Hone your academic career and prepare for your PhD
The MPhil in Innovation, Strategy and Organisation is an interdisciplinary programme, designed for those pursuing a research career. The programme will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in the competitive world of management scholarship.
You will study management in a modern world and from an early stage in your career, you will focus on your area of interest. You will be encouraged to think about organisations, their role in society and the impact you can make through your research on challenges and issues that matter to organisations beyond traditional theory.
Career outcomes
Most MPhil in ISO students continue to a PhD at Cambridge or elsewhere.
Watch the video: “How was it to go through the MPhil in ISO before moving on to a PhD elsewhere?”
Your career support
We can help you whether you have no final plan for what to do after Cambridge, a few ideas or a clear idea. You’ll get the support you need through:
Careers Service platform
The University of Cambridge Careers Service platform giving you access to: 1-to-1 guidance consultations; booking your spot-on workshops and briefings; careers fairs and employer presentations.
Introductory sector briefings
Produced by expert careers consultants, these introductory sector briefings help you to get the experience to be credible and provide you with tips for success in finding positions and funding.
Recruitment events
The Careers Services at the University of Cambridge organise recruitment events that attract major global companies, who are keen to hire from the talent pool assembled in Cambridge, and offer you excellent networking opportunities.
Visit the University’s Careers Service website to find out more
Hear from MPhil in ISO alumni
Hana Hodzic
Bosnia and Herzegovina
MPhil ISO alumna
"The ISO masters offered me exactly the intellectual challenge I was looking for: coming from a merely quantitative background, I saw it as essential to develop qualitative research skills to better understand how individuals learn and act in organisations and how broader forces like technology shape organisational change. What truly makes the programme special is its openness to students from diverse academic backgrounds – selection is based on intellectual curiosity and research ambition. The opportunity to reflect on the re-learning of a new way of thinking, one which facilitates engagement with economic and organisational subjects from a substantially different perspective, was particularly appealing. The faculty have always been generous with their time and feedback, and the diversity of perspectives among peers led to thought-provoking discussions that challenged conventional thinking and expanded my own understanding. The programme fostered both intellectual depth and critical thinking both in seminars and essays, and gave me, as someone new to the field, a remarkably fast and rich overview of core debates and theories."
Hana completed a masters degree in Education and Psychology from the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen before joining Cambridge Judge Business School.
Lea Anders
Germany
MPhil ISO alumna
"What drew me to the MPhil in ISO was the chance to bridge psychology and management research in a programme that creates space for both rigorous academic training and genuine intellectual exploration. Beyond the curriculum, it offered the gift of a community — peers who were both deeply supportive and intellectually curious and faculty who struck the ideal balance between challenging our thinking and truly believing in us and our ideas. Rather than simply teaching research methods, the programme helped me discover what kind of researcher I want to become."
With a background in psychology, Lea joined the MPhil ISO to explore questions around identity, passion and meaningfulness in organisational contexts. Building on this work and her research experience at Harvard Business School, she is returning to Cambridge to pursue a PhD in Organisational Theory.
Rhea Bergman
USA
MPhil ISO alumna
"When deciding where to pursue my master's, I was very intentional in selecting a programme that would offer both the resources and the culture to transform real-world observations into rigorous, impactful research. Coming from industry, I had encountered tangible challenges that raised important questions—questions I believed could only be fully explored through academic inquiry. My goal in returning to academia was to engage deeply with these issues in a way that combined theoretical depth with real-world relevance.
“The ISO programme at Cambridge Judge was uniquely positioned to support this kind of intellectual ambition. It brings together world-class faculty and a close-knit, diverse cohort, creating an environment where students are not only encouraged but empowered to refine and pursue their own research ideas. One of the most distinctive aspects of the programme is its small cohort and the intellectual diversity of the student body; each of us brings a different disciplinary lens, leading to rich, multifaceted classroom discussions. These exchanges are not only stimulating but foundational — they challenge your thinking and help sharpen your ideas through the structured application of theory and methodology.
“I also cannot stress enough how instrumental the faculty has been in this process. My advisor, professors and other members of the faculty at Cambridge have provided thoughtful guidance and generous support at every stage. Their openness and commitment to nurturing each student’s research agenda have had a profound impact on me — both intellectually and personally. I was trusted with the autonomy to pursue my own research ideas grounded in my industry experience, while also benefiting from the mentorship of world-class scholars who helped me refine them into a robust and impactful dissertation with (hopefully) practical relevance.
“This is a community that deeply values curiosity, rigour and collaboration, and I’m confident that the mentorship and training I’ve received will continue to shape my research during my PhD and beyond. Above all, I’m especially grateful to have met some extraordinary individuals whom I know will remain lifelong friends and colleagues.”
Rhea earned her undergraduate degree in Statistics and Public Policy from Duke University in the United States. She then spent over 4 years at BlackRock, where she held a range of finance and technology roles across the New York and San Francisco offices. She is now beginning a PhD in Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University’s School of Engineering.
Hannah Sun
China
MPhil ISO alumna
“The ISO programme at Cambridge Judge has been pivotal in my transition from management consultancy to academia. The curriculum offered a robust foundation in research methodologies and theoretical frameworks, further enriched by the opportunity to undertake electives in econometrics. The invaluable advice and feedback from faculty were crucial in refining my research ideas and strengthening my research proposal, which was later accepted by the SMS annual conference, significantly boosting my PhD application. The journey in the ISO programme has been transformative and foundational, firmly establishing a strong base for my future in academia.”
Hannah completed a masters degree in Human Resources and Organisations from the London School of Economics before joining Cambridge Judge Business School, and is now pursuing a PhD in Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School.
Jonah Zankl
Canada
MPhil ISO alumnus
"The MPhil in ISO prepares students to think about organisations and their role in society through a rigorous programme. This programme stands out for its emphasis on management studies in a modern world, reflecting on how scholars can make an impact through studying grand challenges and issues that matter to organisations beyond traditional theory. Students develop essential research skills to tackle meaningful research, and are well-prepared to continue to PhD studies. My research will be in contexts that are both unconventional and impactful for the communities I seek to understand."
After receiving the MPhil ISO, Jonah joined the PhD programme in 2019 as a Benavitch Scholar at St Catharine’s College. His research aims to answer how healthy entrepreneurial ecosystems are developed in communities – whether they are globally connected or geographically and economically isolated.
Tirza Gapp
Germany
MPhil ISO alumna
"The MPhil in ISO is the ideal steppingstone for a career in academia. Compact and rigorous, this 9-month programme allows students to focus on their areas of interest from an early stage in their career onwards and equips them with the knowledge and skills to thrive in the competitive environment of management scholarship. The small class sizes and fantastic supervision render this programme a unique experience in a beautiful setting. My fellow students at Cambridge Judge constitute a supportive network of inspiring companions and, most importantly, great friends."
Tirza’s research focuses on environmental sustainability and organisational culture – in particular, on how individuals can leverage organisational culture in order to advance issues of sustainability in their organisations.