Admission Requirements

Admission is competitive. Applicants are considered on an individual basis. In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

• Baccalaureate Field No restrictions. Prior academic work should include all of the following fields: mathematics/statistics, computing/analysis, and business.
• Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester (90 quarter) hours of undergraduate study.
• Tests Required GMAT or GRE. The score must be from a test administered within five years from the requested date of entry. The writing assessment is required.
• Minimum English Competency Test Score
  • TOEFL iBT 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21, OR,
  • IELTS Academic 6.5, with 6.0 in each of the four subscores, OR,
  • PTE-Academic 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56.
• Letters of Recommendation Three required from persons familiar with the intellectual skills, perseverance, and integrity of the applicant. At least one recommendation should be from an academic familiar with the applicant’s work.
• Personal Statement Required; 500 words. The statement should address the applicant’s interests and qualifications, including research interests and the impact this work is expected to have on the applicant’s career.

• Writing Sample It is strongly recommended that applicants submit a sample of no more than 40 pages appropriate to their proposed area of study. A sample may consist of a prior research publication, a paper submitted to a graduate level course, or another example of scholarly level writing demonstrating their ability to think and write critically.

• Other Requirements Interview with the faculty in the field of the degree, the PhD coordinator, the director of doctoral studies, or the department head is advised. Students are admitted only in the fall semester.
• Deadlines Application deadlines for this program are listed on the Graduate College website.

Degree Requirements

• Minimum Semester Hours Required 96 from the baccalaureate, 64 from the MBA.
• Coursework Study will include a two-course requirement in mathematics, statistics, or computing; a four-course breadth requirement (four MBA core courses, no two of which are from the same functional area and none of which is from the area of inquiry); and a six-course depth requirement (advanced courses, at least two of which are sufficiently rigorous to provide the basis for the qualifying exam). Following the qualifying exam, additional course requirements are determined by the student’s advisor.
• Examinations
  • Qualifying Examination: A written exam, based upon courses used for the student’s depth requirement, is required and will be administered by faculty in the student’s area of inquiry.
  • Preliminary Examination: A written and/or oral exam, addressing advanced material in the area of inquiry and/or the student’s plans for dissertation research, is required.
• Dissertation A dissertation demonstrating the ability to conduct original, scholarly research is required. No more than 32 hours of doctoral thesis research can be applied to the degree.
• Other Requirements Students must serve as a teaching assistant or research assistant. This requirement may be waived for students with appropriate teaching or research experience.