Program Description
The Woody L. Hunt College of Business, through the departments of Accounting and Information Systems, Economics and Finance, and Marketing and Management, offers a Ph.D. Degree in Business Administration. The program prepares new generations of faculty from diverse backgrounds to meet critical challenges projected in business and business education. The objective of the Ph.D. program is to provide opportunities to develop student competencies in research and teaching and to prepare our graduates for academic careers in the business disciplines.
The curriculum offers opportunities for research specializations in Accounting, Finance, Management, and Marketing. The resulting curriculum provides graduates with
Research Projects
Graduates of the program are trained to plan and execute high-quality research publishable in major scholarly journals. Results of their research are expected to advance both the theory and practice of business. Ph.D. students develop research competencies by completing course requirements and working with faculty advisors on research projects.
Teaching
Graduates of the program will enthuse and educate future business leaders by teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in business and the traditional business disciplines. Ph.D. students gain invaluable classroom experience by teaching courses under the close supervision of a faculty advisor. As a result, they develop the requisite knowledge to prepare new courses and to become outstanding teachers.
Completing a Ph.D.
Early in the program, each student is matched to a faculty advisor. The advisor serves as the student’s mentor by helping the student develop a course of study, working with the student in the conduct of scholarly research, supervising the student’s teaching activities and developing the student’s understanding of academic life.
During the first two years of the program, students enroll in coursework designed to develop the conceptual and empirical skills necessary to undertake high-quality research. Students take a minimum of four quantitative and research methods courses, three supporting area courses, and five research specialization seminars.
Additional courses and/or independent studies are customized to each student’s individual interest. The normal course load is nine hours per semester. Students are also encouraged to develop computer proficiency.
A student achieves candidacy status after completing all coursework and passing comprehensive exams. Comprehensive exam questions are developed and evaluated by the Ph.D. faculty. Admission into the Ph.D. program does not guarantee advancement to candidacy.
Once admitted into candidacy, students must demonstrate their ability to independently conduct research by completing and defending an original dissertation. Together with the dissertation chair, each student selects a dissertation committee. The dissertation chair and committee guide the student through the dissertation process by helping the student select an appropriate research topic; develop, write and defend a dissertation proposal; conduct the research and defend the final dissertation.
Contact Us
Dr. Richard Posthuma
Director, Ph.D. Program
Phone: (915) 747-8646
rposthuma@utep.edu
Carolina Gonzalez
Ph.D. Program Coordinator/Manager
Business Room 101G
Phone: (915) 747-5496
cegonzalez4@utep.edu