PhD in Management

The PhD in Management prepares students for research and teaching careers at universities around the world. Through close collaboration with faculty, rigorous coursework, and active involvement in research, students develop the theoretical knowledge and methodological skills needed to produce original scholarship and contribute to the field of Management.

Students begin developing as scholars early in the program by participating in faculty research, presenting their work at academic conferences, and pursuing opportunities to publish in respected journals. The program also prepares students to become effective instructors and engaged members of the academic profession.

Faculty expertise supports doctoral research across three primary areas:

• Organizational behavior and human resources, including employee well-being, mental health, workplace stress, person–organization fit, and strategic human capital
• Strategic management and entrepreneurship, including research on firms, leaders, innovation, competitive strategy, and new ventures
• Managerial communication and workplace relationships, including communication within organizations and between managers and key stakeholders

Faculty also bring expertise in healthcare organizations, analytics, and international business that may support research spanning these areas.

Dissertation

The dissertation is the culminating scholarly requirement of the PhD in Management. It requires students to conduct an original research project that makes a meaningful contribution to management theory and research.

Working under the guidance of a faculty dissertation committee, each student develops a research question, prepares and defends a formal proposal, conducts the study, and presents and defends the completed dissertation. The process allows students to demonstrate their ability to design and execute independent research and to communicate its contribution to an academic audience.

Students begin identifying potential dissertation topics and faculty mentors as their research interests develop during the program. After completing the required coursework and comprehensive examinations, students form a dissertation committee and advance to candidacy in accordance with Graduate School requirements.

Some past dissertations can be found in the institutional repository.

An excellent prior record from accredited universities is required and should include:

• High GPA (in excess of 3.5), and a positive trend in grades.
• High verbal and quantitative GMAT scores (recommended > 650, minimum = 600) or the GRE equivalent, taken within the past three years.
• Three letters of reference that speak to the ability of the applicant to successfully complete the PhD program and his or her potential for teaching and research.
• A current résumé or CV

• A statement of purpose that describes your motivation for pursuing a PhD (1-2 pages).

• A writing sample (solely authored by the applicant is encouraged, e.g., paper from a graduate course).

Note that a master’s degree is not required for our program. While there may be some advantages to having a master’s degree (particularly one that has already covered statistics and research methods), it is not a requirement for admission. Furthermore, because the goals of a PhD and master’s program (particularly an MBA) are very different, working on them at the same time will not be beneficial and thus is discouraged. Only in very rare cases do we allow transfer of MBA courses or PhD courses from other programs for credit in our program.

We encourage prospective students to apply by January 1 of the year they would like to be considered for admission. Applications are accepted after this date, but those submitted on or before January 1 will be given priority.

We only accept students to start in the Fall semester due to the structure of our coursework.

After an initial screening of applications for minimum admission requirements, we conduct video conference interviews with a select group of candidates. Pending outcome from those interviews, we extend offers, which applicants have until April 15 to accept. We will accept applications into the summer only if we have yet to fill our available positions.

All applications must be completed through The University of Alabama Graduate School. To apply, visit the Graduate School website.

Typical Program Structure and Timeline

Year 1 & 2: Students are required to complete at least three quantitative courses that cover topics such as multivariate statistics, structural equation modeling and multilevel modeling. In addition students must take six core management theory courses that cover organizational theory, strategic management, entrepreneurship, organizational behavior, and human resource management. See the graduate catalog (https://catalog.ua.edu/graduate/business/management/) for more details. At the end of Year 2, students take the comprehensive exam (see details below). Students must pass the exam in order to remain in the program.

Year 3: Students will begin to lead their own research project and teach an undergraduate course as the sole instructor.

Year 4: Student will continue to work on their research projects and make progress toward proposing their dissertation. Students are required to teach a second undergraduate course as the sole instructor.

Year 5: Students enter the academic job market and work toward completing their dissertation defense. 

Comprehensive exam process

The purpose of the comprehensive exam is to assess each student’s ability to integrate and synthesize the knowledge gained throughout their coursework. Students must demonstrate understanding of research methods, mastery of management research, familiarity with major concepts in the extant literature, and the ability to identify and articulate connections among key management topics.

Residency

The program is a full-time commitment, and students are expected to maintain continuous residence near The University of Alabama.

Language requirements for international students

Language requirements for international students can be found on the Graduate School Applicants page.