Doctor of Philosophy in Business

Program Description

The PhD in Business, with specialization in Management, Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing, or Accounting, is a 66-credit doctoral program designed for high-caliber and self-motivated students who wish to acquire top research, leadership, and analytical skills in business. It is primarily designed for students seeking jobs in academia but it is also for professionals and consultants seeking to serve multinational companies, government agencies, financial institutions, consulting firms and international agencies.

When to Begin

August or January 

Admission Requirements

All students must meet the following, in addition to the general AIIAS admission criteria:

1. Hold a master’s degree, with a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or above (on a four-point scale).
2. Have satisfactory work experience (normally three years), as certified by a letter from an employer. Students otherwise eligible for regular admission with less than three years of work experience may be admitted to the program but will be required to enroll in Advanced Fieldwork in Business for a minimum of 3 credits per year (or fraction thereof) of lacking experience.
3. Provide a statement (500-750 words), describing (a) why they desire to pursue a PhD in Business at AIIAS, and (b) the topic or topics they would like to pursue for their dissertation research.
4. Meet the requirements of a selection interview by demonstrating readiness to undertake a doctoral program. The preparedness of a student for doctoral studies will be determined in terms of thinking skills, inquiring mind, self-directed learning, motivation, leadership potential, research aptitude and writing skills.
5. Demonstrated English proficiency (see English Proficiency).

Prerequisites

1. Have a master’s degree in the business area or a minimum of 36 semester credits of graduate coursework in business.
2. Provide evidence of preparation in each of the following areas:
   • Accounting
   • Economics
   • Finance
   • Information Systems
   • Academic Writing
   • Management
   • Strategic Planning
   • Research Methods
   • Marketing

The department will evaluate each student’s application and make the final determination as to whether a prerequisite has been met. All students must demonstrate computer literacy upon entry into the program. Students deficient in any areas of computer literacy (word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, reference management software, academic plagiarism checker, etc.) will be recommended to take appropriate self-study modules.

Requirements

To be awarded the PhD degree in Business, a candidate must satisfactorily fulfill all the following requirements:

1. Complete a minimum of 66 credits of graduate coursework according to the curriculum with a minimum GPA of 3.50.
2. Successfully pass the comprehensive examination.
3. Publication/s or acceptance for publication in internationally/nationally indexed journal.
4. Teach at least one business course while enrolled in the PhD program and receive evaluations for the class(es) that indicate they were effectively taught. The course could be a formal academic course, or alternatively some other form of professional training, or some combination of both. The plan to meet this requirement must receive prior approval from the program committee.
5. Write and defend a doctoral dissertation.
6. Complete the Service Learning requirement.
7. Demonstrate the acquisition of the PhD PLOs and Doctoral Competencies by building and
   presenting an e-portfolio.