Pursuing a PhD in Management
This page contains resources for individuals who are interested in learning more about pursuing a PhD in Management. We have developed some information and resources suggested by research-active faculty members across a number of universities and compiled those here as a resource for others. The information is organized around questions you might have.
Getting a PhD in management is the first step that is necessary to become a Management Professor at a university. Getting a PhD is a full-time degree, usually takes 5 years, and is designed to help prepare you to research and teach at a business school. Below are a series of resources that explain more about the degree and the career.
Resources:
- Video of Texas A&M Professor Steve Boivie discussing pursuing a PhD in management
- Video prepared by the University of Georgia on pursuing a PhD in management
- PhD Wiki site with multiple documents on pursuing a PhD in management
- Another Slide Presentation on Being a Business Professor
- AACSB Salary Survey
- PhD Project: Is Getting a PhD Right for You
- Information on Comparing a PhD to a DBA
Academic research in Management falls under two broad umbrellas: Organizational Behavior and Strategy. Scholars in these two areas work to understand how and why organizations and individuals perform, compete, interact, and behave the way they do. Below are some interesting example papers to give you a sense of what it’s all about. Below are a set of resources that should help you get broadly familiar with research in these areas.
Resources:
- Some Interesting Example Management Papers: If you have difficulty accessing these articles, please contact the authors who will be willing to send you a copy
- AOM Insights Page
- Syllabi for introductory seminars in OB and Strategy: These may be useful to help you see the types of research topics covered in PhD classes, and also to see other examples of influential research papers
- Multiple other syllabi for PhD Seminars in Management (primarily areas related to Strategy topics)
- Southern Management Associations pre-doctoral conference: At this annual conference, there is a consortium that provides insights on key topics including the application process, expectations of doctoral students, student-doctoral program fit, and careers in academia.
Some of the information in the previous section is also directly relevant here.
The Academy of Management and Strategic Management Society are the two largest professional organizations in the field. Each has several divisions and interest groups that can give you a sense of the various topic areas studied in the field. Below you will also find links to podcasts by some prominent management professors, a number of books that are about management research and more.
Resources:
Most doctoral programs in Management require a Statement of Purpose, Letters of Recommendation, transcripts, and a GMAT or GRE score. Generally, you are NOT required to already have an advanced degree or significant work experience. Below find more information on various aspects related to applying. Most programs are quite selective and only admit 2-10 students annually.
Resources:
Most doctoral programs are designed to fully prepare you to conduct research, so you do not need to do additional preparation in advance. Additionally, once the program starts, it will likely be quite rigorous and time-intensive and so you might want to consider taking some time for yourself or spending time with family. However, if you want to do some additional work, you are best served by learning more about research topics of interest to you, methods and statistics, and possibly even start working on projects with faculty at your institution even before you arrive, especially if you arrive early in the summer before you officially start. Below are more resources to help you with these things.
Resources:
Learn More about Research Methods & Statistics
- Research Methods for Organizational Studies by Don Schwab
- UCLA statistics web page contain tutorials on each of the major software packages typically used in management research
- Khan Academy has lots of free resources to improve your understanding of statistics
- R is a free and open source statistical software package and this link provides some classes to help you get familiar with it.
Attend Academy of Management’s New PhD Consortium (The AOM meeting is typically held in August of each year)
Other information sources on getting A PhD in management
- List of Faculty Contributors (This is a link to a document that lists faculty members from different universities who contributed ideas or suggestions to this website and are willing to receive contact from potential PhD Students)
- The Academy of Management
- Strategic Management Society
- Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology
- The PhD Project: geared towards increasing minority professors in business
- Top Management Journals (see the list used in the Tamuga rankings)
- Grad Skool Rulz (book)
- 10 Articles Every Doctoral Student Should Read
- Yes, you can succeed in academia and still have a personal life, by Zeke Hernandez (University of Pennsylvania)
