The Ph.D., offered through the Interdepartmental Program in Business Administration, requires a minimum of 54 hours of course work, a general examination, a dissertation presenting original work of publishable quality, and a final examination. Assistantship duties are an integral part of the Ph.D. program. Research assistants collaborate with faculty on papers and articles. In addition to research duties, all doctoral students must teach one or more classes during their third or fourth year under the guidance of an experienced faculty member. LSU also offers the M.B.A. with a concentration in finance.
Most students begin the Ph.D. program in the fall.
The M.S. program may be entered either in the fall or spring. The M.S. program is best suited for those with either an undergraduate or graduate degree in business administration. Applicants for the Ph.D. program must submit either GMAT or GRE scores. Awards are made in the spring of each year for doctoral students entering the following fall. This support may be continued for a maximum of four years, based on the recipient's demonstrating satisfactory academic performance and performance of assistantship duties.