![business school phd students in the international management studies program](/jindal/files/2022/04/jindal-phd-international-management-studies-students-hero.jpg)
Program Overview
The PhD program in International Management Studies (IMS) is offered by the Organizations, Strategy, and International Management (OSIM) area and focuses on the scholarly analysis of international, strategic, and organizational management issues. Topics such as multinational management, global business strategy, organizational design and change, technological and industrial development, corporate governance, managerial decision-making, leadership, trust, and workforce management are examined.
PhD students in International Management Studies can major or minor in the following area:
- Entrepreneurship
- International Business
- Organizational Behavior
- Strategic Management
Students have the opportunity to be involved in ongoing research projects under the mentorship of experienced faculty. The emphasis is on student involvement in research early in their graduate careers. Close interaction with faculty members enables students to quickly learn to identify and develop research ideas and create their own research agenda. Our IMS PhD students are a diverse, energetic, and collegial group coming from countries such as China, Germany, India, South Korea, Turkey, and the United States. They are intelligent, hard-working, and active in research, publishing academic papers during and after they graduate from our program (see Student Publications section below).
Students also develop teaching competence under faculty mentorship through teaching one or two sections of an undergraduate course, a relatively light teaching load compared to many other PhD programs’ requirements. Several of our PhD students (current and former), Nan Guo, Miranda Welbourne-Eleazar, Xiaoou Bai, Brian Pinkham, Canan Mutlu, and Yasuhiro Yamakawa, won the Best Teacher Award in the “TA/PhD Instructor” category in the Jindal School of Management, indicating that they were the best instructors among over 100 PhD students of the school. Another graduate, Sergey Lebedev, won the Best Dissertation Award in the Jindal School of Management.
Please download our 18 Characteristics of Doctoral Programs in International Management Studies.
Connect with the Director
![Seung-Hyun Lee](/jindal/files/2020/08/seung-hyun-lee.jpg)
Seung-Hyun Lee, PhD
PhD Area Coordinator, Strategy and International Management
Welcome to the PhD Program in International Management Studies. IMS was the first graduate degree offered by the Jindal School of Management starting in the 1970s and has remained a center of excellence ever since.
Our program is deliberately kept small. All admitted students are offered a competitive assistantship package consisting of a stipend and a tuition scholarship. Since 2005, all of our graduates have secured tenure-track assistant professorships at business schools that offer graduate degrees, such as Georgia State University, Virginia Tech University, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Iowa, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and University of Notre Dame as well as City University of Hong Kong, Tsinghua University, and University of Warwick. During and shortly after their tenure in our program, they have successfully published in Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of International Business Studies, Management Science, Organization Science, and Strategic Management Journal, as well as other leading journals.
Placements
With a strong emphasis on training the next generation of researchers, the Organization, Strategy, and International Management (OSIM) program provides students with a challenging and dynamic learning environment. Our faculty members are committed to student success in research and extensively collaborate with students on crafting research papers. Some of our faculty members, such as John Lin and Riki Takeuchi have been recognized for their dedication to student development.
The goal of the OSIM program is to educate future researchers in management. Students graduate from the program with the knowledge and skill set for producing quality research. Almost all our recent graduates have successfully secured tenure-track positions at universities that offer graduate degrees.
Year | Name | Placement |
---|---|---|
2024 | Nan Guo | Chinese University of Hong Kong |
2024 | Deng Shu | University of Mississippi |
2024 | Ryan Teschner | City University of New York |
2024 | Jiyu Wang | Marymount University |
2023 | Pavithra Balaji | McMaster University, Ontario, Canada |
2023 | Minjung Lee | St. Louis University |
2023 | Jianan Li | Towson University |
2023 | Yu (Luna) Liu | Stevens Institute of Technology |
2022 | Jung H. Kwon | University of Denver |
2022 | Nishant Kathuria | Towson University |
2022 | Yundong Yeo | San Diego State University |
2021 | Dong Shin Kim | University of North Georgia |
2021 | Jyun Kim | Pusan University, Pusan South Korea |
2021 | Xiaoou Bai | Georgia State University |
2021 | O. Dorian Boncouer | University of Notre Dame |
2021 | Miranda Welbourne Eleazar | University of Iowa |
2019 | Jihyun Eun | Salisbury University |
2019 | Congying Wang | St. Cloud State University |
2018 | Young-Hoon Jung | California State University, Bakersfield |
2018 | Ayenda Kemp | Virginia Tech |
2018 | Xiujuan Li | University of Warwick |
2018 | Huy Nguyen | Montclair State University |
2018 | Cristina Vlas | University of Massachusetts Amherst |
2017 | Jinsil Kim | College of New Jersey |
2017 | Soo Jung Kim | Texas A&M University at Central Texas |
2016 | Pawinee Changphao | Narusuan University |
2016 | Sergey Lebedev | San Francisco State University |
2016 | Carliss Miller | Sam Houston State University |
2016 | HoWook Shin | Bowling Green State University |
2015 | Canan Mutlu | Kennesaw State University |
2014 | Craig Macaulay | California State University at Long Beach |
2014 | Steve Sauerwald | University of Illinois at Chicago |
2013 | Dane Blevins | Binghamton University, SUNY |
2013 | Omer Gokalp | Suffolk University |
2013 | Jing ‘Martina’ Quan | Renmin University of China |
2013 | Ciprian Stan | Florida Atlantic University |
2013 | Weichieh Su | National Chengchi University |
2012 | Sungjin Hong | Queen’s University Belfast |
2012 | Brian Pinkham | Ivery Business School |
2012 | Erin Pleggenkuhle-Miles | University of Nebraska at Omaha |
2011 | Hao Chen | Tsinghua University |
2011 | David H Weng | City University of Hong Kong |
2010 | Sunny Li Sun | University of Missouri-Kansas City |
Student Publications
Most of our students succeed in publishing quality research. Even before graduation, some of them have already published their work in leading journals, often in collaboration with faculty and recent graduates. Some of the outlets are commonly regarded as top journals, such as the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of International Business Studies, Management Science, Organization Science, and Strategic Management Journal. Below are examples of students’ journal publications with our faculty, including those in the UTD 24 leading business journals and the Financial Times top 50 journals.
Forthcoming
Takeuchi, R., Li, J. T., Kim, H., & Shay, J. P. In press. The impacts of structural configurations on expatriates’ organizational commitment and assignment completion intention. Journal of International Business Studies.
Lee, M. J., Eun, J., & Jung, Y. H. In press. Market performance and the loss aversion behind green management. Journal of General Management.
Liu, Y. , Park, H. D. , & Velamuri, R. In press. How different institutional logics affect the female CEO gender effect on IPO underpricing in China. Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice.
Qian, C., Balaji, P., Crilly, D., & Liu, Y. In press. Better safe than sorry: CEO regulatory focus and workplace safety. Journal of Management.
2023
Garg, S.,Lin, Z., & Yang, H. In press. Board caste diversity in Indian MNEs: The interplay of stakeholder norms and social embeddedness. Journal of International Business Studies, 54(5): 797-828.
Oh, S. H., Hur, W. M., & Kim, H. In press. Employee creativity in socially responsible companies: Moderating effects of intrinsic and prosocial motivation. Current Psychology, 42(21): 18178-18196.
Jiang, H., Luo, Y., Xia, J., Hitt, M., & Shen, J. 2023. Resource dependence theory in international business: Progress and prospects. Global Strategy Journal, 13(1): 3-57.
Peng, M. W., Wang, J. C., Kathuria, N., Shen, J., & Welbourne Eleazar, M. J. 2023. Toward an institution-based view. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 40: 353-382.
Takeuchi, R., Way, S. A., Guo, N., & Tian, A. 2023. A cross-level investigation of high-investment human resource systems on group/individual performance: Role of justice climates. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 34(8): 1584-1618.
2022
Hu, L., Jiang, N., Huang, H., & Liu, Y. 2022. Perceived competence overrides gender bias: Gender roles, affective trust and leader effectiveness. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 43(5): 719-733.
Kim, S. J., Lee, S.-H., & Yeo, Y. D. 2022. Work-family conflict and microfinance diversion. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 16(3): 552-572.
Shin, H. W., Lee, S.-H., & Lee, M. J. 2022. Impact of the liability of foreignness, domicile of incorporation and an institutional change on reverse merger firms’ capital-raising performance. Multinational Business Review, 30(1): 81-102.
Welbourne-Eleazar, M. J. 2022. Immoral entrenchment: How crisis reverses the ethical effects of moral intensity. Journal of Business Ethics , 180: 71-89.
Welbourne Eleazar, M. J., & Park, H. D. 2022. Who will stay when crisis strikes? Venture capitalist threat-defiant learning response to ventures in crisis. Academy of Management Journal, 65(4): 1218-123.
2021
Jiang, H., Wang, Z., Yang, L., Shen, J., & Hahn, J. 2021. How rewarding are your rewards? A value-based view of crowdfunding rewards and crowdfunding performance. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 45(3): 562-599
Kwon, J. H., Park, H. D., & Deng S. 2021. When do firms trade patents? Organization Science, 33(3): 1212-1231.
Peng, M. W., & Kathuria, N. 2021. COVID‐19 and the Scope of the Firm. Journal of Management Studies, 58(5): 1431-1435.
Peng, M. W., Kathuria, N., Viana, F. L. E., & Lima, A. C. 2021. Conglomeration, (de) globalization, and COVID-19. Management and Organization Review, 17(2): 394-400.
Takeuchi, R., Guo, N., Teschner, R. S., & Kautz, J. 2021. Reflecting on death amidst COVID-19 and individual creativity: Cross-lagged panel data analysis using four-wave longitudinal data. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(8): 1156-1168
Yeo, Y. D., & Lee, S. H. 2021. Real options flexibility or risk diversification: Risk management of U.S. MNEs when facing risk of war. Multinational Business Review, 29(4):476-500.
2020
Bai, X., Tsang, E.W.K., & Xia, W. 2020. Domestic versus foreign listing: Does a CEO’s educational experience matter? Journal of Business Venturing, 35(1): 105906.
Chen, H., Richard, O. C.. Boncoeur, O. D., & Ford, D. L., Jr. 2020. Work engagement, emotional exhaustion, and counterproductive work behavior. Journal of Business Research, 114: 30-41.
Richard, O. C.*, Boncoeur, O. D.*, Chen, H., & Ford, D. L., Jr. 2020. Supervisor abuse effects on subordinate turnover intentions and deviant behavior: The role of power distance orientation and perceived HR climate. Journal of Business Ethics, 164: 549-563
2019
Blevins, D.P., Ingram, A., Tsang, E.W.K., & Peng, M.W. 2019. How do foreign initial public offerings attract investor attention? A study of the impact of language. Strategic Organization, 17(3): 363-384.
Richard, O. C., Avery, D., Luksyte, A., Boncoeur, O. D., & Spitzmüller, C. 2019. Improving organizational newcomers’ creative job performance through creative process engagement: The moderating role of synergy diversity climate. Personnel Psychology, 72: 421-444
Triana, M., Richard, O. C. & Su, W. 2019. Gender diversity in senior management, strategic change, and firm performance: Examining the mediating nature of strategic change in high tech firms. Research Policy, 48(7): 1681-1693.
Wang, J.C., Markoczy, L., Sun, S.L., & Peng, M.W. 2019. She-E-O compensation gap: A role congruity view. Journal of Business Ethics, 159(3): 745–760.
Yang, C., Guo, N., Wang, Y., & Li, C. (2019). The effects of mentoring on hotel staff turnover: Organizational and occupational embeddedness as mediators. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31: 4086-4104.
Yi, J., Meng,S., Macaulay, C.D., & Peng, M.W. 2019. Corruption and foreign direct investment phases: The moderating role of institutions. Journal of International Business Policy, 2(2): 167-181.
Zhu, S., Ma, X., Sauerwald, S., & Peng, M.W. 2019. Home country institutions behind cross-border acquisition performance. Journal of Management, 45(4): 1315-1342.
2018
Kim, J., Weng, D., & Lee, S.-H. 2018. How does home country bribery affect firms’ foreign market focus? The case of firms in transition economies. Multinational Business Review, 26(3): 225-249.
Lee, S.-H., Ozer, M., & Baik, Y. 2018. The impact of political connections on government bailout: The 2008 credit crunch in the United States. Economics of Governance, 19(4): 299-315.
Macaulay, C., Richard, O.C., Peng, M.W., & Hasenhuttl, M. 2018. Alliance network centrality, board composition, and corporate social performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 151(4): 997-1008.
Mutlu, C.C., van Essen, M., Peng, M.W., Saleh, S., & Duran, P. 2018. Corporate governance in China: A meta-analysis. Journal of Management Studies, 55(6): 943–979.
Peng, M.W., Lebedev, S., Vlas, C., Wang, J.C., & Shay, J. 2018. The growth of the firm in (and out of) emerging economies. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 35(4): 700-729.
Peng, M.W., Nguyen, H.W., Wang, J.C., Hasenhuttl, M., & Shay, J. 2018. Bringing institutions into strategy teaching. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 17(3): 259-278.
Peng, M.W., Sun, W., Vlas, C., Minichilli, A., & Corbetta, G. 2018. An institution-based view of large family firms. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(2): 187–205.
Sauerwald, S., van Oosterhout, J., van Essen, M., and Peng, M.W. 2018. Proxy advisors and shareholder dissent: A cross-country comparative study. Journal of Management, 44(8): 3364-3394.
Weng, D.H., & Peng, M.W. 2018. Home bitter home: How labor protection influences firm offshoring. Journal of World Business, 53(5): 632-640.
Yuan, C., Li, Y., Vlas, C., & Peng, M.W. 2018. Dynamic capabilities, subnational environments, and university technology transfer. Strategic Organization, 16(1): 35–60.
2017
Gokalp, O.N., Lee, S.-H., & Peng, M.W. 2017. Competition and corporate tax evasion: An institution-based view. Journal of World Business, 52(2): 288–269.
Peng, M.W., & Lebedev, S. 2017. Intra-national business (IB). Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 34(2): 241–245.
Pinkham, B.C., & Peng, M.W. 2017. Overcoming institutional voids via arbitration. Journal of International Business Studies, 48(3): 344–359.
Sun, S.L., Peng, M.W., & Tan, W. 2017. Institutional relatedness behind product diversification and geographic diversification. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 34(2): 339–366.
2016
Sauerwald, S., Lin, Z., & Peng, M.W. 2016. Board social capital and excess CEO returns. Strategic Management Journal, 37(3): 498-520.
Su, W., Peng, M.W., Tan, W., & Cheung, Y. 2016. The signaling effect of corporate social responsibility in emerging economies. Journal of Business Ethics, 134(3): 479-491.
2015
Blevins, D., Tsang, E.W.K., & Spain, S.M. 2015. Count-based research in management: Suggestions for improvement. Organizational Research Methods, 18(1): 47-69.
Bruton, G., Peng, M.W., Ahlstrom, D., Stan, C.V., & Xu, K. 2015. State-owned enterprises around the world as hybrid organizations. Academy of Management Perspectives, 29(1): 92-114.
Jiang, Y., Peng, M.W., Yang, X., & Mutlu, C. 2015. Privatization, governance, and survival: MNE investments in private participation projects in emerging economies. Journal of World Business, 50(2): 294-301.
Lebedev, S., Peng, M.W., Xie, E., & Stevens, C. 2015. Mergers and acquisitions in and out of emerging economies. Journal of World Business, 50(4): 651-662.
Mutlu, C., Zhan, W., Peng, M.W., & Lin, Z. 2015. Competing in and out of transition economies. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 32(3): 571-596.
Peng, M.W., Mutlu, C., Sauerwald, S., Au, K., & Wang, D. 2015. Board interlocks and corporate performance among firms listed abroad. Journal of Management History, 21(2): 257-282.
Peng, M.W., Sun, S.L., & Markoczy, L. 2015. Human capital and CEO compensation during institutional transitions. Journal of Management Studies, 52(1): 117-147.
Richard, O.C., Su, W., Peng, M.W., & Miller, C.D. 2015. Do external diversity practices boost focal firm performance? The case of supplier diversity. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(17): 2227-2247.
Su, W., & Tsang, E.W.K. 2015. Product diversification and financial performance: The moderating role of secondary stakeholders. Academy of Management Journal, 58(4): 1128-1148.
Tsang, E.W.K., & Blevins, D.. 2015. Beyond information asymmetry: A critique of the management and entrepreneurship underpricing literature. Strategic Organization, 13(3): 247-258.
Yamakawa, Y., Peng, M.W., & Deeds, D. 2015. Rising from the ashes: Cognitive determinants of venture growth after entrepreneurial failure. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 39(2): 209-236.
2014
Ford, D.L., Jr., & Miller, C.D. 2014. Leadership and motivation in Africa and the African diaspora: Summary and epilogue. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 31(4): 270-279.
Peng, M.W., Lee, S.-H., & Hong, S.J. 2014. Entrepreneurs as intermediaries. Journal of World Business, 49: 21-31.
Peng, M.W., & Su, W. 2014. Cross-listing and the scope of the firm. Journal of World Business, 49: 42-50.
Shi, W., Markoczy, L., & Stan, C.V. 2014. The continuing importance of political ties in China. Academy of Management Perspectives, 28: 57-75.
Shi, W., Sun, S.L., Pinkham, B., & Peng, M.W. 2014. Domestic alliance network to attract foreign partners: Evidence from international joint ventures in China. Journal of International Business Studies, 45: 338-362.
Stan, C.V., Peng, M.W., & Bruton, G. 2014. Slack and the performance of state-owned enterprises. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 31: 473-495.
2013
Ismail, K., Ford, D.L., Jr., Wu, Q., & Peng, M.W. 2013. Managerial ties, strategic initiatives, and firm performance in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 30: 433-446.
Lee, S.-H., & Weng, D.H. 2013. Does bribery in the home country promote or dampen firm exports? Strategic Management Journal, 34: 1472–1487.
Li, Y., Peng, M.W., & Macaulay, C.D. 2013. Market-political ambidexterity during institutional transitions. Strategic Organization, 11: 205-213.
Markoczy, L., Sun, S.L., Peng, M.W., Shi, W., & Ren, B. 2013. Social network contingency, symbolic management, and boundary stretching. Strategic Management Journal, 34: 1367-1387.
Sauerwald, S., & Peng, M.W. 2013. Informal institutions, shareholder coalitions, and principal-principal conflicts. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 30: 853-870.
Yamakawa, Y., Khavul, S., Peng, M.W., & Deeds, D. 2013. Venturing from emerging economies. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 7: 181-196
2012
Chen, H., Ford, D.L., Jr., Kalyanaram, G., & Bhagat, R. 2012. Boundary conditions for turnover intentions: Exploratory evidence from China, Jordan, Turkey, and the United States. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(4): 846-866.
Shi, W., Sun, S.L, & Peng, M.W. 2012. Sub-national institutional contingencies, network positions, and IJV partner selection. Journal of Management Studies, 49: 1221-1245.
2011
Dess, G.G., Pinkham, B.C, & Yang, H. 2011. Entrepreneurial orientation: Assessing the construct’s validity and addressing some of its implications for research in the areas of family business and organizational learning. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 35 (5): 1077-1090.
Lee, S.-H., Yamakawa, Y., Peng, M.W., & Barney, J.B. 2011. How do bankruptcy laws affect entrepreneurship development around the world? Journal of Business Venturing, 26: 505-520.
Yang, H., Lin, Z., & Peng, M.W. 2011. Behind acquisitions of alliance partners: Exploratory learning and network embeddedness. Academy of Management Journal, 54: 1069-1080.
2010
Ismail, K., & Ford, D.L., Jr. 2010. Organizational leadership in Central Asia and the Caucasus: Research considerations and directions. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 27(2): 321-340.
Ismail, K., Ford, D.L., Jr., & Richard, O.C. 2010. Network building behaviors of U.S. and Central Eurasian leaders: Role of institutional background and individual factors. Eurasian Journal of Business and Economics, 3(6): 1-26.
Lee, S.-H., Oh, K., & Eden, L. 2010. Why do firms bribe? Insights from residual control theory. Management International Review, 50: 775-796.
Ofori-Brobbey, K., Ford, D.L., & Mammo, W. 2010. Exogenous determinants of international corporate tax rates: A gravity theory approach. Journal of International Management Studies, 5(2): 205-215.
Peng, M.W., Yamakawa, Y., & Lee, S.-H. 2010. Bankruptcy laws and entrepreneur-friendliness. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 34 (3): 517-530.
Qian, G., Khoury, T., Peng, M.W., & Qian, Z. 2010. The performance implications of intra- and inter-regional geographic diversification. Strategic Management Journal, 31 (9): 1018-1030.
Yang, H., Lin, Z., & Lin, Y. 2010. A multilevel framework of firm boundaries: Firm characteristics, dyadic differences, and network attributes. Strategic Management Journal, 31: 237-261.
Student Achievements and Accomplishments
2024
![Yilin Liu – OWLIE Award for Outstanding PhD student (finalist)](/jindal/files/2024/04/2024-Outsanding-PhD-600-400-7154d5a4ba0b5675.jpg)
- Yilin Liu – OWLIE Award for Outstanding PhD student (finalist)
2022
![Nan Guo receives an outstanding doctoral student award from Hasan Pirkul](/jindal/files/2022/04/nan-guo-hasan-pirkul-teaching-award-600-400.jpg)
- Nan Guo – OWLIE Award for Outstanding PhD Student
- Miranda Welbourne-Eleazar – Honorable mention for the Best Dissertation Award hosted by the Office of Graduate Education
2021
![Nan Guo with her teaching award](/jindal/files/2022/04/nan-guo-teaching-award-reflecting-pools-600-400.jpg)
- Jung-Hyun Kwon
- Winner (1st place), Award & Scholarship ($3,000 and other supports from the PDMA), PDMA−Journal of Product Innovation Management Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Competition, Journal of Product Innovation Management Research Forum, 2021 Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) Annual Conference, Online, Nov. 2021
- Recipient, Award & Scholarship ($1,000), Samsung Economic Research Institute Best Dissertation Award, Association of Korean Management Scholars (AKMS), 2021 Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Online, Aug. 2021
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- OWLIE Award for Outstanding PhD Student
- Recipient of Inaugural ExpiWell Dissertation Award, 2021
- Nan Guo – Jindal School of Management Outstanding Teaching Award Winner (PhD student category): one of the two awardees (September 9th, 2021)
- Yundong Yeo – Three Minute Dissertation Video Competition Award Winner
2020
- Jinsil Kim & Miranda Welbourne-Eleazar – Best Paper Award for Careers, Social Issues, Diversity Issues, Ethics Track, Southern Management Association Annual Meeting for Kim, J., Astvansh, V., & Welbourne Eleazar, M. J. Product Recalls and Lobbying: Managing Multi-Stakeholder Impressions and Perceived Hypocrisy
2019
![Miranda Welbourne-Eleazar receives an Outstanding Teaching Award from Hasan Pirkul](/jindal/files/2022/04/miranda-welbourne-eleazar-teaching-award-2019-600-400.jpg)
- Miranda Welbourne-Eleazar – Jindal School of Management Outstanding Teaching Award Winner (PhD student category)
2018
- Xiaoou Bai – Jindal School of Management Outstanding Teaching Award Winner (PhD student category)
2013
![Canan Mutlu – Jindal School of Management Outstanding Teaching Award Winner](/jindal/files/2022/05/canan-mutlu-outstanding-teaching-award-winner.jpg)
- Canan Mutlu – Jindal School of Management Outstanding Teaching Award Winner (PhD student category)
2006
- Yasuhiro Yamakawa – Jindal School of Management Outstanding Teaching Award Winner (PhD student category)
Admission Procedures
Students may enter the IMS doctoral program after previous graduate training or directly from undergraduate programs. Desirable educational backgrounds include graduate or undergraduate degrees in areas such as business administration, economics, sociology, psychology, political science, mathematics, and engineering. Applicants with other academic backgrounds are considered as well.
Competition to enter our program is strong. Since 2005, the IMS program only admits 3-5 students per year, representing about 5% of the total number of applicants. It is unlikely that we will increase the number of admitted students in the foreseeable future. Clearly, our emphasis is quality, not quantity.
The IMS program is designed for full-time students. Since the completion of a PhD requires a time commitment that is inconsistent with full-time or part-time employment elsewhere, the school will not consider applications for part-time status. PhD students are required to work part-time (20 hours per week) for our school as a Teaching or Research Assistant. Every student receiving an assistantship will be eligible for a year-long research fellowship for four consecutive semesters (summer, fall, spring, summer). The goal of the fellowship is to help them initiate their research activities early in the program. Students choose a faculty advisor and develop a quality research paper to be presented at the end of the fellowship year.
For detailed application procedures and admission requirements, please visit our PhD Admissions page.
Degree Requirements
The IMS PhD curriculum includes a business foundation, core courses, advanced seminars, a methodology requirement, directed readings and independent research courses, and the dissertation. All students must take the PhD courses that are offered in each of the first two years in the program. Students must satisfy a first-year research paper requirement which will be due at the end of the first year (also known as the preliminary exam). Students also must pass the comprehensive qualifying examination, which is administered at the end of the second year when all the relevant course requirements (Core Courses, Advanced Seminars, Research Methods) have been satisfied. It is intended to assess the student’s mastery of the basic theories and methodologies central to the program and to evaluate the student’s potential to do original research in an area of specialization. PhD students must successfully complete the preliminary and qualifying examinations, respectively, to enter PhD candidacy. The area faculty will determine whether a student has successfully completed the exam requirements based on the student’s performance. Criteria to evaluate students may include results from the in-class written portion of the exams, quality of research papers and/or presentations, performance in special courses (e.g. seminar courses), satisfactory GPA as determined by area faculty, and other forms of assessment as required by the student’s area. An unsatisfactory performance in any one criteria for either the preliminary examination or the qualifying examination may result in dismissal from the program.
After passing the qualifying exam, each student writes a dissertation proposal. The proposal is defended before a faculty committee appointed in consultation with the student, dissertation chair, and PhD advisor. This committee also serves as the supervising committee for the dissertation after the proposal is approved.The Dissertation Proposal must be successfully defended at least one semester prior to the term of graduation. The requirements for the proposal defense should be discussed with the dissertation committee prior to scheduling the defense. Dissertation Proposal Defenses will be open to all faculty and PhD students of the Jindal School of Management.
Curriculum (minimum of 75 hours)
Core Courses (33 hours)
Courses are required in in strategic management, entrepreneurship, international business, organization theory and behavior, group and intergroup processes, social network theory, and organizational decision making. To prepare for a career in teaching, students take a doctoral teaching and writing seminar.
Research Methods (15 hours)
Methods courses are designed to improve and develop research skills. Courses include research methodology, and classes in statistics and quantitative methods. Students are encouraged to take additional methods courses consistent with their research interests.
Dissertation (minimum of 12 hours)
The PhD degree is conferred when the dissertation is successfully defended.
![student working on her UT Dallas application for Jindal School graduate admission on her laptop](/mba/files/2019/11/student-applying-for-mba-admission-laptop-600-400.jpg)
Ready to start your PhD application?
Before you apply, get familiar with the admission requirements and application process for Jindal School PhD programs at UT Dallas.
How to Apply