Fox School of Business

Curriculum

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» Download the 2009-10 handbook.

The curriculum is based on the following principles:

  • As a doctoral student, you will learn through your own research activities, and you will be expected to contribute to the knowledge of others through research;
  • As a doctoral student, you will seek an area in which to develop expertise, but you are encouraged to be knowledgeable in many areas, and you will be encouraged to develop your expertise in a way that crosses conventional disciplinary lines;
  • Your competence as a scholar ultimately requires an appreciation of, and a commitment to, the foundations of science;
  • As a doctoral student, you will develop a successful teaching style at the undergraduate level under the guidance of senior SBM faculty members.

The five main learning outcomes for the Ph.D. program are based on the premise that most graduates will enter academic careers where effective teaching and research are expected.  All students will demonstrate that they are competent in the following:

  1. Theoretical and conceptual knowledge in a concentration;
  2. Theoretical and conceptual knowledge in core business disciplines that support specialization research within managerial and organizational contexts;
  3. Advanced theoretical and practical research skills within the concentration;
  4. Written skills for proposal development and publication of research findings; and
  5. Teaching and communications skills to be able to organize courses, design learning objectives, convey concepts and assure learning.

Specific learning objectives include:

  1. Master critical economic, organizational and management theories that underpin the various disciplines in business administration.
    1. Organizations and Management Theory and concepts and additional mastery in quantitative (Statistics) and behavioral (Economics) core disciplines with the mix of quantitative and behavioral mastery depending on whether the concentration is in the behavioral or quantitative track.
  2. Demonstrate mastery of research skills in a social science or analytic context that include theory, methods and data analysis.
    1. Ask important research questions.
    2. Apply theory and conceptual models to the identification of alternative explanations or answers.
    3. In a social science context:
      1. Develop testable hypotheses based on the application of conceptual models to the identification of alternate explanations.
      2. Develop methods to test hypotheses.
      3. Identify behavioral models.
      4. Collect, organize and analyze data using appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods.
      5. Describe the results of hypotheses testing and the implications of these results.
    4. Or, in an analytic context:
      1. Demonstrate the ability to invent and analyze new theory, models, methods or software systems.
  3. Master critical theoretical foundations in one of nine business areas of specialization.
    1. Accounting; Finance; International Business; Management Information Systems; Marketing; Organization Behavior and Human Resources; Strategic Management; Risk, Insurance and Healthcare; or Tourism.
  4. Communicate and defend research findings orally and in writing.
    1. Develop skills in research reporting and publication of results.
    2. Present research proposals for review by funding sources, dissertation committees, institutional review boards, etc.
    3. Identify professional venues including conferences and journals for publication of results.
    4. Present research findings to peers during organized extracurricular research seminars.
    5. Prepare research manuscripts suitable for submission for publication.
    6. Maintain a Research Portfolio
  5. Demonstrate effective teaching and evaluation methods that assure that learning occurs.
    1. Develop and/or improve course syllabi that facilitate assurance of learning.
    2. Prepare effective lectures, discussions and presentations using the appropriate venue to support learning.
    3. Deliver course topics under the guidance of faculty mentors.
    4. Evaluate learning outcomes and give feedback to students under the guidance of faculty mentors.
    5. Maintain a Teaching Portfolio.

General Program Requirements
The Ph.D. program is very rigorous and places considerable demands on your time. program.  We admit only full-time students who are ready and willing to make the type of commitment necessary to become a top scholar. In addition to your coursework and research, you are expected to participate in research workshops and other scholarly activities. Outside employment is strongly discouraged.

  • Research Commitment - You must be committed to research. Research is at the core of doctoral education. In the Ph.D. in Business Administration Program you will develop skills necessary to investigate important questions in the context of your area of specialization and also to consider questions from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Fox School is committed to supporting high quality collaborative research by faculty and students. For more information, visit the website of the Cochran Research Center, the research arm of the Fox School, at www.sbm.temple.edu/crc/
  • Coursework - Your doctoral program will consist of twelve doctoral level courses, which include five core courses, three or four courses in your area of concentration and three or four electives. These are described in greater detail in the Ph.D. program handbook (top of page).
  • Statistics Competency Examination - An assessment of your proficiency in statistical theory and methodology will be made at the end of your first year in the program.
  • Preliminary Examination - You must take and pass a preliminary examination in your specialization at the conclusion of the didactic phase of the program.
  • Dissertation - You must write and successfully defend a doctoral dissertation.
  • Residency - The program requires full-time status. During the coursework period this means continuous enrollment in at least three courses (nine credits) during the fall and spring semesters.
  • Teaching - You must teach for at least one semester, typically after you have completed your coursework. Most teaching assignments are experienced as part of a graduate assistantship.
  • Time Limit - The program, including the dissertation, is designed to be completed within five years, and must be completed within seven years of admission. Leaves of absence, which must be approved, do not extend this requirement.

Specializations
Students will choose one of the following specializations leading up to the doctoral dissertation and complete the work specified in each specialization. The nine specializations are: