PhD in Management

Why pursue a PhD in management?

If you are interested in pursuing scholarly careers in management then you need to enroll in management’s doctoral program.

What does a scholarly career mean? It essentially means a career in either one or both of the following:

• Teaching management in a college or university, and/or
• Conducting research in management for a college/university or a private organization

PhD in management

Program’s duration

This question is perhaps the most asked by potential candidates. It will take about 3 to 5 years to complete the degree however very few students will complete the degree in 3 years.
 

What will I be taught?

The initial focus will be on teaching you core principles of management. Once you have successfully completed those, you will then in consultation with the program’s senior faculty, develop a program that suits your interests. The course that you follow will be in one of the following specializations of management.
 

Specializations

• Organizations and Management
• Marketing
• Finance
• Accounting
• Strategy
• Global Economics and Management
• Decisions, Operations & Technology Management

Curriculum

Required foundation courses are:

• Teaching, Publishing, and Dissemination of Knowledge
• Philosophy and Science of Research

In addition, candidates may take the following courses:

• 5 courses in the major field/specialization
• 4 courses in the minor field
• 5 courses in research methods
• MBA foundation courses for those with non-MBA background. The number of courses will be decided by the department

The 5-year journey

• Year One – Foundation classes in the chosen specialization while serving as a research associate. Candidates will also network, attend professional meetings and meet colleagues in their field. They will also be given their first teaching assignment, explore research already conducted in their specialization and complete a curriculum paper and present the same before fellow students and faculty.
• Year Two – Teach classes and prepare a research paper under the supervision of a professor. Learn how to present papers before companies and professional organizations.
• Year Three – Continue teaching, write a comprehensive paper, publish and submit the same to a professional journal. Candidates will take their comprehensive exam and upon completion may become doctoral candidates. Furthermore, they will defend their dissertation proposal before a committee of professors.
• Year Four – Complete research, write dissertation, and interview for research or teaching positions. Once the research is completed, candidates must defend their findings before a panel.
• Year Five (Optional) – Some candidates may pursue the degree into the fifth year to conduct more research in one or more topics.

Which field to specialization in?

The following may serve as only a glimpse into the following and may help you decide what to specialize in as a doctoral candidate in management.
Organizations and Management – If you are interested in researching the following topics then specialize in organizations and management.

• What motivates employees and individuals?
• How employees and colleagues react to female leaders?
• How compensation schemes affect employee performance?

Your courses in the specialization will draw heavily from both sociology and psychology, as you might have guessed from the title of research proposals mentioned above.
Marketing – If you are interested in the following research topics then specialize in marketing.

• Issues in branding
• Role of the value of customers in determining company’s worth
• Product design and its role in adoptions decision

A doctoral candidate specializing in marketing is interested in knowing consumer behavior, customer relationship management and distribution systems enabling a firm to be more market-focused.

Finance – Specialize in finance if you are interested in conducting research in the following topics:

• Portfolio selection
• Efficiency of markets
• Financial intermediation
• Principal-agent relationships

As a candidate, you will be taught corporate investments and financing policy, intermediation, financial institutions, pricing in speculative markets, portfolio management, and security valuation.
Accounting – Do you want to become an accounting scholar, teach and conduct research? Do you find the following topics interesting:

• Taxes, Debt, and Firm Value: New Evidence
• Disclosure Quality, Cost of Capital, and Investor Welfare
• Keynesian Beauty Contest, Accounting Disclosure, and Market Efficient

If yes, then specialize in Accounting. As a doctoral candidate, you will develop strong empirical and theoretical skills.

Admissions

Needless to say, admission requirements will differ from school to school. The following may however only serve as a general list of admission requirements:

• Online Application
• Application fee
• GRE/GMAT score
• TOEFL (international applicants only)
• A Financial Statement (international applicants only)
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official transcripts from all institutions of higher learning ever attended
• Statement of Purpose

Do not pursue this degree if

• You are working full-time. Universities will have residence requirements.
• You are looking for evening and weekend classes. Some universities may not offer them.
• You are looking to start in spring term. Universities are likely to start their classes in the fall.

Career outlook and is it worth it

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has salary and job growth statistics on postsecondary teachers, not specifically management teachers with PhDs. The BLS reports all postsecondary teachers earning a median yearly salary of $68,970 in 2012. Management teachers may end up earning more.
Postsecondary teachers’ jobs are expected to grow at the rate of 19% faster than the average for all other occupations from 2012 to 2022. So for the next few years, teaching management may be a very good career choice.
Meta: If you are interested in teaching or conducting research in management, then enroll in a doctoral program in management. For more information, visit our website.