The Ph.D. in Management is a rigorous four-to-five year program preparing students for careers in management and higher education. Students enter into a research-oriented program centered on the development of top-level business professionals and educators. The mission of the doctoral program in Management is to advance the careers of students with research and teaching skills who can continue the creation, verification, application, and dissemination of knowledge to academic colleagues, future generations of students and business professionals.
The Ph.D. Program in Management faculty supports students interested in:
- Human Resources
- Entrepreneurship
- Organizational Behavior
- Person-Organizational Fit
- Employee Well-Being
- Leadership
- Training
- Group and Team Processes
- Work-life Balance
- Strategic Human Capital
- Strategic Management
- Workplace Stress
- Business and Managerial Communication
- Healthcare Analytics
- Cybersecurity
- International Business
Admissions
Applicants are admitted into the Ph.D. program in Management annually for the fall semester. All completed applications received by January 1 of that year, meeting the minimum qualifications, will be included in the applicant pool for review. In exceptional circumstances, applicants may be considered for admission in other semesters.
In addition to the minimum Graduate School admission requirements, to be considered for regular admission an application must include:
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A resume
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A Statement of Purpose that identifies faculty research interests that appeal to them.
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3 letters of recommendation. These must speak specifically to the ability of the applicant to successfully complete the Ph.D. program and their potential for teaching and research.
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A writing sample is encouraged (solely authored by the applicant; an example of scholarly research, if available)
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A test score from either the GMAT or GRE exam taken in the past 5 years
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A TOEFL score of at least 79, or an IELTS score of at least 6.5, a Duolingo score of at least 110, or a PTE score of at least 59 for non-native English speakers who are required to submit an English Language Test score (see admissions criteria link below).
Students admitted “with permission to continue” will not necessarily be offered assistantships.
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While there are no absolute minimum cutoff test scores or grades, students with less than the following scores are rarely admitted: (1) a 3.0 undergraduate and a 3.5 graduate grade-point average (or equivalent for students with degrees from other countries), (2) a 600 GMAT (old version), 555 GMAT Focus Edition, or 310 GRE score with a reasonable balance between verbal and quantitative scores, and (3) a 79 TOEFL score. The above grades and test scores do not guarantee admission.
See the Admission Criteria section of this catalog for more information.
Curricular Requirements
Each student is required to complete at least three quantitative courses, specifically MKT 688 Quant Modeling in Marketing and MKT 674 Meas Struct Equatn Model, and MGT 690 Research Methods I and MGT 691 Research Methods II (or equivalent). Students must get written approval from the Ph.D. program coordinator to take an equivalent or to replace the three courses described here.
Students are encouraged to take additional quantitative courses that are not required to strengthen their methodological training (AC 650 Directed Research, ST 550 Stat Methods In Res I/ST 560 Statistical Methods, ST 552 Applied Regression Analy, ST 553 Appld Multivariate Analy)
| Required Courses: | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| MGT 610 | Professional Development I | 1 |
| MGT 611 | Professional Development II | 1 |
| MGT 612 | Professional Development III | 1 |
| MGT 613 | Professional Development IV | 1 |
| MGT 620 | Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| MGT 621 | Organ Behav Group Perf | 3 |
| MGT 622 | Current Topics in HR Mgmt | 3 |
| MGT 623 | Contemp. Issues in Org Theory | 3 |
| MGT 625 | Foundations of Strategic Mgmt | 3 |
| MGT 633 | Entrepreneurship Research | 3 |
| MGT 690 | Research Methods I | 3 |
| MGT 691 | Research Methods II | 3 |
| MKT 674 | Meas Struct Equatn Model | 3 |
| MKT 688 | Quant Modeling in Marketing | 3 |
| Elective Courses (with advisor approval) | 14 | |
| Dissertation Research Hours (MGT 699 - with advisor approval, distributed appropriately throughout the program) | 24 | |
| Total Hours | 72 | |
Transfer Credit
Students may submit appropriate courses they have taken at their previous university for consideration of approval for transfer credit, the faculty discourages the transfer of topical seminar courses and key methods courses. To apply for transfer credit student must meet with the PhD Coordinator during their first semester of residency at The University of Alabama to identify which classes they wish to be considered for transfer. At this meeting students should bring to appropriate transcripts, syllabi from the classes, and a detailed listing of the classes they wish to have considered for transfer credit and The University of Alabama classes they believe the potential transfer classes should replace.
Graduate School information on Transfer Credit.
Doctoral Plan of Study Requirement
- Graduate School information for the Doctoral Plan of Study.
Comprehensive Exam
Each student is required to pass a written comprehensive examination at the end of his/her second year. The examination is designed to determine students’ ability to show relationships among the various segments of knowledge they have gained during their coursework. Students must demonstrate knowledge of research methods, mastery of knowledge of management research, familiarity with major concepts in the extant literature, and the ability to identity and understand connections between topics.
The comprehensive exam will consist of four sections, one each in research methods, management theory or history, entrepreneurship or strategy, and OB or HR.
If a student fails on his or her first attempt, (s)he is usually given a second opportunity to retake either all or part of the exam, depending upon the faculty’s recommendations. A retake may include an oral exam if deemed necessary by the faculty. If a student fails the second attempt of an exam, (s)he will be terminated from the program.
If a student does not receive a passing grade on their first attempt on the comprehensive exam and he or she is required to retake the exam, the second administration of the exam will be set by the Doctoral Coordinator, or his/her assigned representative, in consultation with the faculty.
Typically, the exam will be administered over two weekends in May or June, on dates discussed between students and the PhD program coordinator. Students taking the exam will be provided with one set of questions covering two of the test subjects at 3 PM on Friday of that week and will have until 9 AM the following Monday to complete it. The second set of questions covering the remainder of the tropics will be distributed the following Friday and will once again be expected to be turned in the following Monday at 9 AM.
Admission to Candidacy Requirements
Students are certified by the dean of the Graduate School for admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree after they have met the following requirements:
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Satisfactorily complete all required coursework
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Pass all examinations, including the comprehensive exam
Continuous Enrollment Policy
Graduate School information on Continuous Enrollment.
Dissertation Requirements
Satisfaction of the course requirements and passing all examinations, including comprehensive examination, advances the student to the candidacy for the Ph.D. program.
A dissertation showing power of independent research and literary skill must be prepared on a topic in the major field.
The dissertation must comply with the regulations in A Manual for Students Preparing Theses and Dissertations. Copies may be obtained from the Graduate School office or on the graduate school web page. Deadlines and other information useful to doctoral students are also listed in both these sources.
The subject of the dissertation must be approved by the student's dissertation committee.
A student who completes the coursework but fails to complete the dissertation within five years after being admitted to candidacy will be required to retake the written examination and the preliminary oral examination.
All candidates are expected to register for dissertation supervision each semester and summer session until the dissertation is completed.
Time Limits for Degree Completion Requirements
A student entering the Ph.D. program must complete all requirements for the Ph.D. degree within nine years of the date of admission in the graduate program. If a student is suspended from the program for exceeding the time limits for completion, the individual may petition the department chair and the Culverhouse College of Business Ph.D. Programs Committee.
Extension of time and/or additional requirements for readmission to the program must be recommended to the Graduate School of The University of Alabama by the student's departmental graduate faculty and the dean of the college.
A maximum one-semester extension may be granted in those rare instances in which the student presents documentation of compelling circumstances beyond the student's control that made it impossible to complete the degree within the required time frame.
Graduate School information on Time Limits.
Student Progress Requirement
Each student’s progress will be reviewed by the Department Head, and the Ph.D. Coordinator at the end of each semester. A graduate student with regular status in a graduate program who drops below a ‘B’ average (at any time after earning 6 semester hours), or if the student earns a “D" or “F” in a graduate course, will be placed on probation and may be dismissed from the program.
While on probation, the student will not be permitted to apply for admission to candidacy. Probationary status must be removed by raising the overall average to a "B" or better during the 12 hours of graduate work immediately following the period in which the probation was incurred. Failure to do so will result in the student being dropped from the program. The departmental policy frowns upon the grade of “I”. It will only be given under extenuating circumstances.
A grade of ‘I’ (Incomplete) is evaluated as an ‘F,’ and must be removed within two weeks during the next term of enrollment if the student's overall grade point average drops below a ‘B’ as a result of the incomplete grade. The evaluations of academic progress of students who register with ‘I’ grades still on their records can result in academic probation or dismissal.
Courses may not be repeated for graduate credit; this includes courses initially taken on an audit basis. However, a course that is required in a student's curriculum in which a ‘D’ or ‘F’ is earned may be repeated for credit, upon the recommendation of the major department or program area and the dean of the Graduate School. Both grades will be considered in the computation of the grade point average.
The dean of the Graduate School may allow a graduate student to be reinstated or readmitted only at the special request of the graduate faculty in the student's department.
Academic Misconduct Information
Graduate School information on Academic Misconduct.
Withdrawals and Leave of Absence Information
Graduate School information on Withdrawals and Leave of Absence.
Academic Grievances Information
Graduate School information on Academic Grievances.
Grades and Academic Standing
A graduate student with regular status who drops below a ‘B’ average (at any time after earning 6 semester hours), or if the student earns a “D" or “F” in a graduate course, will be placed on probation and may be dismissed from the program.
Graduate School information on Grades and Academic Standing.
Graduate School Deadlines Information
Information on Graduate School Deadlines.
Application for Graduation Information
Information on the Application for Graduation.