Graduate Programs - Ph.D.
Ph.D. Program in Business Administration
Finance Track Begins Fall, 2010
The School of Business Administration at Wayne State University is accepting applications for Ph.D. students in finance for fall, 2010. All applications received prior to April 1, 2010 will be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program.
The school is actively recruiting students who intend to study full-time. Assistantship, fellowship, and scholarship opportunities are available to Ph.D. students.
Prior to applying, prospective students are encouraged to contact Professor Timothy Butler, Program Director, at businessphd@wayne.edu.
Objective
The objective of the Ph.D. program is to prepare students to become faculty at major research universities. The program is research based and focuses on quantitative skills and global perspectives – enabling students to engage in research projects with faculty early in the doctoral program.
Description
The program is comprised of a minimum of 90 credit hours: 60 credits of graduate-level coursework and 30 credits of dissertation research. A Plan of Work, developed with and approved by the Ph.D. advisor, is required for each student, and progress toward completion will be reviewed annually. Coursework is anticipated to take approximately two years for students who have completed core business courses prior to admission and three years for those who have no graduate business credits. Written and oral qualifying examinations are required at the end of coursework. A dissertation, based on the student’s original research, is also required.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must meet admission requirements for the Wayne State University Graduate School. Applicants may be admitted with a bachelor’s or a master’s degree and will be expected to have competence in math, computing and statistics sufficient to satisfy prerequisites for the quantitative courses in the Ph.D. curriculum. Students who have not completed macro- and micro-economics and two semesters of calculus prior to admission must enroll in these courses during the first year of the doctoral program (without credit toward the degree).
Students must have earned a minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA (or 3.0 upper division GPA) or a 3.5 graduate GPA and a minimum 600 GMAT score. International applicants must meet the University requirement of a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper test), 213 (computer-based test) or 79 (Web-based test). In addition to the application for admission and test scores, applicants must submit three letters of recommendation and a personal statement of their career objectives.
All applications received prior to April 1st will be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program. Students may apply online and are encouraged to use this option for a more rapid response.
Curriculum
The Ph.D. curriculum consists of 60 hours of coursework and 30 hours of dissertation research. The coursework component is distributed as follows:
15 hours of business core courses (or equivalent)
13 hours of doctoral core courses, minimum
11 hours of quantitative courses, minimum
21 hours of electives, minimum
60 hours total coursework, minimum
Business Core: 15 hours
Recommended core:
BA 7000 Managerial Accounting (3 credits)
BA 7020 Corporate Financial Management (3 credits)
BA 7040 Managing Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
BA 7050 Marketing Strategy (3 credits)
BA 7070 Social Perspectives on the Business Enterprise (3 credits)
Entering students can transfer up to 15 master's level credits to their doctoral Plan of Work.
Doctoral Core: 13 hours minimum required
Students in all three tracks will enroll in BA 8777: Professional Development and in BA 8900: Developing Effective Research Programs in Business. Each track has at least three seminars (at least 9 total credit hours) specifically targeted to its area.
Quantitative Courses: 11 credit hours minimum
Students in the finance track will enroll in 12 credit hours of econometrics offered by the Department of Economics, and students in the management and marketing tracks will enroll in 11 credit hours of quantitative analysis offered by the Department of Psychology.
Minor and Elective Courses: 21 credit hours, minimum
Students will enroll in a minimum of 21 credit hours of elective courses that support their selected track and area of interest. These credit hour totals can be reduced by taking additional doctoral core courses beyond the 13 hour minimum.
Dissertation Research and Preparation – 30 credit hours
The Ph.D. program requires the submission and defense of a dissertation, based on the student’s original research. During its preparation, the student will register for BA 9991 – BA 9994: Dissertation Research and Direction I – IV, 7.5 credit hours each semester.
Graduation Requirements
All coursework must be completed in accordance with the regulations of the Graduate School and the School of Business Administration, governing graduate scholarship and degrees. Students will enroll on a full-time basis and complete requirements within seven years of admission.
Accreditation
The School of Business Administration is fully accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Additional Information
The Wayne State School of Business Administration PhD program is a member of DocNet-Consortium of Business Doctoral Programs and the PhD Project.
For more information, contact Professor Timothy Butler, Program Director, at businessphd@wayne.edu or 313-577-4525. Application information is available at www.gradapply.wayne.edu.
Learn more about our faculty and research by viewing faculty profiles.
DOWNLOAD THE BUSINESS PH.D. STUDENT HANDBOOK (PDF)