Management, PhD
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Field of Study: Management
Program Overview
A PhD in Management offers students the opportunity to develop theory-driven scholarship that is grounded in practice and explores various dimensions of value creation and to prepare for a career as a faculty member.
Candidates may specialize in one of three areas:
- Accountancy
- Designing Sustainable Systems
- Design & Innovation
Learning Outcomes
- Students produce publishable research with consequence to accounting professors and discipline (Accountancy)
- Students communicate accounting content to interested audiences in a sophisticated manner (Accountancy)
- Students possess the knowledge skills and professional values needed to conduct the highest quality research in the field of management (Design and Innovation)
- Students are leading scholars in careers as educators at the top levels of their specialization (Design and Innovation)
PhD Policies
For PhD policies and procedures, please review the School of Graduate Studies section of the General Bulletin.
Program Requirements
The Management, PhD allows students to specialize in areas of Accountancy, Designing Sustainable Systems, or Design & Innovation.
Accountancy
The Accountancy track in the PhD in Management program is structured and a student study plan is developed to support high-quality research and effective teaching based upon knowledge and skill levels appropriate to a student's goals. Doctoral students work with faculty whose research investigates matters of importance to academics, practitioners and policy makers, in order to influence practice and standard setting in both the private and public sectors.
Curriculum
The first two academic years are directed toward the study of the literature, methods and recent research appropriate to a student's identified interests. Most summer periods are available for individual reading, development and writing along project lines to be determined by the student's chair and program committee. This two-year period is expected to provide the foundation for preparing well-developed research papers that exhibit knowledge and skill levels appropriate to an individual's goals as he or she approaches candidacy.
The third year is devoted to writing-focused individual papers leading to a dissertation proposal under the supervision of a study program committee. Based upon one of these high-quality research papers, a suitable dissertation proposal will be prepared by the end of the third year of study. This research and writing activity will not only help to determine the student's dissertation topic but will also be considered equivalent to field examinations. The series of papers leading up to the dissertation proposal, the proposal itself and an oral presentation to the student's study program committee will be taken into account as the committee determines whether to grant doctoral candidate status to the student.
The fourth year is focused upon completion of the dissertation. The student will also prepare documents necessary and helpful for the acquisition of a full-time academic appointment. Most students will also be engaged in the revision of submissions of academic work to journals in the accounting discipline. Throughout the program, the student will develop competencies related to classroom and teaching activities as well.
For more information, visit our website or contact Lila Robinson, department administrator, at 216.368.2055.
Designing Sustainable Systems
Weatherhead’s Designing Sustainable Systems track in the PhD in Management program offers an extension to the DBA. This program is for DBA students who wish to reorient their careers to formally pursue positions as academic researchers and scholars. DBA students can apply for this degree program during their second year in the DBA program.
Research Requirements and Deliverables
Although transdisciplinary research is the main focus of the PhD in Management: Designing Sustainable Systems track, candidates must be grounded in a disciplinary field. Therefore, throughout their course of study, candidates will read seminal works and acquire knowledge that leads to grounding in their chosen discipline(s) (for example, marketing, strategy, accounting, information systems, organizational behavior, finance or economics). Students are required to take a comprehensive exam demonstrating knowledge of the field's theories, research methods and results. Upon passing the comprehensive exam, students are advanced to candidacy for the PhD. Candidates defend their PhD thesis proposal and the final thesis during their course of study.
Doctoral candidates in the PhD in Management: Designing Sustainable Systems track undertake dissertation research during their fourth year of study to extend their contributions to managerial knowledge. Informed by courses in design practices, sustainable value and complex systems thinking, candidates incorporate human values and appropriate mixed methods of analysis into their research. An original and significant endeavor, the dissertation includes a detailed review of the chosen topic, relevant research questions, methods of inquiry used and findings obtained, as well as the implications of these findings.
For more information, contact Sue Nartker, managing director of the DBA program, at 216.368.1943; or Shelley Muchnicki, associate director of the program, at 216.368.3811.
Design & Innovation
The Management Design & Innovation track in the PhD in Management program brings together the disciplines of information systems and marketing to prepare scholars for path-creating research on consequential issues faced by organizations and managers.
This world-class management doctoral degree program in the Department of Design & Innovation seeks to develop scholars who:
- Challenge conventional wisdom
- Think critically and creatively
- Are skilled in rigorous research methods that transcend the qualitative/quantitative divide
- Desire a career addressing significant organizational problems
We value thought and action that betters the lives of people, contributes to a just society and maintains a sustainable environment. Our objective is to be recognized globally as a distinctive force in management research that is founded on interdisciplinary, outward-looking faculty collaboration and that addresses deep problems confronting today’s organizations.
Program Features
Weatherhead’s PhD in Management with a concentration in Design & Innovation is focused on interdisciplinary research and trains academic scholars for faculty positions in information systems, strategy, management and marketing at leading business schools.
PhD students will generally engage with problems grounded in practice, building on traditions in the disciplines of information systems, strategy and marketing. The PhD program encourages a hands-on education, broad exposure to technique, close association with industry and intensive workshops with senior faculty.
Curriculum
The organizing principles for the program are to:
- Provide rigorous interdisciplinary training in theory and methods through core courses
- Challenge students to develop research articles in each year of study that draw from their interdisciplinary training
The PhD in Management program consists of coursework in three areas and a dissertation. Coursework in the following areas is required: general management research and methods, specialization research and a minor area of study.
Sample First Year
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| DESN 527 | Seminar in DESN | 3 |
| MGMT 648 | Causal Analysis of Business Problems I | 3 |
| MGMT 649 | Causal Analysis of Business Problems II | 3 |
| MGMT 560 | Theoretical Perspectives in Management | 3 |
| DESN Elective | ||
Sample Second Year
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MGMT 571 | Measurement Theory and Method | 3 |
| MGMT 573 | Applied Multivariate Data Analysis | 3 |
| Department Seminar | ||
| DESN Elective | ||
| DESN Elective | ||
At the end of first and second year of study, each student will be expected to complete and present a publishable paper that draws from one of more of their courses of study and demonstrates their progress in the program.
Following the completion of all required coursework, students take a comprehensive qualifying examination, generally during the second summer semester or early in the fall semester of the third year. Upon successful completion of the comprehensive qualifying examination, the student is admitted to candidacy and formally begins the dissertation phase of the program.
Students will be expected to complete a teaching requirement as part of their PhD studies. This requirement includes engaging in teaching responsibilities for at least two full semesters (not including summer) as an instructor of an assigned course and/or assistant assigned to faculty teaching a course. Teaching responsibilities are governed by department priorities as determined by the chair.
Design & Innovation Specializations
Information Systems Specialization
A management discipline engaged in design- and information-based inquiry, information systems (IS) is influenced by a broad set of concepts from the humanities, social sciences and engineering. The IS faculty is a center of excellence for learning about the ways in which information is generated and used in organizations. We believe that a broad, theoretical study of information that includes human, social and technical aspects will best enable people in organizations to achieve their operational and strategic missions.
The program seeks intellectually curious students who possess a solid background in information systems or computer science; industrial, service, or interaction design; or related academic areas. The program prepares students for a career in research and teaching, primarily in academic institutions. We seek to attract rigorous lateral thinkers who want to shape their environments and build a strong scholarly track record in design principles for innovation.
Marketing Specialization
As a discipline, marketing lies at the core of the purpose of management—to create and deliver value to customers, shareholders and society at large. As a profession, marketing serves an organization’s vital interests—to manage capabilities for value creation and delivery at organization–customer and organization–society interfaces. Technology, information and globalization are rapidly changing how organizations interact with customers to create and deliver value.
The marketing faculty is a center of excellence for the study and management of valued customer relationships. We view brands, offerings, interactions and interfaces as design elements and our crucibles for innovation. We recognize that fascinating opportunities for design and innovation lie in dynamic markets that are increasingly rich in information, social in networks, and flat in connectivity.
Qualified students will have a demonstrable record of intellectual curiosity, academic excellence and industry experience with a marketing orientation. We value diversity and encourage students with academic work in basic and social sciences including engineering, health and law to apply, in addition to those with business backgrounds. A master's degree with at least two years of industry experience is a must
For more information about the PhD in Management Design & Innovation, visit our website or contact Gail Stringer, department administrator, at 216.368.5326.
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