Program Overview

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Introduction to the Ph.D. in Business Administration

The Ph.D. in Business Administration is a doctoral program designed to unleash students' potential in business leadership. The program offers a focus area in Finance, Management, or Marketing.

About the Ph.D. in Business Administration

Students admitted into the Ph.D. in Business Administration program choose a focus area in Finance, Management, or Marketing. Coursework includes courses within each of the focus areas. Additionally, each doctoral student completes a set of research methods courses suited for exploring their areas of interest. While most students complete the program in four years, some students may be awarded a fifth year of funding.

Admission

The Ph.D. Program in Business Administration typically adds three new students per year in each area (Finance, Management, and Marketing). The Graduate Committee carefully evaluates a variety of characteristics including test scores, transcripts, statement of purpose, work experience, resume, cover letters, recommendations, and English language proficiency. Admission is granted only on recommendation by the committee.

• Admission criteria:
  • Competitive score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
  • 3.0 overall undergraduate GPA or at least a 3.10 GPA on the last 60 hours attempted at either the graduate or undergraduate level

Placement

The School of Business has a 100% placement of graduating students over the last 5-plus years in academic, government, and private positions. Recent students have obtained academic positions at various universities.

Faculty

From the first day they arrive on campus, Ph.D. students work closely with faculty on research projects and attend regular research colloquiums and developmental activities. A number of these collaborative projects have led to publications.

Scholarly Research

The faculty of the School of Business Administration is engaged in research covering a wide range of fields in finance, management, marketing, management information systems, and operations management. Through assignments as research assistants, graduate students are offered the opportunity to become involved with the research activities of the faculty.

Program Information

Degree

Ph.D. in Business Administration

Emphases

• Finance
• Management
• Marketing

Required Credit Hours

5862 Hours

Program Type

Doctorate Program

Program Location

Oxford

School

School of Business Administration

Duration

45 Years

Degree Requirements

Curricula

Each student will be required to complete at least 60 hours of approved graduate credit beyond the bachelors degree. Moreover, each student must complete at least 12 hours at the 600 level in a major field beyond the bachelors degree and at least 9 hours in a minor field beyond the bachelors degree. A doctoral student must also demonstrate proficiency in research methodology and satisfy the tool requirement of the major field department.

Written Comprehensive Examination

Upon satisfactory completion of all coursework in each area and the tool area, the student must pass a written examination provided by the appropriate academic department. These examinations determine competence in the areas of study.

Dissertation and Oral Defense

The dissertation, which is supervised and evaluated by the faculty, demonstrates the students ability to conduct research and to make a distinct and significant contribution to the common body of knowledge within ones discipline. The initial step of the process is directed toward formulating a written proposal that a dissertation committee must approve. After writing the dissertation, the candidate must successfully defend it before the dissertation committee.

Ph.D. Courses

Business Studies

• Bus 604: Statistical Methods For Business
• Bus 612 Operations Research
• Bus 620 Individual Study
• Bus 621 Individual Study
• Bus 650 Entering the Profession Seminar
• Bus 660 Research Methods I
• Bus 661 Seminar in Research and Experimental Design
• Bus 662 Statistics I: Seminar in Linear Regression
• Bus 663 Statistics II: Multivariate & Nonparametric
• Bus 664 Statistics III: Advanced Statistical Topic
• Bus 667 Global Business Strategy
• Bus 668 Customer Relationship Management
• Bus 669 Decision Support Systems
• Bus 670 Supply Chain Management

Finance

• FIN 620 Advanced Directed Study
• FIN 626 Seminar in International Economics and Finance
• FIN 631 Seminar in Business Finance
• FIN 633 Investment Analysis
• FIN 634 Financial Management I
• FIN 635 Financial Management II
• FIN 636 Financial Management of Health Care Institutions
• FIN 637 Management of Financial Intermediaries
• FIN 642 Applied Probability Modeling
• FIN 644 Financial Economics: Continuous-Time Models
• FIN 650 Research Colloquium in Economics and Finance
• FIN 695 Special Topics in Finance
• FIN 797 Dissertation

Management

• MGMT 606 Advanced Organizational Behavior
• MGMT 620 Advanced Directed Study
• MGMT 664 Advanced Management Research
• MGMT 670 Advanced Readings in Management
• MGMT 671 Guided Research in Management
• MGMT 673 Seminar in Human Resource Management
• MGMT 675 Seminar in Employee Relations
• MGMT 676 Seminar in Organizational Behavior
• MGMT 678 Seminar in Group Processes
• MGMT 679 Theoretical Foundations of Management
• MGMT 695 Special Topics in Management
• MGMT 797 Dissertation

Management Information Systems

• MIS 609 E-Commerce & Internet Programming
• MIS 619 Advanced Information Systems Management
• MIS 620 Advanced Directed Study
• MIS 640 Theoretical Foundation of MIS/POM
• MIS 665 Management of Information Systems
• MIS 695 Special Topics in MIS/POM

Marketing

• MKTG 620: Advanced Directed Study
• MKTG 660: Applied Multivariate Statistics
• MKTG 661: Research Seminar: Methodology I
• MKTG 664: Methodology II-Measurement & Scaling
• MKTG 665: Causal Modeling in Marketing
• MKTG 666: Advanced Marketing Research Methods
• MKTG 668: Advanced Marketing Readings I
• MKTG 671: Preparing Research Proposals
• MKTG 672: Buyer Behavior and E-Commerce Strategies
• MKTG 695: Special Topics in Marketing
• MKTG 697: Thesis
• MKTG 760: Applied Quantitative Analysis
• MKTG 762: Marketing Management
• MKTG 764: Seminar in Marketing/Business Ethics
• MKTG 766: Advanced Studies in Consumer Behavior
• MKTG 768: Marketing Communication Thought
• MKTG 769: Theoretical Foundations of Marketing
• MKTG 771: Experimental Design & Analysis
• MKTG 772: Qualitative Research Methods
• MKTG 797: Dissertation

International Students

To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program in Business Administration, international students must present evidence of satisfactory proficiency in the English language as indicated by results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) through the Educational Testing Service. The applicant must request that the testing center send the official results to the Graduate School at the University of Mississippi.

• TOEFL requirement: at least 600

Director of Doctoral Programs

Dr. Van Ness has taught undergraduate, MBA, Ph.D., and executive education courses in financial markets, investments, investment theory, security analysis as well as corporate finance.

Robert A Van Ness

Bruce Moore Scholar of Finance, Director of Graduate Programs and Distinguished Professor of Finance

Financial Assistance

Opportunities for financial assistance include teaching or research assistantships and non-service fellowships. Graduate assistants and non-service fellows who are not residents of Mississippi, along with their spouses, are not required to pay the nonresident registration fee. Full-time enrolled students holding assistantships are eligible to receive a partial tuition scholarship.