The Ph.D. in Business Administration is an innovative research program designed to prepare students for careers as faculty in academic institutions and as professionals in research organizations and government institutions. The program is intended for faculty members in business schools who do not have a Ph.D. but are interested in a research-based doctoral degree and individuals in government or industry who would like to transition to academia and are looking to enroll in a research-based doctoral program.

The program is cohort-based and requires a total of 54 credit hours to complete. Students are expected to complete the program in five years with three and a half years of course work. It is mandatory that students take two courses per semester so that they complete the core courses of the program in the first three years. The core course work includes major courses, basic field courses, and courses in research methods. Students will select one of the three areas in the program - international business, organizational behavior, and strategic management - to be their major area and another area to be their supporting area. The program is available to students with a master’s degrees in a business field or related area such as economics, sociology, political science, psychology, or public administration.

For information regarding deadlines and requirements for admission, please see https://grs.uncg.edu/programs/.

Admission into the doctoral program in Business Administration is highly selective. At a minimum, applicants should possess a completed master's degree in a business field or related area with superior performance in graduate course work.

Degree Program Requirements

Required: 54 credit hours

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Research Methods (15 credits)
BUS 701	Doctoral Research Methods I (Quantitative Research Methods)	3
BUS 702	Doctoral Research Methods II (Qualitative Research Methods)	3
BUS 703	Doctoral Research Methods III (Applied Research Methods in Business)	3
BUS 705	Seminar in Academic Writing and Publishing	3
BUS 750	Doctoral Research Methods IV (Regression Models)	3
Major Courses (12 credits)
BUS 720	Seminar in Organization Theory	3
BUS 721	Seminar in Organizational Behavior	3
BUS 730	Seminar in International Business Theory	3
BUS 740	Seminar in Strategic Management I	3
Field Courses (12-18 credits)
BUS 722	Seminar in Organizational Leadership	3
BUS 731	Seminar in Cross-Cultural Management	3
BUS 741	Seminar in Strategic Management II	3
BUS 789	Advanced Topics in Management	3-9
Supervised Directed Research (3-6 credits)
BUS 790	Doctoral Research Independent Study	3-6
Dissertation (12-18 credits)
BUS 799	Dissertation	12-18
Total Credit Hours		54

Required Milestones*

• Residency (Immersion)
• Research Competency
• Plan of Study
• Comprehensive Exam (Written & Oral)
• Dissertation Proposal
• Admission to Candidacy
• Dissertation Defense
• Filing the Final Approved Dissertation

*

General information about milestones for doctoral programs is available in Section III of the Graduate Policies page in the University Catalog. For information about how milestones are accomplished for a specific program, please refer to the doctoral program's handbook.

The program handbook for the Ph.D. in Business Administration is available on the program's website at https://bryan.uncg.edu/programs/phd/list/phd-in-business-administration/.