Recognition of Prior Learning and the Rise of the PhD by Portfolio
In contemporary higher education, one of the most significant shifts is the move from judging people solely on time spent in classrooms to recognising the knowledge and impact they have built over entire careers. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is now a mainstream policy priority in many systems, used to widen access, address skills gaps and support lifelong learning by valuing learning that happens outside traditional programmes.
At the same time, doctoral education is diversifying. Alongside the traditional monograph PhD, we now see PhDs by publication, professional doctorates and portfolio-based doctorates, particularly suited to experienced professionals whose practice already operates at a high intellectual level.
The PhD by Portfolio offered by the Swiss School of Business Research (SSBR) sits precisely at the intersection of these trends: it is an academically rigorous doctorate that systematically recognises and integrates prior professional and scholarly work, enabling senior executives to achieve a doctoral qualification—typically within one year—without stepping away from their careers.
Programme link:
– PhD by Portfolio – Swiss School of Business Research ssbr-edu.ch
1. What Do We Mean by “Recognition of Prior Learning”?
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) refers to formal processes that identify, assess and validate learning acquired outside a specific programme, so that it can count toward access, credit or even full awards. This includes:
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Formal learning (previous degrees and courses),
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Non-formal learning (professional training, executive programmes, CPD), and
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Informal learning (knowledge and skills gained through work, leadership, entrepreneurship and lifelong practice).
International reviews by OECD and others highlight three key purposes of RPL:
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Widening participation and equity – enabling adults, under-represented groups and mid-career professionals to access further study based on what they already know and can do.
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Lifelong learning and upskilling – reducing duplication of learning, shortening time-to-qualification and supporting transitions in dynamic labour markets.
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Better use of human capital – making visible the rich expertise that exists in workplaces but is often invisible to traditional qualification frameworks.
Historically, RPL has been used mainly to grant advanced standing—for example, exempting students from introductory modules in a bachelor or master’s degree. Today, however, the conversation is moving further: if we truly believe in the value of experiential and non-formal learning, why should recognition stop at undergraduate or taught postgraduate levels?
2. Why RPL Is Now Reaching Doctoral Level
Doctoral education has undergone a quiet revolution over the last two decades. There has been:
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Growth of professional and industrial doctorates, targeted at experienced practitioners and industry leaders;
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Expansion of PhDs by published work and related models, where a coherent set of publications plus a critical synthesis can lead to a doctorate;
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Increasing emphasis on impact, innovation and workplace-based research, not just “ivory tower” projects.
In this context, Recognition of Prior Learning at doctoral level becomes both logical and necessary. Many senior managers, entrepreneurs and professionals:
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Have led major projects, transformations or policy initiatives,
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Have produced substantial reports, frameworks, intellectual property or even publications,
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Operate at a level where strategic thinking, evidence-based decision-making and reflection are already part of their daily work.
What they often lack is not doctoral-level capability, but a formalised structure in which their prior work can be curated, interrogated, synthesised and examined against explicit doctoral criteria.
That is precisely what a PhD by Portfolio does: it is a structured, quality-assured form of RPL at the highest academic level, where the “raw material” is an executive’s professional and scholarly track record.
3. What Is a PhD by Portfolio?
A PhD by Portfolio is a fully-fledged doctoral degree awarded on the basis of:
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A coherent collection of existing works (e.g. publications, consultancy reports, policy documents, business cases, innovations implemented in organisations, teaching materials, creative outputs), and
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A substantial integrative document—sometimes called a critical commentary, synthesis or reflective dissertation—that:
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Situates the works in relevant academic literature,
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Demonstrates originality and contribution to knowledge or practice,
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Shows methodological and theoretical understanding, and
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Provides critical reflection on impact and future directions.
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It is important to stress that this is not a shortcut that bypasses research or critical thinking. Instead, it:
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Re-uses real work that has already been produced and tested in demanding environments;
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Organises and interrogates that work so it meets doctoral standards of coherence, originality and rigour;
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Compresses the calendar time needed, because much of the substantive research and implementation has already taken place.
In that sense, a PhD by Portfolio is deeply aligned with the core philosophy of RPL: we do not ask experienced executives to start from zero; we help them transform what they have already built into a recognised, examinable body of doctoral work.
4. How SSBR’s PhD by Portfolio Operationalises RPL
The Swiss School of Business Research has positioned itself as a specialist in executive-friendly, online doctoral education, with the PhD by Portfolio as one of its flagship programmes.
4.1 Target Group: Seasoned Executives and Senior Professionals
The programme is explicitly designed for:
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Senior managers and C-suite executives,
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Entrepreneurs and founders,
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Consultants and professional experts,
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Public-sector or non-profit leaders,
who have already accumulated a substantial record of projects, leadership decisions and knowledge creation, but cannot realistically pause their careers for three to six years of traditional full-time doctoral study.
4.2 Duration and Modality
SSBR’s PhD by Portfolio is structured so that, for eligible candidates with a sufficiently rich body of work, the doctorate can be completed in approximately one year. The programme is:
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Conducted fully online, with supervision, guidance and assessment delivered through digital platforms;
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Designed to be compatible with full-time executive roles, so candidates continue to work while they build and refine their portfolio;
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Structured around intensive, high-value academic interactions rather than long periods of physical campus presence.
4.3 What “Counts” in the Portfolio?
While each case is individual, typical components might include:
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Published or publishable outputs: journal articles, book chapters, professional white papers, conference papers;
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Strategic reports and plans: business plans, market entry strategies, restructuring plans, ESG or digital transformation roadmaps;
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Evidence of implemented change: documentation of projects that altered organisational performance, governance, customer experience or social impact;
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Policy and regulatory contributions: submissions to regulators, policy frameworks, standards or guidelines authored by the candidate;
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Teaching and knowledge transfer artefacts: curricula, training programmes, executive development interventions.
The key is that each artefact must be:
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Substantial (not just emails or minor memos),
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Evidenced (with clear authorship or leadership by the candidate), and
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Capable of being interrogated academically (linked to concepts, theories, methods and literature).
4.4 The Integrative Doctoral Narrative
Alongside the portfolio items, SSBR requires an integrative text that:
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Maps the intellectual journey of the candidate,
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Situates the portfolio within established and emerging theories of management, leadership, strategy or related fields,
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Demonstrates methodological awareness (even where methods were originally applied in a professional rather than academic context),
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Articulates the original contribution—for example, a new framework, model, process, or evidence-based insight into practice.
This synthesis is assessed with the same seriousness as a traditional dissertation; the difference is that it weaves together multiple projects and outputs instead of reporting a single new empirical study from scratch.
4.5 Quality Assurance and Examination
Far from relaxing standards, the PhD by Portfolio typically introduces additional layers of scrutiny, because examiners must be satisfied that:
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The works presented are genuinely the candidate’s own;
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They form a coherent whole, not just a loose compilation;
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The level of conceptual and methodological sophistication matches that expected of any PhD;
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The candidate can defend their work in a viva voce (oral examination) setting.
SSBR’s external communications emphasise that the programme is “not about taking you away from your work; it’s about amplifying the incredible work you’re already doing”, positioning the doctorate as a way to formalise and elevate impact rather than repeat previous learning.
5. Addressing Common Questions and Misconceptions
5.1 “Is a PhD by Portfolio ‘Easier’?”
The honest answer is no—but it is different. It is more efficient in calendar time because it builds upon an existing corpus of work. However, candidates must still:
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Curate and document a complex professional history,
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Engage deeply with academic literature,
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Critically interrogate their own practice,
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Satisfy demanding examiners that their contribution meets doctoral standards.
Many senior professionals find this process intellectually and personally challenging: it requires them to slow down, reflect, and subject their own achievements to rigorous critique.
5.2 “How Does This Relate to Accreditation and Recognition?”
Like other private business schools in Switzerland, SSBR operates as a private higher education institution rather than a state university under the Swiss Higher Education Act. It offers private degrees in accordance with Swiss regulations, and holds recognition from several external quality bodies (e.g. EduQua, ASIC, QAHE, INTAES) as part of its quality assurance framework.
For prospective candidates, the key practical questions are always:
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Will this doctorate help me in my career, consulting, teaching or board roles?
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Is the institution transparent about its status and quality systems?
SSBR’s PhD by Portfolio is deliberately oriented toward professional and executive outcomes—career advancement, enhanced credibility, improved practice and teaching—rather than, for example, civil-service pay scales that require specific public-university classifications.
5.3 “Is It ‘Real Research’ If It’s Based on Practice?”
Absolutely—provided that the work is systematically interrogated using appropriate concepts, data and methods. Professional doctorates and PhDs by publication around the world are built on the same principle:
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Real-world projects generate rich evidence;
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Academic frameworks help us interpret that evidence;
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The combination leads to new, generalisable insights.
A portfolio route is particularly powerful for executives whose practice spans multiple organisations, industries or countries: their contributions are often too large and too diverse to fit neatly into a single linear thesis.
6. Why the PhD by Portfolio Matters for the Future of Business Education
Recognition of Prior Learning and portfolio doctorates speak to a broader re-imagining of higher education:
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Moving from time-served models to competence and impact-based models;
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Valuing innovation, leadership and real-world change as legitimate sources of doctoral knowledge;
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Providing flexible, high-level pathways for busy professionals who cannot relocate, stop working, or fit into traditional doctoral structures.
In business and management—fields that are inherently practice-oriented—the PhD by Portfolio model is especially compelling. Executives are already experimenting, redesigning systems, leading transformations and engaging with complex data daily. The portfolio doctorate simply turns that reality into recognised, examinable knowledge.
For institutions like SSBR, this is not a marginal add-on; it is a core identity: an academic home where seasoned professionals can have their experience taken seriously, held to high standards, and rewarded with a doctoral title that reflects the depth of their contribution.
7. Call to Action
If you are an executive, entrepreneur or senior professional who:
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Has built a substantial record of practice and leadership,
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Feels that your expertise is at, or close to, doctoral level,
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Cannot disappear for several years into a full-time campus programme,
then a PhD by Portfolio may be the most natural and efficient way to bring your achievements into the formal academic arena.
Learn more about how SSBR’s PhD by Portfolio works, eligibility criteria and the application process here:
PhD by Portfolio – Swiss School of Business Research
About Swiss School of Business Research (SSBR)
The Swiss School of Business Research (SSBR) is a private business school based in Zurich, Switzerland, offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes primarily through flexible online and distance-learning formats. Founded in 2020, SSBR focuses on executive-friendly, practice-oriented business education for an international student body of working professionals and senior leaders.
SSBR is recognised by several external quality and accreditation bodies, including ASIC, QAHE and INTAES, and is known for its innovative flagship programmes such as the PhD by Portfolio, one-year doctoral pathways for experienced executives, and specialised master’s degrees in emerging areas of management and technology.
With a global network of students, alumni and faculty, SSBR positions itself as a nimble, digitally focused institution that combines Swiss quality standards with international perspectives, helping professionals worldwide formalise their expertise and advance their careers through rigorous, flexible business education.
