Guide to the Ph.D. in Business Administration

Marshall School of BusinessUniversity of Southern California www.marshall.usc.edu/phd

Guide to the Ph.D. in Business Administration

And the Ph.D. Degree at the Marshall School of Business


What is a Ph.D. Degree?

5-year, full-time degree program

Designed to produce future professors who will produce new knowledge about business (through research) and teach the future generation of business leaders.

Does not require an MBA degree or even a Masters degree.


What Kind of Background is Best?

Students with undergraduate or masters degrees in:

Social sciences (e.g., psychology, sociology, economics, political science) or

Mathematical sciences (math, engineering, statistics, computer sciences).

Business

Particularly well suited to students who have had prior research experience.


What is the Focus?

Emphasis:

Cultivating deep knowledge of one domain relevant to business (accounting, finance, information systems, operations management, management/ organizational behavior, marketing/ consumer behavior).

Developing skills to develop novel ideas and cutting edge methodological and statistical research skills to study them.

Developing skills to become a professor.


You Would Focus on a Particular Area such as…..

Marketing Consumer Behavior Marketing Strategy and Decision

Making Marketing Models

Management and Organizations (MOR) Organizational Behavior Organizational Theory Strategy

Accounting Auditing Taxes Control Systems

Information and Operations Management IOM) Information Systems Operations Management Statistics

Finance and Business Economics (FBE) Corporate Finance Asset Pricing Macro-Economics


You Would Learn to Ask and Answer Important Research Questions that..

Push the frontiers of knowledge…Questions that are….

Novel (ask a new question never before understood or known)

Relevant (to academic discipline; to companies; to society)

Important (resolves issues that many people care deeply about)

Rigorous (well-executed; controls for rival explanations; no agenda)

Generalizable (not specific to particular person, company, or industry; otherwise, consulting)


Some Examples of Research Questions Asked in Different Disciplines

In Management: How does incivility in the workplace impact the performance of companies? How do we design effective compensation schemes?

In Marketing/Consumer Behavior: Why do consumers over-consume and overspend, despite significant

economic, social, and psychological costs? How can companies measure the value of their brands?

In Accounting: What institutional factors affect the quality of accounting information? Do non-audit service fees impair auditor independence? If so, how much?

In Operations Management/Information Systems: What will be the effect of the global outsourcing of services? In what ways will technology transform the workplace environment?

In Finance: When should companies pay dividends to investors? How does the behavior of institutional investors affect the corporate finance

policies of firms?

What Could I Study?

•Strategy Formulation & Implementation/

• Strategic Alliances/Mergers/Acquisitions Strategic Change

• Corporate Governance• Executive Leadership/

Top-Management Teams• Designing High-Performing

Organizations• Strategic Human Resource

Management/ Compensation andIncentives

• Negotiation & Deal Making• Information Systems Design

•Performance Metrics /ManagementControl

• Accounting and Financial Reporting• Asset Management/Financing

• Stock Options/Dividend Policies• Bankruptcy

Organizations

Customer Behavior• Perceptions and Emotions

• Information SearchAnd Information Processing• Risk and Decision Making

• Brand Loyalty Commitment• Saving and Spending

Managing the Customer Interface

New Product Development/Design, Pricing and DemandForecasting

IntegratedMarketingComm. andBranding

ManagingProduct/ServiceDelivery

CRM

Supply Chain Management• Procurement• Manufacturing

• Inventory Control Processes• Systems Design

Investments/Valuation• Venture Capital

• Asset Pricing/Valuation• Risk Valuation (credit/investment)

• Investment Products/Funds• Portfolio Management• Investor Psychology/

Herd Behavior Analyst Recommendations

Media

Government• Taxes/Savings Incentives

• Social Security• Regulations

Auditors• Auditor Judgments/

• Audit Quality Accounting Fraud


Why Get a Ph.D. in Business?

Jobs! The job market for Ph.D.s looks strong due to future

faculty retirements and worldwide demand for business programs

Money! Faculty members at the top research schools are

very well paid. Salaries ranging from $150-$200,000 per year for entry level positions are possible

Options With a Ph.D. degree you can do lots of things: teach,

do research, engage in consulting. If academics doesn’t work out you have work in industry to fall back on.

Flexibility You don’t always spend your days in the office. A lot

of work can be done from home or from other places. Job Stability

If you are tenured, you have a job for life.


Continual Learning You never get bored. Because the field is always

changing, you are always learning and discovering new things.

Personal Satisfaction You get personal pleasure out of contributing to

your school, helping students learn and seeing them succeed, and making contributions to your profession and the business world through your publications

Opportunities for Advancement Once you graduate, you become an Assistant

Professor, then Associate Professor, Full Professor, Chaired Professor and maybe even Dean, President or Provost!

Economic Support while you are in the Program Many Ph.D. Programs support you financially

through fellowships or assistantships, tuition waivers and other benefits.

Why Get a Ph.D. in Business?


Why Get a Ph.D. at USC?

We have a top rated Ph.D. Program Our faculty are outstanding and highly regarded

members of their field They are members of the Editorial Review Boards of the top

journals in business and related fields They are winners of numerous, high profile research awards They are award-winning teachers

Our program is small Students get a lot of mentoring and attention from dedicated,

research active faculty Our program is flexible

Students develop a program of student that suits their research interests


Students have been placed at top research universities

We support our students very well! All accepted students receive: Full tuition remission Generous and extremely competitive stipend of $23,800 per

year. Health and dental insurance Payment of mandatory student fees Students receive these benefits for all 5 years (contingent on

satisfactory student progress) Los Angeles is a beautiful, vibrant, multi-cultural

community.

Why Get a Ph.D. at USC?


How is the Program Structured?

Courses for the first two years (3-4 courses per fall and spring semester). Include: Required seminars in your field Elective base discipline classes (e.g., in psychology,

economics, sociology, math, etc.) Elective research methodology and statistics classes

First year screening exam Qualifying exam- end of 2nd year Research assistantship with a faculty mentor (10

hrs/week) for 8 semesters Teaching assistantship for 1 semester (2 classes; with

a faculty mentor) Teaching 1 course (to gain real teaching experience) Dissertation Job Market Search Graduation!


Students Admitted to USC Are…

Intellectually curious Interested in academic research Research experience (ideal but

not necessary) Backgrounds in social science or

math-related disciplines (ideal, but not necessary)

Strong letters of recommendation Strong academic background Good fit with the research interests

of the faculty Understands what a Ph.D.

program is and is not


Application FAQs

• How can I apply?• It’s easy: Apply online at http://www.marshall.usc.edu/admissions/applyonline• Our application deadline is December 15th.

• What do I need to submit my application?• A resume• Transcripts• GRE/GMAT scores and the TOFEL (if required)• The names of 3 people who can writer letters of recommendation,

ideally from faculty members who know you well and who can speak to your capacity to do Ph.D. research in your chosen field.• An application fee

• Do I apply to the program overall or to a specific department?• You apply to the specific department you want to join.


Do I need to have taken the GMAT, or is a GRE OK? Either is fine.

I am not from the US. Do I need to take the TOFEL? Yes, unless you got your undergraduate degree from a US

University.

Can I enroll on a part-time or distance learning basis? Sorry, we only accept students in the program on a full-time

basis. Students must be in residence. We have found that a full-time experience helps degree progress and success.

Do you accept applications for January admission? No. Students can only apply for fall admission.

Application FAQs


Should I apply if I want to become a consultant? If you want to become a consultant, our program is not for you.

Should I apply if I want to teach and not do research? If you are primarily interested in teaching at a college but do not

want to do research, USC is not the best school for you.

How many students do you accept each year? Between 15 and 20.

Can I visit USC and meet the faculty? Absolutely. Make arrangements with the faculty Ph.D.

Coordinator in the department you wish to apply to.

Application FAQs


Program FAQs

How many students drop out each year? Not many. We are very selective so we minimize the likelihood

that students will need to be dropped from the program.

How do I find someone to work with once I am in the program? As soon as you begin you are matched with a faculty member

mentor whose interests match yours. As you progress through the program you will identify which

faculty member(s) will be best to guide you through your qualifying exam and dissertation.


Do you require specific courses? Each department has a set of required courses. Beyond that,

students work with a faculty mentor to develop a program of student that is best for them.

See sample courses of study in our Ph.D. Brochure. Do I have the summers off?

Everyone needs some vacation. But most of the summer months are devoted to your studies.

What are the screening and qualifying exams like? Ask the Ph.D. Coordinator in the department you are interested

in to tell you more about these exams. Can I graduate in less than 5 years?

It is possible to graduate in 4 years. But most students find that they have better employment prospects (and better resumes) if they take 5 years to graduate.

Program FAQs


How much teaching will I do? You serve as a TA for one semester and teach 1 class– enough to give you

teaching experience but not so much that you can’t focus on your research.

When does the TA and Teaching term occur? Not until the 3rd or 4th year in the program.

What kind of support to do you give to teaching? We have a teaching workshop for students taught by an

outstanding faculty teacher. We support the learning about teaching through the TA experience. We offer students the serves of USC’s outstanding Center for

Excellence in Teaching. We have a Faculty Development Coordinator who can support

students once they teach.

Program FAQs


Who Should I Talk to in the Department I am Interested in?

Faculty Ph.D. Coordinators include: Dr. K.R. Subramanyam (Accounting) Dr. Aris Protopapadakis (Finance and

Business Economics) Dr. Sriram Dasu (Information and

Operations Management) Dr. Jonathan Jaffee (Management and

Organization) Dr. Shantanu Dutta (Marketing)

The Dean of the Ph.D. Program is: Dr. Debbie MacInnis


Where Can I Get More Information?

Visit our Ph.D. Program Website

Visit the Department Websites Accounting Finance and Business Economics Information and Operations Management Management and Organization Marketing

Download our Brochure

See the PhD video on our website.

Guide to the Ph.D. in Business Administration

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