Kelley School of Business

Departmental E-mail: ksbdoc [at] indiana [dot] edu

Departmental URL: http://www.kelley.iu.edu/doctoral/

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)

Curriculum

Curriculum
Faculty

Degrees Offered

Doctor of Philosophy

In addition, the Kelley School of Business offers the Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Information Systems, Master of Professional Accountancy, and the Doctor of Business Administration. For details, see the Kelley School of Business Bulletin, Graduate Programs.

Special School Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

Admission

To apply for admission to the doctoral programs in business, the applicant must do the following:

1. For domestic and international applications: apply online at https://app.applyyourself.com/?id=IU-BLA.
2. Arrange for at least three letters of recommendation to be sent from persons qualified to judge the academic potential of the applicant.
3. Arrange to take (or have already taken within four years of the date of application) either the Graduate Manage­ment Admission Test or the Graduate Record Examination General Test. These tests are prepared by the Educational Testing Service and are administered at numerous locations throughout the United States approximately four times each year and, at less frequent intervals, in many foreign countries.
4. For domestic applications: submit official transcripts of all college work taken and other support material directly to the Chairperson of the Doctoral Programs, Kelley School of Business, 1309 E. Tenth Street, Indiana University, Bloom­ington, IN 47405-1701.
5. For international applications: submit official transcripts of all college work taken and other support material directly to the Office of International Admissions, 300 N. Jordan Avenue, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405.

Detailed information on admission and financial aid as well as additional program data may be obtained from the doctoral programs office. The application deadline for August admis­sion is the preceding January 15 (December 1 for international students).

Early applications are urged since all spaces in particular de­partments may be filled before the deadline. Late applications will be honored only if space is available.

Admission to the doctoral program in business is based on an individual’s qualifications as evidenced by the application, of­ficial transcripts, scores on the Graduate Management Admis­sion Test or the Graduate Record Examination, and, if possible, a personal interview. Prospective students’ applications for admission and supporting credentials are reviewed by the doc­toral program’s administrative committee and by the faculty in the proposed major department.

While it is unusual, highly qualified students with career objec­tives clearly in mind may enter the doctoral programs in busi­ness directly from a baccalaureate program with the intention of working toward a doctoral degree. Most, however, will begin work toward the doctorate after obtaining the master’s degree.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Business

Program Requirements

The requirements for the Ph.D. program in business are fulfilled in three basic phases of study. Although these phases may overlap, the program requires a logical sequence of course work, qualifying examinations, and dissertation research.

Phase I

The Phase I requirements entail no minimum number of credit hours but focus instead on proficiency in business operations and the basic disciplines. The credit hours required for profi­ciency may be met either by exemption (through the accep­tance of previous course work) or by taking courses or indepen­dent study after entering the program. Individual departments determine the appropriate requirements for their majors.

Teaching Development Program

All candidates for a doctoral degree in business must complete the 1.5 semester hour teaching development seminar or its equivalent. This seminar provides a grounding in learning and teaching styles and methods.

Phase II

The Phase II program of study is the central part of the stu­dent’s doctoral-level course work. It is therefore critical that the courses be selected to achieve the student’s educational objec­tives while emphasizing high levels of research and scholarship.

Major Field

The program of study for the major is planned in consultation with the student’s major-field advisor and consists of a mini­mum of 18 credit hours of advanced graduate work. There is no intention that the entire program of study relating to the major must be taken in the administrative department or area represented by that major field. On the contrary, students are encouraged to incorporate courses from other departments or areas into their major-field curriculum when such courses are closely related to the individual’s interests and help form a logical whole.

Minor Field

Each student selects one minor field, which requires a mini­mum of 9 credit hours of work beyond that expected as mini­mal preparation for all doctoral students. Minors are available in each of the major fields, as well as in the following fields (though not limited to these): international business, econom­ics, political science, history, mathematics, psychology, sociol­ogy, and law. The doctoral business minor provides the op­portunity for the integration of other disciplines into the major area(s) of students majoring in the Kelley School of Business; it requires a minimum of 9 credit hours from a field outside the student’s major field. The minor requirements for fields outside the Kelley School of Business are determined by the depart­ment in which the minor is offered. An overall GPA of at least 3.4 in the three courses is required.

Methodology and Analysis (M and A) Requirement

All doctoral candidates must demonstrate competency in the areas of research methodology and statistical analysis. This is a 9 credit hour requirement. This course work will help provide the foundation and special proficiency in research design and analysis necessary for candidates to conduct their research programs.

Double Major Option

Rather than follow the major, minor, and M and A sequence, a doctoral student may elect to have two majors. The double major candidate has the option of (1) two majors, each with 18 credit hours, or (2) a first major with 21 credit hours plus a second major of at least 15 credit hours. There are two issues that a student electing a double major should consider. First, all double majors must pass the qualifying examination in both majors. Second, a double major is unlikely to be approved unless the student can demonstrate that a portion of the overall course work provides competency in M and A. Doctoral students may not unilaterally elect to have a double major; the student’s petition for a double major must be approved by both departments as well as by the chairperson of doctoral programs.

Grades

Course grades below C+ (2.3) are not counted toward degree requirements but will be included in the computation of the student’s grade point average. At least a 3.4 grade point aver­age with no grade below B– (2.7) is required in those courses taken as part of the minor field. Students must achieve an overall grade point average of at least 3.3 and earn no less than a B– (2.7) in those courses taken as part of the methodology area.

Examinations

Evidence of the student’s competence in a major field must be demonstrated by examination. Examinations may also be required in some minor fields. The examinations are designed as exercises in creative and critical thinking, not merely in recol­lecting facts and familiar analyses.

Admission to Candidacy

Upon successful completion of all Phase II requirements (including all qualifying examinations), the student will be nominated to candidacy.

Dissertation Proposal

Examination on the dissertation proposal usually comes at the close of the work in Phase II of the program. A research com­mittee is appointed to supervise and assist each candidate. A formal oral examination, to which other doctoral students and faculty members are invited, is held on the proposal. Upon passing the examination, the candidate moves into the third phase of the program.

Phase III

Dissertation

An important early part of the dissertation experience is inte­grated with the advanced course work through the research seminars. A minimum of 24 credit hours of dissertation credit is required, but 3 hours of credit in research seminars within the major area may count toward this requirement. Since the dis­sertation represents a major research project, a year or more of full-time work in close cooperation with the candidate’s committee is normally required to complete Phase III. For this reason, candidates in the Indiana University doctoral programs in business are strongly urged to remain in residence until all degree requirements have been met.

Defense of the Dissertation

Phase III concludes with the defense of the dissertation. The objective of the defense is to provide students with a forum for formal presentation of the results of their dissertation research. The purpose of the presentation, questioning, and discussion is to enable students to demonstrate that they have successfully completed what they set out to do, as stated at the time of the proposal defense. The dissertation defense gives the research committee a final opportunity to bring the candidate’s research methods, findings, and conclusions under critical review. The candidate is expected to be able to defend all aspects of the inquiry satisfactorily.

Ph.D. in Business with an emphasis in Accounting

For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 18 credits of courses which the student must complete in the Accounting major.  For students with an emphasis in Accounting, this prescribed coursework covers research that addresses research questions in financial accounting, auditing, managerial accounting, and tax accounting. The accounting curriculum offers tracks based primarily on archival or experimental research methods. Accounting doctoral students pursuing the archival track normally establish a minor in finance, and students pursuing the experimental track normally establish a minor in psychology. The faculty advisory committee helps the student select appropriate coursework for a minor area and a research methods area. The prescribed course plan is selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research and prepare a dissertation yielding advancements in the field of Accounting.

Ph.D. in Business with an emphasis in Business Economics and Public Policy

For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 18 credits of courses which the student must complete in the Business Economics and Public Policy major.  For students with an emphasis in Business Economics and Public Policy, this prescribed coursework is focused on economic modeling, game theory, agency theory, information economics, and econometrics. In addition, the faculty advisory committee helps the student select appropriate coursework for a minor area and a research methods area. The prescribed course plan is selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research and prepare a dissertation yielding advancements in the field of Business Economics and Public Policy.

Ph.D. in Business with an emphasis in Decision Sciences

For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 18 credits of courses which the student must complete in the Decision Sciences major.  For students with an emphasis in Decision Sciences, this prescribed coursework is focused on preparing students for research careers in management science and/or operations management.  Emphasizing the use of mathematical models and analytical reasoning, students analyze problems in such areas as operations management, information technology, marketing, finance, management, and economics.  The mathematical problem-solving techniques used include mathematical (linear, integer, nonlinear) programming, computer simulation, decision analysis, statistics, applied probability, game theory and artificial intelligence. In addition, the faculty advisory committee helps the student select appropriate coursework for a minor area and a research methods area. The prescribed course plan is selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research and prepare a dissertation yielding advancements in the field of Decision Sciences.

Ph.D. in Business with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship

For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 18 credits of courses which the student must complete in the Entrepreneurship major.  For students with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship, this prescribed coursework is focused on the discovery and recognition of opportunities to bring into existence future products and services. In addition, the faculty advisory committee helps the student select appropriate coursework for a minor area and a research methods area. The prescribed course plan is selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research and prepare a dissertation yielding advancements in the field of Entrepreneurship.

Ph.D. in Business with an emphasis in Finance

For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 18 credits of courses which the student must complete in the Finance major.  For students with an emphasis in Finance, this prescribed coursework is focused on fundamental research in major areas of finance and analytical methodologies. In addition, the faculty advisory committee helps the student select appropriate coursework for a minor area and a research methods area. The prescribed course plan is selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research and prepare a dissertation yielding advancements in the field of Finance.

Ph.D. in Business with an emphasis in Information Systems

For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 18 credits of courses which the student must complete in the Information Systems major.  For students with an emphasis in Information Systems, this prescribed coursework is focused on topics that include:  Foundations of IS, Team Collaboration, IS Theory Building, and Systems Analysis and Design.  These courses are augmented with tools courses such as Statistics and Structural Equation Modeling.  In addition, the faculty advisory committee helps the student select appropriate coursework for a minor area and a research methods area. The prescribed course plan is selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research and prepare a dissertation yielding advancements in the field of Information Systems.

Ph.D. in Business with an emphasis in Marketing

For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 18 credits of courses which the student must complete in the Marketing major.  For students with an emphasis in Marketing, this prescribed coursework is focused around the three central domains within the marketing field:  consumer behavior, marketing strategy, and marketing models. In addition, the faculty advisory committee helps the student select appropriate coursework for a minor area and a research methods area. The prescribed course plan is selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research and prepare a dissertation yielding advancements in the field of Marketing.

Ph.D. in Business with an emphasis in Operations and Supply Chain Management

For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 18 credits of courses which the student must complete in the Operations and Supply Chain Management major.  For students with an emphasis in Operations and Supply Chain Management, this prescribed coursework is focused on ways to address the strategic and tactical problems faced by practicing managers overseeing the systems that transform resources (labor, capital, energy, and materials) into goods and services, from originating locations to their destination in the marketplace.  Good operations and supply chain management improves the use of resources through the development and implementation of effective operating systems to aid in the design, planning, and control of productive activities for both goods and services (such as Healthcare). In addition, the faculty advisory committee helps the student select appropriate coursework for a minor area and a research methods area. The prescribed course plan is selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research and prepare a dissertation yielding advancements in the field of Operations and Supply Chain Management. 

Ph.D. in Business with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management 

For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 18 credits of courses which the student must complete in the Organizational Behavior major.  For students with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior, this prescribed coursework is focused on human behavior in work settings, human capital acquisition, development, and deployment with an emphasis on explaining, predicting and influencing behavior in organizations. In addition, the faculty advisory committee helps the student select appropriate coursework for a minor area and a research methods area. The prescribed course plan is selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research and prepare a dissertation yielding advancements in the field of Organizational Behavior.

Ph.D. in Business with an emphasis in Strategic Management and Organization Theory

For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 18 credits of courses which the student must complete in the Strategic Management major.  For students with an emphasis in Strategic Management, this prescribed coursework is focused on the management of the total enterprise at the strategic level, alignment of its unique characteristcs and competencies with its external environment, and contextual variables that influense an organization's choice of structure.  In addition, the faculty advisory committee helps the student select appropriate coursework for a minor area and a research methods area.  The prescribed course plan is selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research and prepare a dissertation yielding advancements in the field of Strategic Management.