Program Requirements
Core courses develop research competence and provide the background for specialized study. Doctoral candidates consult with their advisors to develop a plan of study that reflects their background and interests and satisfied the core requirements.
A minimum of 72 semester hours of credit is required for the Ph.D. degree.
Interdepartmental Core Requirements (9 s.h.):
Course
Econ: 6E:203 or 6E:190 (3 s.h.)
Ph.D. course from Marketing, Finance, M&O, or Accounting (3 s.h.)
Ph.D. course from Marketing, Finance, M&O, or Accounting (3 s.h.)
Departmental Core Requirements (9 s.h.):
Course
Operations Management (choose one):
6K:292 Management of Logistics Systems (3 s.h.)
6K:296 Service Operations (3 s.h.)
6K:293 Research Seminar in Operations Management (3 s.h.)
Management Information Systems:
6K:272 Advanced Database Analysis (3 s.h.)
Quantitative Methods:
6K:286 Operations Research (3 s.h.)
Any departmental core requirement may be replaced by an appropriate substitute with advisor's approval.
Research Methodology (9 s.h.):
Course
22S:153 Mathematical Statistics I (3 s.h.)
22S:154 Mathematical Statistics II (3 s.h.)
Choose one of the following:
56:272 Integer Programming and Network Flows (3 s.h.)
22M:174 Optimization Techniques (3 s.h.)
22S:195 or 196 Applied Stochastic Processes I or II (3 s.h.)
22S:158 Experimental Design & Analysis (3 s.h.)
22S:256 Applied Multivariate Analysis (or other applied mathematics or computing science course with advisor's approval) (3 s.h.)
Major Area of Study (12-15 s.h.)
Note: If you have already taken a course as part of the departmental core or research methodology, you cannot count it in the major area of study.
| Information Systems | 6K:272 Advanced Database Analysis 6K:274 Advanced E-Commerce and Data Security 6K:275 Knowledge Discovery 6K:276 Web Mining 6K:278 Advanced Information and Knowledge Integration |
| Operations Management | 6K:292 Management of Logistics Systems 6K:293 Research Seminar in Operations Management 6K:295 Logistics Management and Analysis 56:272 Integer Programming and Network Flows 6K:296 Service Operations |
| Quantitative Methods | 56:271 Non-Linear Programming 56:272 Integer Programming Elective Elective |
Suggested electives for majors:
| Information Systems | 6K:233 Text Retrieval 22C:104 A Practical Intro to Computer Science 22C:153 Design & Analysis of Algorithms 22C:167 Theory of Graphs |
| Operations Management | 6K:284 Operations Strategy 6K:291 Operations Planning & Control 56:166 Production Systems 56:178 Digital Systems Simulation 56:266 Production-Inventory Models 56:273 Stochastic Systems |
| Quantitative Methods | 6K:291 Operations Planning & Control 6K:292 Management of Logistics Systems 56:178 Digital Systems Simulations 22M:170 Numerical Analysis: Nonlinear Equations and Approximations Theory 22M:178 Parallel & High Performance Algorithms in Scientific Computing 22C:153 Design & Analysis of Algorithms 22C:167 Theory of Graphs |
Minor Area of Study (9-12 s.h.)
Major and minor areas combined must total at least 24 hours. Minor areas outside of the department or even outside of the Tippie College of Business are often appropriate. Examples of such areas are finance, computer science, and industrial engineering. Minor courses from business analytics and information systems (BAIS), operations management, or quantitative methods can be selected from the major and elective courses listed above.
Thesis and Elective Hours (21 s.h.)
In order to fulfill the 72-s.h. requirement for the Ph.D. degree, students must complete another 21 s.h. of course work. Up to 15 of these may be thesis hours (6K:290). Appropriate elective courses (including approved transfer credits) can also be used, subject to advisor's approval.
Ph.D. Timeline
Preliminary Ph.D. Exam: Fall, 2nd yearThe preliminary Ph.D. exam is an oral examination on a research topic—selected by the student with faculty assistance—which the student studies during the summer of the first year. An examination committee of three management sciences faculty (selected by the student and his/her advisor) will conduct the examination. The student must provide a one-page written proposal about the research topic to the examination committee by May 15. The examination committee will put together an initial list of reading materials for the student to study and build on. The committee will use the outcome of the oral examination and course grades earned during the first year to evaluate the student. The majority of the votes of the committee will determine the outcome of the examination. Students failing the examination must retake it no later than the end of the following spring semester. Failing the preliminary examination twice automatically disqualifies the student from the Ph.D. program.
Major Concentration Qualifying Exam: Fall, 3rd year
A written qualifying examination will be given in the fall of the 3rd year. The examination committee is chosen by the student and the student's advisor, and is subject to departmental approval. The student, in consultation with his/her advisor, chooses five courses over which to be tested. These should come from the list of major courses but may also be core courses or electives as approved by the advisor.
Proposal Defense: Spring, 3rd year
The proposal should be defended in an oral examination in the spring of the 3rd year and no later than the spring of the 4th year. It is suggested that the committee of five faculty for this examination consist of those most appropriate for supervising the dissertation and for administering the final oral dissertation defense examination.
Final Dissertation Defense: Spring, 4th year
The dissertation should be defended in the spring of the 4th year and no later than the spring of the 5th year.
