The theoretically based, managerially relevant doctoral program in business administration seeks to prepare students for careers in research and teaching in management and related areas at leading business schools and universities. This is accomplished by fostering a learning environment in which students can achieve intellectual growth and fulfillment. Successful completion of the doctoral program therefore entails much more than the satisfaction of a set of formal requirements. Doctoral students are expected to assess their knowledge and skills in regular consultation with the faculty and to develop a set of educational experiences that will fulfill their needs and facilitate the pursuit of personal goals.

Contact Information

University of Pittsburgh

Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business

Doctoral Program

Director

282 Mervis Hall

412-648-1522

www.business.pitt.edu/katz/phd

Application Procedures

All application materials must be submitted by February 1 of the year of expected entry into the program. The basic prerequisite for admission to the doctoral program is the equivalent of an American bachelor's degree. Many applicants also have advanced degrees and professional experience. Scores on the GMAT or GRE (as well as on the TOEFL for international students) are required, along with recommendation letters and transcripts.

Financial Aid

Most financial aid for doctoral students is in the form of an assistantship that requires research and some teaching. The assistantship provides a stipend, tuition remission, and health insurance. Assistantships are available to domestic as well as international students. Funds associated with specific research projects are sometimes available to students, and faculty often help students obtain funding for dissertation research. A maximum of 30 credits from a previously earned masters degree may be applied.

Sequence of Study

Progress to the PhD consists of, in order: the seminar phase, comprehensive examinations, and the dissertation. Students complete course work in the seminar phase. This is the time during which the student sets scholarly standards and goals. Every student prepares a written statement called the Field Statement upon declaring the student's areas of study. This is also the time to form relationships with faculty members and begin developing research skills.

Most doctoral courses involve research projects and the majority of students, including all those with assistantships, work on faculty research from an early stage. A minimum of 72 postbaccalaureate credits is required for the PhD degree.

Formal requirements in the seminar phase are:

• Work to ensure a basic level of competence in the disciplines and functions relevant to management. Students choose 6 credits of MBA course work. Some or all of these requirements may be exempted depending on educational background and doctoral course objectives.
• Twenty-four doctoral credits in the major area of study and nine in the minor* area of study (see section on the respective program for details)
• A 6-credit teaching requirement
• *At least 12 credits in research methodology or a 21 credit research methodology minor
• A grade point average of 3.3
• A preliminary evaluation

Comprehensive examinations are written and oral examinations in both the major and minor area of study. Each student's exams are designed individually, focusing on the area(s) of study. The student is expected to demonstrate comprehensive ability, meaning the ability to synthesize and build on all that the student has learned.

Dissertation

Doctoral students are required to demonstrate their capacity to engage in a sustained research effort by completing a doctoral dissertation. The dissertation entails an independent investigation of a problem of acknowledged significance and size in a management-related area. Only if the dissertation is judged to demonstrate such competence, after a formal defense in a final oral examination, does the department recommend the awarding of a degree.

For more details on requirements of doctoral students, see Regulations Pertaining to Doctoral Degrees in the front section of this bulletin.

Timeline to Graduation

Most students earn the PhD in four years. The seminar phase typically lasts two years, while the comprehensive exams and the dissertation together require an additional two years to complete.

Statute of Limitations

The statute of limitations represents the maximum time permitted for the fulfillment of all requirements for the PhD degree. The statute of limitations is as follows:

1. Comprehensive examinations must be completed in the seventh term of study.
2. The dissertation overview examination must be successfully completed before the end of the fourth year.
3. The dissertation defense must be completed successfully before the end of the sixth year.

Placement

The Katz School's goal is to place PhD graduates in universities that consistently produce high-quality business research, and a successful record has been established in this regard.

Individual Curriculum Design

The school offers structured doctoral programs in the following areas of study:

• Accounting
• Decision Sciences, Operations, and Information Technology
  • Decision Sciences, Operations and Artificial Intelligence
  • Information Systems
• Finance
• Marketing and Business Economics
  • Marketing
• Organizations and Entrepreneurship
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management
  • Strategic Management

Within the framework of these standard areas, every PhD student plans a unique, individual area of study. A student may choose any of the areas as a primary (major) area of study or as a secondary (minor) area of study. Each of the areas of study provides additional choices to meet student interests and developmental needs. All have subspecialties; all explore a range of current topics. In addition, to expand the option in the core areas, students are invited to draw on courses and research opportunities at the Katz School, as well as other parts of the University, and other institutions.

Two goals must be balanced in planning an individual program. One is to acquire a sound body of knowledge in recognized disciplines and methods. The other is to choose a mix of courses, mentors, and research topics geared to the student's own interests and talents. Ideally, this will lead to a truly original dissertation, followed by a career of meaningful research.

Degree requirements for each of the areas of study are outlined below:

Accounting

The Katz Accounting Doctoral Program prepares graduates to succeed as accounting scholars and educators at top business schools in the United States and abroad. The program features rigorous coursework, thorough research training and close working relationships between doctoral students and faculty to prepare students to be leading accounting academics. Our graduates have an excellent track record of placements at research-oriented business schools and in succeeding in those environments.

All accounting doctoral students are provided with 4 years of financial support, with 3 of those years being appointments as a research assistant working with faculty members.  The remaining year is provided in exchange for teaching development activities.  This ensures that all graduates develop both excellent research and teaching skills.

Accounting Curriculum

Accounting doctoral students take two years of coursework and typically take their comprehensive exams in late August of the summer following their second year. Programs of study are tailored to students’ interests. However, all students take the same graduate level courses in Economics and Statistics and five Accounting PhD seminars. In addition, students will be required to take additional coursework in Finance, Econometrics, Game Theory, Cognitive Psychology, Experimental Design and other areas, as appropriate.

Katz Accounting doctoral students’ research interests have included experimental economics, behavioral auditing, capital markets, corporate governance, organizational design and incentives in healthcare and economic modeling of accounting phenomena.

 

Introduction to Accounting Research
Experimental Research in Accounting
Capital Markets Research in Accounting
Economic Models of Agency and Control
Empirical Research in Managerial Accounting

Decision Sciences, Operations, and Artificial Intelligence

The Decision Sciences, Operations, and Artificial Intelligence Group offers very flexible options for a doctoral student in a variety of related fields. These programs require coursework for about two years, followed by a period of dissertation-related research. The doctoral program prepares students for a career in teaching and research at institutions of higher learning, although a corporate job is also a possibility.  

Possible specialization areas are:

• Data Mining and Business Analytics
  
• Decision Sciences
  
• Project Management
  
• Revenue Management
• Simulation Methodology
• Stochastic Modeling and Applied Statistical Methods
• Supply Chain Management

During the first two years, doctoral students typically work with multiple ODSAI faculty, either as graduate research assistants or as teaching assistants, so that they can learn about the different research interests of the faculty. Some of the coursework taken during the first two years is common for all the various specializations, but some is customized to meet individual student needs. Students, in consultation with their faculty advisors, take courses at Katz, but supplement them with courses from Pitt's Departments of Mathematics, Statistics, and Industrial Engineering and the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. Data mining is a dynamically evolving field, and course offerings may vary substantially from year to year. For their research, students have some flexibility to work on interdisciplinary management issues, such as those that overlap between operations and marketing, operations and strategy, and operations and accounting.  

These programs are designed to lead to involvement in research as soon as possible. Students typically take four courses in each of their first two terms, and then, in their first summer term, begin a significant research project, which may be related to their graduate student assistantship duties. The summer project is intended to lead to a journal submission, and it may also develop into a dissertation topic; a manuscript based on the summer work is expected to be completed by the end of the fall term of the second year of study. Students take additional coursework in their second year of study, and typically take their comprehensive exams no later than the summer of their second year in residence.

Depending on the complexity of the topic, a dissertation may either follow the three-essay model or be an extended, single document. In either case, a student is expected to have publications in appropriate journals before entering the job market at the end of the program.

Decision Sciences, Operations, and Artificial Intelligence Curriculum

PhD students must take three courses in the core plus 15 credits from the following advanced seminars or other approved electives. With the advisor's approval, students may substitute any of these courses with appropriate graduate-level courses from statistics, economics, or engineering disciplines.

Core Courses: BQOM 3011 Linear Programming, BQOM 3012 Nonlinear Programming, BQOM 3013 Stochastic Processes, BQOM 3020 Simulation

Advanced seminars: BQOM 3014 Networks, BQOM 3017 Advanced Topics in Operations Management, BQOM 3018 Decision Making in Complex Environments

The secondary area of study consists of BQOM 3011 and 3013, and one other approved PhD seminar from among those given above or from other approved electives.

The Data Mining and Business Analytics specialization  requires a minimum of eight courses, selected by the student in consultation with a faculty advisor, that cover the following core topics: (1) AI programming techniques, (2) mathematical optimization theory, (3) AI theory, (4) problem-solving and modeling techniques, (5) probability and statistics, and (6) networks and graph theory. Advanced seminars and electives should reflect the student's interests and intended area(s) of application. Students are encouraged to do research in areas of current faculty interest, for the opportunity to develop and use data mining techniques in management.

 

Information Systems

The doctoral program in Information Systems prepares students for successful scholarly careers in research universities.  The program provides students with theoretical knowledge and methodological skills to enable them to become productive researchers.  Students in Information Systems study problems that practicing IS professionals and managers face as they design, use, and apply information systems and technologies to solve business problems.

Information Systems Curriculum

The Information Systems faculty offer a number of seminars to doctoral students.  These seminars introduce the conceptual foundations of the field and current research topics, as well as a variety of topical seminars that reflect the interests and strengths of the IS faculty.  In addition to seminars offered by the IS faculty, doctoral students are encouraged to explore courses offered by other interest groups within Katz, by other colleges at the University of Pittsburgh (such as Psychology or Statistics), or at Carnegie Mellon University.

Doctoral students in Information Systems select a minor that complements and supports their research interests.  A minor area may be selected from a disciplinary area (for example, Psychology) or it may be constructed of a related group of courses from several areas (for example, courses related to change in organizations that are drawn from social psychology and organizational behavior).

Information systems students are also encouraged to explore a range of statistics and methods courses in order to develop strong methodological skills, which is crucial for a successful academic career.

During the first two years of study, students typically register for four seminar courses each semester.  Comprehensive exams are typically scheduled in late summer following the second year.

Two seminars are required for IS doctoral students:  BMIS 3011 Current Issues in IS Research, and BMIS 3012 Foundations of IS Research.  Students are strongly encouraged to register for all seminars offered by the IS faculty. 

Over a two-year period, the following Information Systems seminars are typically offered:

BMIS 3011: Current Issues in IS Research

BMIS 3012: Foundations of IS Research

BMIS 3019: Human Computer Interaction

BMIS 3024: Communication: Structure, Behavior, Meaning, and Technology

BMIS 3022: Economics and Information Systems

BMIS 3023: IS Implementation & Organizational Change

BMIS 3025: Technology Innovation, Adoption and Diffusion

 

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Finance

The finance doctoral program seeks to prepare students to make significant contributions to the existing body of academic research on topics such as: the financing and investment decisions of firms; corporate governance; the behavior and determinants of security prices, including stocks, bonds, and derivatives; and the management and regulation of financial institutions.  The program produces graduates that can independently identify important research questions and carry out theoretical and empirical investigation at levels suitable for publication in the top academic journals.  The finance faculty works closely with students to develop suitable research topics and very often collaborates with students on joint research.  In short, we strive for our graduates to obtain academic placements at top research institutions.

Finance Curriculum

Finance students take courses from both the Katz Graduate School of Business and the Department of Economics as part of their training.  The finance faculty offers seminars that provide the core of the doctoral students’ training.  These seminars introduce the theoretical underpinnings of finance.  Beyond these seminars, students are expected to take additional finance seminars that focus on their chosen areas of interest.  Since strong methodological skills are critical to a successful scholarly career, finance doctoral students typically also take courses in econometrics, statistics, and mathematical methods.  Students are free to matriculate into courses within the Katz school, other colleges at the University of Pittsburgh (such as Statistics or Mathematics), or at Carnegie Mellon University.

A minimum of eight major and seven methodology related courses are necessary to fulfill coursework requirements.  Students typically pursue four courses per semester for two years prior to taking their comprehensive exams in late summer following their second year.  The finance seminars that are consistently offered by Katz faculty are shown below:

Finance Theory 1 
Finance Theory 2
Empirical Methods in Finance
Market Microstructure 
Corporate Governance
Interaction of Finance and Industrial Organization 
Seminar Series in Finance 
The courses that students often take outside of Katz are shown below:
Advanced Microeconomic Theory 1, 2
Introduction to Econometric Theory
General Econometrics
Advanced Econometrics 1, 2
Mathematics of Finance 1, 2, and 3

Marketing and Business Economics

Marketing

The marketing doctoral program seeks to prepare students to contribute to the marketing discipline via the discovery, development, and dissemination of knowledge. The program is designed to equip students with the requisite theoretical background and methodological skills for successful scholarly careers at institutions of higher learning. The marketing group feels strongly that the apprenticeship model is the most efficacious approach to doctoral training and, to that end, students typically engage immediately in research projects with faculty.  Recent students have been successful in publishing these projects in leading journals such as the Journal of Consumer Research, the Journal of Marketing Research, and the Journal of Marketing

Marketing Curriculum

The marketing interest group offers four seminars that provide the theoretical core of marketing doctoral students’ training. These seminars introduce the central conceptual and phenomenological aspects of the marketing field, as well as the methodological approaches employed in their examination. Since the field of marketing scholarship segments into consumer behavior, modeling, and marketing management, seminars are offered in each of these areas, plus a methodological and marketing theory seminar.

Beyond these four seminars, students are expected to take an additional four seminars that focus on their chosen area of interest. Students are free to matriculate into courses within the Katz School, other departments at the University of Pittsburgh (such as Psychology, Economics, or Statistics), or at Carnegie Mellon University. Since strong methodological skills are critical to a successful scholarly career, marketing doctoral students typically take seven or more courses in statistics and econometrics. A focus in analytical methods or advanced statistics is the norm.  A minimum of eight marketing and related courses are necessary to fulfill the requirements of a major in Marketing. In addition, a minimum of four research methodology courses are required from the list below, plus a course in microeconomics, is required.

 

1. Analysis of Variance

2. Probability Theory 

3. Experimental Design 

4. Multivariate Statistics 

5. Multivariate Statistics 

6. Mathematical Statistics 

7. Introduction to Econometric Theory

[Those with a non-quant background should take 1, 3, 4, and 7; the others are encouraged to take 2, 5, 6 and 7.]

Students typically pursue four courses per semester for two years prior to taking their comprehensive exams in late summer following their second year. The marketing seminars are shown below:

The marketing curriculum leading to the PhD degree is outlined below. Eight courses in a major, must include:

 

BMKT 3014 Marketing Strategy

BMKT 3015 Consumer Behavior

BMKT 3017 Marketing Models

BUSADM 3001 Behavioral Research Methods

BUSADM 3002 Multivariate Analysis in Behavioral Research

And four additional courses chosen from the following list and approved by the academic advisor:

 

CMU Human Judgment and Decision Making

CMU Behavioral Economics

BFAE 3001 Microeconomics

SPY 2460 Learning and Memory

CMU Advanced Data Analysis

CMU Advanced Topics in Emotion and Decision Making

Three courses (minimum) in the of study statistical analysis chosen from the following list and approved by the academic advisor:

 

BIOST 2049 Applied Regression

PSYED 3416 Multivariate Statistics

BIOST 2063 Bayesian and Empirical Bayes Stat

STAT 625 (CMU) Probability and Math Analysis

BQOM 3020 Simulation

First-Year Paper

Students are required to complete an independent research paper and submit it to the marketing faculty in the summer of their first year of study (third term). It is anticipated that this paper will develop into a publishable research article.

Organizations and Entrepreneurship

Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management

The OBHR doctoral program focuses on preparing students to impact the study of people, process and outcomes within the fields of organizational behavior and human resources management. Through research, collaboration and dissemination of knowledge, students understand how to impact organizational effectiveness in a variety of different environments, industries and across multiple levels of analyses. Our expectation is that students will craft a program of research that is built upon rigorous theory as well as strong methodological skills that are both necessary for effective scholarship. We encourage collaboration with OBHR faculty that has a proven track record of publishing within a variety of top outlets (Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Labor Research, Harvard Business Review; Human Resource Management; Industrial and Labor Relations Review; Sloan Management Review).

 

Behavior Systems and Management Thought  (Craft)

Group Dynamics & Decision Making (Murrell)

International Management (Pil)

Leadership in Organizations (Murrell)

Management of People at Work (Pil)

OBHR Research Workshop I & II (Leana, Murrell, Pil)

Seminar in Organizational Behavior (Leana)

Social Capital: Theory and Applications (Leana and Pil)

Strategic Management

Students in strategy study the problems and issues facing general managers who must formulate and implement strategies for organizations in uncertain and ambiguous environments. Seminars cover theory and empirical findings related to strategy formulation and implementation, and are intended to familiarize students with the variety of research perspectives relevant to the strategy field. In addition, each faculty member leading a course will ask participants to build upon extant research to develop their own research topics as a first step toward publishing articles.

Curriculum

Eight research seminars form the core of the strategy doctoral student curriculum. These seminars immerse students in the issues and frameworks occupying scholars in the field of strategy, as well as introduce them to the methodological aspects of empirical research. The seminars leverage the current strengths and interests of the strategy faculty, including strategic planning in turbulent contexts, social networks and their impact on competitive advantage, surviving and profiting from radical technological change, and competitive intelligence processes. In addition, we encourage students to explore course options in other departments within the University of Pittsburgh and at Carnegie Mellon University, including Economics, Sociology, and Psychology, as well as more industry-oriented departments and areas such as telecommunications and health sciences.

Strategy majors may elect to minor in a complementary area of study found within Katz or in another University department. Students select a minor that supports their research interests and can provide additional training not available through the strategy area of study. For example, a research interest in social networks can be combined with a minor in sociology for a more rigorous disciplinary grounding.

Requirements for a Strategy Area of Study

A minimum of eight strategy (and related) courses are necessary to fulfill the requirements of an area of study in strategy. In addition, a minimum of four research methodology courses, plus a course in microeconomics, are required. Students typically pursue three courses per semester for six semesters prior to taking their comprehensive exams.

 

These are the strategy core courses:

BSPP 3011 Strategic Management Systems

BSPP 3012 Research in Competitive Strategy

BSPP 3013 Foundations of Strategy Research

BSPP 3014 Research in Corporate Strategy

BSPP 3015 Strategic Management and Policy Workshop Strategy

BSPP 3018 Theory Development in Management

Requirements for a Strategy Focus

 

A focus in strategy requires the completion of three strategy courses, which must include:

BSPP 3013 Foundations of Strategy Research

plus any two courses from the following list:

BSPP 3011 Strategic Management Systems

BSPP 3012 Research in Competitive Strategy

BSPP 3014 Research in Corporate Strategy

BSPP 3018 Theory Development in Management

Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business PhD Course Listing

Listed below are the doctoral courses offered by the Katz School. 

 

BACC	3001	Introduction to Accounting Research
BACC	3010	Independent Study in Accounting
BACC	3014	Experimental Research in Accounting
BACC	3016	Advanced Topics in Accounting
BACC	3017	Accounting Workshop
BACC	3018	Empirical Research in Accounting
BACC	3023	Economic Models of Agency and Control
BACC	3025	Capital Markets Research in Accounting
BACC	3099	Readings in Accounting
BAIM	3099	Readings in Artificial Intelligence and Management
BENV	3011	Core Readings: Business Environment/Public Policy
BENV	3012	Advanced Theory: Values and Ethics
BENV	3013	Environmental Research Methodology
BENV	3014	Advanced Topics: Business Environment/Public Policy
BENV	3031	Government Regulation
BENV	3032	Managing Environments
BENV	3091	Independent Readings in Business Environment, Ethics and Public Policy
BFAE	3001	Microeconomics
BFIN	3010	Independent Study in Finance
BFIN	3011	Theory of Finance 1
BFIN	3012	Theory of Finance 2
BFIN	3013	Empirical Research in Finance
BFIN	3014	Seminar in Corporate Finance
BFIN	3016	Advanced Topics in Finance
BFIN	3018	Market Microstructure
BFIN	3020	Corporate Governance and the Structure of Enterprise
BFIN	3023	Empirical Research in Finance 2
BFIN	3025	International Finance
BFIN	3027	Interaction of Finance and Industrial Organization
BFIN	3099	Readings in Finance
BMIS	3010	Independent Study in Information Systems
BMIS	3011	Current Issues in Research
BMIS	3012	Foundations of Research in Information Systems
BMIS	3015	Advanced Topics in IS
BMIS	3018	Advanced Topics in IS: Workshop
BMIS	3019	Human Computer Interaction
BMIS	3022	Information Systems and Economics
BMIS	3023	Information Systems Implementation and Organizational Change
BMIS	3024	Communication: Structure, Behavior, Meaning and Technology
BMIS	3025	Technology Innovation Adoption Diffusion
BMIS	3031	Workshop Series in Information Systems 1
BMIS	3032	Workshop Series in Information Systems 2
BMIS	3099	Readings in Management of Information Systems
BMKT	3010	Independent Study in Marketing
BMKT	3011	Current Research in Marketing
BMKT	3014	Marketing Strategy
BMKT	3015	Consumer Behavior
BMKT	3017	Marketing Models
BMKT	3018	Special Topics in Marketing
BMKT	3099	Readings in Marketing
BOAH	3002	Seminar in Organizational Behavior
BOAH	3003	Foundations of Human Resource Management
BOAH	3021	Behavioral Systems and Management Thought
BOAH	3024	Leadership of People at Work
BOAH	3027	OBHR Workshop 1
BOAH	3028	OBHR Workshop 2
BOAH	3029	Group Dynamics and Decision Making
BOAH	3030	Leadership in Organizations
BOAH	3031	Advanced Topics in Organizational Behavior
BOAH	3032	Social Capital: Theory and Applications
BOAH	3033	Research Practicum
BOAH	3099	Readings in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management
BQOM	3010	Independent Study in Operations
BQOM	3011	Linear Programming
BQOM	3012	Nonlinear Programming
BQOM	3013	Stochastic Processes
BQOM	3014	Networks
BQOM	3015	Statistical Decision Theory
BQOM	3017	Advanced Topics in Operations Research
BQOM	3018	Decision Making in Complex Environments
BQOM	3020	Simulation
BQOM	3099	Readings in Operations Research
BQOM	3022	Optimization
BSPP	3011	Strategic Management Systems
BSPP	3010	Independent Study in Strategic Management
BSPP	3012	Research in Competitive Strategy
BSPP	3013	Foundations of Strategy Research
BSPP	3014	Research in Corporate Strategy
BSPP	3015	Workshop in Strategic Management
BSPP	3018	Theory Development in Strategic Management
BSPP	3022	Advanced Topics in Strategic Management
BSPP	3099	Readings in Strategic Management
BUSADM	3001	Behavioral Research Methods
BUSADM	3002	Multivariate Analysis for Behavioral Research
BUSADM	3003	Multivariate Statistical Analysis
BUSADM	3011	International Management
BUSADM	3012	Structural Equation Modeling