Doctor of Philosophy Business Administration with a Concentration in Management (PhD)
Harris Wu, Graduate Program Director
Katrina Davenport, Graduate Program Manager
The Doctor of Philosophy degree in business administration (Ph.D.) is a scholarly, research-based program with a professional orientation. The objective of the program is to prepare individuals of superior promise and potential for careers in higher education as faculty members engaged in teaching and research and for high level administrative and research careers in the private and public sectors. Persons completing the degree program must have demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of international business, research methods, and high potential for making significant contributions to their field of specialization in business.
Admission Requirements
Work for the doctoral degree is usually preceded by the successful completion of a Master’s degree in a business-related field (i.e., MBA) from a recognized AACSB-accredited college or university. The applicant must submit an application, official transcripts of all college or university-level work, provide Graduate Management Admission Test scores taken within the last five years, GMAT or GRE scores taken within the last five years, three recommendation letters that attest to the individual’s academic potential and ability for achievement. At least two of the recommendation letters should be from academic references. The applicant must also submit a personal statement of goals, approximately two to three pages, on how the completion of the doctoral program will assist in achieving personal and professional career goals.
The completed application materials will be reviewed by the graduate program director and faculty in the major area of study. They will evaluate the individual’s abilities and motivation to succeed in the doctoral program. A personal interview may be required before the admission decision can be reached. A recommendation is made by the faculty and a final decision on admission is made by the graduate program director.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| International Business | 9 | |
| Seminar in International Business | ||
| International Strategic Management | ||
| Seminar in International Marketing | ||
| Concentration Core | 15 | |
| Organization Theory | ||
| Business Strategy Seminar | ||
| Strategic Entrepreneurship Seminar | ||
| Organizational Behavior Seminar | ||
| Advanced Topics in Strategy | ||
Substitutions between the above courses and other MGMT 800-level courses are possible, with GPD approval. | ||
| Electives | 12 | |
In consultation with the concentration coordinator, choose four courses from any 800-level courses offered by the Strome College of Business or below list of electives. Substitutions are possible with approval from GPD. | ||
| High-Dimensional Statistics | ||
| Generative AI | ||
| Economic Analytics | ||
| Advanced Microeconomic Analysis | ||
| Advanced Macroeconomic Analysis | ||
| Econometrics I | ||
| Econometrics II | ||
| Econometrics III | ||
| Advanced Statistical Techniques in International Studies | ||
| Occupational Health Psychology | ||
| Human Cognition | ||
| Multilevel Models: HLM | ||
| Quasi-Experimental Methods | ||
| Social and Affective Bases of Behavior | ||
| Organizational Psychology | ||
| Personnel Psychology | ||
| Linear Statistical Models | ||
| Advanced Statistical Inference I | ||
| Advanced Statistical Inference II | ||
| Multivariate Statistics | ||
| Advanced Analysis of Longitudinal Data | ||
| Advanced Nonparametric Statistics | ||
| Advanced Categorical Data Analysis | ||
| Qualitative Research Design in Education | ||
| Design and Analysis in Qualitative Research | ||
| Mixed Methods Research in Education | ||
| Critical and Indigenous Research Methods and Design | ||
| Emerging Qualitative Research Methods | ||
| Case Study, Grounded Theory, & Phenomenological Research Methods & Design | ||
| Dissertation | 18 | |
| Dissertation | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 54 | |
Additional Requirements
Retention Standards
To remain in good standing after admission to the program, students must maintain a minimum, cumulative grade point average of 3.20 in all graduate course work completed at the University. Students who fall below this minimum standard will have nine credit hours to remedy this deficiency. Further, students may earn no more than three credit hours with the grade of C. Any student receiving a grade lower than C in a graduate course work will be dismissed from the program.
Transfer Credits
A maximum of 12 semester-hour credits (or equivalent) may be transferred from another university and applied toward the Ph.D. course requirements. Transfer credit is approved at the discretion of the program director in consultation with the faculty in the student’s major field of study.
Candidacy Examination
The examination qualifying the doctoral student for candidacy for the Ph.D. in business administration is comprehensive in nature and designed to test the student’s knowledge of subject matter in the major field, international business, and the ability to engage in independent research. These examinations are given in two parts:
- International Business
- Field of Study.
A student in good standing may take the International Business Exam after the student has completed the International Business core courses.
Students in good standing may take the Field of Study Examination after completing all courses in their concentration. See Curriculum. The Field examination contains both a written and oral component. The written component is administered first. After successful completion of the written examination, the student sits for an oral examination, which includes topics discussed in the written examination and any additional materials that the examination committee feels are appropriate. Rather than being merely pro forma, the oral examination is a serious and integral part of the qualifying procedure for candidacy. A student must pass both the written and oral components of the Field of Study Examination.
The candidacy examinations are prepared and evaluated by the examination committees composed of the graduate faculty who are primarily responsible for teaching doctoral courses in international business and the field of study.
Dissertation
The dissertation represents the final stage in obtaining the doctoral degree and provides evidence of the student’s ability to conduct independent scholarly research. To effectively initiate, conduct, and conclude the dissertation phase of the program, the candidate must:
- form a dissertation committee;
- develop and defend a dissertation proposal;
- complete the dissertation research and report the results in writing; and
- orally defend the dissertation.
A student will select a topic for dissertation research under the guidance of his/her committee. The student will defend a proposal for the dissertation demonstrating the originality of the research, requisite literature review, and the research methodology. The committee will judge the merits of the proposal, make suggestions, approve/deny the proposal in writing, providing copies to the program director. Please refer to the University Requirements for Graduate Degrees & Certificates section of Graduate Catalog for university requirements on dissertation committee, advancement to candidacy, dissertation preparation, and oral dissertation defense.