PhD, doctors, lawyers and other advanced degrees
Some firms run their own entry routes for advanced degree holders. What they are, who they are for, and how to turn a research result into a business answer, with a worked example.
Firm processes and online tests change from year to year and differ by office. Use this to prepare, and confirm the exact current steps on the firm's own careers page.
Key takeaways
- Your research skill is a real edge. The test is whether you can turn a finding into a decision, in plain words, in a few minutes.
- Name the decision your finding affects: what to buy, build, price or stop.
- Turn the finding into one number the business cares about: cost, time, revenue or risk.
- Say the answer first, then the one fact behind it, then the main doubt.
Key idea
Your research skill is a real edge. The test is whether you can turn a finding into a decision, in plain words, in a few minutes.
This lesson describes common patterns, not any one employer, unless a source is named. Steps differ by firm, office, country and year. Read the firm's own careers page for your office.
Advanced degree routes at two firms (checked on their own pages)
- BCG lists eligible degrees on its advanced degree page. They include a PhD or equivalent, an MD or equivalent, and a JD or equivalent.
- BCG also lists postdoctoral researchers, medical trainees such as residents, and practising physicians.
- For US and Canadian offices, BCG gives 14 October 2026 as the application deadline for 2027 start dates.
- Bain invites current advanced degree candidates and those who graduated within the last 3 years, plus postdocs, residents and fellows.
- Bain says advanced degree hires join as Associate Consultant in some offices and as Consultant in others.
Turn research into a business answer
- 1Name the decision your finding affects: what to buy, build, price or stop.
- 2Turn the finding into one number the business cares about: cost, time, revenue or risk.
- 3Say the answer first, then the one fact behind it, then the main doubt.
- 4Drop the jargon. If a term needs a lecture, use a simpler word.
Worked case
From a lab result to a replacement plan
The prompt
Fictional and illustrative. Your PhD found that a delivery van battery loses 2 percent of its capacity every 100 full charges. A delivery firm in India charges each van once a day. It replaces a battery when it falls to 80 percent of its first capacity. Assume the loss is steady. When should the firm plan to replace its batteries?
The structure
- Years until replacement = capacity the firm will give up / capacity lost per year
- Capacity lost per year: loss per 100 charges x charges per year / 100
- Capacity the firm will give up: 100 percent minus the 80 percent floor
Working it through
1. Charges a year
One full charge a day for a year.
Charges a year:1 × 365 = 3652. Capacity lost a year
2 percent for every 100 charges, across 365 charges.
Capacity lost a year (percent):2 × 365 ÷ 100 = 7.33. Capacity the firm will give up
From 100 percent down to the 80 percent floor.
Capacity the firm will give up (percent):100 - 80 = 204. Years until replacement
Divide the capacity it will give up by the yearly loss.
Years until replacement:20 ÷ 7.3 = 2.74
The recommendation
Plan to replace each battery after about 2.7 years of daily charging. Budget for it from year 2. The main doubt is the steady loss: real batteries often fade faster near the end, so test a sample of vans each year.
Risks: Heat and fast charging can speed up the loss; The lab used full charges, but vans may charge partly.
Next steps: Log capacity on ten vans every quarter; Ask suppliers for the warranty floor and compare.
Which opening best shows an advanced degree in a case?
Sources, checked on 2026-10-02. Official pages only. Hiring steps and dates change, so confirm them on the firm's own page before you rely on them.
- BCG careers, "Advanced Degree Candidates" (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/students/advanced-degree
- Bain & Company careers, "Advanced degree career opportunities" (official): https://www.bain.com/careers/recruiting/advance-degree-hiring/
Sources for this lesson (3)
- Recognized public explanations of case-interview concepts and terms
- BCG careers, "Advanced Degree Candidates" (official)
- Bain & Company careers, "Advanced degree career opportunities" (official)
My notes on this lesson
0 of 5,000 characters. Saves automatically.
Try the 1 remaining check or drill above to complete this lesson (0 of 1 done).
Keep going: lesson 5 of 7
It builds on what you just read, in Your starting point.
Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report a mistake. We check every report and correct the page.