About this Program
Students admitted into the Ph.D. in Business Administration program choose a focus area in Finance, Management, or Marketing.
Coursework includes courses within each of the focus areas. Additionally, each doctoral student completes a set of research methods courses suited for exploring their areas of interest. While most students complete the program in four years, some students may be awarded a fifth year of funding.
Admission
The Ph.D. Program in Business Administration typically adds three new students per year in each area (Finance, Management, and Marketing). The Graduate Committee carefully evaluates a variety of characteristics including test scores, transcripts, statement of purpose, work experience, resume, cover letters, recommendations, and English language proficiency. Admission is granted only on recommendation by the committee.
Admissions to the doctoral program in Business Administration may be recommended for applicants who submit a competitive score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and have a 3.0 overall undergraduate GPA or at least a 3.10 GPA on the last 60 hours attempted at either the graduate or undergraduate level. However, admission is competitive among the pool of applicants, and only a small number of applicants are accepted.
Placement
The School of Business has a 100% placement of graduating students over the last 5-plus years in academic, government, and private positions. Recent students have obtained academic positions at West Virginia University, Kansas State University, Utah State University, University of Southern Illinois (Carbondale), California State (Fullerton) University, University of South Alabama, Tennessee Tech University, and the University of Alabama at Huntsville.
Faculty
From the first day they arrive on campus, Ph.D. students work closely with faculty on research projects and attend regular research colloquiums and developmental activities. A number of these collaborative projects have led to publications.
Scholarly Research
The faculty of the School of Business Administration is engaged in research covering a wide range of fields in finance, management, marketing, management information systems, and operations management. Through assignments as research assistants, graduate students are offered the opportunity to become involved with the research activities of the faculty.
The School of Business sponsors a weekly research workshop series in which graduate students are expected to participate. The workshops include presentations from faculty based on current research as well as periodic presentations from outside guests who are making major research contributions in their disciplines. As part of the School of Business Administration, each area has access to a broad range of research facilities and support. Strong computer facilities, data resources, and laboratories enhance the research capabilities of students and faculty.
Financial Assistance
Opportunities for financial assistance include teaching or research assistantships and non-service fellowships. Graduate assistants and non-service fellows who are not residents of Mississippi, along with their spouses, are not required to pay the nonresident registration fee. Full-time enrolled students holding assistantships are eligible to receive a partial tuition scholarship.
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Program Information
Program Type
Doctorate Program
Area of Study
Business and Accountancy
Duration
4–5 Years
Degree
Ph.D. in Business Administration
Program Location
Emphases
Finance;
Management;
Marketing
Required Credit Hours
58–62 Hours
Degree Requirements
Each student will be required to complete at least 60 hours of approved graduate credit beyond the bachelor’s degree. Moreover, each student must complete at least 12 hours at the 600 level in a major field beyond the bachelor’s degree and at least 9 hours in a minor field beyond the bachelor’s degree. A doctoral student must also demonstrate proficiency in research methodology and satisfy the tool requirement of the major field department. See the link below for descriptions of all Business Administration graduate classes.
Ph.D. Courses
Bus 612 Operations Research
Bus 620 Individual Study
Bus 621 Individual Study
Bus 650 Entering the Profession Seminar
Bus 660 Research Methods I
Bus 661 Seminar in Research and Experimental Design
Bus 662 Statistics I: Seminar in Linear Regression
Bus 663 Statistics II: Multivariate & Nonparametric
Bus 664 Statistics III: Advanced Statistical Topic
Bus 667 Global Business Strategy
Bus 668 Customer Relationship Management
Bus 669 Decision Support Systems
Bus 670 Supply Chain Management
FIN 620 Advanced Directed Study
FIN 626 Seminar in International Economics and Finance
FIN 631 Seminar in Business Finance
FIN 633 Investment Analysis
FIN 634 Financial Management I
FIN 635 Financial Management II
FIN 636 Financial Management of Health Care Institutions
FIN 637 Management of Financial Intermediaries
FIN 642 Applied Probability Modeling
FIN 644 Financial Economics: Continuous-Time Models
FIN 650 Research Colloquium in Economics and Finance
FIN 695 Special Topics in Finance
FIN 797 Dissertation
MGMT 620 Advanced Directed Study
MGMT 664 Advanced Management Research
MGMT 670 Advanced Readings in Management
MGMT 671 Guided Research in Management
MGMT 673 Seminar in Human Resource Management
MGMT 675 Seminar in Employee Relations
MGMT 676 Seminar in Organizational Behavior
MGMT 678 Seminar in Group Processes
MGMT 679 Theoretical Foundations of Management
MGMT 695 Special Topics in Management
MGMT 797 Dissertation
MKTG 620: Advanced Directed Study
MKTG 660: Applied Multivariate Statistics
MKTG 661: Research Seminar: Methodology I
MKTG 664: Methodology II-Measurement & Scaling
MKTG 665: Causal Modeling in Marketing
MKTG 666: Advanced Marketing Research Methods
MKTG 668: Advanced Marketing Readings I
MKTG 671: Preparing Research Proposals
MKTG 672: Buyer Behavior and E-Commerce Strategies
MKTG 695: Special Topics in Marketing
MKTG 697: Thesis
MKTG 760: Applied Quantitative Analysis
MKTG 762: Marketing Management
MKTG764: Seminar in Marketing/Business Ethics
MKTG 766: Advanced Studies in Consumer Behavior
MKTG 768: Marketing Communication Thought
MKTG 769: Theoretical Foundations of Marketing
MKTG 771: Experimental Design & Analysis
MKTG 772: Qualitative Research Methods
MKTG 797: Dissertation
International Students
To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program in Business Administration, international students must present evidence of satisfactory proficiency in the English language as indicated by results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) through the Educational Testing Service. The applicant must request that the testing center send the official results to the Graduate School at the University of Mississippi.
The TOEFL is required of all applicants (international and U.S. citizens) whose native language is not English. “Native language” is determined by the medium of academic study, which is defined as the equivalent of 4 years of instruction at the secondary or college level where the language of instruction is English
The School of Business requires a TOEFL result of at least 600 to be considered for admission.
To learn more, visit The Office of International Programs.
Director of Doctoral Programs
Dr. Van Ness has taught undergraduate, MBA, Ph.D., and executive education courses in financial markets, investments, investment theory, security analysis as well as corporate finance.
Robert A Van Ness
Bruce Moore Scholar of Finance, Director of Graduate Programs and Distinguished Professor of Finance
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