Fox School of Business

Ph.D. in Business Administration

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Dr. William Aaronson
Program Director
Ph.D. in Business Administration
Speakman Hall
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Telephone: (215) 204-8128
email: william.aaronson@temple.edu

Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration

The Ph.D. in Business Administration program prepares you for advanced research and scholarship. The primary emphasis of our program is to prepare future faculty members for successful academic careers, although some of our alumni are employed in government, industry, and consulting.

The Faculty

Additional Links
- 2007-08 Ph.D Handbook
- Ombudsperson - Student Advocate
- Academic Rights and Responsibilities
- FSBM Grievance Procedure

Janine Black, Ombudsperson

Faculty are the heart of any doctoral program. In the doctoral program you learn from your professors both inside and outside the classroom, moving from student to valued colleague as you progress through the program. The faculty at the Fox School of Business are uniquely qualified to mentor you through the program, themselves having graduated from topschools such as Harvard, Yale, Northwestern, and the Universities of California, Faculty Research RankingMinnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. They are leading scholars who are publishing in top academic journals, such as The Accounting Review, Journal of Finance, Journal of International Business Studies, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Risk and Insurance and the Journal of the American Statistical Association; and have been featured in national media - on ABC's 20/20, on National Public Radio, in the Wall Street Journal - as well as in local and regional media. Seven academic journals are published in the Fox School with our faculty serving as Editors (http://www.fox.temple.edu/crc/journals.html).

The Curriculum

The curriculum is based on the following principles:

  • As a doctoral student, you will learn through your own research activities, and you will be expected to contribute to the knowledge of others through research;
  • As a doctoral student, you will seek an area in which to develop expertise, but you are encouraged to be knowledgeable in many areas, and you will be encouraged to develop your expertise in a way that crosses conventional disciplinary lines;
  • Your competence as a scholar ultimately requires an appreciation of, and a commitment to, the foundations of science;
  • As a doctoral student, you will develop a successful teaching style at the undergraduate level under the guidance of senior SBM faculty members.

General Program Requirements

The Ph.D. program is very rigorous and places considerable demands on your time. programWe admit only full-time students who are ready and willing to make the type of commitment necessary to become a top scholar. In addition to your coursework and research, you are expected to participate in research workshops and other scholarly activities. Outside employment is strongly discouraged.

  • Research Commitment - You must be committed to research. Research is at the core of doctoral education. In the Ph.D. in Business Administration Program you will develop skills necessary to investigate important questions in the context of your area of specialization and also to consider questions from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Fox School is committed to supporting high quality collaborative research by faculty and students. For more information, visit the website of the Cochran Research Center, the research arm of the Fox School, at www.sbm.temple.edu/crc/
  • Coursework - Your doctoral program will consist of twelve doctoral level courses, which include five core courses, three or four courses in your area of concentration and three or four electives. These are described in greater detail in the Ph.D. program handbook ( 2007-08 Ph.D Handbook ).
  • Statistics Competency Examination - An assessment of your proficiency in statistical theory and methodology will be made at the end of your first year in the program.
  • Preliminary Examination - You must take and pass a preliminary examination in your specialization at the conclusion of the didactic phase of the program.
  • Dissertation - You must write and successfully defend a doctoral dissertation.
  • Residency - The program requires full-time status. During the coursework period this means continuous enrollment in at least three courses (nine credits) during the fall and spring semesters.
  • Teaching - You must teach for at least one semester, typically after you have completed your coursework. Most teaching assignments are experienced as part of a graduate assistantship.
  • Time Limit - The program, including the dissertation, is designed to be completed within five years, and must be completed within seven years of admission. Leaves of absence, which must be approved, do not extend this requirement.

Specializations

Students will choose one of the following specializations leading up to the doctoral dissertation and complete the work specified in each specialization. The nine specializations are:

(Note: the following links will open in a new browser window.)

Admission Requirements

We require you to submit your scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The GMAT score is heavily preferred; however, we will also consider the GRE score. Foreign students whose native language is not English, or who do not have a bachelor's or master's degree from an American university, must submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. TOEFL scores are only good for two years following administration of the exam. We also accept the the International English Language Testing System (IELTS - http://www.ielts.org/default.aspx) exam. Our GMAT and TOEFL Institution Code is 2906-02.

In addition we require two letters of recommendation and a statement of goals. You do not need to submit a leadership essay; however, in order to submit your application in Apply Yourself you will need to upload a blank MS Word document when it calls for the leadership essay. Otherwise, Apply Yourself will not accept your application when you submit.

Over the past several years the average student accepted into our program has scored 701 on the GMAT, and has had a GPA of 3.5 in both his (or her) undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Applicants generally hold a master's degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university. Students who do not hold an advanced degree in an appropriate business discipline may be required to take additional coursework.

A GMAT or TOEFL score and GPA at or above the above averages does not ensure admission. Each candidate's ability and potential are assessed by the faculty in the area of specialization and by the PHDBA Program Committee. Although the applicant's academic record and test scores are important factors in the admissions process, other factors, such as the ability to conduct research as demonstrated by academic research publications and whether your indicated research interests match with those of our faculty, are also taken into consideration.

After initial review of your credentials we may ask you for a personal interview. Telephone interviews are acceptable and will be arranged by the Temple Ph.D. in Business Administration Program. A visit to campus is the responsibility of the applicant. To arrange for a campus visit, please send an e- message to Dr. William Aaronson, Program Director and a copy of your request to the area advisor of the specialization for which you are applying. A list of advisors follows.

Application Deadline and Submission of Credentials

Students Holding Degrees from Non-U.S. Universities: December 15th 2008

Please note that the earlier application date allows us to evaluate credentials from foreign universities and to equilibrate the results to U.S. measure of grade point average for purposes of comparison. It also allows time to verify credentials including both the transcripts and diploma.

US Students: January 15th 2009

All required credentials from students wishing to be considered for fellowships, assistantships or financial aid must be received and applications deemed complete by January 15th. Applications that are not complete by May 1 cannot be considered for fall enrollment. Please follow the application instructions exactly.

Information for International Applicants

International students can opt to have credentials evaluated by private credentialing agencies accredited by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or submit them directly to Temple to be evaluated in house. While Temple University does not charge a fee to evaluate credentials, it may be worth the cost of a private credentials review ($100 to $300) in order to avoid a delay in the admissions process once the application is received by the Fox School of Business. In our experience World Education Services and Educational Credential Evaluators provide the information in a format that is useful for the admissions decision. Please select the evaluation option that provides course-by-course grades and an overall grade point average (GPA).

We encourage international students to use the Education USA advising centers. These education advisors are natives and are based at US Embassies or Fulbright Centers; they are fully aware of the US education application process.

http://educationusa.state.gov/

For additional information relevant to international applicants, please visit the following Graduate School website:
http://www.temple.edu/grad/admissions/international.htm

PROGRAM DIRECTOR
William Aaronson
Speakman Hall
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Telephone: (215) 204-8128
email: william.aaronson@temple.edu

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION ADVISOR

Financial Aid

Information on tuition and fees can be found through the following link:
Tuition Fees

A variety of fellowships, assistantships and tuition scholarships are available to defray the costs of earning your doctoral degree (amounts subject to chance without notice). To qualify for financial aid, you must be a full-time matriculated student.

Opportunities Available through the Fox School of Business

Graduate Assistantships - For the 2007-08 academic year these awards included a full tuition scholarship and a minimum $13,990 stipend. Assistantships, which require up to 20 hours of work per week, are the centerpiece of the program's mentorship philosophy. Open to all Fox School of Business doctoral students for a maximum of four years. Graduate teaching and/or research assistantships are highly competitive and are awarded based on merit not need.

Opportunities Available through the Temple University Graduate School

A fuller listing of financial aid options can be found at the Graduate School web site:
http://www.temple.edu/grad/finances/index.htm

The aid options include the following:

Presidential Fellowships - For the 2007-08 academic year these awards included a full tuition scholarship and a stipend of $20,000.

University Fellowships - For the 2007-08 academic year these awards included a full tuition scholarship and a stipend of $14,500. Students beginning their first or second year are eligible to apply for a two-year award; third year students for a one-year award. University Fellowships are University-wide awards with nominations made by your department. Deadline: February 15th.

Dissertation and Project Completion Grants - are available for doctoral students nominated by their doctoral degree program chair or director. All completed nominations are recommended to the Graduate School for consideration.

Future Faculty Fellowship Program - Temple University is committed to diversifying the American professorate by bringing into higher education individuals from groups who have historically been excluded for a variety of reasons. The Future Faculty Fellows Program supports about 23 newly matriculated students each year, with stipends of $14,000 for the 2007-08 academic year, plus full tuition remission for up to four years or more. Recipients will normally receive two years of full central university funding. Students must be nominated by their doctoral degree department budget unit head. Eligibility: Applicants must be American citizens or resident aliens, be admitted to a doctoral or MBA program, or to a masters program completion of which is required for admissions to the doctoral program, be newly admitted, and intend to pursue a career as a college professor.

Placements

Our graduates are largely to be found in academia, but some graduates work in  government and industry. Domestically our graduates have been employed at Northwestern University, University of Pittsburgh, Washington University in St Louis, Cornell University, and closer to home, Lehigh and Villanova universities.

Internationally our graduates have been employed at Concordia University and the University of Manitoba in Canada, Gajah Mada University in Indonesia, Hebrew and Ben Gurion Universities in Israel, and Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea.

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