Admissions Requirements
Admission decisions are made on the basis of past academic record, intellectual ability, GMAT or GRE scores, and career commitment. Applications are accepted from students who have baccalaureate or graduate degrees. Past graduate work may be credited toward degree requirements where appropriate. Applicants must submit:
- Official academic transcripts
- Official GMAT or GRE results in fields approved by the College of Business Administration.
- Three letters of recommendation (at least two from individuals with earned doctorates).
- A statement of objectives for the course of study.
Applications will be accepted beginning in Fall 2019, with an application deadline for all materials, including a GMAT or GRE exam score, of Feb 3, 2020.
Graduate Assistantships
Stipends for research and teaching assistantships (20 hours per week) are awarded on a competitive basis. Educational fees are waived for graduate assistants.
Degree Requirements
The Ph.D. in the College of Business Administration requires a minimum of 69 course credit hours and a minimum of 6 dissertation credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. To ensure sufficient background for doctoral-level courses, students must demonstrate appropriate competence in quantitative reasoning, which is evidenced through completion of ECON 4105 and BUS AD 5000 or their equivalent. Students must also demonstrate appropriate competence in managerial communication, which is evident through completion of BUS AD 5100 or equivalent to be determined by the Ph.D. Coordinator.
Course Requirements
The Ph.D. in Business Administration has a common set of requirements in three areas: Business & Research Foundation (Section I), Supporting Field (Section II), and Other Requirements (Section IV). Requirements specific to the area of emphasis are in Section III.
I. Business & Research Foundation Requirement: 27 credit hours (9 courses)
| Students are required to take: 1 | ||
| INFSYS 5800 | Management Information Systems | 3 |
| SCMA 5300 | Statistical Analysis for Management Decisions | 3 |
| BUS AD 5900 | Law, Ethics and Business | 3 |
| ACCTNG 5400 | Financial and Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| FINANCE 6500 | Financial Management | 3 |
| MGMT 5600 | Managing People in Organizations | 3 |
| MKTG 5700 | Contemporary Marketing Concepts | 3 |
| SCMA 5320 | Production and Operations Management | 3 |
| BUS AD 7300 | Management of Supply Chains | 3 |
| Total Hours | 27 | |
| 1 | The first eight courses INFSYS 5800SCMA 5300, BUS AD 5900, ACCTNG 5400,FINANCE 6500, MGMT 5600, MKTG 5700, SCMA 5320 will normally be waived if students had the courses as part of an UMSL MBA, MS in IS, or MAcc degree, or had equivalent graduate course work at an institution approved by the Graduate Business Programs Office and the Ph.D. Coordinator. |
II. Supporting Field Requirement (9 credit hours)
Students must take 9 credit hours of graduate-level courses beyond foundation course work in a supporting field approved by the Ph.D. Coordinator. Supporting fields may include courses within or outside the College of Business Administration and are designed in consultation with the Ph.D. Coordinator.
III. Emphasis Area Requirements
Logistics & Supply Chain Management (LSCM) Emphasis
The Logistics & Supply Chain Management emphasis requirement includes 33 credit hours.
| Students are required to take the following six courses: | ||
| SCMA 6330 | Business Logistics Systems | 3 |
| SCMA 6350 | Management Science Methods | 3 |
| SCMA 7381 | International Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| SCMA 7390 | Research Seminar in LSCM | 3 |
| SCMA 7393 | Special Topics in LSCM | 3 |
| MKTG 5770 | Supply Chain Management Strategy | 3 |
| And select at least one of the following: | 3 | |
| Students are required to take 12 credit hours (four courses) (not included elsewhere) from the list of approved elective courses for the LSCM emphasis. | 12 | |
| Logistics and Supply Chain Operational Modeling | ||
| Logistics and Supply Chain Strategic Modeling | ||
| Total Hours | 33 | |
IV. Other Requirements
- Upon completion of coursework, students are advanced to candidacy by successfully completing a comprehensive examination in their area of emphasis and a supporting field examination in their chosen area. Students admitted to the program with a relevant master's degree should pass the comprehensive examination and the supporting field examination within three years of admission to the Ph.D. program. Students admitted to the program with an undergraduate business degree should pass the comprehensive examination and the supporting field examination within four years of admission to the Ph.D. program. Students admitted to the program with an undergraduate degree outside of business should pass the comprehensive examination and the supporting field examination within five years of admission to the Ph.D. program. In these cases, prior coursework will be evaluated for equivalency to Section I course requirements. Exceptions may be made, contingent on approval by the Ph.D. Coordinator.
- Students will be evaluated annually for satisfactory progress. Students deemed not to be making adequate progress are subject to the policies of the College of Business Administration regarding continuation of their assistantship. Students deemed not to be making adequate progress are subject to the policies of the Graduate School and the College of Business Administration regarding probation and dismissal from the program.
- Students are required to take a minimum of 6 dissertation credit hours and to defend a dissertation proposal within one year of advancement to candidacy.
- The following requirements are to be completed before or after admission to candidacy:
- Students are required to present one paper at a regional, national, or international conference.
- Students are required to submit one paper, approved by his/her dissertation advisor, to a refereed journal.
- At least two semesters of supervised teaching in the College of Business Administration are required of all doctoral students.
- Students are required to demonstrate competency in teaching during the first year in which they teach in the College of Business Administration. This requirement may be met by successfully completing one or more courses.
- The degree is awarded upon successful completion and defense of the Ph.D. dissertation and satisfaction of all Graduate School requirements. The dissertation must be defended within three years of approval of a Ph.D. dissertation proposal.