The intersection of people and enterprise

How does a dead fish handshake at an interview affect your chances of getting the job? How does experience working together improve a surgical team's performance? What makes top performers burn out, and how can managers head it off?

Management is about answering questions. Specifically, questions about humans and their impact on the organizations they comprise.

The research topics tackled by our own management & entrepreneurship (M&E) faculty are as fascinating as they are varied. We have a reputation for one of the strongest M&E departments in the country, with a concentration of some of the best faculty in the field. As a Management PhD candidate here, you’ll be part of the excitement. You can turn your curiosity about how people and companies can work better into a successful career as a teacher and an influential thinker.

What do you do?

Associate Professor Daniel Newton talks management research.

Preserving a faculty ratio of 1:1

We compete with the nation’s highest-ranked business schools for the brightest PhD students. But our selectivity keeps the program small. We admit about 3 students annually from 40–50 applicants.

We support 14–15 PhD candidates, allowing us to maintain a one-to-one student-faculty ratio. That means you can count on attention and engaged mentoring as you progress through the program.

Top-tier placement

Our PhD graduates go on to tenure-track appointments at research institutions around the country and the world.

  • The University of Hong Kong
  • Midway University
  • University of Massachusetts-Amherst
  • University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • University of Illinois-Chicago
  • Rutgers University
  • Indiana University-Bloomington
  • University of Iowa
  • Brigham Young University
  • Oklahoma State University-Stillwater
  • Indiana University-Bloomington
  • John Carroll University
  • Pennsylvania State University-State College
  • Northern Illinois University
  • Missouri State University
  • University of Oklahoma
  • Purdue University West Lafayette
  • The Chinese University of Hong Kong
  • University of South Alabama
  • Oregon State University
  • US Department of Veterans Affairs
  • North Central College
  • Providence College
  • Sacred Heart University
  • Mississippi State University

“I really enjoy talking one-on-one with professors and getting the chance to creatively come up with ideas for projects. That's been really enriching and valuable, my favorite part so far.”

Our faculty help shape the field

On our faculty roster, you’ll find some big-time M&E researchers. Like Stephen Courtright, an internationally recognized expert in organizational leadership, team effectiveness, employee engagement, and the work/nonwork interface. And Greg Stewart, who’s in the midst of cutting-edge research on medical care provider teams in the V.A. hospital system.

Our heavy-hitter lineup is long and growing. Faculty like Ken Brown, Amy Colbert, Eean Crawford, Rong Su, Michele Williams, Beth Livingston, Semin Park, Daniel Newton, and Bodi Vasi produce industry-leading research and guide our PhD students through their degree.

We’re also some of the most published authors in the leading management and applied psychology journals, like the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, and Journal of Management. Our faculty productivity is ranked 9th in the TAMUGA research rankings, and we are constantly engaged in interesting, applicable, and cutting-edge research.

# 9

Research Productivity Ranking

Texas A&M/University of Georgia/NUS Rankings of Management Department Research Productivity

Portrait of Stephen Courtright.

Stephen Courtright

Executive Director, Tippie Leadership Collaborative and Henry B. Tippie Research Professor
Portrait of Greg L. Stewart.

Greg L. Stewart

Mary H. Bell Chair in Leadership and Professor
Portrait of Kenneth G. Brown.

Kenneth G. Brown

Tippie Children Professor of Management
Portrait of Amy Colbert.

Amy E. Colbert

University of Iowa Distinguished Chair, Faculty Director Social Impact Community, and Professor
Portrait of Eean Crawford.

Eean R. Crawford

Henry B. Tippie Research Fellow and Associate Professor
Portrait of Rong Su.

Rong Su

Mahoney Fellow and Associate Professor
Portrait of Michele Williams.

Michele Williams

Henry B. Tippie Research Fellow in Entrepreneurship and Associate Professor
Portrait of Beth A. Livingston.

Beth A. Livingston

Ralph L. Sheets Associate Professor of Industrial Relations and Faculty Director of the Dore-Tippie Women's Leadership Program
Semin Park

Semin Park

Visiting Assistant Professor
Portrait of Daniel Newton.

Daniel Newton

Cannon Faculty Scholarship for Teaching Excellence and Associate Professor
Bodi Vasi

Bodi Vasi

Daniel E. McLean Research Fellow and Associate Professor

Getting in

Admission is competitive and selective. We don't "weed out" after admitting—we'll only admit you if we're confident you'll succeed. We consider the entire applicant package to assess candidate competency and fit with our current faculty.

First, you need to meet the minimum PhD admission requirements. Other criteria for admission include:

Academic record

The minimum GPA is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. We also consider the rigor of your undergrad or master's institution(s).

GMAT or GRE score

We accept both tests for the purposes of admission. The average GMAT of our admitted students is approximately 700, but we do not employ a minimum GRE or GMAT cut score. We consider the relative strength of applicants' quantitative and verbal ability scores, in conjunction with other application materials.

Letters of recommendation

We're interested in their assessment of your strengths, weaknesses, motivation, and ability to succeed. Please arrange for three letters of recommendation that can speak to your academic and research abilities.

English proficiency

This requirement applies only to international applicants whose native language is not English. We follow the Graduate College's English proficiency requirements

Statement of purpose

Content and overall seriousness are considered. Please tell us why you want to complete a PhD in Management and why you think the Tippie College of Business is the best place for you.

Curriculum and sample plan of study

The PhD in management requires 72 semester hours of credit, in addition to a dissertation. The typical time to complete the degree is five years.

Every year, students submit a progress report for faculty review. Elective coursework can be taken at any point in the program.

Management Department Handbook

Year 1
  • Required and elective coursework
  • Mentored research: Collaboration with a faculty member on a research project, providing exposure to designing and executing studies, analysis, and writing for publication

 

Year 2
  • Completion of required coursework; continued elective coursework
  • Spring semester: Identify topic and faculty advisor for third-year paper
  • Summer: Comprehensive exams

 

Year 3
  • Elective coursework: Typically research method training; can include courses from other departments according to your research interests
  • Fall semester: Presentation of third-year paper to faculty/peers
  • Spring semester: Submit paper to AOM conference or other conference; determine dissertation topic

 

Year 4
  • Fall semester: Continued progress toward dissertation proposal
  • Spring semester: Oral defense of dissertation proposal

 

Year 5
  • Spring semester: Defense of completed dissertation

 

Teaching plan

It's important that you get many opportunities to develop and demonstrate your teaching capabilities before diving into the job market. We'll work with you to develop a teaching plan that generally includes a progression over your time here:

  1. Leading discussion sections as a teaching assistant for undergraduate courses in M&E
  2. Serving as a teaching assistant for MBA-level courses (whenever possible)
  3. Teaching standalone undergraduate or MBA-level courses

Our goal: You'll lead two standalone courses during your time in the program and will be well-prepared for your first academic appointment.