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
  For more information, visit our website or contact the associate director, at 216.368.4141.
• Designing Sustainable Systems
  For more information, contact the managing director of the DBA program at dbaprogram@case.edu.
• Design & Innovation
  For more information about the PhD in Management Design & Innovation, visit our website or desn@case.edu.

Learning Outcomes

• Students produce publishable research with consequence to the accounting academy and professional disciplines. (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)
• Students grow into scholar-practitioners with competencies to apply multi-disciplinary knowledge and evidence to address complex managerial problems. (Designing Sustainable Systems)
• Students incorporate disciplinary perspectives in design, sustainability, and complex systems and how they relate to management in a global environment. (Designing Sustainable Systems)
• Students’ research draws upon mixed methods and knowledge paradigms. (Designing Sustainable Systems)

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 the associate director, at 216.368.4141.

Designing Sustainable Systems

The PhD in Management Designing Sustainable Systems is specifically designed for students in the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Program who elect to pursue the Doctor of Philosophy degree instead of the DBA degree. After they complete the second year of DBA coursework,  and are accepted into the PhD program, students will complete an additional 18 hours of graded coursework and 18 hours of Dissertation Research above and beyond the 40.5 credit hours earned as a DBA student.

Research Requirements and Deliverables

Transdisciplinary research is also the main focus of the PhD in Management: Designing Sustainable Systems track. PhD students in the program need to ground their study into a disciplinary field.  Throughout their 2 year course of study, students are expected to read seminal works and acquire knowledge that allows them to ground their research project to chosen discipline(s) (for example, marketing, strategy, accounting, information systems, organizational behavior, finance or economics). Students take a comprehensive exam demonstrating knowledge of the field's theories, research methods and results. Upon passing the comprehensive exam, students advance to candidacy for the PhD and must defend their PhD dissertation proposal and the final dissertation during their course of study.

PhD candidates in the PhD in Management: Designing Sustainable Systems track undertake dissertation research during their fourth year of study. This  extends their contribution to managerial disciplinary knowledge. Informed by courses in design practices, sustainable value and complex systems thinking, candidates also  incorporate human values and appropriate mixed methods designs into their research. As an original and significant contribution to a disciplinary field, the dissertation encompasses a detailed review of the chosen topic, relevant research questions, methods of inquiry and findings, as well as the practical and theoretical implications of the findings.

For more information, contact the managing director of the DBA program at dbaprogram@case.edu 

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.

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 spring 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 recommended.

For more information about the PhD in Management Design & Innovation, visit our website or desn@case.edu.

Certificate of Achievement in research skills for Quantitative Methodologies (AQM)

Graduate students at Case Western Reserve University can specialize in advanced analytics for applied research and study by earning this certificate of Achievement in research skills for Quantitative Methodologies (AQM). Learn more about the AQM certification requirements and eligibility.

Sample Plans of Study

Accountancy Sample Plan of Study

Designing Sustainable Systems Sample Plan of Study

40.5 credit hours earned as a DBA student are required prior to starting the Designing Sustainable Systems program.

Design & Innovation Sample Plan of Study