Goals and expectations

The doctoral program of the SEM is designed to develop in the student a high level of competence in conducting business research. To accomplish these objectives, the program provides a course of study emphasizing the contemporary theoretical knowledge, quantitative techniques, and research methodology in the student's major field. In addition, students enrolled into the doctoral degree studies receive individualized approach to meet his/her background and objectives.

The doctoral program requires the student to demonstrate mastery of professional knowledge and proficiency in the techniques of research. This is evidenced by the successful completion of appropriate, robust coursework and examinations, effective performance during classroom instruction, participation with faculty members in research, presentation of papers and reports, and the writing of a dissertation.

The Ph.D. dissertation is usually worth 10-12 credits but in some exceptional cases the number of credits for a Ph.D. dissertation may by increased.

The candidate with a Master Degree admitted to the Ph.D. program is required to take at least additional 7 courses (32 to 60 credits) including a dissertation although more credits and courses may be required to satisfy the particular aims of the student and the student's advisor. A student should complete the Major Requirements with G.P.A. of 80 percent or above. Some Ph.D. majors allow a student to earn no more than 6 credits by teaching appropriate courses.

Research fields for Ph.D. degree are Finance, International Business, Management and Economics.

Programs of study

Programs of study include Business and Economic Foundations, Quantitative and Research Methods, Economics, and the Major Field. A maximum of 15 semester hours is allowed in transfer. No course work that has been completed more than five years prior to the admission may be used to meet any doctoral requirement. The student may be admitted to candidacy for a Ph.D. degree when s/he has completed all requirements for the degree except for the dissertation. Student admitted to the candidacy at each semester should register for dissertation semester hours.

Dissertation

The objective of the dissertation is to demonstrate the candidate's ability to conduct and report research in a selected field. The doctoral degree is awarded in recognition of the achievement of independent and comprehensive scholarly work in a major area. The results of the dissertation research must make a significant contribution to the research area.

The Dissertation Committee consists of a chair and at least four members from inside and outside of the university.

The defense of a dissertation proposal must be held before the Dissertation Committee. The purpose of the dissertation proposal defense is to provide the Dissertation Committee with evidence of the significance and rationale of the proposed study. A dissertation proposal defense also provides the opportunities for the faculty to contribute to a scholarly critique of the proposed research.

The dissertation proposal should include the following: the statement of the purpose of the research; a review of the literature with analysis of the merits and demerits of known approaches and studies; the framework of theory to be developed or tested; the methodology, techniques, and data to be used; the hypotheses to be developed and tested; a time frame for completion of the dissertation.

The completed dissertation must be defended in a final dissertation defense. An official announcement on the defense should be made at least two weeks before the defense. Four copies of the dissertation to be defended shall be made available in the office of the Graduate Program Director and Library at least two weeks in advance of the defense. Any interested faculty members, students or people from outside of the university may attend the examination and participate in the discussion.

All requirements for the doctoral degree are normally completed within 3-4 years of a student's first matriculation into the program. For more information refer to "Theses and Dissertations: General Guidelines for Graduate Studies"