How do I get a Management PhD?

Management majors study subjects such as finance, accounting, information systems, economics, or operations management. The career focus could be in a corporate setting, real estate, local government, federal government, the health care sector, engineering management, education, or a variety of other sectors. Some individuals who focus in management will eventually pursue the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree, as having a PhD increases their chances of attaining a job with sufficient levels of responsibility and financial compensation. Granted, in order to get a management PhD, one must successfully complete an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree.

Completion of an undergraduate degree in business can be useful if you seek to eventually become a management PhD. The undergraduate degree in business can include a specialty in accounting, finance, marketing, information systems or any other business specialty. While working on the undergraduate degree, keep in mind that attainment of good grades is important because business school is very competitive on the graduate level. Indeed, a high grade point average (GPA) will likely do much to impress graduate admissions committees and this increases the likelihood that a doctoral management program will admit you.

Application to a management PhD program typically happens either during the fall semester of the final year of college or after a few years of employment in the business world. If you make the decision to apply to a management PhD program during the last year of college, make sure you choose professors who know you well and can write good quality letters of recommendation for you. Also, you will be required to fill out graduate school applications, write application essays, take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and successfully complete interviews with the schools you apply to.

If a doctoral management program accepts you, then you must successfully complete the coursework in your chosen business specialty. For example, a management PhD will tend to specialize in accounting, finance, or marketing. In addition to completion of a doctoral specialty, you must complete general coursework such as quantitative methods, strategy, leadership, conflict and mediation, organizational behavior, business ethics, and decision theory. Also, you will most likely be required to complete a doctoral level management internship in a business setting compatible with the type of work you want to pursue for your business career.

In addition, you will be required to complete a dissertation project. The dissertation will pertain to a management topic of your choosing. Presentation of your dissertation research in writing and verbal defense of the dissertation in the presence of your dissertation committee is required as part of this process. Then, once you have successfully defended your dissertation, you will attain the PhD in management.