Ph.D. in Business Administration

The Ph.D. program in the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Kent State University prepares students to conduct high-quality, scholarly research and become effective educators in their field of study. Students in the Doctoral Program work closely with renowned faculty to develop their independent research agenda, present work at leading academic conferences and contribute to advancing the knowledge of their discipline.

The goal of the Ph.D. program is to prepare students for research careers in accounting, finance, information systems, management or marketing.

*Currently we are not accepting applications for the Supply Chain Management concentration

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Program Features

The program consists of two years of coursework followed by a comprehensive examination and a substantial component devoted to dissertation work. Students who pass the comprehensive examination become Ph.D. candidates. Under faculty supervision, Ph.D. candidates develop their independent research into a dissertation proposal and then a complete dissertation. Ph.D. candidates also obtain teaching skills as undergraduate instructors in their field of study. They also receive guidance from faculty as they enter the job market.
 

Financial Support

  • Research and Teaching Assistantship: Students accepted in the program are awarded a Research and Teaching Assistantship that includes a tuition waiver and annual stipend of $24,000.
  • Research and Travel Funding: A limited amount of financial support is available on a competitive basis.


Research Mentorship

Ph.D. students will acquire and develop advanced research skills under faculty mentorship.


RESEARCH ENGAGEMENT

  • Conference Presentations: Ph.D. students present at research conferences and seminars.
  • Co-Authored Publications: Students often co-author research publications with faculty and students.
  • Collaboration: Ph.D. students have offices on the same floor as faculty and share offices with other doctoral students.


TEACHING MENTORSHIP AND PEDAGOGICAL SUPPORT

Each Ph.D. student is paired with teaching mentor. Pedagogical and curricular skills are strengthened through the program's college teaching course.

 

PUBLISHING LEADING RESEARCH

Faculty members are recognized as scholars who are actively engaged in leading research in Accounting, Finance, Strategic Management, Information Systems and Marketing. Journals where recent research by faculty members has appeared include:

Academy of Management Journal

MIS Quarterly

Journal of Corporate Finance

Journal of Marketing Research

Journal of Finance

Personnel Psychology

Journal of Marketing

Review of Accounting Studies

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

 

Journal of Accounting and Economics

 

Strategic Management Journal

 

Program Structure

The Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship Ph.D. program is full-time only, with an average completion time of five years. The program is comprised of coursework, a comprehensive examination and the dissertation.

Ph.D. Program Components  
College Core 3 courses
College Teaching 1 course 
Concentration Coursework 5 courses
Supplemental or Minor Courses 4 courses
Departmentally Selected Courses Up to 3 courses
Comprehensive Examination Taken after completing all coursework
Dissertation Begins after successful completion of the comprehensive examination

 

 


Concentrations

Kent State University's Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship Doctoral Program offers academic programs for Ph.D. degrees and research careers in accounting, finance, human resource management, information systems, and marketing.

*Currently we are not accepting applications for the Supply Chain Management concentration
 

Accounting Finance Human Resource Management Information Systems Marketing

 

Placement

Graduates from our doctoral programs have accepted faculty positions at the University of Illinois, Pennsylvania State University, The University of Minnesota, Louisiana State University, Saint Bonaventure University, Cleveland State University, Kent State University, Central University of Economics and Finance in China, and many other universities around the globe. You can view more doctoral placement locations on each of our Ph.D. program pages. 

Accounting Finance Human Resource Management Information Systems Marketing

 


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Student
Current Ph.D. Class

Admission

The Kent State University Ph.D. program in Business Administration admits students for full-time study only beginning in the fall semester each year. Admission to the Ph.D. program is highly competitive and, normally, only two to three applicants are admitted within an area of study each year.
 


Application Requirements

  • Online application and fee
  • Official transcripts
  • Official GMAT or GRE score - A minimum GMAT score of 600 or GRE score of 315 is required for admission consideration.
  • Professional resume
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Essay of goals and objectives
  • International applicants: Test of English proficiency - IELTS (minimum 7.0) or TOEFL IBT (minimum 100)

The average GMAT score for students admitted in the past three years is 653.


Application Deadline

We encourage you to start your application for consideration for fall 2020. The application deadline is January 1 for international applicants and February 1 for domestic applicants. All admission requirements must be received by the application deadline.


Financial Support

Admitted applicants are awarded a Research and Teaching Assistantship that includes a tuition waiver and annual stipend. Limited additional support is available for research and conference travel.

 


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FAQS

FACULTY

  • Image
    jenn wiggins

    Ph.D. in Business Administration Program Director 
    Jennifer Wiggins, Ph.D., Professor
    jwiggin2@kent.edu
    330-672-1259

  • Alam Pervaiz, Ph.D.

    Accounting, Ph.D. Concentration Coordinator  
    Indrarini (Rini) Laksmana, Ph.D.
    Professor
    ilaksman@kent.edu
    330-672-1119

  • Xiaoling Pu, Ph.D.

    Finance, Ph.D. Concentration Coordinator
    Xiaoling Pu, Ph.D.
    Olga A. Mural Risk Management Associate Professor
     xpu2@kent.edu
     330-672-1200

  • Pratim Datta

    Information Systems, Ph.D. Concentration Coordinator 
    Pratim Datta, Ph.D.
    Professor
    pdatta@kent.edu
    330-672-1229

  • Image
    I Arikan

    Management, Ph.D. Concentration Coordinator 
    Ilgaz Arikan, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor
    iarikan@kent.edu
    330-672-1156

  • Lei Jia

    Marketing, Ph.D. Concentration Coordinator
    Lei Jia, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor
    ljia1@kent.edu
    330-672-1262

 


Contact Us

Mason McLeod

Mason McLeod

Admissions Coordinator
mmcleod4@kent.edu

 

 

 

 

Cathy L. Z. DuBois, Ph.D.

Associate Dean for the Graduate College and Online Programs
cdubois@kent.edu