Message from the Director:
Welcome and thank you for your interest in the Ph.D. Program at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Our Ph.D. program is designed to produce graduates who will make significant contributions to knowledge in their chosen fields. It prepares students for research and academic careers, typically as faculty in business schools. The degree requirements focus on training in the design and conduct of rigorous research. Students gain theoretical and methodological sophistication from coursework and research conducted both with faculty members and independently. Research ideas and implications are grounded in the world of practice through interchange with faculty, other graduate students, and business practitioners. The Ph.D. degree in business administration differs from Ph.D. programs in economics, psychology, statistics, and engineering in its emphasis on connections between theoretical concepts and the world of business practice. It differs from an MBA degree by emphasizing theory and original contributions to knowledge. Our Ph.D. program consists of eight different areas of specialization: Accounting, Finance, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Marketing, Management Science, Organization Studies, Sport Management and Strategic Management. These programs are small and highly selective (2-3 students are accepted annually in each area of concentration). That gives students immediate individual attention and involvement in the research programs of our faculty. Through their association with faculty, students explore the frontiers of research in business management representing an intersection of the basic social science disciplines and the world of business practice.
The Ph.D. program's greatest resource is its faculty, who are internationally recognized for their research and teaching expertise. Research conducted at the School would not be possible without outstanding support services. The library and computing facilities at the University and the School facilitate research at the highest level. Financial support is usually available for all our Ph.D. students for four academic years. In exchange, students help faculty as research or teaching assistants and teach some courses independently. Finally, the most important source of support for Ph.D. students is their colleagues. Our students come from around the globe and they form a cohesive group, mutually supportive both academically and personally.
If your goal is to become a creative and productive researcher studying business management problems, you should give serious consideration to the doctoral program at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. If you are admitted into our program, you can look forward to a challenging and stimulating experience.
-- Ray J. Pfeiffer, Jr., Director