Doctoral Program Common Questions

Thank you for your interest in The Paul Merage School of Business’ Doctoral Program.

An important part of our admission decision is to ascertain the fit between the applicant’s choice of an area of specialization and the faculty’s availability and research strength in that area. The areas of specialization in the Ph.D. program are: Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Management Information Systems, Operations & Decision Technologies, Organization and Management and Strategy.

Successful applicants will be selected on a very competitive basis to maintain the student-faculty ratio consistent with excellent doctoral education.

I would like to address a few of the questions that are most frequently asked:

The emphasis of the Ph.D. program in the Paul Merage School of Business is research and scholarship.
The degree awarded is a Ph.D. in Management.
The expected completion time for the doctoral degree is four years.
This is a full-time program. No part-time program is available.
Prior work experience is not required.
Qualified students admitted to the doctoral program may be offered a three- or four-year financial support package covering tuition, fees and a living stipend. This support is provided through a combination of fellowships, research and teaching assistantships, subject to terms described in the acceptance letter.
Admission is for Fall quarter only.
We admit well-qualified students with bachelor's degrees from U.S. universities. Students who are in their final year may apply, but preference will be given to those who have already completed their degree. A prior business degree is not a requirement. In the case of foreign students, we typically require a master's degree. However in exceptional cases foreign students with a 4-year bachelor's degree will be considered if the degree has already been conferred at the time of application to our program.
The program is divided into two Phases:
Qualifying Phase (Phase I): Coursework requirements are approved by the faculty from the student's area of specialization. Before advancing to candidacy, students also are required to complete four breadth courses on the school-wide menu and the theoretical menu, outside the student's major field. During the Qualification Phase, students acquire the knowledge necessary to conduct original research and scholarship including:
Dissertation Phase (Phase II): Developing, writing, and defending the dissertation. Expected duration of Phase II is 12 to 18 months.
Application deadline is January 4.
The Paul Merage School of Business' application for the doctoral program for Fall 2009 must be submitted. We do not accept the online applications provided by the Office of Graduate Studies.
The average undergraduate and graduate GPAs of recently admitted students are 3.56 and 3.6, respectively.
Once the deadline has passed, application status will not be provided via email or telephone.
For reasons of confidentiality we will not provide admission decisions via email or by telephone. You will receive official notification by mail.