Ph.D. Management

About the Program

The focus of the Ph.D. program in Management is applied research about complex management problems in a rapidly changing and globally oriented environment. The doctoral program in management is designed to develop graduates who are skilled in research with both a theoretical and practical understanding of the complex problems of business and managers and contribute to the advancement of management knowledge and practice. Graduates will pursue careers in university education and research, in training and research in private and public sector organizations, and in business management.

The program is designed to accomplish its objectives by its orientation to a holistic, integrative, and discipline-supported approach to management problem solving, focused on critical issues facing managers in organizations.

Academic Regulations

  • See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.
  • Academic Standing: Doctoral students must normally obtain a grade of B- or better in each credit, and Satisfactory on the comprehensive examinations, the Ph.D. thesis and its oral defence.

 

Admission Requirements

  • Admission into the Ph.D. program will be judged primarily on the applicant's ability to undertake research successfully and his/her prospects for completion of the program.
  • The normal requirement for admission to the doctoral program in management is a master's degree (or equivalent) in business or a related field with an A- average. A number of years of work experience is desirable.
  • A student enrolled in the M.B.A. program (or a similar research-based master's program in business) who has completed a minimum of 2.5 credits and who has shown outstanding academic performance and research promise may be admitted to the Ph.D. program without completing the master's program. Normal Ph.D. program requirements, as stated below, will apply. Each case will be considered on an individual basis for advanced standing in the Ph.D. program. Advanced standing will be considered for a maximum of 1.5 credits.
  • Applicants who have completed a thesis-based master's program in business or a related area may have their program requirements, as set out below, adjusted at the time of admission.
  • All Ph.D. candidates, regardless of their previous field of specialization, are expected to have or to acquire a basic knowledge of statistics and at least two of the following areas of management: finance, marketing, organizational behaviour, management science, information systems, and productions/operations management. Students will be admitted to the program with a course of study designed where appropriate to supplement previous education, experience, and training.
  • Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) - the School requires that all applicants submit scores obtained in the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) offered by the Education Testing Service of Princeton, New Jersey. Successful candidates will normally have a GMAT score of at least 600.
  • All applicants whose native tongue is not English must be tested for proficiency in the English language and obtain a minimum score of 550 on the TOEFL, or its equivalent. See Section 3.6 of the General Regulations section of this Calendar for details.
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Program Requirements

The degree will normally be pursued on a full-time basis for the first two years.

The program requirements for the Ph.D. in Management are:

  • 10.0 credits comprised of:
    • 1.5 credits in research and analysis methods;
    • 1.5 credits of seminar courses in functional areas of business
    • 1.0 credit from a selection of advanced course electives in the School of Business
    • 1.0 credit of free electives which must be approved by the thesis supervisor
    • A thesis normally equivalent to 5.0 of the 10.0 required credits, which must be defended at an oral examination;
  • One written and one oral comprehensive examination;
  • Participation in the Sprott School of Business research seminar series on current business issues for one year;
  • Participation in the Sprott School of Business seminar series on, and classroom experience in, teaching methods;
  • Presentation and oral defence of the thesis proposal.

Course Requirements

All students in the doctoral program are required to complete successfully:

  • The following 0.5-credit courses:
      • BUSI 6902, BUSI 6907 and either BUSI 6905 or BUSI 6906.
      • 1.5 credits of advanced seminars including at least one two-course sequence, from the following doctoral seminar courses: BUSI 6100 and BUSI 6101; BUSI 6200 and BUSI 6201; BUSI 6300 and BUSI 6301; BUSI 6400 and BUSI 6401; BUSI 6500 and BUSI 6501;
      • 1.0 credit from the following advanced seminars: BUSI 6701, BUSI 6702, BUSI 6703, BUSI 6704, BUSI 6801, BUSI 6802, BUSI 6803, BUSI 6804, BUSI 6805.
  • Students are strongly encouraged to complete 0.5 credit from BUSI 6701, BUSI 6702, BUSI 6703, or BUSI 6704, a series of courses which focuses on the dimensions of complex problem representation and analysis. Students are also strongly encouraged to complete 0.5 credit from BUSI 6801, BUSI 6802, BUSI 6803, BUSI 6804, or BUSI 6805, a series of courses oriented to specific management issues.
  • The remaining 1.0 credit elective, chosen with the approval of the thesis supervisor to assist in the thesis research process, normally will be chosen from either those courses at the 5000- or 6000-level in the School of Business listed above, or from outside the School in a supporting discipline or in the area of statistics.

Comprehensive Examinations

  • All Ph.D. candidates are required to successfully complete one written and one oral examination. The written examination will consist of a major essay that provides a comprehensive analytical review of the literature in an area of the student's specialization. The issues dealt with in the essay will be distinct from the student's thesis topic. The submission of the essay will be followed within three to four weeks by a comprehensive oral examination. In addition to questions based on the written portion, the oral comprehensive will include questions on peripheral topics previously assigned by the student's comprehensive examination committee.
  • The comprehensive examinations must be completed successfully before the Ph.D. proposal defence is scheduled. In normal circumstances, the oral defence must occur within four calendar terms of the student's initial registration in the Ph.D. program. Students who do not fulfil this requirement may be asked to withdraw from the program.

Thesis

  • All Ph.D. candidates are required to complete successfully a thesis normally equivalent to a minimum of 5.0 credits on a topic approved by the School. Students with appropriate background will be reviewed for possible adjustment of thesis weight.

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