year-round
depending on dedication
The PhD Program in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Universidad de las Hespérides is accredited by the Spanish government and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).
Do you want to adopt the rigorous pursuit of truth as an intellectual calling and contribute through your research to understanding and improving your society?
The Doctoral Programme in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Hespérides University belongs to an academic tradition of international reach, one that recognizes the need to integrate philosophical, political and economic knowledge in order to understand the foundations of social life. Its purpose is to train researchers, academics and professionals capable of producing rigorous, interdisciplinary and socially relevant knowledge concerning the conditions of social order, personal freedom and human development.
The intense specialization of higher education has produced intellectuals who struggle to look beyond the boundaries of their own discipline. This doctoral programme responds to that challenge by training future researchers who can draw freely on the resources of all three disciplines in order to arrive at a broader and deeper understanding of the human condition in all its complexity. Very few universities in the world offer doctoral training specifically designed in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. None had done so through an official, online, Spanish-language programme. With this doctorate, Hespérides University is not merely keeping pace with the international development of PPE: it is opening a new chapter.
Learn more about our program:
Do you want to learn to see the world with the depth of vision of the great thinkers?
The Doctorate in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Hespérides University invites you to turn your intellectual curiosity into a rigorous and compelling research project on the great human and social questions. You will learn to think beyond appearances and to question your own assumptions. You will apply the most advanced research methods while maintaining a broad and deeply humanistic perspective on social reality. With the guidance of your supervisor, you will enter into conversation with the great thinkers of philosophy, politics and economics, seeking the truth about human nature, the conditions that foster productive cooperation, and more broadly, the conditions under which a free and flourishing society can develop.
Critical thinking and scientific creativity
You will develop the ability to formulate original questions, challenge established ideas and think beyond received conventions, generating new knowledge about institutions, social cooperation and the major challenges facing contemporary societies.
Interdisciplinary and global focus
You will learn to think beyond the conceptual and methodological frameworks of individual disciplines without sacrificing methodological rigour or weakening your commitment to the pursuit of truth. You will draw on the methods and tools of different disciplines in a humble, intelligent and focused way, in order to explore social reality in all its complexity and shed light on the problems facing modern societies.
International mentorship
You will benefit from the close guidance of an international faculty of distinguished scholars, who will steer your research, supervise your thesis and help you become part of the global scholarly community.
More than thesis supervisors, you will find true mentors: teachers committed to your intellectual growth, who will help you realise your full potential and pass on to you the legacy they themselves received from a great intellectual tradition.
Research lines
This program is structured around two major research lines, strategically designed to address the intellectual and practical challenges of the contemporary world:
Dedication:
Full-time or part-time.
Duration:
4 years full-time from enrollment, extendable by 1 additional year.
7 years part-time from enrollment, extendable by 1 additional year.
Faculty:
At .h, you will have professors who will inspire you with their intellectual passion, challenge you to think in innovative ways, and help you find solutions to complex problems of global scope.
Peter Boettke
Distinguished University Professor of Economics and Philosophy at George Mason University. Director of the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and BB&T Professor for the Study of Capitalism at the university's Mercatus Center.
Deirdre Nansen McCloskey
Deirdre Nansen McCloskey holds an honorary doctorate from Universidad de las Hespérides, is a Senior Fellow and holder of the Isaiah Berlin Chair in Liberal Thought at the Cato Institute, and Distinguished Professor Emerita of Economics and History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Trained as an economist at Harvard University, she taught for twelve years at the University of Chicago. Author of twenty-five books and nearly five hundred articles, her extensive body of work spans economics, economic history, philosophy, ethics and liberalism.
Christopher J. Coyne
Professor of Economics at George Mason University, associate director of the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center, and director of the Initiative for the Study of a Stable Peace (ISSP). Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute. Co-editor of the journals Review of Austrian Economics and The Independent Review.
Juan Ramón Rallo Julián
PhD in Economics from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and law graduate from Universidad de Valencia. Founder, dean and director of the Bachelor's and Master's programs in Economics at Universidad de las Hespérides, and professor at various educational institutions. He is an economic analyst for EsRadio and El Confidencial, and the author of numerous books, including Anti-Marx, Liberalismo and Una revolución liberal para España.
Gabriel Calzada Álvarez
Founder and rector of Universidad de las Hespérides and CEO of OMMA Business School in Madrid, and former rector of Universidad Francisco Marroquín (UFM). He has also served as president of the Mont Pelerin Society and of the Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE). He holds a PhD in Economics from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and has taught at IE University and UFM.
André Azevedo Alves
André Azevedo Alves is Full Professor at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, where he serves as scientific coordinator of the Research Center of the Institute for Political Studies. He holds a PhD in Government from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Master's in Political Science from Universidade Católica Portuguesa, and a degree in Economics from Universidade do Porto.
Juan Castañeda
Professor of Macroeconomics at Universidad de las Hespérides and director of the Vinson Centre at the University of Buckingham. Specialist in monetary policy and central banking.
Eduardo Fernández Luiña
PhD in Political Processes and dean of the Graduate School at Universidad de las Hespérides. His research focuses on the Guatemalan political system and democracy.
Pablo Paniagua Prieto
Pablo Paniagua Prieto is professor of Political Economy at Universidad del Desarrollo (Chile), where he directs the Master's in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) and is a researcher at Centro Faro. He holds a PhD in Political Economy from King's College London and is a Research Fellow at that university's Centre for the Study of Governance and Society. He is the author of numerous articles and books and has published in leading international journals of political economy and institutional studies.
Will Ogilvie Vega de Seoane
PhD in Philosophy from Universidad Francisco Marroquín. His main areas of interest are political philosophy, with particular attention to Tocqueville, Greek civilization and international relations. He has served as coordinator of Global Affairs at UFM and currently directs the undergraduate program in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, as well as the Great Books Conversations program.
Martín Krause
PhD in Administration from Universidad Católica de La Plata (Argentina). Professor at the Faculty of Economic and Legal Sciences of Universidad de Buenos Aires and former rector of ESEADE (University Institute of Argentina). Professor of Economics at .h, visiting professor at Universidad Francisco Marroquín and associate scholar at the Cato Institute (Washington, D.C.). He has received numerous awards, including the Buenos Aires Academy of Sciences Prize, the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship and the John Templeton Foundation's Freedom Project Award.
Pedro Trujillo
Professor at Universidad Francisco Marroquín and host of the opinion program ConCriterio. He specializes in political science, security and geopolitics.
Matthew Post
PhD in Political Philosophy from the Institute of Philosophic Studies at the Braniff Graduate School of Liberal Arts, University of Dallas (Irving, Texas). He has taught courses in politics, philosophy, economics, literature and history. His research focuses on freedom, autonomy, morality, epistemology and metaphysics. He has led the creation of educational programs at various North American universities.
Román David Ortiz Marina
PhD in Political Science, security and defense consultant. He has been a non-resident researcher at the Joint Special Operations University, the education component of the U.S. Special Operations Command, and a consultant for the US Institute of Peace. Between 2010 and 2014, he served as an advisor to Colombia's Minister of Defense.
Douglas B. Rasmussen
Douglas B. Rasmussen is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at St. John's University in New York and Senior Affiliated Scholar at the Menard Family Institute for Economic Inquiry at Creighton University. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from Marquette University, and his research has focused on ethics, political philosophy, epistemology and the moral foundations of a free society.
Virgil Henry Storr
Vice President for Academic Programs and Don Lavoie Senior Fellow of the F. A. Hayek Program in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the Mercatus Center. Professor of Economics at George Mason University.
Academic Director
David Thunder
PhD in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame, currently director of the doctoral program in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Universidad de las Hespérides. He brings extensive research and teaching experience, having held academic positions at institutions such as Villanova University, Bucknell University, Princeton University and the University of Navarra. His main research areas are the cultural and institutional foundations of free societies, the potential contribution of polycentric and federalist models of government to citizens' freedom and flourishing, and the theory and practice of self-government. He is the author of numerous books and articles in leading journals and publishing houses. His book The Polycentric Republic: A Theory of Civil Order for Free and Diverse Societies (Routledge, 2025) was awarded the 2025 Open Reason Prize by the Joseph Ratzinger Foundation and Universidad Francisco de Vitoria.
Research with international reach
The PPE Doctorate is born in a university that already competes successfully on the international research stage. Hespérides has secured several projects through competitive calls, backed by combined funding of more than three million euros. These initiatives address some of the great challenges of our time at the intersection of philosophy, politics and economics. The programme is thus part of an active, internationally connected research community committed to producing knowledge that matters. Students will be encouraged to take part in these projects as researchers and to learn how to compete for national and international research funding.
Mobility and internationalization
Hespérides University (.h) maintains an extensive network of agreements with national and international institutions. Through these partnerships, doctoral candidates can take part in joint research projects worldwide and undertake research stays at other academic and scientific institutions. These links also encourage collaboration with highly regarded research groups, strengthening students' academic and professional prospects both in Spain and abroad.
Below are some of our partner institutions:
- Vinson Centre for Economics & Entrepreneurship at the University of Buckingham (London).
- Market Trends at Universidad Francisco Marroquín (Guatemala).
- Finance Research Center at Universidad Francisco Marroquín (Madrid).
- Atlas Economic Research Foundation (USA).
- Research Center of the Institute for Political Studies at Universidade Católica Portuguesa.
- Institute of Economic and Social Studies.
Our methodology:
At .h, you will be immersed at all times in a digital ecosystem of active, collaborative learning. You will not just be an observer: you will be part of a dynamic learning community with members from all over the world.
Research and
learning resources
The Digital Library of Universidad de las Hespérides offers integrated access to thousands of academic and scientific resources through international agreements, specialized databases and university networks. Its metasearch engine lets you consult books, journals and digital materials of worldwide reference, providing full support for teaching, research and lifelong learning.
Steps to enroll:
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1
Application
Review the admission requirements and complete the admission application
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2
Contact
We will get in touch with you
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3
Documentation
Send us the documentation we request
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4
Interview
We will conduct a personal interview and the admissions committee will assess your application
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5
Decision
We will inform you of the decision of the PhD Academic Committee
Visit our
campuses:
At .h, we were born innovators — and our hybrid campus is a great example. Yes, you read that right: at our virtual site, you can interact in real time with fellow students, professors, and administrative staff.
You'll also have access to two physical campuses, one in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and another in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where seminars and academic events take place. We look forward to welcoming you!