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During the extension of reforms aiming to bring HEC closer to the standard in place in American business schools, increasing the weight of academic research became a new priority in the mid 70s. Having sent their professors away for training in the United States to take on the infamous PhD at Harvard, Stanford, Wharton and Columbia, in 1975 HEC’s directors decided to create their own PhD program. Doctoral theses were submitted to the University, the only place in France authorized to award the title of PhD in management. Once HEC's PhD program had received official recognition from the French Minister of Education, HEC became the first business school in France to award the title of ‘Doctor’ to its students