PhDs

We have found that candidates who have spent significant time in academia or working in scientific fields have reached a particularly high level of proficiency in competencies and skills-such as problem solving and analysis-that are critical to consulting.

Thus, compared with others just starting at BCG, you will embark on your BCG career with a deeper understanding of the major pillars of the consulting process: thinking through complex problems, finding new analytical approaches to answering questions for which no standard solution exists, formulating and testing hypotheses, thinking through your assumptions in a structured way, and generating insights from your analysis and distilling recommendations.

At BCG, you will work with people who possess incredibly diverse backgrounds, which also means that you will have unparalleled opportunities for personal and professional growth. You will have the opportunity to have a positive impact on multiple clients across many industries and business functions.

In all projects, you will have the chance to brainstorm with top-notch executives, as well as with the highly talented members of your BCG teams. You will learn from people with different backgrounds while enhancing your intellectual leadership and ability to credibly communicate with and inspire audiences in fields outside your area of specialization. Through this experience, working at BCG will build bridges for you and open up additional paths, no matter where your interests guide you.

Furthermore, we encourage you to grow beyond your area of expertise. Our on-the-job apprenticeship model, as well as our extensive training and mentorship programs, will help you transition from the academic or scientific environment into the consulting world. We tailor training programs for consultants without a business background to provide a strong foundation for professional strategy consulting.

In addition, the BCG culture of collaboration and our open-door policy mean that you will always have someone to talk with about your project, the BCG culture and work dynamic, or your experience at BCG.

At BCG, there is no single path to success, so you can focus on what is most interesting to you and achieve your personal and professional goals. If you are interested in leveraging your skills and growing personally and professionally in a global, fast-paced, team-oriented environment, BCG is the right place for you.

Consultant

Individuals who have earned their PhD degrees start at BCG as Consultants. You will work from day one as a permanent member of the team on client projects at a top management level.

You will receive comprehensive introductory training when you start at BCG. If you have an engineering, humanities, or science background, you also have the opportunity to attend a business training course.

Visiting Associate program (internship)

As an alternative, you could opt to spend three months in BCG's Visiting Associate program while completing your PhD courses. The three-month program can be used to determine whether BCG is the right company for you. You will work with experienced colleagues on client projects and experience up close what it is like to be a consultant at a top international strategic business consultancy. Depending on your performance, you will be offered a full-time position.