, critical engagement and progress towards an original scholarly contribution.
Flexible progression
Remote, asynchronous study and milestone-based review help candidates plan research around professional commitments.
Research community
Engage with an international scholarly community, digital resources and research workshops, with optional workshops in Switzerland.
Scientific engagement
Sustain a critical dialogue with interdisciplinary literature and develop work suitable for scholarly exchange.
Reflective practice
Connect research with leadership, coaching, organisational development or other relevant professional contexts.
Academic continuity
Standard and extended pathways accommodate different study paces while retaining the programme’s academic requirements.
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.
Recognise achievement. Preserve academic standards.
Master-in-passing
Candidates who successfully complete all doctoral requirements receive the Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in Business Research in passing upon conferral of the PhD.
Master-in-exit
Candidates concluding their studies before the PhD may qualify for the M.Phil. in Business Research by submitting a completed five-chapter master’s dissertation and meeting the applicable academic requirements.
Professional experience.
Distinctive research contributions.
These graduate profiles illustrate related inquiry across Monarch’s doctoral community; the awards shown are their respective qualifications.
Dr. Louise Delaney
Ireland · PhD in Business Research / Doctor of Leadership
With more than twenty years of senior management experience in multinational technology, Dr. Delaney examined leadership culture and innovation in Irish subsidiaries of American technology companies. Her interpretive research explored leaders’ lived experiences and the conditions supporting innovation.
Dr. Renier Krige
South Africa · PhD in Organisational Dynamics
Dr. Krige brought extensive executive consulting experience across industries to research on human capital and brand loyalty in multinational agriculture. His work connects organisational structures, human capabilities and stakeholder outcomes.
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 programme welcomes relevant interests from leaders, coaches, consultants, educators, researchers and organisational development professionals.
- The Academic Board reviews readiness and the alignment between proposed research and supervisory expertise.
- Admissions are rolling, with programme starts on the first day of each month, subject to admission.
Choose a pace that fits your commitments.
Standard pathway
A standard duration of 36 months provides a framework for supervised research and academic progression.
Extended pathway
A 60-month pathway provides a longer study schedule for candidates balancing doctoral research with other commitments.
Completion depends on research progress and fulfilment of academic requirements. Duration is not a guarantee of completion or a tuition cap. Current payment arrangements and continuation conditions apply throughout active registration.
What question about cognition and leadership
will you take further?
Bring your professional experience, intellectual curiosity and commitment to rigorous inquiry. Begin a conversation about your research interests.