Doctor of Philosophy in Strategic Management

The PhD program in strategic management allows students to make scholarly contributions to the field through research, and to prepare for a career in academia.From exploring strategic decision processes to resource allocation, students seek to understand the factors that make up a successful organization. Isenberg’s PhD in Strategic Management is a rigorous, stimulating and highly collaborative full-time, residential program that prepares students for careers in academia and industry. Students will deepen their understanding of management theory and will conduct independent research based on their interests. Working closely with faculty in intimate classroom settings, students will develop research for publication. Students also teach graduate-level classes. Students generally complete a PhD in Strategic Management within four years. Students must take 45 credits of coursework, which seminars in organizational theory and organizational behavior, as well as statistics, methods and elective courses. Students must pass both a qualifying and comprehensive examination, take a professional colloquium course, write and defend a dissertation, and teach at Isenberg.

All applicants are expected to be graduates of an accredited American college or university or a foreign institution determined to be equivalent, and to have achieved acceptable grade point averages in all prior undergraduate and graduate studies. Applicants must submit scores on either the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Records Examination (GRE).The following prerequisites should be met upon application, or shortly after entry, to the PhD Program:Mathematics and Statistics: Working knowledge of differential and integral calculus, matrix algebra, probability, sampling, estimation, hypothesis testing, experimental design, and regression.Economics: Intermediate level knowledge of microeconomics and macroeconomics.Business Administration: Introductory level knowledge of the following areas: accounting, finance, marketing, business policy, operations management, public policy toward business, and business law.Students entering the program may have acquired the knowledge by formal course work, self-study, or work experience. Some students with otherwise strong credentials are admitted without meeting all of these prerequisites. Such students usually make up their deficiencies by taking more courses than students who meet the requirements upon entry. Applicants with a recently awarded MBA degree are normally considered to have met these entrance requirements.