The Ph.D. in Business Administration offers seven tracks: Accounting, Finance, Management, Management Information Studies, Marketing, Real Estate, and Risk Management and Insurance.
The Ph.D. degree in the Tull School of Accounting is designed to prepare students to conduct scholarly research in accounting and to eventually take positions at other research universities. The program is individually planned with each student by his/her major professor and advisory committee. The student and the committee evaluate previous work and designate sufficient coursework to provide the necessary proficiency to do research and teach in the chosen field of specialization.
The PhD in Business Administration with a focus in Finance prepares students for careers in research and teaching in academic or government research institutions. The program provides a strong foundation in financial and economic theory and the methodological skills needed to execute research projects. Graduates come to understand the fundamental concepts of finance, the workings of financial markets and financial intermediaries, and corporate financial decision-making. Faculty members work closely with PhD students and provide a stimulating intellectual environment that fosters collaboration. Graduates are placed at major research and teaching universities in the U.S. and overseas as well as in finance positions in private and public sector organizations.
A primary objective of the management emphasis in business administration is to help you develop the perspective, skills, and knowledge that you will need to manage and lead the modern organization more effectively. What makes the life of a manager so interesting is that it requires you to address such a wide variety of problems – financial, material, human, legal, political, and environmental – almost every day. No other career can provide you with such a rich mixture of challenges.
The Ph.D. program in Management is designed to develop qualified scholars who will excel in research and teaching positions at major universities and colleges. Within the department, students may specialize in organizational behavior or strategic management. Each student works with an advisor and a committee to create an appropriate academic program. As part of their program, students are expected to be actively involved with faculty mentors in teaching and conducting research leading to professional presentations and publications.
One of the oldest Information Systems (IS) PhD programs in the world, the PhD in MIS is a four-to-five-year program consistently ranked among the best IS PhD programs globally. It provides flexibility to pursue individual research interests while ensuring a strong foundation in conceptual and methodological skills. The PhD in MIS is problem-focused, addressing significant business and societal issues, grounded in theory, and inclusive of diverse research methodologies including econometrics, psychometrics, computational, and qualitative methods. Our faculty is intellectually diverse and spans all IS traditions (behavioral, organizational, economics of IS, design science, data science, and computational). With expert faculty in a wide range of enduring and cutting-edge topics, theories, and methods, students are afforded the opportunity to explore diverse research topics from multiple perspectives.
The PhD program in Marketing is described as academic research in marketing. Research is generally classified as belonging to one of three broad categories, two of which are particularly relevant to the Terry Marketing PhD program and represent substantive areas of interest: (1) consumer behavior, and (2) marketing strategy / quant. (Students will be familiarized with the third category – analytic modeling – but it is not a focal area of inquiry at Terry.) PhD students generally work in one of these two areas: Consumer behavior (CB) research focuses on the study of individual consumers to better understand their behaviors (e.g., purchase choices), attitudes, and emotions. Theoretically, CB research draws heavily on cognitive and social psychology, although other lenses (e.g., sociology, anthropology) are sometimes used. Laboratory and field experiments are the primary methodological tools used by CB researchers.
Marketing strategy / quant research focuses on firm and manager behavior, and can encompass a broad range of topics that include identifying firm marketing capabilities and resources (e.g., brands, consumer relationships, sales forces), examining organizational culture, or understanding the network of relationships that exist between suppliers and customers. Such research studies managerial decisions and their impact on brand, business unit, customer, firm, and sales force and salesperson performance. The methods employed by strategy / quant researchers are relatively diverse, and include use of archival data, surveys, web scraping, panels and experiments. Marketing strategy / quant research draws on foundational disciplines such as economics, management strategy, and statistics.
The PhD in Business Administration with a focus in Real Estate is designed to prepare students for teaching and research at universities and colleges and for positions in government and business. The PhD in Real Estate emphasizes intensive training in real estate, economics, quantitative methods, and finance with the goal of producing research-minded PhD graduates, while at the same time providing a comprehensive teaching experience. Students are encouraged to individualize their programs by supplementing their studies with courses from other Terry programs.
The PhD in Business Administration with a focus on Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) is designed to help students develop an understanding of both theoretical and applied aspects of insurance, risk management and employee benefits. The Terry College provides an excellent opportunity for those interested in pursuing a PhD in risk management and insurance. Some of the benefits of the Terry College include:
Consistently highly ranked, the UGA RMI program is currently the top-ranked program in the country by U.S. News & World Report. A recent global study ranked the UGA RMI program among the top 10 universities in the world – and second among public universities — for the impact of its risk management and insurance research. Faculty members are among the top publishers in the premier risk management and insurance journal, the Journal of Risk and Insurance. View our departmental directory for a complete list of the faculty. RMI faculty have received numerous research awards from the Journal of Risk and Insurance, Risk Management and Insurance Review, Journal of Insurance Issues, the Journal of Insurance Regulation and others.
Frank Heflin Frank.heflin@uga.edu 706.542.3501
Director of Graduate Studies Gregory Eaton geaton@uga.edu Department of Finance Administrative Associate II Vivian Brookshire Vivian.brookshire@uga.edu 706.542.4450 https://www.terry.uga.edu/phd/finance/
Director of Graduate Studies Jessica Rodell, jrodell@uga.edu MGMT Dept. Administrative Associate/Graduate Program Administrator: Leah Schettler, lgroner@uga.edu https://www.terry.uga.edu/phd/management/
Dr. Elena Karahanna ekarah@uga.edu
Director of Graduate Studies Anindita Chakravarty achakra@uga.edu
Director of Graduate Studies Jim Conklin Jnc152@uga.edu 706-542-4223
David Eckles deckles@uga.edu 7065432578
48 hours
30 hours
30 hours
62 hours
30 hours
34 hours
72 hours
Apply to the UGA Graduate School and include the following: Three letters of recommendation CV Statement of Purpose (emphasizing career goals, objectives, and research plans) GMAT score (can be waived) Unofficial transcript Although there are no formal course requirements for admission, your previous coursework and training should reflect preparation for advanced study in accounting. A MS is not required for admission. International students: For students whose primary language is not English, proof of English proficiency is required. Students need to submit official university documents according to the UGA Graduate School requirements. Students will also have to show certificate of finances upon acceptance to the program. TOEFL speak score of 26 or higher is expected. Application deadline is early January for the following fall.
We examine all students on a holistic basis. Test scores, previous course work, letters of reference, and other factors are all considered together. Requirements: GMAT or GRE; Academic transcripts, three letters of reference, statement of purpose, English language proficiency for non-native speakers.
The PhD in Accounting is designed to be flexible and accommodate the professional goals of the student. Thus, there are no specific course requirements. However, there are broad categories of classes that are recommended depending upon the track of the student as follows: At least 48 hours of total coursework At least 36 hours of instruction in the major subject At least 9 hours of instruction in the minor subject At least 3 hours of dissertation At least 21 hours of instruction at the 8000-level of courses
A complete list of our normal tracks and expected courses can be found on our website and at the following link: https://www.terry.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/Tull-PhD-Student-Handbook.pdf
| ECON 8000 | Mathematical Analysis for Economists | 3 |
| ECON 8010 | Microeconomic Theory I | 3 |
| ECON 8020 | Microeconomic Theory II | 3 |
| ECON 8080 | Introduction to Econometrics | 3 |
| ECON 8110 | Econometrics I | 3 |
| ECON 8120 | Econometrics II | 3 |
| FINA 7990 | Directed Study in Finance | 1-3 |
| FINA 9000 | Doctoral Research | 1-9 |
| FINA 9200 | Corporate Finance Theory | 3 |
| FINA 9130 | Financial Research Methodology | 3 |
| FINA 9210 | Empirical Research in Investments | 3 |
| FINA 9230 | Research Topics in Finance | 3 |
| FINA 9300 | Doctoral Dissertation | 1-12 |
| GRSC 7001 | GradFIRST: First-year Research and Scholarship Training Seminar | 1 |
| GRSC 7770 | Graduate Teaching Seminar | 1-3 |
| MGMT 9300 (min 3 hrs) | Doctoral Dissertation | 1-9 |
This degree is designed to be flexible and accommodate the professional goals of the student. Thus, there are no specific course requirements (aside from the thesis). At least 30 hours of coursework are required; at least 16 of those hours must be at the 8000-level or above.
| MARK 9650 | Multivariate Statistics | 3 |
| MGMT 9610 | Introduction to Structural Equation Modeling | 3 |
| MGMT 9620 | Econometrics for Strategic Management | 3 |
| MIST 9700 | IS Research Fundamentals: IS Theorizing and Research Development | 1-3 |
| MIST 9710 | Digital Strategy and Digital Innovation | 3 |
| MIST 9740 | PHD Qualitative Research Seminar | 3 |
| MIST 9750 | User Behavior and Technology Innovation | 3 |
| MIST 9760 | Foundational IS Theories and Emerging IS Phenomena | 3 |
| MIST 9770 | Research Methods | 3 |
| MIST 9777 | Big Data Research | 3 |
| MIST 9780 | MIS Research Workshop and Meet the Papers | 1 |
| MIST 9790 | Combining Machine Learning and Econometrics for Research | 3 |
| MARK 9300 (3-6 hours) | Doctoral Dissertation | 1-15 |
| MARK 9450 | Seminar in Marketing Management | 3 |
| MARK 9480 | Marketing Strategy II | 3 |
| MARK 9550 | Seminar in Buyer Behavior | 3 |
| MARK 9560 | Advanced Seminar in Psychological Models of Consumer Behavior | 3 |
| MARK 9650 | Multivariate Statistics | 3 |
| MARK 9700 | Marketing Models | 1.5-3 |
Students must complete at least 30 hours of coursework.
| ECON 8000 | Mathematical Analysis for Economists | 3 |
| ECON 8010 | Microeconomic Theory I | 3 |
| ECON 8020 | Microeconomic Theory II | 3 |
| ECON 8070 | Statistics for Econometrics | 3 |
| ECON 8080 | Introduction to Econometrics | 3 |
| ECON 8110 | Econometrics I | 3 |
| ECON 8120 | Econometrics II | 3 |
| FINA 9200 | Corporate Finance Theory | 3 |
| FINA 9210 | Empirical Research in Investments | 3 |
| REAL 7600 | Real Estate Investment Analysis | 3 |
| REAL 7830 | Real Estate Finance | 1.5-3 |
| REAL 8990 * | Directed Studies in Real Estate | 1-9 |
| REAL 9000 (1-9 hours) | Doctoral Research | 1-9 |
| REAL 9300 (1-9 hours) | Doctoral Dissertation | 1-9 |
| REAL 9910 (1-3 hours) | Seminar in Real Estate Analysis and Finance | 1-6 |
| REAL 9920 (1-3 hours) | Seminar in Real Estate Markets and Investments | 1-6 |
Choose 3 credit hour(s) from the following:
| ECON 8090 | Research Methods in Economics | 3 |
| ECON 8130 | Time Series Econometrics | 3 |
| MGMT 9620 | Econometrics for Strategic Management | 3 |
Choose a minimum of 3 credit hour(s) from the following:
| ACCT 9120 | Capital Markets Research in Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT 9140 | Capital Markets Research II | 3 |
| ECON 8030 | Microeconomic Theory III | 3 |
| ECON 8040 | Macroeconomic Theory I | 3 |
| FINA 9130 | Financial Research Methodology | 3 |
FINA Any 9000-level course, excluding 9000 and 9300
*1-3 hours; may be used in place of coursework
| ECON 8000 | Mathematical Analysis for Economists | 3 |
| ECON 8010 | Microeconomic Theory I | 3 |
| ECON 8070 | Statistics for Econometrics | 3 |
| ECON 8080 | Introduction to Econometrics | 3 |
| ECON 8110 | Econometrics I | 3 |
| ECON 8120 | Econometrics II | 3 |
| GRSC 7001 | GradFIRST: First-year Research and Scholarship Training Seminar | 1 |
| GRSC 7770 | Graduate Teaching Seminar | 1-3 |
| RMIN 8990 | Directed Study in Risk Management | 1-9 |
| RMIN 9000 | Doctoral Research | 1-9 |
| RMIN 9300 | Doctoral Dissertation | 1-9 |
| RMIN 9450 | Property and Liability Insurance Seminar | 3 |
| RMIN 9550 | Life and Health Insurance Seminar | 3 |
Elective courses will be selected with graduate advisor.
| GRSC 7001 | GradFIRST: First-year Research and Scholarship Training Seminar | 1 |
| GRSC 7770 | Graduate Teaching Seminar | 1-3 |
None
| GRSC 7001 | GradFIRST: First-year Research and Scholarship Training Seminar | 1 |
| GRSC 7770 | Graduate Teaching Seminar | 1-3 |
| GRSC 7001 | GradFIRST: First-year Research and Scholarship Training Seminar | 1 |
| GRSC 7770 | Graduate Teaching Seminar | 1-3 |
First Year Exams Preliminary Exams First and Second Year Summer Research Papers
| GRSC 7001 | GradFIRST: First-year Research and Scholarship Training Seminar | 1 |
| GRSC 7770 | Graduate Teaching Seminar | 1-3 |
| GRSC 7001 | GradFIRST: First-year Research and Scholarship Training Seminar | 1 |
| GRSC 7770 | Graduate Teaching Seminar | 1-3 |
2nd year summer paper Students will be required to complete a 2nd year summer paper that is due in the fall of the 3rd year as part of the fall PhD seminar. Generally, this will consist of original research completed independently or with a faculty member. Alternatively, it may consist of a literature review on a focused topic. The topic of the 2nd year paper must be agreed upon by the student and his/her major professor or another real estate faculty member.
3rd year summer paper Students will be required to complete a 3rd year summer paper that is due in the fall of the 4th year as part of the fall PhD seminar. This should be original research conducted under the supervision of a real estate faculty member.
Written exam Oral exam Dissertation proposal Dissertation
Select additional courses, as needed, in consultation with an advisor to meet the minimum number of required credit hours for this program.
All of our graduates have gone on to academic careers as research and teaching faculty at top-ranked universities and liberal arts colleges.
Our program is designed to prepare students for academic careers as research and teaching faculty at top-ranked universities and liberal arts colleges.
Most of our graduates have gone on to academic careers as research and teaching faculty at top-ranked universities.
Many of our graduates have gone on to academic careers as research and teaching faculty at well-ranked universities. Students might also pursue research-driven industry careers with Market Research Institutes or other Research-based Organizations.
We place students in risk management and insurance programs/positions at universities around the world.
We do not have a specific policy. However, if we do accept a transfer student, the decision to transfer credits from another educational institution is subject to approval by the PhD Committee on a case by case basis.
Qualified students will be nominated by the Graduate Program Committee for Graduate School Presidential and PhD Fellows awards. Students also are encouraged to seek outside fellowships and scholarships with professional accounting organizations.
Paul Hays Memorial Scholarship
All admitted students are provided Graduate Research Assistantships or Teaching Assistantships with full tuition coverage. Students also are encouraged to seek outside fellowships and scholarships.
Several sources of financial aid are available to PhD students. Assistantships and research grants include an automatic tuition-fee waiver and stipend.
All accepted students are provided with a stipend and reduced tuition/fees.
Students are encouraged to present their research at conferences, professional meetings, and symposia. The Tull School (and Terry College and Graduate School) have funds available to defray travel expenses for students who present. Students also are encouraged to write grant proposals to help fund their research and to develop grant-writing skills. Students are expected to publish their research findings in peer-reviewed journals.
Students are encouraged to present their research at conferences, professional meetings, and symposia. Students are expected to publish their research findings in peer-reviewed journals.
Students are encouraged to present their research at conferences, professional meetings, and symposia. The Department, Terry College (and Graduate School) have funds available to defray travel expenses for students who present. Students are expected to publish their research findings in peer-reviewed journals.
Students are encouraged to present their research at conferences, professional meetings, and symposia. Students are encouraged to participate in online courses offered by Marketing Associations and Societies that are catered toward developing doctoral student research. Students are expected to publish their research findings in peer-reviewed journals. Students are encouraged to apply for Domestic and International Travel Grants from the UGA Graduate School.
Our students routinely travel to academic meetings, conferences, symposia. The Terry College and the department provides resources to defray travel expenses.
Graduate Student Organization (GSO) is the primary group that organizes and represents graduate students. Other organizations are available as listed here (https://www.terry.uga.edu/current-students/student-orgs/).
University-wide graduate student organizations.
Other programs in the Tull School of Accounting, include: MS in Accounting MS in Professional Accounting