Is the opportunity for an academic leave attached to specific factors, e.g. job performance, merit, experience?

Hi Jan, thank you for the questions. The program is generally open to all consultants after a tenure of 2 years with Roland Berger. The topic of your PhD can be chosen relatively freely. As for an MBA, you are not restricted in your choice of school.

An example: I write my thesis on job satisfaction of nursing staff and I know of a coworker who writes on a completely different topic related to his background in history
One point to add though: the thesis should be doable within a timeframe of two years, so most topics within biology/chemistry are out of focus as they take longer

Thank you for the insights! Does an academic leave have any implication on the contract with Roland Berger, i.e. that you have to stay for at least 2 more years in the company?

And does the topic of your PhD indicate a direction that you take with your future project, that you are specialising on this area?

Hi Jan, yes, I need to stay for 2 years with Roland Berger after finishing the PhD program.

No :) The thesis topic does not necessarily need to be within the direct field of your work
I mostly do healthcare-related projects at RB and chose to write my thesis in this area but it's not a must

That sounds good. Do you get any kind of support during your academic leave, i.e. a mentor from Roland Berger, monetary or research support?

You get a full compensation package, you can keep the company car and all electronic equipment, you are still part of the company/your team and invited to all team events etc. You are also part of our academic network. This means you're connected to fellow PhD program participants, different professors and benefit from special PhD events organized by our research department

Wow this sounds really attractive :) Does a successfully completed academic leave usually come with a promotion to the next career level?

Hi Jan, promotions are always connected to your individual performance within the consulting job. So a finished PhD will not necessarily lead to an immediate promotion

Which factors is the individual performance rated on? And in which format does the evaluation take place, i.e. regular feedback meetings or anonymous feedback?

The factors/criteria change depending on your career level. After every project there is a bottom up and top down assessment round that is officially entered into our evaluation system. This comes on top of regular feedback while being on the project case.

The feedback is not anonymous but is usually given in person