Ph.D. Admission

Standard Admission Requirements for all Graduate Programs:

All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy.

Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required. 

English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. 

Additional Program Requirements:

The applicant must demonstrate competence as a scholar through a high level of previous academic performance (no specific preparation in business is required) and high percentile scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Scores may not be older than five years at the time of application. In addition, international applicants must present high scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or IELTS.

Finally, the applicant must demonstrate the ability for doctoral study in business, either by a record of achievement in the previous professional or academic experience, including research and scholarship or through letters of recommendation and a personal interview. The applicant must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. 

These requirements are intended only as suggestions for minimum admission standards. They should not be construed as a guarantee of admission to the Ph.D. program.

A complete application file includes:

1. A completed Graduate School Application
2. Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (these scores will not be waived for any applicant)
3. Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency.
4. Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate studies completed. A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
5. Three letters of recommendation
6. Resume or CV
7. Statement of Purpose

A $65 non-refundable application fee for domestic students and $100 for international students, payable to the University of Kansas, must accompany all applications.

We only offer admission for the fall semester and the application deadline is January 10th.

For additional information regarding the admission process, see the program's admissions page.

Submit your graduate application online.

Ph.D. Degree Requirements

By the end of the third semester of the aspirant’s program (excluding summer sessions), an aspirant must complete the following qualifier requirements. All aspirants must demonstrate proficiency in doing original research of publishable quality and in teaching.

These courses should be completed in the first 2 years of a student’s program. A minimum of 15 courses plus BUS 902 and BUS 903 are required for completion of the degree. At or before the end of the aspirant’s third semester in the program, a qualifier assessment team, composed of five faculty members, holistically determines whether or not a student continues in the program.

The aspirant for the Ph.D. in business administration must have an area of concentration, supporting areas, and preparation in research methodology.

Concentration

Each aspirant, with the assistance of their faculty advisor and the area faculty, selects an area of concentration from the seven business disciplines of accounting, analytics, information, operations, finance, human resources management, marketing, organizational behavior, and strategic management. An aspirant may propose an interdisciplinary concentration that is a combination of these disciplines or may include emphases such as international business, law, and economics. The aspirant must take at least five advanced courses in the concentration. These courses may include those offered outside the School of Business.

Supporting Areas

Coursework in the area of concentration is supplemented and strengthened by study in one or two supporting areas. A supporting area is one that supplements and complements the concentration. The aspirant satisfies the supporting area requirement by taking at least four advanced courses in the supporting areas (at least 2 courses in each of 2 supporting areas or at least 4 courses in 1 supporting area). Courses recommended for preparation for the qualifier assessment may not be included in satisfying the supporting area requirement.

Probation and Dismissal Guidelines

To be in good standing, a student must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average; if the grade-point average falls below 3.0, the student is placed on probation. This is followed by a letter to the student confirming the probation and explaining the student’s options.

A student is placed on probation for one academic semester. If the cumulative grade-point average has not risen to 3.0 in the next semester of enrollment (excluding summers), the student can either be dismissed or allowed to continue on probation. Continued probation requires the area director for the student’s concentration to write a letter to the Ph.D. Team explaining why the student should be allowed to continue.

A graduate student can be dismissed on the recommendation of the area director for the student’s concentration. Usually, a graduate student is dismissed because of a low grade-point average; however, failure of examinations or failure to make satisfactory progress toward the degree is also cause for dismissal. Academic dismissal should occur before a semester begins; but if a student is dismissed during the semester, the dismissal is effective only at the end of the semester in which the Ph.D. Team gives notification of dismissal.

Policy for KU School of Business Ph.D. Program on Academic Misconduct:

We believe that doctoral students should be held to a higher standard with regard to academic integrity than other students in the School given their future role in doing research and teaching in the university setting as well as enforcing such standards in their own classes.  To this end, the faculty of the KU School of Business provides a course, BUS 903 - Responsible Conduct in Research, that is required of each student in the Ph.D. program.

Consistent with USRR 2.5.1 and existing Graduate Studies Policies on "Good Academic Standing" and "Dismissed Enrollment," this document discusses the guidelines for probation and dismissal of doctoral students who commit academic misconduct.  The Ph.D. program administrators will regularly check with the Provost's office for any records of misconduct by business doctoral students in any class at KU (inside or outside of the School of Business).  For example, these checks will occur (but are not limited to): (a) at the end of the first year for use in the qualifying review process; (b) prior to start of any teaching responsibilities; (c) prior to comprehensive exams; (d) prior to the dissertation proposal defense.  Instances of misconduct will be shared with the members of the Ph.D. team, advisor, and deans of the School.

The first case of any academic misconduct in a class anywhere in the university may result in probation or dismissal of the student depending on the severity of the misconduct and the student's response.  It is expected that the advisor, Ph.D. team chair and team members, and Ph.D. program director will all be granted access to the details of a misconduct case by the professor involved.  If probation, the conditions for the probation are set by the Ph.D. team chair and Ph.D. program director in consultation with the advisor and Ph.D. team members.  The conditions may include (but are not limited to) such assignments as reviewing the literature on the area of the responsible conduct in research violated by the misconduct and/or reviewing the material covered in the target class.  These conditions and the choice of probation vs. dismissal will be based on the details of each individual case.  Importantly, if the student is not dismissed as a result of the first offense and if the conditions for the probation are not met in a timely manner, or if a second act of misconduct occurs, the student will likely be dismissed from the Ph.D. program.

Dissertations will also be reviewed by the advisor and program director for academic misconduct before being submitted to the Research and Graduate Studies Office.  Academic misconduct on a dissertation is grounds for dismissal from the program.  Academic misconduct on the dissertation that is not discovered until after graduation may be grounds for revoking the Ph.D. degree.  In summary, the Ph.D. program in the KU School of Business seeks to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity with this policy.

Research Methodology

When preparing for the qualifier assessment, area groups should ensure that the student’s program includes adequate preparation in research methodology.

Research Skills & Responsible Scholarship

The University requires that every doctoral student receive training in responsible scholarship pertinent to the field of research and obtain research skills pertinent to the doctoral level of research in their field(s). These requirements must be completed by the end of the semester that the student takes the oral comprehensive exam.

Students in the first or second year must enroll in BUS 903 Responsible Conduct of Research. This course builds students’ abilities to analyze ethical issues and introduces students to various issues that may arise while engaging in the research endeavor.

Teaching

Students enroll in BUS 902 the Teaching Seminar during the first semester in which they teach independently. Before the completion of the Ph.D. program, all students must have teaching experience equivalent to teaching at least two undergraduate courses independently in two different semesters.

Written and Oral Comprehensive Examinations

At the end of year two and after successfully completing the required coursework, the student must pass a written-oral comprehensive examination in the concentration to advance to candidacy.

Graduate Studies policy for a description of committee requirements.

Enrollment Requirements Post-Comprehensive Exam

Upon passing the comprehensive examination, the student becomes a candidate for the Ph.D. degree and is approved to proceed with their dissertation research and project. Starting the semester following successful completion of the oral comprehensive exam, students must enroll in accordance with the Office of Graduate Studies’ Doctoral Candidacy Policy. This enrollment includes, but is not limited to, at least 1 dissertation hour every semester until graduation. See the Doctoral Candidacy policy for more information about this university-level requirement.

Dissertation Proposal and Final Oral Defense

Finally, the student must pass an oral defense of the dissertation research proposal and the dissertation.

The dissertation must be an original work of research that advances the field of Business and complies with the Office of Graduate Studies’ Doctoral Dissertation policy.  Upon approval by the students committee that the student’s dissertation research and written document are complete, the student must defend the dissertation before all committee members in the dissertation defense. The final dissertation defense includes a presentation of the dissertation research by the candidate and concludes with a period of questioning by the committee. After posing questions to the student about the dissertation work, committee members deliberate and vote on a grade of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. A grade of Satisfactory requires a majority vote and may be contingent on the completion of specific revisions by a designated due date. The committee may also recommend that a student earning a satisfactory grade be considered for Honors by the Department. Honors are 
conferred at graduation by the Department, reflecting outstanding work in all aspects of the doctoral program.