Useful Information:
UW Graduate School Instructions, Policies and Procedures for Graduate Students
UW Business School PhD Program Policies and Procedures

Doctoral study is full-time and year-round. Students are admitted in Autumn Quarter only. Most students will require four to five years to complete the program. Students are expected to be full time participants in this program. Outside employment is grounds for being dropped from the program unless the student is in good standing and a formal request for outside employment is approved by the student's doctoral committee Chair and the Director of the Doctoral Program.

With the guidance of faculty members who have similar interests, PhD students complete a program of formal coursework (a minimum of 18 courses) and participate in doctoral seminars, independent study, and research. A faculty supervisory committee is appointed early in the program to assist each student in constructing a Program of Study that fits the individual’s background and interests. Students select one major area of specialization and complete requirements in two or three additional minor areas that support their major area of specialization. Throughout the program, doctoral students receive support and training that hone their skills as teachers and course developers.

MAJOR AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

The PhD Program in Business Administration offers major areas of specialization in
Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, Management, Marketing, Operations Management, and Technology Entrepreneurship.

Students who are interested in international business major in one of the areas listed above, minor in international business, and write an internationally oriented dissertation. We believe that this strategy gives students a strong foundation in a core business discipline and, thereby makes them more competitive in the academic marketplace. Most of our major areas of specialization offer a strong global dimension that provides a solid base for engaging in international research.

Applicants are admitted to the PhD Program in a specific major area after a selection committee composed of faculty from that area reviews the candidate’s admission package. Once admitted to the PhD Program, a student can change his or her major area of specialization only if the faculty in the new area of specialization accepts the transfer.

Technology Entrepreneurship is a new major area of specialization established in response to and to exploit the University of Washington’s strength in both sciences and business. This major area is open to all business PhD students, and to science and technology students who are currently in the doctoral programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the School of Medicine.

MINOR AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

Research Methods. All doctoral students are required to complete a minor area in research methods. This includes basic courses in probability and statistics (offered by the Department of Statistics, in the College of Arts and Sciences) and a set of specialized courses, such as econometrics or experimental design (offered by the Business School and other departments in the University). The specialized courses vary depending on the individual needs of each student. One year of college calculus is a prerequisite for the probability and statistics course.

Discipline-based Areas. Each major area of specialization, such as Accounting or Marketing, requires a course of study in one or two minor areas related to that particular business discipline. Many of these are subject areas from outside the Business School (computer science, economics, law, mathematics, psychology, sociology, or statistics) and require courses taken through other UW colleges and schools. Students are required to maintain a 3.2 grade-point average in these courses.

RESEARCH PAPER

Faculty in each major area set a deadline by which PhD students must complete an independent research paper and present their findings in a departmental workshop. The research project is supervised by a faculty advisor on a topic selected by the student and approved by the faculty advisor.

MAJOR AREA WRITTEN EXAMINATIONS

Students must pass a written area examination after completion of the coursework. The purpose of the major area examination is to enable the student to demonstrate a command of the subject matter in that specific area. Students are expected to be familiar with major research findings and theory, and with appropriate research methods.

Written examinations are not required for minor areas of study. However, some major areas of specialization require a written exam covering the basic tools (economics, mathematics, psychology, research methods, statistics, etc.) that are important for that business discipline. If required, the basic tool exam is administered by the faculty in the student’s major area.

GENERAL EXAMINATION AND ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY

Students are admitted to candidacy upon completion of the general examination. The supervisory committee administers this oral test after all area requirements are completed. In some cases, the general examination is a defense of the student’s dissertation proposal.

Admission to candidacy is a formal University process signifying that a student has completed certain degree requirements and that the faculty expects that the student will successfully complete the degree program. The student is designated as a Candidate (PhC) for the doctoral degree and awarded the Candidate’s certificate.

DISSERTATION

After earning candidacy, students must successfully complete a dissertation that demonstrates their ability to identify a significant research question or problem and apply appropriate research techniques to examine the research question. The dissertation must be an original and independent piece of work. Dissertations are supervised by a reading committee consisting of at least three faculty members. After the dissertation has been written to the satisfaction of the reading committee, the student defends his or her dissertation in an oral final examination.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

A doctoral student must spend at least two years of in-residence study beyond the baccalaureate degree, at least one of which must be in full-time continuous residence at the University of Washington. We know from experience that the probability of successful completion of the program diminishes substantially unless the student is committed to full-time, in-resident work until all requirements are fulfilled. Prospective students should plan on full-time studies, including summer quarter, from the time of enrollment until the completion of their dissertation.

ADMINISTRATION

Each academic department and the PhD Program Office jointly administer PhD students in Business Administration guided by the UW Graduate School Instructions, Policies and Procedures for Graduate Students and the UW Business School PhD Program Policies and Procedures.

Each PhD student is associated with the department that offers his or her major area of specialization. Because there are limited teaching assistantships available, admission decisions tend to be department oriented.