About the Ph.D. Program

The Ph.D. program is designed to take four to five years to complete. The first two years are dedicated to coursework, followed by a comprehensive exam, and the subsequent years are focused on the development, completion and defense of the dissertation and addressing the job market.

A regular presence on campus is necessary for interaction with faculty, fellow students, and visiting scholars. Ph.D. students are expected to attend and actively participate in workshops, seminars and job interviews for candidates for positions in the Management Department at Clemson. View the graduate program handbook for more information.

Years 1-2

Coursework

• Track-Specific Seminars
• Multivariate Statistics
• Research Methods
• Electives (specific to your track or your interests)

Assistantship Duties

• Assist in course preparation and management (e.g., proctoring and grading exams, creating and evaluating assignments and uploading course materials).
• Assist in basic research tasks (e.g., reviewing and editing documents, collecting data and assisting in its preparation for analysis, searching for and securing literature and writing literature reviews).
• After the first year of coursework, candidates will likely be asked to teach, typically one course per semester, and are expected to teach both their track-specific course (e.g., MGT 3180, MGT 3900 or MGT 400) and intermediate statistics (MGT 3100), as well as meet any other department needs, including MGT 2010, before graduating.

Research

• Continuation and refinement of any research conducted prior to admission
• Exploration of new research interests and the initiation of new research projects
• Cultivation of potential dissertation topics
• Completion of a research project during the first summer in the program

Comprehensive exams are offered the summer following the completion of two years of coursework. Students must pass comprehensive exams before beginning dissertation work.

Years 3-5

Coursework

• No official courses required. Students may take or audit additional courses with their adviser's approval.

Assistantship Duties

• Teach as needed.
• Continue to assist teaching faculty in more critical tasks (e.g., teaching special topics and developing curriculum and pedagogy).
• Continue to assist faculty in more critical research tasks (e.g. project planning, data analysis and writing manuscripts).

Research

• Dissertation
• Continuation of research projects begun as a part of your assistantship
• Expansion of projects begun as a part of your coursework