Business Administration (PhD)
Degree Requirements
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
The Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (PhD) program in Management or Marketing is designed for individuals in business desiring to transition to an academic career or build skills for consulting occupations. The program weekend format is designed to allow students to complete the program through an intensive series of Friday through Sunday classes. In the event a situation is not addressed below, the regulations governing that situation will be determined by the Graduate School.
Minimum Requirements for Admission
Applicants must have successfully completed an MBA, a specialized Master's degree in business, or a professional degree in related areas of study, from nationally accredited programs subject to the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and the Admissions Committee; Applicants must have a minimum of five years of professional experience in business or other professional fields. Instructors from business schools or colleges who want to upgrade their academic status with a doctoral degree are also eligible to apply. Classes are admitted once each year, starting in May. Check the website for specific deadlines. International students must meet or exceed the University’s standard for language proficiency.
Students may apply on-line at https://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/mcob/dba/index.html.
General Information
Required Credits
A minimum of 60 semester hours of approved graduate credit is required. Details about the curriculum are given below.
Transfer Credit
Graduate courses taken at another AACSB accredited university in the same (or closely related) subject as that of the PhD program, may be considered in the PhD plan of study up to a maximum of 12 semester hours. Only grades of "A" or "B" may be accepted as transfer credit. The transfer credit is approved by the Dean of the Graduate School only after completion of a minimum of 9 semester hours of graduate work in the doctoral program at USA.
Elective Substitution
With Director approval, up to three seminar elective and/or research methods may be substituted during the second year of courses.
Residence, Full-time Study, and Continuation Registration
A minimum of eight consecutive terms of full-time study in residence is required.
Time Limit
All requirements for the PhD degree must be completed within 36 months from the date of matriculation. A student who has not satisfactorily completed the research component in a three year period must apply for a defined extension to complete the degree. This request must be recommended by the major professor, the Director of Graduate Studies, and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.
A comprehensive examination is scheduled for the summer of the third year of the doctoral program. Failure to complete the work within the periods specified will necessitate reevaluation of the student's program and may result in a recommendation for dismissal by the Director of Graduate Studies to the Graduate Dean.
Doctor of Philosophy Degree Requirements
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree is awarded in recognition of the student's demonstrated ability to conduct original, scholarly research at the highest levels without extensive supervision. The degree is not granted upon completion of a stated amount of course work, but rather after demonstration by the student of a comprehensive knowledge and research capability in a specialized field of study. The student must demonstrate this ability in writing and by defending the research component based upon the result of an original investigation.
Grade Requirements
- All students must earn an overall GPA of 3.0 or better in the program in order to graduate.
- Students must pass a course with a grade of no less than a B.
- Students may not drop (WD) from any course more than one time.
- Students may not repeat a course more than one time.
Graduation Plan
Requirements for Degree
PhD students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of sixty (60) semester-hour graduate credit. A minimum of eight consecutive terms of full-time study is required.
PhD Degree in Marketing
To earn a PhD degree in Marketing from the University, a student must satisfactorily complete the following graduate courses and research assignments.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summer | Hours | |
| BUS 700 | Fund of Research | 3 |
| BUS 702 | Applied Stat and Reg | 3 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Fall | ||
| BUS 704 | Multivariate Analysis | 3 |
| MKT 701 | Marketing Management | 3 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Spring | ||
| BUS 706 | Research Design and Methods | 3 |
| MKT 703 | Supply Chain & Logistics | 3 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Summer | ||
| BUS 708 | Adv Stats & App Res | 6 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Conceptual paper presented to review team | ||
| Hours | 7 | |
| Fall | ||
| BUS 710 | Struct Equation Modeling | 3 |
| MKT 705 | Sem. Marketing Communications | 3 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Spring | ||
| MKT 709 | Marketing: Sp Topic- | 3 |
| MKT 707 | Seminar in Marketing Strategy | 3 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Summer | ||
| MKT 799 | Dissertation Research | 3 |
| ABD status conditional on results of the comprehensive exam | ||
| MKT 799 | Dissertation Research | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Fall | ||
| MKT 799 | Dissertation Research | 6 |
| Paper submission to a national or international conference | ||
| Hours | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| MKT 799 | Dissertation Research | 6 |
| Paper submission to a national or international conference | ||
| Hours | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
PhD Degree in Management
To earn a PhD degree in Management from the University, a student must satisfactorily complete the following graduate courses and research assignments.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summer | Hours | |
| BUS 700 | Fund of Research | 3 |
| BUS 702 | Applied Stat and Reg | 3 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Fall | ||
| BUS 704 | Multivariate Analysis | 3 |
| MGT 703 | Seminar in Org Theory & Change | 3 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Spring | ||
| BUS 706 | Research Design and Methods | 3 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 4 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Summer | ||
| BUS 708 | Adv Stats & App Res | 6 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Conceptual paper presented to review team | ||
| Hours | 7 | |
| Fall | ||
| BUS 710 | Struct Equation Modeling | 3 |
| MGT 705 | Leadership | 3 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Spring | ||
| MGT 709 | Sem. Sp. Topics | 3 |
| MGT 707 | Strategic Management | 3 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Summer | ||
| MGT 799 | Dissertation Research | 3 |
| ABD status conditional on results of the comprehensive exam | ||
| MGT 799 | Dissertation Research | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Fall | ||
| MGT 799 | Dissertation Research | 6 |
| Paper submission to a national or international conference | ||
| Hours | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| MGT 799 | Dissertation Research | 6 |
| Paper submission to a national or international conference | ||
| Hours | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 57 | |
PhD Degree in Business Analytics
To earn a PhD degree in Business Analytics from the University, a student must satisfactorily complete the following graduate courses and research assignments.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summer | Hours | |
| BUS 700 | Fund of Research | 3 |
| BUS 702 | Applied Stat and Reg | 3 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Fall | ||
| BUS 704 | Multivariate Analysis | 3 |
| BUS 750 | ||
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 4 | |
| Spring | ||
| BUS 751 | Python for Business Analytics | 3 |
| MGT 753 | ||
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 4 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Summer | ||
| BUS 708 | Adv Stats & App Res | 6 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Fall | ||
| BUS 754 | Seminars Business Analytics II | 3 |
| BUS 759 | Machine Learning and AI | 3 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Spring | ||
| BUS 710 | Struct Equation Modeling | 3 |
| BUS 757 | Computational Business Stats | 3 |
| BUS 789 | Res and Teaching Concepts | 1 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Summer | ||
| BUS 799 | Dissertation Research | 6 |
| ABD status conditional on results of the comprehensive exam | ||
| Hours | 6 | |
| Fall | ||
| BUS 799 | Dissertation Research | 6 |
| Paper submission to a national or international conference | ||
| Hours | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| BUS 799 | Dissertation Research | 6 |
| Paper submission to a national or international conference | ||
| Hours | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 54 | |