Doctor of Philosophy in Management

The primary objective of the PhD in management program is to train students to become independent research investigators in their chosen field of study. The program is designed to develop graduates skilled in research with both a theoretical and practical understanding of the complex problems of business management.

The approved fields in the PhD in management program are

  • accounting
  • finance
  • organizational behaviour and human resource management
  • marketing
  • supply chain, operations & technology management

Graduate Program Co-ordinator

Dr. Madhu Kalimipalli
mkalimipalli@wlu.ca
ext. 2187 

 
Admission Requirements

The normal requirement for admission to the program is a master's degree (or equivalent) in business or a related field with a minimum B+ average. All applicants must submit scores obtained on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). GMAT test scores of at least 85 percentile are standard. Where appropriate, corresponding Graduate Records Examinations (GRE) scores will be accepted. Applicants whose language of instruction was not English must furnish evidence of proficiency in English prior to admission, in accordance with university requirements. Advanced standing in courses specific to the candidate's program of study may be considered based on the recommendation to the dean of graduate studies from the PhD director in accordance with the University's policy on advanced standing.

 
Program Requirements

The expected time to completion is four years. Course work and comprehensive examinations are to be completed within the first two years of the program. In the third and fourth years students will conduct research and complete their doctoral dissertation. In addition to the course, comprehensive examination, and dissertation requirements described below, students are expected to participate in research seminars to foster their intellectual and professional development. Students are also encouraged to present the results of their research at conferences to ensure participation in the wider academic community.

Course Requirements

The PhD program should provide students with a broad management perspective. To the extent possible, students in different fields have common courses in year one.

In addition to the successful completion of BU891 - Comprehensive Examination and BU899 - Doctoral Dissertation, students must complete a minimum of 11 half-credit courses to earn the PhD degree. Course requirements by field are noted below:

Accounting

  • Term 1 -5: BU802 - Research Methodology, BU817 - Survey of Accounting Research, BU827 - Seminar in Financial Accounting, BU837 
  • Term 6:  BU891 - Comprehensive Examination
  • Terms 7-12: BU899 - Doctoral Dissertation
  • 7 courses related to the program of study, selected in consultation with the advisor and graduate coordinator

Finance

  • Term 1 - 2: EC655 - Econometrics, BU803 - Theory of Asset Pricing, BU823 - Seminar in Financial Economics, BU843 - Seminar in Advanced Financial Econometrics, BU853 - Market Microstructure, Trading and Investment Strategies, BU863 - Empirical Corporate Finance
  • Term 3: BU891 - Comprehensive Examination
  • Terms 4-6: BU753 - Empirical Studies in Fixed Income, BU802 - Research Methodology, BU833 - Empirical Asset Pricing
  • Terms 7-12: BU899 - Doctoral Dissertation
  • 2 courses related to the program of study, selected in consultation with the advisor and graduate coordinator

Marketing

  • Term 1 - 5: MS700 - Univariate and Multivariate Statistics, BU800 - Fundamentals of Behavioural Research, BU812 - Marketing Philosophy and Theory, BU822 - Marketing Strategy, BU801 - Management Foundations, BU842 - Consumer Behavior, BU802 - Research Methodology, BU862 - Research in Brand & Product, PS800 - Advanced Multivariate Methods, BU852 - Service and Relationship Marketing
  • Term 6: BU891 - Comprehensive Examination
  • Terms 7-12: BU899 - Doctoral Dissertation
  • 1 courses related to the program of study, selected in consultation with the advisor and graduate coordinator

Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management

  • Term 1 - 5: MS700 - Univariate and Multivariate Statistics, BU800 - Fundamentals of Behavioural Research, BU804 - Organizational Behaviour, BU814 - Human Resource Management, BU802 - Research Methodology, PS800 - Advanced Multivariate Methods
  • Term 6: BU891 - Comprehensive Examination
  • Terms 7-12: BU899 - Doctoral Dissertation
  • 5 courses related to the program of study, selected in consultation with the advisor and graduate coordinator

Supply Chain, Operations & Technology Management

  • Term 1- 5: EC620 - Microeconomics I, EC655 - Econometrics, BU805 - Deterministic Quantitative Analysis, BU815 - Stochastic Analysis and Simulation, BU859 - Foundations of Operations Management, BU802 - Research Methodology, BU825 - Foundations of Supply Chain Management, BU845 - Seminar in Supply Chain Management I, BU855 - Seminar in Supply Chain Management II
  • Term 6: BU891 - Comprehensive Examination
  • Terms 7-12: BU899 - Doctoral Dissertation
  • 2 courses related to the program of study, selected in consultation with the advisor and graduate coordinator

Comprehensive Exam

Students must successfully pass a comprehensive examination in their field of specialization, normally at the end of the second year of the program. The comprehensive examination must be successfully completed before the dissertation proposal is written and its defence scheduled.

These examinations are set by each field according to their requirements and may consist of both written and oral components based on the student's coursework and literature of the student's chosen field. Should a candidate be unsuccessful on a comprehensive examination, a second attempt may be made within one semester. Failure on the second attempt will result in the candidate being required to withdraw from the program.

 
Doctoral Dissertation

In the seventh term (year 3) of registration, the student is required to prepare and orally defend a dissertation proposal. The proposal must be successfully defended prior to commencing the doctoral dissertation. The purpose of the defence is to ensure that the candidate has a viable dissertation proposal and the background to complete the research project successfully. The proposal must be presented to an advisory committee consisting of the faculty supervisor and two other faculty members, at least one of whom must be from the School of Business and Economics. At least one of these faculty members must be from a field outside of the student's field of specialization.

The regulations and procedures of the university will govern both the dissertation and the examination formats.

 
Progress Reports

In April of the first year of registration and once a year thereafter, a student is required to complete an annual progress report detailing the achievements of the previous year and the objectives for the next year. The report must demonstrate satisfactory progress and must be signed with comments by the supervisor and program director. Failure to submit a satisfactory report may result in the student being required to withdraw from the program.