Ph.D. Business Administration

The course of study leading to the Ph.D. degree in Business Administration requires the completion of 90 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree, or 60 credits beyond the master’s degree. For students proceeding from master’s to Ph.D. degree, the 60 credits should be distributed as follows:  

For students proceeding directly from B.S. degree to Ph.D. degree, the 90 credits should be distributed as follows:

The Executive PhD is designed for seasoned business professionals who are ready to apply their expertise in new and fulfilling ways. Whether you’re looking to elevate what you can do in your current role or you want to branch out into consulting, teaching, or conducting research, the Executive PhD program will give you added credibility to become a more impactful thought leader and address broad challenges facing your industry.

The Executive PhD requires a Master's degree, and is thus a PhD 60 program. It also requires at least 15 years of work experience.

The Executive PhD dissertation integrates your industry experience and passion with expert faculty guidance to address key problems in your field of interest. 

In either case, the result of the dissertation research must be a completed doctoral dissertation. Only after admission to candidacy may a student receive credit toward dissertation research under BUS 699. Prior to admission to candidacy, a student may receive up to 18 credits of pre-dissertation research under BUS 698. All full-time students are required to register for the zero credit BUS 691 Graduate Seminar every semester.

Students formally accepted as a traditional doctoral candidate must select a concentration in which to pursue their dissertation research. The available concentrations are listed below:

Entrepreneurship concentration:

Entrepreneurship encompasses opportunity seeking and identification, financing new enterprises, corporate venturing and other related topics. Research subjects address the conceptualization of new venture business models through to formulating exit strategies. Special areas of emphasis include intellectual property commercialization, international and cross-cultural studies, and issues associated with trans-generational entrepreneurship in family business.

Information Technology concentration:

Students will learn to use qualitative and quantitative methods to develop and apply theories regarding design, implementation, and use of advanced information systems and technologies with the goal of developing and publishing new Information Technology knowledge. Students will study information technology and how it affects individuals, organizations and society. By working closely with WPI’s Information Technology scholars, students will learn to conduct theoretically sound Information Technology research that addresses real business problems, to apply for research grants, and to teach Information Technology courses. WPI’s Information Technology scholars will involve Ph.D. candidates in their research activities in various organizations in the region, including those in the technology, healthcare, financial, and public sectors.

Operations Management concentration:

Students will pursue research in the areas of management sciences, operations research, business analytics, health care management, supply chain management, and decision analysis. The operations area undertakes research on decision-making through quantitative modeling of operations functions in businesses. Research topics cover all levels of business decision-making, from operation systems design and technology choices to day-to-day scheduling and performance measurement. The program emphasizes research that focuses on real business problems and maintains a balance between theory and practice. This concentration is designed to train Ph.D. students in fundamental and applied business modeling and analytical thinking.

Upon admission to the Doctoral Program, each student is assigned or may select a temporary advisor to arrange an academic Plan of Study covering the first 9 credits of study. This plan should be arranged before the first day of registration. Prior to registering for any additional credits, the student must identify a permanent dissertation advisor who assumes the role of academic advisor and with whom a suitable dissertation topic and the remaining Plan of Study are arranged. Prior to completing 18 credits, the student must form a dissertation committee that consists of the dissertation advisor, at least two other business administration faculty members, and at least one member from outside the student’s area of concentration. These committee members should be selected because of their abilities to assist in the student’s dissertation research.

The schedule of advising is as follows:

• Temporary advisor—meets with student prior to first registration to plan first 9 credits of study.
• Dissertation advisor—selected by student prior to registering for more than 9 credits.
• Program of study—arranged with dissertation advisor prior to registering for more than 9 credits.
• Dissertation committee—formed by student prior to registering for more than 18 credits. Consists of dissertation advisor, at least two B.A. faculty members, and at least one outside member.

This schedule ensures that students are well advised and actively engaged in their research at the early stages of their programs.

Admission to candidacy will be granted when the student has satisfactorily passed a written exam intended to measure fundamental ability in the area of concentration and at least one additional business discipline. The two areas are selected by the student. The exam is given in January. For students who enter the program with a bachelor’s degree, the exam must be taken after three semesters if they began their studies in the fall, and after two semesters if they began in the spring. For students who enter the program with a master’s degree, the exam must be taken after one semester if they began in the fall, and after two semesters if they began in the spring.

Students in a WPI M.S. program who plan to apply for fall admission to the Ph.D. program are strongly advised to take the candidacy exam in January before that fall. The details of the examination procedure can be obtained from the School of Business Research Policy and Curriculum Committee.

Each student must prepare a brief written proposal and make an oral presentation that demonstrates a sound understanding of the dissertation topic, the relevant literature, the techniques to be employed, the issues to be addressed, and the work done on the topic by the student to date. The proposal must be made within a year of admission to candidacy. Both the written and oral proposals are presented to the dissertation committee and a representative from the School of Business Research Policy and Curriculum Committee. The prepared portion of the oral presentation should not exceed 30 minutes, and up to 90 minutes should be allowed for discussion. If the dissertation committee and the graduate committee representative have concerns about either the substance of the proposal or the student’s understanding of the topic, the student will have one month to prepare a second presentation that focuses on the areas of concern. This presentation will last 15 minutes with an additional 45 minutes allowed for discussion. Students can continue their research only if the proposal is approved.

Each doctoral candidate is required to defend the originality, independence and quality of research during an oral dissertation defense that is administered by an examining committee that consists of the dissertation committee and a representative of the School of Business Research Policy and Curriculum Committee who is not on the dissertation committee. The defense is open to public participation and consists of a 45-minute presentation followed by a 45-minute open discussion. At least one week prior to the defense, each member of the examining committee must receive a copy of the dissertation. At the same time, an additional copy must be made available for members of the WPI community wishing to read the dissertation prior to the defense, and public notification of the defense must be given by the School of Business Research Policy and Curriculum Committee. The examining committee will determine the acceptability of the student’s dissertation and oral performance. The dissertation advisor will determine the student’s grade.