500th graduate of the PhD in Administration program: a historic milestone
February 21, 2024
It’s official, HEC Montréal’s PhD in Administration program has produced its 500th graduate.
Tiguéné Nabassaga has just successfully defended his thesis in financial engineering entitled Essays on the valuation of syndicated loans in the presence of covenants: Term loans, loans with performance pricing, and revolving credit lines, and thereby concluded his doctoral journey.
The thesis defence took place in the School’s MNP room on February 21, in front of the following jury members:
- Committee Chair: Professor Okan Arslan, HEC Montréal
- Supervisor: Professor Michèle Breton, HEC Montréal
- Member of the jury: Professor Frédéric Godin, Concordia University
- External Examiner: Professor Jesús Marín Solano, School of Economics, University of Barcelona
- Director’s Representative: Professor Georges Zaccour, HEC Montréal
A unique program with HEC Montréal as a key actor
The PhD in Administration program, which is offered jointly by HEC Montréal and the management faculties of the three other Montréal universities, Concordia, McGill, and Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), stands apart from its North American counterparts because of its wide-ranging faculty, its bilingual nature, the advancement of resultant research and the opportunities it opens up to its cohorts.
There are around 140 active doctoral candidates at present, who are supported by nearly 600 faculty members from the 4 university institutions.
In addition to its leading position in terms of the number of degrees awarded within the university quartet (500 among the 1,211 degrees), the School also has the largest number of faculty members involved in the program.
A program that is evolving and diversifying
The PhD in Administration program has continued to evolve since it was launched.
Guy Paré, Director of the program at HEC Montréal highlighted this progression during the ceremony:
“Over the years, we have implemented many measures, initiatives and policies aimed at enriching the student experience and improving the quality of our education and supervision.”
He also listed the most recently cited initiatives:
- introduction of integrated funding for all doctoral candidates;
- creation of structures by specialization;
- renewal of course offerings;
- annual organization of a doctoral symposium in collaboration with university partners;
- proposal of around thirty specialized workshops;
- presentation of numerous academic excellence scholarships and awards, including the best doctoral thesis award and the awards for teaching excellence.
The PhD in Administration program offers 12 different specializations and is currently the largest administration program in Canada in terms of specializations and student enrollment.
70% are international students. Furthermore, there is an increased presence of female doctoral candidates (45% in 2024 vs. 39% in 2018), which diversifies the learning experience and makes the program more inclusive.
Finally, the professional profile of HEC Montréal’s PhD cohorts includes 80% of graduates who opt for a university career while the rest, like Mr. Nabassaga (VP, Model Validation at BNP Paribas), occupy senior management positions.
The joint PhD in Administration program will turn 50 in 2026.
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