Texas Tech University
PhD_Management_Student

PhD in Business Administration Specialization in Management

Management involves planning, organizing, leading, and controlling human and other resources to achieve organizational objectives efficiently. The study of management as a discipline includes topics like organizational strategy, behavior, theory, leadership, entrepreneurship, and human resource management.

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Program Requirements

Completion of the program requires a minimum of 60 semester credit hours beyond a bachelor's degree, not including dissertation hours from BA 8000. 

Typically, students complete all credit hours in residence at Texas Tech. Twenty-four semester credit hours must be taken in residence during a 12-month period. Generally, only three credit hours from outside institutions (provided there is an equivalent course at Texas Tech) may be counted toward the required 60 credit hours, if approved by the area's doctoral coordinator. There is no foreign language requirement.

As part of the required 60 credit hours, students must fulfill a mathematics competency requirement and complete Advanced Statistical Methods (ISQS 5347) and Practicum in Higher Education for Business (BA 5395).

Program Overview

To excel in the Area of Management, students must possess scholarly competence and actively contribute to the advancement of the management field through research efforts. This implies a broad knowledge of the subject and its literature, as well as a detailed understanding of current research in a specific sub-area of management. Students will complete both core management courses and specialized courses, which can be tailored to meet individual objectives and interests with the guidance of a faculty advisor. Students are also strongly encouraged to review the summary of major milestones in the program.

All students are expected to have adequate familiarity with management basics. These are defined by five courses taught by faculty members.

MGT 6375            Advanced Organizational Behavior

MGT 6392           Advanced Organization Theory

MGT 6395            Advanced Strategic Management

MGT 6381            Seminar in Entrepreneurship

MGT 6381            Seminar in Leadership

With the consent of their faculty advisors, students can choose a content-area concentration that matches their interests and career aspirations, such as getting hired, promoted or tenured. Typical concentrations include organizational behavior/leadership, strategy/entrepreneurship, and strategy/organizational theory. Students typically take six credit-hours beyond the five core courses in their content area of concentration to prepare for qualifying examinations.

To ensure advanced development of analytical and research skills, students must pursue research methods as a supporting field. A minimum of nine credit hours (three courses) of supporting field coursework in research methods is required.

ISQS 5349             Regression Analysis

ISQS 6348             Applied Multivariate Analysis

BA 6300                Advanced Business Research Methods; Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)

MGT 6381            Qualitative Methods & the Philosophies of Science

MGT 6381            Publishing Empirical Research and Scholarly Writing

BA 7000                Special Topics on Research Methods and Analysis 

Students who want to learn more about research methods may choose to pursue the Advanced Research Methods Minor. The minor is not mandatory and does not add any extra requirements to the PhD program. Students who fulfill requirements for the minor will also receive recognition as a CARMA Research Methods Scholar.

To reach the 60-hour requirement, students will work with faculty to determine the appropriate mix of elective and/or independent research coursework. Enrollment in these courses is associated with a student's preparation for their doctoral dissertation proposal or other research projects. Because doctoral proposals and other independent research require substantial faculty resources, enrollment will reflect the time required of faculty.

Upon completion of coursework, students are prepared for intensive examinations. The Qualifying Exam will cover material from all doctoral seminars, research seminar series and may also include material from the supporting fields. Students are expected to go beyond courses through intensive self-study of the research literature. The Qualifying Exam is composed of three components: a specialty field paper, a written exam including discipline-based management and research methods questions, and an oral exam.

After successfully completing the qualifying examination, students are admitted to candidacy.The dissertation represents the culmination of the doctoral program in which a student learns and demonstrates the ability to conduct independent research.

Students should select a Doctoral Dissertation Committee as early as possible during their studies. Generally, most dissertation committees are composed of three or four total faculty members. The committee must include a chair who is typically chosen before the completion of coursework once the student has identified an area of interest. The committee chair may assist in refining a topic, suggesting potential committee members, and establishing a timeline and structure for the dissertation. Additionally, the committee must include one additional tenured or tenure-track faculty member from the Area of Management and a tenured or tenure-track faculty member from another academic area.

Catering to students with diverse backgrounds, interests, and expertise, our program offers flexibility and choice in both the curriculum and dissertation. Students can choose courses that match their research interests and can opt for either a traditional or a three-paper model dissertation.

The traditional dissertation defense requires a student presentation that summarizes the research question(s), methods, results and conclusions. In a peer-review setting, doctoral candidates are expected to demonstrate mastery of management research and show the capability to conduct ongoing independent research.

Research

Our program aims to cultivate scholars who can conduct significant research in their chosen field. To enhance their research skills and develop strong competencies for conducting state-of-the-art research, students work closely with faculty in small classes, colloquiums, departmental workshops and seminars.

Specifically, our joint faculty/doctoral student colloquium in management research gives each doctoral student additional exposure to management-related issues, substantive research and research methods. Additionally, it fosters collaboration between students and faculty, by providing opportunities for joint research, publication and professional development. To offer students access to experts in research methods, colloquium events are coordinated with programming offered by the Consortium for the Advancement of Research Methods and Analysis (CARMA).

Students are also encouraged to interact with the professional community by attending and presenting papers at professional meetings. When possible, the Area of Management will provide financial support for this purpose.

Management PhD Student Research Scholarships

Management PhD students can apply for the Hunt Research Scholarship, which is funded by the Professor and Mrs. James G. Hunt Endowed Graduate Scholarship Fund. The scholarship supports research activities that have high standards and prospects for publication. The application process starts in the beginning of the fall semester and all proposals are evaluated by the Area of Management PhD committee.

Recent Graduate Placements

Our alumni have secured competitive faculty positions at prestigious institutions across the globe.

The following is a detailed list of the initial placements and dissertation topics of our recent doctoral graduates over the last five years.


Current Students