Ph.D. in Business Administration Curriculum

The Ph.D. in Business Administration is an academically rigorous experience that combines applied business concepts and a theoretical foundation. The degree can be pursued without leaving your current professional position. The program builds upon the candidate’s educational foundation and his or her extensive business experience, and is designed for the typical student to complete in 3 years. The Program improves analytical and collaborative skills, helps you to better understand the role of theory in enhancing decision making effectiveness, and provides an intellectual framework that supports individual capabilities beyond that typically attainable with a master’s degree and work experience.
coles Business Administration faculty posing togeter at commencement ceremony

An Academic Experience

In the Ph.D. Program at Coles College of Business, students are trained to think like scholars and are taught cross-disciplinary theory and research. Building on this breadth of knowledge, students explore more deeply their individual disciplines and are exposed to statistical tools and techniques that will be vital as they proceed to the dissertation stage. 

Curriculum Year by Year

Ph.D. Curriculum

The Ph.D. Program at Coles College of Business is designed to be completed in 3 years and consists of 48 academic credit hours. Students may choose from general areas of business, such as Accounting, Information Systems, Marketing, Management, and Risk and Decision Analytics. 

Curriculum and Residency Structure for Entering Cohorts

    • Introduction to Research (3 credit hours)
    • Research Methods and Basic Data Analysis (3 credit hours)
    • Discipline Seminar Course (3 credit hours) 

    * Students attend a one-day orientation at the start of the semester

    • Analysis of Variance Designs (3 credit hours)
    • Qualitative Research Methods (3 credit hours)
    • Discipline Seminar Course (3 credit hours) 
    • Regression Analysis (3 credit hours)
    • Doctoral Directed Study (3 credit hours)
    • Discipline Seminar Course (3 credit hours) 
    • Advanced Business Research Analysis (3 credit hours)
    • Dissertation Development in Business Administration (3 credit hours)
    • Discipline Seminar Course (3 credit hours) 

    * Students take the Qualifying Exam this semester. After successful completion, students can defend their dissertation proposals. 

    • Dissertation Research (6 credit hours)
    • Dissertation Research (6 credit hours)

  • Additional credits are required if students do not finish their program of study in year three.

    For course descriptions, view the KSU Graduate Catalog and search 9000-level courses by discipline.