Departments

Ph.D. in Management Science

Ph.D. Advisor

Ph.D. Advisor
Dr. Robert Pavur
Room: BLB 319G
Phone: ((940) 565-3107
Email: Robert.pavur@unt.edu

 

Course Work

Course work requirements for the Ph.D. in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Science consists of major and supporting fields of at least 33 hours and a research core of 12 hours. The specific requirements of the major and supporting fields are established by each individual student's Program Committee, although 9 of the 33 hours, and 3 of the research core hours, are typically used for the supporting field. The research core, required of all business Ph.D. students, provides a common foundation in research methodology. The final requirements for the Ph.D. consist of 12 hours of pre-dissertation individual research and 12 hours of dissertation research.

Students entering the Ph.D. program have widely varying academic and professional backgrounds. Students are individually evaluated by their Degree Program Committee and a degree program is designed especially to meet their particular needs and interests. The following degree programs describe the typical requirements for some of the more common academic backgrounds entering the Management Science program.

Research Requirements

All Ph.D. programs in Business Administration are required to complete 15 hours of approved formal course work in research methodology, 6 hours of methodological electives, and 24 hours of the independent pre-dissertation and dissertation research study. Management Science Ph.D. students typically satisfy their research requirements with the following courses:

Research (15 hours)

Pre-Dissertation Research

Dissertation

The research core is designed to provide the student with competencies in epistemology, logic, philosophy of science, research design, analytic tools, and business research methodology. Consequently, students should take the research core courses early in their program so that they can apply the concepts learned throughout their program.

Pre-dissertation and dissertation research is not started until the student has passed his/her qualifying examinations and has been admitted to candidacy. This research is supervised by the student's major professor (Dissertation Committee Chairperson). The pre-dissertation research is oriented towards developing a defendable dissertation proposal and leads up to the development of a successful dissertation.

Students are urged to consider their research goals very early in their program. Students should coordinate their career interests, research interests, and dissertation interests with their course work. Students that attempt to complete a dissertation without the appropriate supporting course work normally do not successfully finish their program.

Begin your dissertation preparation and research starting the very first day of your Ph.D. program.

General Deficiency Requirements

If a student does not have an academic background equivalent to the background requirements for the MBA program, then the student will be required to complete those 5000-level background courses for the MBA that are appropriate to remove the deficiencies.

MBA Background

Students that enter the Ph.D. program with an MBA should have had previous course work equivalent to the following MSCI core courses:

Although specific degree program requirements are established in advance by the student's Degree Program Committee, a typical 33 hour major and supporting field degree program for students having an M.B.A. consist of some of the following courses:

Management Science Major Courses

Please note: Every student must enroll in MSCI 6750 Seminar every semester until comprehensive exams are successfully passed. Credit is not given.

Bachelor's Degree Background

Students that enter the Ph.D. program with a Bachelor's Degree will have typically satisfied the general degree requirements (if not, see the General Deficiency Requirements). It is expected that students should be able to complete all course and independent study requirements within the required 99 semester hours regardless of the student's previous background.

Although specific degree program requirements are established in advance by the student's Degree Program Committee, a typical degree program for students having a Bachelor's Degree might include some of the following courses:

MBA Core Course Requirements

Please note: Every student must enroll in MSCI 6750 Seminar every semester until comprehensive exams are successfully passed. Credit is not given.