Ph.D. in Business Administration - Management and Organization

Program Overview

The goal of the Management & Organization doctoral program aims to develop world-class scholars who will contribute to the advancement of knowledge through leading-edge research that changes the way people think about management – i.e., through research that informs our theories of organizations and their management. Doctoral students learn managerial and organizational concepts, as well as the methods for conducting research in organizations through courses, research, and close interaction with the faculty. Our doctoral program is uniquely positioned to prepare students to conduct research and advance management knowledge because the members of our faculty are focused on problems and issues that span traditional and contemporary research domains. We employ both qualitative and quantitative research methods to study current management issues such as: global and corporate strategy, management of ethical and social issues, negotiation, collaboration, social networks, strategic alliances, human resource management, teams, technology and innovation management, organizational identity, and organizational learning and knowledge, among many others.

The doctoral program emphasizes scholarly development through mentor-protégé research relationships that begin immediately upon entering the program and continue throughout the program. In the first semester, the Ph.D. program coordinator assigns doctoral students as research assistants to faculty based upon mutual interests and the opportunities to learn needed skills afforded by ongoing faculty research projects. If you are considering applying to the doctoral program, it is important to learn about faculty research interests and how they align with your own. Learn more.

The core of the doctoral curriculum includes seminars in Organizational Behavior, Organizational Theory, Strategic Management, Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods, Statistics, and Advanced Analytical Skills. This course work is supplemented by work in a supporting field, taken inside or outside the Smeal College of Business. For example, students in organizational behavior or human resource management often take courses in the highly ranked program in Industrial and Organizational Psychology in the Department of Psychology in Penn State's College of Liberal Arts.

Finally, our doctoral students have the opportunity to develop effective teaching skills. Graduates of the program are prepared to pursue academic careers in top business schools in the U.S. and around the world.

Admissions

Admission to the Management & Organization Doctoral Program is competitive. We evaluate applicants from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, with or without formal study in management, especially with regard to their potential to excel as researchers. We expect students to have a rigorous academic background to prepare for the demanding course sequence and research requirements of the program. In addition to the student's prior academic and organizational work, scores on the GMAT or GRE exam and other evidence of outstanding intellectual achievements play a critical role in the decisions of the admissions committee. We encourage applicants to submit evidence of previous research and writing, if those are available. We interview every finalist applicant either in person or by telephone. We expect students to finish all program requirements, dissertation included, in five years of full-time study. Therefore, almost all students enter the program with a master's degree already completed. We do not admit students on a part-time basis.

Additional information is available on the application procedure and on the financial aid Web sites.

Program Structure

The program of study leading to the doctoral degree involves an intensive period of course work and research, along with opportunities to teach. Major program requirements include: (a) graduate course work; (b) a candidacy examination, the centerpiece of which is a comprehensive examination with written and oral components; (c) a scholarly empirical research “Working Paper” based on the student's own theoretical framework; (f) a doctoral dissertation based on original theory, data, and analyses. Assuming good progress, a graduate assistantship supports the work of all students admitted into the program throughout their residency. The program requires at least four, and usually five years to complete.

Required Courses

• Seminar in Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
  Examines theory and research focusing on individual and small group behavior within organizations. Topics typically covered include: leadership, motivation, teams, decision-making, cognitive processes, diversity, organizational justice and fairness, conflict management, and individual differences in organizations.
• Seminar in Strategic Management (3 credits)
  Examines theory and research focusing on the interrelationship between strategy, structure and performance at the organizational and industry levels. Topics typically include: business strategy, corporate strategy, corporate governance, organizational performance, environmental and industry forces, resource-based views of the firm, and strategic decision-making.
• Seminar in Organizational Theory (3 credits)
  Examines various theoretical perspectives used to understand organizations and their actions. Theories typically covered include: resource dependence theory, neo-institutional theory, network theory, population ecology, agency theory, transaction cost economics, contingency theory, organizational demography, administrative theory, bureaucratic theory, neo-Marxism, the political school, and the human relations school.
• Seminar in Qualitative Research Methods (3 credits)
  Exposes students to a wide variety of qualitative research strategies including participant observation, ethnography, in-depth interviewing, historical analysis, fieldwork, action research, interpretive research approaches, analytic induction, and other observational techniques such as unobtrusive measures. We give attention to all stages of the inquiry process from research design from data collection and analysis to presentation and publication of research findings.
• Seminar in Organization Research Design (3 credits)
  This seminar introduces the student to research methodologies used for testing hypotheses. The course focuses on (1) hypothesis modeling; (2) research design; (3) measurement, and (4) data collection methods. Students acquire a basic understanding of conventional quantitative approaches and processes employed in organization science and develop a conceptual background for undertaking an original program of scientific research.
• Seminar in Advanced Analytical Skills (3 credits)
  This seminar builds upon previous statistics courses to teach students advanced skills in exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, advanced topics in regression analysis, and structural equations modeling. During the course of the semester, students analyze their own data and write a paper of publishable quality.
• Colloquium (1.5 credits)
  All Management and Organization Ph.D. students take this professional colloquium for their first two years in the program. Each fall semester, the colloquium focuses on reading and discussing management classics in addition to discussion of other topics of relevance to the student’s socialization into the field of management and organization study (e.g., the publication process, job search process, scholarly review process, etc.) In the spring semester, the colloquium focuses mainly on writing an academic paper. Students typically choose a paper that they would like to move toward publication, and work on the paper over the semester with guidance from the colloquium faculty member, as well as fellow students, and other faculty members in the Department. Students may present their papers at the end of the spring semester. Our Ph.D. alumni tell us that the colloquium is one of their favorite program features.
• Introduction to Business Research (3 credits)
  This course is required of all Ph.D. students in the Smeal College of Business. It includes philosophy of science content as well as an opportunity to learn about theory and research perspectives from different business disciplines.
• Smeal Scholars Colloquium (1 credit)
  This is a college-level course required of all Smeal Ph.D. students. It is designed to cover professional development topics that apply across functional areas.
• Teacher Training Mini-Camp
  The college offers a teacher training mini-camp to all Ph.D. students, which you are required to take it before your first teaching assignment.

Program Milestones

• Candidacy Exam
  The Candidacy Examination is a qualifying exam that is given before a student is formally admitted into candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. The main component of the Management and Organization Candidacy Exam is a written comprehensive examination administered during the summer after the student’s first academic year in the program, which covers all the core Departmental seminars (organizational behavior, organization theory, strategic management, and two research methods seminars). The candidacy examination can also include an oral examination of the student’s knowledge, if deemed necessary by the student’s Candidacy Committee. In addition, during the Candidacy Exam, the student proposes a continuing study plan in writing (showing completed and planned course work) and defends this plan orally before the Committee. One purpose of the Candidacy Exam is to determine whether a prospective candidate has the capacity to continue study at the doctoral level. Additionally, the Candidacy Exam is a forum for diagnosing and counseling the candidate concerning future studies.
• Choosing a Concentration
  The Management & Organization faculty has diverse interests that provide many opportunities for collaborative research. Our doctoral program embraces a cross-disciplinary philosophy that encourages students to think broadly and look at subject areas from different points of view. The main areas of concentration covered by the department include: strategy, organizational behavior, human resource management, and organization theory. Students must choose a concentration prior to beginning the dissertation proposal (see below), and most students develop specific interests in connection with faculty much earlier. We recommend that students focus in one area with a secondary concentration in another area. For example, a student might focus on organizational behavior but have a secondary interest in organization theory. In addition to the areas of concentration, students have an opportunity to develop expertise in a supporting area of study such as social networks, cognition, social issues in management, innovation, etc., and by taking course work in other academic programs on campus.
• Research Paper (“Working Paper”)
  Before embarking on the doctoral dissertation, the student must complete an empirically-based Research Paper project (which we term the “Working Paper”). It is a College-wide requirement that this paper be completed and approved before the beginning of the student’s third academic year in the Ph.D. program. Most of the projects that serve as the basis for the Working Paper emerge out of joint work that the student conducts with a faculty member as part of the research assistantship. To fulfill the research paper requirement, the student must play a substantial role in the research, especially in the development of the theoretical framework, and must be first author on the resulting publishable-quality paper. A good number of doctoral students' work arising from this Working Paper research project have been published in top-tier journals in the past (see below).
• Dissertation Research Proposal
  The student’s doctoral dissertation committee guides the dissertation research. A typical committee includes the doctoral adviser, plus two members of the Management & Organization faculty, and one faculty member from outside the Smeal College. A successful dissertation proposal defense means that the student can proceed with the doctoral dissertation research, under the continued guidance of the dissertation chair and committee members. Doctoral students' work arising from dissertations has been published in many top-tier journals. (See a selection below).
• Doctoral Dissertation Defense
  Once completed and found to be sufficiently sound by the student’s dissertation committee, the student defends the written dissertation orally before the committee. The dissertation defense is open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Illustrative Program Timetable

The following table illustrates a sample program based on an individual who already has a master's degree entering the doctoral program (each student's individual progression will vary based on the courses they need to take and the scope of their dissertation research). Many students take 5 years to complete the program.

Graduate Assistantship

All students admitted to the doctoral program in Management & Organization receive a graduate assistantship. This assistantship combines research and teaching, but strongly emphasizes research. The graduate assistantship is contingent upon good progress in the program and good performance on the research/teaching assignments. A tuition waiver is part of the graduate assistantship and students receive a stipend each month.

The goal of the research assistantship is to provide students with opportunities to learn the research process and to present their research at professional meetings and to publish it in top management journals so that they will be qualified for positions at the very best business schools in the world. The research assistantship is designed to be a "learning by doing" experience where students learn about the procedures and skills necessary to plan and conduct successful organizational research, as well as the process of publishing that research in top-tier journals.

The first year of the assistantship generally focuses on research. In the second, third, and fourth years, students generally combine both research and teaching. Nominally, students are required to teach one course in each of their second, third, and fourth years. Students might also be asked to serve as a teaching assistant to a faculty member. The goal of the teaching assistantship is to provide students with necessary experience in the planning and delivery of courses.

Student Publications

Many of our students publish their research papers in top management journals, often in collaboration with faculty. We list here a selection of student papers published since 1990 to provide a sense of the breadth and depth of the knowledge creation by doctoral students in our program.

Arising from Research Papers (Working Papers from 1990-)

• Poole, P.P., Gray, B., and Gioia, D.A. 1990. Organizational script development through interactive accommodation. Group and Organization Studies, 15, 212-232.
• Gioia, D.A. & Chittipeddi, K. Sensemaking and sensegiving in strategic change initiation. Strategic Management Journal, 12: 433‑448.
• Thomas, J.B., Clark, S.M. and Gioia, D.A. 1993. Strategic sensemaking and organizational performance: Linkages among scanning, interpretation, action, and outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 36: 239-270.
• Gioia, D.A., Thomas, J.B.; Clark, S.M.; and Chittipeddi, K. 1994. Symbolism and strategic change in academia: dynamics of sensemaking and influence. Organization Science. 5: 363-383
• Youndt, M.A., Snell, S.A. Dean, J.W., Jr. and Lepak, D.P. 1996. Human resource management, manufacturing strategy, and firm performance. Academy of Management Journal, 39(4): 836-866.
• Butterfield, K.D., Trevino, L.K., and Ball, G.A. 1996. Punishment from the manager's perspective: A grounded investigation and inductive model. Academy of Management Journal, 39(6): 1479-1512.
• Mehra, A., Kilduff, M., and Brass, D.J. 1998. At the margins: A distinctiveness approach to the social identity and social networks of underrepresented groups. Academy of Management Journal, 41: 441-452.
• Welcomer, S.A., Gioia, D.A., and Kilduff, M. 2000. Resisting the discourse of modernity: Rationality and emotion in hazardous waste siting. Human Relations, 53: 1175-1205
• Corley, K.G. & Gioia, D.A. (2000) The rankings game: Managing business school reputation. Corporate Reputation Review, 3: 319-333.
• Brown, M.E. & Gioia, D.A. (2002) Making things click: Distributive leadership in an online division of an offline parent. Leadership Quarterly, 13: 397-419.
• Gioia, D. A. & Corley, K. G. (2002) Being good vs. looking good: Business school rankings and the Circean transformation from substance to image. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 1: 107-120.
• Susman, G.I., Gray, B. Perry, J. and Blair, C. 2003. Recognition and reconciliation of differences in interpretation of misalignments when collaborative technologies are introduced into new product development teams, Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 20: 141-159.
• Treviño, L.K., Brown, M. and Pincus-Hartman, L. 2003. A qualitative investigation of perceived executive ethical leadership: Perceptions from inside and outside the executive suite. Human Relations, 56 (1): 5-37.
• Bhaskar-Shrinivas, P., D.A. Harrison, M.A. Shaffer, and D.M. Luk, 2005. Input-based and time-based models of international adjustment: Meta-analytic evidence and theoretical extensions. Academy of Management Journal, 48.
• Nag, R., Hambrick, D.C. & Chen, M-J. In Press. What is strategic management,really? A consensus view on the essence of the field. Strategic Management Journal
• Nag, R., Corley, K.G. & Gioia, D.A. In Press. The intersection of organizational identity, knowledge, and practice: Attempting strategic change via knowledge grafting. Academy of Management Journal.

Arising from Dissertations (1990-)

• Longenecker, C.O., Jaccoud, A.J., Sims, H.P., Jr. and Gioia, D.A. 1992. Quantitative and qualitative investigations of affect in executive judgment. Applied Psychology: An International Review. 41: 21-41.
• Ketchen, D.J., Thomas, J.B., and Snow, C.C. 1993. Organizational configurations and performance: A comparison of theoretical approaches. Academy of Management Journal, 36: 1278-1313.
• Greening, D. and Gray, B. 1994. Testing a model of organizational response to social and political issues. Academy of Management Journal, 37(3), 467-498
• Purdy, J. and Gray, B. 1994. Government agencies as mediators in public policy conflicts. International Journal of Conflict Management, 5(2): 379-382.
• Ball, G.A., Trevino, L.K., and Sims, H.P. 1994. Just and unjust punishment: Influences on subordinate performance and citizenship. Academy of Management Journal, 37(2): 299-322.
• Ford, C.M. 1996. A theory of individual creative action in multiple social domains. Academy of Management Review. 21: 1112-1142.
• Labianca, G., Brass, D.J., and Gray, B. 1998. Social networks and perceptions of intergroup conflict: The role of negative relationships and third parties. Academy of Management Journal, 41(1), 55-67.
• Lepak, D. and Snell, S.A. 1999. The human resource architecture: Toward a theory of human capital allocation and development. Academy of Management Review, 24(1): 31-48.
• Weaver, G., Trevino, L.K., and Cochran, P. 1999. Corporate ethics programs as control systems: Influences of executive commitment and environmental factors. Academy of Management Journal, 42(1): 41-57.
• Weaver, G., Trevino, L.K., and Cochran, P. 1999. Integrated and decoupled corporate social performance: Management commitments, external pressures, and corporate ethics practices. Academy of Management Journal, 42(5): 539-552.
• LaBianca, G., Gray, B., and Brass, D.J. 2000. A grounded model of organizational schema change during empowerment. Organization Science, 11(2), 235-257.
• Ford, C.M. and Gioia, D.A. 2000. Factors influencing creativity in the domain of managerial decision making. Journal of Management, 26: 705-732.
• Yan, A. and Gray, B. 1994. Bargaining power, management control and performance in U.S.-Chinese joint ventures: A Comparative Case Study. Academy of Management Journal, 37(6), 1478-1517.
• Yan, A. and Gray, B. In Press. Antecedents and effects of parent control in IJVs. Journal of Management Studies.
• Corley, K.G. & Gioia, D.A. 2004. Identity ambiguity and change in the wake of a corporate spin-off. Administrative Science Quarterly, 49: 173-208.
• Brown, M.E., L.K. Treviño, and D.A. Harrison. 2005. Ethical leadership: A social learning theory perspective for construct development. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97: 117-134.
• Balkundi, P. and D.A. Harrison. 2006. Ties, leaders, and time in teams: Strong inference about the effects of network structure on team viability and performance. Academy of Management Journal, 49: 49-68.

Some Frequently Asked Questions About the Ph.D. Program

What should I expect from the Management and Organization Ph.D. program?

If you are interested in an academic career at a major research university, then the Management and Organization Ph.D. program will serve as a research apprenticeship for you, one that will give you the skills and training needed to succeed. In selecting a Ph.D. program, prospective students should look for faculty who are actively engaged in academic research and have a track record of mentoring doctoral students. The faculty of the Department of Management & Organization are ranked highly in terms of publications in the field's top journals, such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Science, and Organizational Behavior Human Decision Processes, and Strategic Management Journal. As noted above, our students frequently work on collaborative research projects with faculty that result in coauthored publications.

Does the program train people to become consultants?

Our program has one overriding aim: to prepare students for careers as professors at major research universities. We do not educate people who want to become consultants, nor those who wish primarily to have a teaching career, but do not plan on doing cutting-edge research.

Can I pursue a doctoral degree part-time, or through distance learning?

Our program is a full-time Ph.D. program that involves intensive research interaction between faculty and doctoral students in residence at University Park. We do not admit part-time students.

In what areas can I specialize?

Areas of concentration include organizational behavior, organization theory, strategic management, human resources management, international management, and business & society, among others. Members of our faculty are cross-disciplinary and have many eclectic interests, which makes it possible for students to combine areas of concentration and to design custom specializations.

How long is the program?

The expected time for completion of the degree is 4-5 years, with 2 - 2½ years devoted to course work and 2 – 2 ½ years devoted to completing the dissertation. An illustrative timetable is available above for your review.

How many students are in the program?

Normally there are approximately twelve to fifteen Ph.D. students in residence in the program.

About the Admissions Process

How competitive is the admissions process?

The admissions process is competitive, and successful applicants tend to have high GMAT or GRE scores—we prefer scores in the 90+ percentiles—as well as excellent academic records, a graduate degree in hand, and outstanding letters of reference. We also prefer some organizational experience and some research experience, if possible. We generally select only a small number of people from among the pool that applies.

When are the application materials due?

January 5 of each year

How many applicants are admitted each year?

This depends on how many slots we have available. We typically admit only three or four people out of 70-80 applicants.

When are admissions decisions made?

Most admissions decisions are made by March, although exceptionally qualified candidates may be considered earlier.

Can I be admitted without taking the GMAT?

Every student must take either the GMAT or the GRE. If the score is more than 5 years old, the exam must be retaken.

What is the average GMAT score for admitted candidates?

The average GMAT for students over the past few years is approximately 700, with a range of about 650-760.

About Research Interests

What are the major research interests of faculty and graduate students?

Research interests change over time depending on the interactions of faculty and doctoral students. Currently, research projects include work on social networks between and within organizations, organizational change, business ethics and values-based leadership, expertise in teams and organizations, virtual teams, strategic alliances between organizations, image and identity in organizations, learning and knowledge in organizations, leadership, as well as technology and innovation.

About Tuition and Financial Aid

Do I have to pay tuition?

All students admitted into the Ph.D. program receive a graduate assistantship that includes a tuition waiver.

What forms of financial aid are available?

Ph.D. students receive a 20 hour/week Research/Teaching Assistantship that includes a tuition waiver, student health plan, and stipend for living expenses. In addition, students may elect to supplement their income by teaching a course in the summer. A limited number of scholarships and fellowships administered by the College of Business and the University are available to incoming students with exceptional credentials. Once in the program, students may also compete for additional scholarships and fellowships. Funds are also be available to students in the latter stage of their program to assist them with their dissertation research.

About Student Life

What resources are available university-wide for graduate students?

Additional resources and information for graduate students at Penn State may be obtained from the Graduate School, the Graduate Student Association, and International Students and Scholars office.

What is the surrounding community like?

State College (within which Penn State's University Park campus is located) has been ranked by Psychology Today as one of the least stressful communities in the nation. The campus is located along U.S. Route 322 and Interstate 99 near the geographic center of Pennsylvania. State College is a wonderful college town, and it is a 3-4 hour drive from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Pittsburgh.

What housing options are available?

While some students choose the convenience of living on-campus, many students prefer to live off-campus with a variety of rental options available in State College, many within walking or biking distance of campus.

How to apply

For more information contact: