Applicants interested in pursuing the interdisciplinary option should contact the Director of the Ph.D. Program to articulate their intended focus and explore whether it is possible to assembly a faculty committee to oversee the proposed course of study. The degree is awarded when the dissertation is completed and successfully defended before one's dissertation committee. The graduate school requires a minimum of 72 semester credit hours for the Ph.D., many of which are taken as dissertation credit rather than formal course work. Some formal doctoral-level courses are offered in the Owen School, but given the small size of our program, students inevitably take many of their courses outside the Owen Graduate School of Management. For example, doctoral students in Finance take courses in the Department of Economics and students in Organization Studies frequently take courses in the Departments of Psychology and Sociology.
Transfer credit is also possible for relevant prior coursework.
For students without an appropriate masters degree two years of full time formal course work is generally necessary. For students with an MBA or other master's degree relevant to their field of specialization, the number of courses can be reduced by exemption from core knowledge requirements or through transfer credit. If you are offered admission to the program, the letter of admission will identify a faculty member within your area of specialization who has agreed to serve as your initial advisor when you enter the program. Quite a lot of flexibility exists in the program because it is small and can respond to interests of individual students. Specific knowledge requirements and examinations must be met, but there is flexibility in the particular courses chosen and the particular areas of knowledge to be emphasized.