Doctoral Programs in Business Administration

Program Objectives

The Ph.D. program is designed to prepare graduates for careers as effective university researchers and teachers or for senior research positions in business or government. The program is designed for students wishing to pursue full-time Ph.D. study in a residential program.

Research

A primary objective of the program is to train Ph.D. candidates to become proficient researchers. Therefore, course work involves research activities such as literature review and critique, theoretical modeling, research design, computer-assisted empirical analysis, and preparation of proposals and research papers.

Teaching

Another objective is to train students to become proficient teachers. Most Ph.D. candidates are provided the opportunity to teach undergraduate courses in their specialty area. A new initiative on campus is The MU Graduate Scholars Program which is a teaching and learning seminar that brings graduate students from a variety of disciplines together to address the process of teaching. This program is designed to give each graduate student the opportunity to develop his/her own teaching philosophy in light of other teacher and peer experiences.

Professional Activities

In addition, all business doctoral students are expected to participate in national and regional academic conferences and are encouraged to work with faculty in developing individual research and teaching skills.

Study Program

During the first semester of course work, a student should arrange for a member of the Doctoral Faculty from the major area of study (Finance, Management, or Marketing) to serve as faculty advisor. By the end of the first year of course work, a student should make formal application for the doctorate degree and, after consultation with faculty, request appointment of a Doctoral Program Committee. This committee consists of at least three members from the student's major area of study and one member from each supporting area of study. The Doctoral Program Committee conducts the qualifying examination and works with the student to design a program of study that must include the following:

• Fifteen hours of business core course work to acquaint the student with the functional areas of business. These courses can be waived if the student has satisfactorily completed equivalent course work.
  
  
• An in-depth major concentration (minimum of 15 hours of 8000/9000-level courses) in the area of Finance, Management (Organizational Sciences), or Marketing.
  
  
• Two support areas of at least nine hours each, one of which must be taken outside the School of Business, or one support area of at least twelve hours. These supporting areas offer the student considerable latitude in identifying a course of study that can be tailored to the individual's interests and goals. If two support areas are selected, the student must also satisfy a 12-hour analytical tool requirement; if one support area is selected, the student must also satisfy an 18-hour analytical tool requirement.
  
  
• Collateral requirements emphasizing analytical tools (proficiency in a foreign language does not fulfill the collateral requirements). This is a research methods and analyses sequence of at least 12 hours (at least 18 if only one support area), including appropriate courses in economics, mathematics, psychology, sociology, statistics or other areas deemed appropriate by the program committee.
  
  
• An ongoing seminar experience (each semester until successful completion of comprehensive examinations) that acquaints the student with current literature and research in his/her major area of interest. This seminar is in addition to other seminars offered departmentally (4 hours minimum).
  
  
• Dissertation (minimum 12 hours of 9090 credit).
  
  

The program of study requirements listed above are independent of each other; courses taken to satisfy one requirement may not be used to satisfy any other requirement. Previous graduate work taken prior to admission to the Ph.D. Program may be used to satisfy these requirements if it is deemed appropriate by the student's program committee. In compliance with University regulations the Doctor of Philosophy degree requires the completion of 72 semester hours of graduate work beyond the baccalaureate degree. Within the credit-hour requirement is the residency requirement. To satisfy the residency requirement, a student must complete at least two nine-hour semesters or three six-hour semesters in an 18-month period at MU. All courses taken to satisfy the residency requirement must be MU courses approved for graduate credit and approved by the student's Doctoral Program Committee. Correspondence and off-campus courses may not be counted toward the residency requirement.

Examinations and Dissertation

Oral and written comprehensive examinations covering the major area and the supporting area(s) are administered after the candidate has completed the relevant course work in the official study program. A doctoral dissertation, for which a student earns a minimum of 12 hours and a maximum of 24 hours credit, is required of each candidate. A final oral examination is held at the completion of the dissertation and is concerned primarily with the dissertation research accomplished by the student.