Program Overview
The Whitman PhD program offers seven major fields of study: accounting, management information systems, entrepreneurship, finance/managerial statistics, marketing, supply chain, and management.
The program curriculum includes:
Major Field — 12 credits
Depending on a student’s background, additional advanced graduate courses may be required.
Supporting Field — 9 credits (minimum)
Students must take additional courses in one of the other Whitman fields of study or an allied field outside of the school. Additional graduate coursework, determined by the student’s department and advisor, may be required for some major fields.
Research Methods —12 credits (minimum)
These include advanced graduate research courses.
Students are expected to take at least nine credits of coursework each semester prior to their comprehensive exams. Students are also encouraged to take courses beyond the requirements after completing their comprehensive exams to broaden or deepen their knowledge.
Interdisciplinary Study
Students interested in pursuing interdisciplinary fields of study may do so with the consent of their advisors. The PhD requires 72 credits beyond the baccalaureate degree, including 42 credits of coursework, 6 credits of summer research, and 24 credits of dissertation work, with additional coursework, as appropriate.
Students entering with an MBA may transfer up to 9 credits toward the 42 credits of coursework, and are expected to complete all required coursework in the major and supporting fields within two full years of study.
Comprehensive Examinations
Students are expected to successfully complete a comprehensive written exam in their major field of study before starting their third full year in the program. Exams are administered by the Whitman School during the fall semester.
Comprehensive written examinations in the supporting area or in research methods may also be required for some majors, either as part of major comprehensive exams or as separate exams. Any comprehensive exams required in supporting fields or research methods must also be completed before the beginning of the third year. Candidates who fail a comprehensive exam may retake the exam with a second failure resulting in termination from the program.
Summer Research
A six-credit summer research project will be assigned during the first summer of the program. This project will be supervised and judged by a faculty mentor and must be completed by the end of the student’s second year. This project should result in a paper of publishable quality and will be used in the student’s overall evaluation. Completed papers must be presented in a departmental colloquium or at a national conference.
Dissertation
In addition to the 48 credits of courses and summer research required for the degree, Whitman doctoral students are required to complete 24 credits of dissertation work. Each student is required to form a five-person dissertation committee no later than two months after completing the comprehensive exams. This committee will periodically evaluate the progress of the student toward the completion of their dissertation.
Doctoral students must defend their dissertation in front of the dissertation committee, which is open to the school’s faculty and PhD students. The proposal must be approved by the dissertation committee at or before the beginning of the fourth year in the program. All dissertation requirements must be completed within seven years of the matriculation date.
Evalution
Students will be evaluated by their academic advisor at the beginning of their second and third years. The evaluations are complete on or before September 15 and are reviewed by the doctoral board no later than October 15. Students are expected to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5. Inadequate performance on any of the program requirements can lead to termination from the program.
Teaching Responsibilities
As teaching is one of the requirements for the PhD program, students are required to participate in the University’s teaching assistant orientation program. Participation in the Future Professoriate Program, which holds special seminars and workshops for graduate students who plan careers in college teaching, is strongly advised. Performance of teaching assistantship responsibilities is assessed by the department chair.
Funding
Funding is guaranteed for four years, subject to satisfactory performance. Summer funding may come from research centers or summer assistantships and may include teaching one summer course.
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