Business Administration-Entrepreneurship Concentration, PhD

Program Description

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The PhD program in Business Administration is designed to provide advanced education for students of outstanding ability who desire to pursue careers in academic research institutions. The coursework for the PhD in Business Administration includes a rigorous set of intellectually stimulating and challenging scholarly methods, foundation, and advanced courses and seminars. In addition, the program requires successful passage of a comprehensive examination and successful completion of the doctoral dissertation. A variety of learning experiences are incorporated into the curriculum, including the development of conceptual frameworks and theories, qualitative case and empirical studies, field projects, and in-depth research. Before graduating, each student will (1) have presented, or had accepted for presentation, a paper before a professional or scientific society; or (2) have had an article published, or accepted for publication, in a refereed journal. In addition, each student will have classroom teaching experience.

Within the Department of Management, PhD students have tremendous opportunities to conduct cross-disciplinary research between supply chain and operations management and information systems or with high-quality faculty in entrepreneurship and strategic management, as well as organizational behavior and human resources management. The goal is to position graduates for scholarly academic careers at colleges and universities throughout the United States and the world.

The PhD program in Business Administration is designed for full-time students who remain on campus during the entire duration of their study. Students may enter the program in the fall semester only (starting mid-August). Students with bachelor’s or master’s degrees in a business discipline can typically complete the program in five years (contingent on satisfactory progress in the program), although some students may complete the program in four years. Students with non-business degrees need to complete background courses that may lengthen the program duration. Students entering the program must have completed undergraduate and/or graduate coursework in calculus and linear algebra.

Summary of Degree Requirements

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This degree requires a minimum of 48 credit hours of coursework, and at least 18 credit hours of doctoral dissertation research. The final basis for granting this degree is the student’s demonstrated mastery of the subject matter of the field and competence in planning and conducting research that adds to the body of knowledge in the field of study. Ultimately, only the student’s advisory committee can certify that the student has earned this degree.

Coursework

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YEAR 1

Fall:

• MGT 9330 - Seminar in Strategic Management: Research Foundations 3 Credits  or MGT 9340 - Seminar in Strategic Management: Contemporary Topics 3 Credits ¹
• PSYC 8100 - Research Design and Quantitative Methods I 3 Credits  
• Elective 3 Credits²

Spring:

• MGT 9310 - Seminar in Organizational Behavior: Research Foundations 3 Credits  or MGT 9320 - Seminar in Organizational Behavior: Contemporary Topics 3 Credits ¹ 
• MGT 9350 - Seminar in Entrepreneurship: Research Foundations 3 Credits  or MGT 9360 - Seminar in Entrepreneurship: Contemporary Topics 3 Credits  
• PSYC 8110 - Research Design and Quantitative Methods II 3 Credits  

Summer:

• MGT 8910 - Master’s Thesis Research 1-12 Credits  (3 Credits for summer research paper required)
• MGT 9160 - Directed Readings in Management 1-3 Credits  

YEAR 2

Fall:

• MGT 8910 - Master’s Thesis Research 1-12 Credits  (3 Credits for summer research paper completion and presentation required)
• PSYC 8130 - Research Design and Quantitative Methods III 3 Credits 
• Electives 6 Credits²

Spring:

• MGT 9350 - Seminar in Entrepreneurship: Research Foundations 3 Credits   MGT 9360 - Seminar in Entrepreneurship: Contemporary Topics 3 Credits  (option previously not taken is required)
• Electives 6 Credits²

Summer:

• MGT 8910 - Master’s Thesis Research 1-12 Credits  (6 Credits required)
• Qualifying comprehensive exams

YEAR 3 THEREAFTER TO DEGREE COMPLETION

• MGT 9910 - Doctoral Dissertation Research 1-12 Credits  (minimum 18 credit hours, but continuing full time enrollment of nine credit hours per semester and six credit hours per summer through dissertation proposal defense, and until final oral dissertation defense)
• Final Dissertation Defense

 

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¹Students in the Entrepreneurship Concentration are required to take one seminar in each of the two possible strategic management and organizational behavior seminars, but they often benefit from taking both of the seminars in either or both of these related areas as electives.

²Electives:

Methods courses: EDF 9720 , EDF 9750 , EDF 9790 , HLTH 8210 , HLTH 8220 , MATH 6070 , MGT 9050 , PSYC 8140 , PSYC 8400 , PSYC 8710 , PSYC 8730 , PSYC 8990 , SSCI 8030 , STAT 8170 , or other course(s) approved by the student’s advisor.

Seminar courses: ECON 9000 , ECON 8010 , MGT 9310 , MGT 9320 , MGT 9330 , MGT 9340 , PSYC 8620 , PSYC 8720 , SSCI 8100 , or other course(s) approved by the student’s advisor.

Select advanced courses: ECON 6400 , ECON 8060 , ECON 8070 , ECON 8080 , ECON 8240 , ECON 9090 , MATH 8840 , MATH 9020 , or other course(s) approved by the student’s advisor.