Business Administration, Ph.D.

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Return to: 7000 J. Mack Robinson College of Business

Admission Test for Ph.D. in Business Administration

All applicants to the Ph.D. in Business Administration program must submit official scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) of the Graduate Management Admission Council.

The following units -Business Process Innovation, Computer Information Systems, Finance, Marketing, Organizational Behavior/Human Resource Management, Real Estate, and Risk Management and Insurance-will accept scores on the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) as a substitute for the GMAT from applicants. The GRE school code is 5251.

GMAT scores will not be considered if they are more than seven years old at the time of application to the Ph.D. program. The school code is QCK-ZW-59.

Degree Requirements

Program of Study

The Ph.D. Coordinator is the faculty member in the student’s academic unit who advises students on courses to be taken and on other degree requirements. As a function of, and implicit in course selection for the student’s program of study the academic unit will consider how the discipline fits into managerial and organizational contexts and will select courses accordingly.

A program of study indicating how the student will fulfill each of the degree requirements must be approved by the student’s Ph.D. Coordinator and the Director of the Ph.D. Program by the end of the second semester of enrollment. This program of study is filed in the RCB Ph.D. Program Office; it may be revised, as appropriate, but must be kept current, as it will be a key factor in determining satisfactory progress in the program. Courses would generally be at the 9000 Ph.D. level, except as advised by the Ph.D. Coordinator of the student’s academic unit, and would support and complement the student’s research interest. Undergraduate courses cannot be used towards the program of study.

Forty-two (42) semester hours of coursework, as a minimum, must be completed successfully for graduation. The major field requirement is a minimum of 18 credit hours; the research methods requirement is a minimum of 15 credit hours; and free elective or secondary area courses are a minimum of 9 credit hours for a total of 42 semester hours. Students are expected to complete the courses on their program of study on a timely basis. When feasible, registration for a full load (as defined by the college) each semester is encouraged, including courses for research and dissertation credit (BA 9000 or BA 9500 ). At a minimum, students who do not hold an assistantship must register for nine hours per semester (excluding summer semester unless the student holds a GRA/GTA or is in the last semester of the program). BA 9000 or BA 9500 can be used to satisfy this requirement. Students who are visa holders should discuss their enrollment status with the Office of International Student and Scholar Services.

Quantitative and Research Foundations (15 Semester Hours)

Students entering the Ph.D. program are presumed to have background and current knowledge in the following additional areas:

multi-variable calculus including multiple integration, partial derivatives, and infinite series;
matrix algebra including linear transformations, vector differentiation, and eigenstructures;
computer skills for empirical research including statistical packages and the use of databases; and
macroeconomics and microeconomics through the intermediate level.

Students can remedy a deficiency in any or all of these areas by taking credit or noncredit courses, auditing appropriate graduate or undergraduate classes, and/or attending tutorial sessions. Students who feel their background is not adequate may consult with their Ph.D. Coordinator for recommendations on overcoming deficiencies.

Major Field (18 Semester Hours)

Hours of Course work. The satisfactory completion of no fewer than 18 graduate-level semester hours constitutes minimum preparation in the major field.

Students must have satisfactorily completed all courses on the program of study in the major field and in the research methods requirement area to be eligible to take the preliminary examination. Requests to take the preliminary examination are made through the Ph.D. Coordinator. The Ph.D. Coordinator will notify the Office of Ph.D. Programs with the names of the student(s) prepared to take the examination.

Students will not be permitted a second attempt to pass the preliminary examination except upon recommendation, by majority vote, of the group of faculty members who graded the examination. A maximum of two attempts is permitted to pass the preliminary examination.

Research Methods Requirements (15 Semester Hours)

The satisfactory completion of no fewer than 15 graduate-level semester hours constitutes minimum preparation in research methods. The Ph.D. Coordinator may approve substitutions for any of the following research methods requirements.

Intermediate Statistics: Approved graduate-level statistics course (3)
MGS 9940 - Design and Conduct of Experiments (3)
MGS 9950 - Regression Analysis (3)
MGS 9960 - Multivariate Data Analysis (3)
Elective: research methods/theory development course: BA 9260 ; BA 9280 ; BA 9300 ; IFI 9000 ; IFI 8650 or a course may be from the student’s major field and department (3)
Free Electives or Secondary Area (9 semester hours)
The satisfactory completion of no fewer than nine (9) semester hours fulfills this coursework requirement and students may choose to fulfill these credits, with the approval of their Ph.D. Coordinator, either with a secondary area or with free electives.
Courses for each secondary area shall be taken from a list of courses prepared by the academic unit offering the secondary area, but students must have the approval of their Ph.D. Coordinator for both taking a secondary area and for the set of courses making up that secondary area.
Substitutes for secondary area courses can be made with the approval of the unit offering the secondary area and the student’s Ph.D. coordinator.