Business, PhD

The Eberly College of Business and Information Technology offers the PhD in Business program in a weekend, cohort-based format. The program is offered on a part-time basis (6 credits/ semester), will include two years of coursework, a comprehensive examination, and a dissertation. Since 2001, the Eberly College is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB), the premier accrediting body for business schools worldwide.

Admissions Criteria

It is expected that the applicants to the PhD in Business program is completed a master’s degree with a minimum of 30 credits from business or a related field (bachelors or masters level). In addition, the following criteria will be reviewed:

Depth of graduate coursework
GMAT/GRE Scores (GMAT Scores preferred; Previous GRE scores will be accepted)
Resume
Three Letters of Recommendation
Statement of Goals
All Official College Transcripts
Evidence of Experience within Functional Area
Examples of Professional Writing
Candidate Interviews

Program Requirements

The PhD in Business requires the successful completion of a minimum of 48 hours of graduate credits that includes: a) coursework; b) doctoral seminar; c) comprehensive exam; and d) dissertation.

I. Required Courses (30 cr.)

MKTG 811 - Theory Building and Research Methods Credits: 3
or
ISDS 811 - Theory Building and Research Methods Credits: 3
ISDS 812 - Quantitative Research Methods I Credits: 3
or
ECON 812 - Quantitative Research Methods I Credits: 3
ECON 813 - Quantitative Research Methods II Credits: 3
or
ISDS 813 - Quantitative Research Methods II Credits: 3
MKTG 850 - Marketing Theory Credits: 3
FIN 870 - Financial Institutions and Markets Credits: 3
MGMT 820 - Organizational Behavior Credits: 3
IFMG 830 - MIS and Decision Making Theory Credits: 3
ACCT 840 - Seminar in Managerial Accounting Credits: 3
MGMT 860 - Global Competitiveness and Sustainability Credits: 3
or
MKTG 860 - Global Competitiveness and Sustainability Credits: 3
MGMT 880 - Global Supply Chain Management – Theory and Practice Credits: 3

II. Doctoral Seminar (6 cr.)

The Doctoral Seminar introduces PhD students to basic and applied research in a specific area of business—management, marketing, finance, supply chain, human resources, organizational behavior, information systems, accounting, international business and entrepreneurship.

III. Comprehensive Examination

Upon successful completion of the coursework and the Doctoral Seminar, the student will be administered a comprehensive examination that will include topical coverage from all the core courses, the Doctoral Seminar and the area in which the student intend to conduct their dissertation research. The result of the exam is pass or fail. Comprehensive exams will be offered in August of each year. Students who do not pass the comprehensive examination will be given an option to take the examination again in October or in the following year August. Maximum attempts for comprehensive examinations is limited to two.

IV. Doctoral Dissertation (12 cr.)

Dissertation is the culminating scholarly activity requiring independent original research, literature review, data collection, analysis, and written and oral dissemination of findings. Students are required to defend a proposal in front their committee after the literature review and proposed methodology are outlined. Once the dissertation is fully compiled, the oral dissertation defense is completed before the dissertation committee of the student. Upon successful completion of the oral defense and the written dissertation, the student becomes eligible to secure a PhD degree.