University of Texas at El Paso Academic Catalog

Academic Catalog

Ph.D. in Business Administration

The College of Business Administration, through the departments of Accounting and Information Systems, Economics and Finance, and Marketing and Management, offers a PhD in Business Administration. The PhD program is accredited by AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. It is designed to prepare a new generation of faculty from diverse backgrounds to meet critical challenges projected in business education. The full-time program is housed in the College of Business Administration and emphasizes strong quantitative research methods and business core sequences, as well as opportunities for research in accounting, finance, information systems, management, and marketing. Course approval and course substitution approval requests will be coordinated by the PhD Director at the direction of the Dean.

Admission Requirements 

  1. Transcripts according to the requirements of the Graduate School.
  2. Official scores on the GMAT or GRE. (GMAT preferred.)
  3. Two letters of reference, preferably from professors who are knowledgeable about the student’s potential ability to perform at the doctoral level.
  4. A statement describing the applicant’s reasons for wanting to obtain a PhD in Business Administration.
  5. A current resume or curriculum vitae.
  6. Applicants from countries where English is not the first language are required to demonstrate English proficiency. Please consult the graduate school website for required courses.
  7. As part of the review of an applicant’s file, an interview or additional information can be required. In such a case, the applicant will be notified.
  8. Students who do not have a master’s degree in business (or related field) or wish to enter directly upon completion of a bachelor’s degree must complete at least 24 graduate-level credit hours in business administration or equivalent.

Admission decisions are based on demonstration of academic performance and potential as measured by undergraduate GPA, graduate GPA (if applicable), standardized test scores, and other factors. Admission decisions can also reflect consideration of candidates’ socio-economic background, publication record, and academic experience.

Students entering the PhD program are expected to have knowledge of elementary calculus and statistics. Students without a master’s degree in business or a related field must take the business foundation courses or demonstrate competency in the knowledge areas represented. It is anticipated that students entering the program with a master's degree in business or related field will have already taken these courses or their equivalent (students entering the Accounting and Finance Specialization must take ECON 5302 Microeconomic Theory, or the equivalent as part of the business foundation coursework).  Students can demonstrate achievement of proficiency in any or all of these areas by examination, subject to the approval of the Director of the PhD Program.

A copy of the dissertation in PDF or Word electronic format must be submitted to the Graduate school for format check prior to the scheduled defense date. The dissertation, including an abstract not to exceed 350 words, must be prepared according to the Graduate School’s thesis and dissertation guidelines available at the Graduate School Web site. The student will receive email confirmation from the Graduate School after the format has been approved. The final Graduate School-approved dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate School in PDF electronic format by the deadline as published in the Class Schedule, along with a hard copy of the signature page with original signatures of the dissertation committee members. The signature page must be included in the PDF file, but it should not be signed.

Degree Requirements

Grade Point Average Requirements

The student must maintain at least a 3.00 grade point average over the nine hours of Supporting Area sequence. If a student receives two “Cs” or one “D” or one “F” in any course from any Professor, the student will be automatically dismissed from the program. Students must maintain a 3.00 GPA over all graduate work attempted, excluding dissertation credit. Failure to maintain these averages constitutes unsatisfactory progress and will result in the student’s dismissal from the program.

Comprehensive Exams (0 semester hours)

After completing coursework but prior to beginning the dissertation proposal, each student must pass a series of comprehensive examinations. The Director of the PhD Program will schedule the exams in consultation with the College of Business Administration’s PhD Policy Committee.

Other Requirements

In addition to all College of Business Administration requirements falling under this heading, please review the Policy Handbook for PhD in Business Administration for more detailed information applying to all Business doctoral students.

As part of the Elective requirements, all students will be required to register for one 3 hour credit MBA or
MACC level course within the area of their concentration. They will need to work with a professor to conduct
research related to the topics of that course.

Degree Plan

Required Credits: 72

Business Foundation Courses
Course Options:
Select eight courses from the following: 124
Financial Accounting
Strategic Information Systems
Microeconomic Theory 1
Managerial Economics
Global Econ Environment-Mgrs
Financial Management
Organizational Mgmt Seminar
Marketing Management
Concepts of Production Mgmt
Supporting Area (All courses require a grade of B or better)
Select three courses from the following:9
ACCT 6310Intl Accounting Environment3
ACCT 6323Topics in Intl Acct Research3
ACCT 6325Seminar in Intl Manag Acct3
ACCT 6354Accounting Topics in Intl Bus3
FIN 6332Seminar in Intl Capital Mkts3
FIN 6354Finance Topics in Intl Bus3
MGMT 6319Seminar in Intl Management3
MGMT 6354Management Topics in Intl Bus3
MKT 6313Seminar in Intl Marketing3
MKT 6354Marketing Topics in Intl Bus3
MKT 6363International Business Theory3
Students may take doctoral courses outside of the College of Business with the approval of the Program Director
Research Methods (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Required Courses:
ECON 6370Applied Econometrics3
ECON 6372Panel Data & Discr Chce Modls3
Select two courses from the following:6
Financial Econometrics I
Financial Econometrics II
Advanced Regression Analysis
Survey Research Methods
Research Philosophy & Design
Structural Equation Modeling
Business Analytics I
Business Analytics II
Econometric Forecasting
Elective Courses (All courses require a grade of C or better)15
Select five courses from the following:
Accounting Behavioral Research (required course for Accounting students)
Sem in Intl Financial Acct
Topics in Intl Acct Research
Seminar in International Tax
Seminar in Intl Manag Acct
Accounting Topics in Intl Bus
Accounting Independet Study
Seminar in Theory of Finance
Seminar in Intl Capital Mkts
Seminar in Corp Finance
Seminar in Investments
Finance Topics in Intl Bus
Finance Independent Study
Strategic Information Systems
Difusion and ICT Impact
Info Systems Outsourcing
Information Systems Security
Info Systems Independent Study (with approval of Program Director)
Intrnat'l Prod Op/Supply Chain
International Mgmt & Strategy
Internation Entrepreneurship
Intl Org Behav & HR Mgmt
Management Topics in Intl Bus
Management Independent Study (with approval of Program Director)
Seminar in Orgztnal Behavior
Seminar in HR Mgmt
Int'l Op/Supply Chain Mgmt
Seminar in Marketing Theory
Marketing Topics in Intl Bus
Research in Consumer Behavior
Sales and Services Mgmt Res
Sem in Cross-Cult Mark
Topics in Int Marketing
Int'l Marketing Strategy
Marketing Independent Study (with approval of Program Director)
MACC/MBA-LEVEL COURSE WITH ADDITIONAL WORK WITH PROFESSOR
Business Administration Program (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Comprehensive Exams:
Pass a series of comprehensive examinations after completing coursework but prior to beginning dissertation proposal
Dissertation Proposal:
Complete a doctoral dissertation with a minimum of twelve hours from the following:12
Accounting Dissertation I
Accounting Dissertation II
Finance Dissertation I
Finance Dissertation II
Info Systems Dissertation I
Info Systems Dissertation II
Management Dissertation I
Management Dissertation II
Marketing Dissertation I
Marketing Dissertation II
Total Hours72
1 Accounting and Finance specialization must take ECON 5302 Microeconomic Theory or equivalent.

Concentrations

Accounting 

Business Foundation Courses
Course Options:
Select eight courses from the following:24
Financial Accounting
Strategic Information Systems
Seminar, Microeconomic Theory
Managerial Economics
Global Econ Environment-Mgrs
Financial Management
Organizational Mgmt Seminar
Marketing Management
Concepts of Production Mgmt
Supporting Area (All courses require a grade of B or better)
Select three courses from the following:9
Intl Accounting Environment
Topics in Intl Acct Research
Seminar in Intl Manag Acct
Accounting Topics in Intl Bus
Seminar in Intl Capital Mkts
Students may also take doctoral courses outside of the College of Business with the approval of the Program Director
Quantitative & Survey Methods (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Required Courses:6
ECON 6370Applied Econometrics3
ECON 6372Panel Data & Discr Chce Modls3
Select two courses from the following:6
Econometric Forecasting
Financial Econometrics I
Financial Econometrics II
Advanced Regression Analysis
Survey Research Methods
Research Philosophy & Design
Structural Equation Modeling
Business Analytics I
Business Analytics II
Elective Courses (All courses require a grade of C or better) 15
Required:
Accounting Behavioral Research
Select four from the following:
Sem in Intl Financial Acct
Topics in Intl Acct Research
Seminar in International Tax
Seminar in Intl Manag Acct
Accounting Topics in Intl Bus
Accounting Independet Study
Seminar in Theory of Finance
Seminar in Intl Capital Mkts
Seminar in Corp Finance
Seminar in Investments
MACC/MBA-LEVEL COURSE WITH ADDITIONAL WORK WITH PROFESSOR
Business Administration Program (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Comprehensive Exams:
Pass a series of comprehensive examinations after completing coursework but prior to beginning dissertation proposal
Dissertation Proposal:
Complete a doctoral dissertation with a minimum of twelve hours from the following:12
Accounting Dissertation I
Accounting Dissertation II
Total Hours78

Finance

Business Foundation Courses
Course Options:
Select eight courses from the following:24
Financial Accounting
Strategic Information Systems
Seminar, Microeconomic Theory
Managerial Economics
Global Econ Environment-Mgrs
Financial Management
Organizational Mgmt Seminar
Marketing Management
Concepts of Production Mgmt
Supporting Area (All courses require a grade of B or better)
Select three courses from the following:9
Intl Accounting Environment
Topics in Intl Acct Research
Seminar in Intl Manag Acct
Seminar in Intl Capital Mkts
Finance Topics in Intl Bus
Students may also take doctoral courses outside of the College of Business with the approval of the Program Director
Quantitative & Survey Methods (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Required Courses:6
ECON 6370Applied Econometrics3
ECON 6372Panel Data & Discr Chce Modls3
Select two courses from the following:6
Econometric Forecasting
Financial Econometrics I
Financial Econometrics II
Advanced Regression Analysis
Survey Research Methods
Research Philosophy & Design
Structural Equation Modeling
Business Analytics I
Business Analytics II
Elective Courses (All courses require a grade of C or better) 15
Select five from the following:
Accounting Behavioral Research
Sem in Intl Financial Acct
Seminar in International Tax
Seminar in Intl Manag Acct
Seminar in Theory of Finance
Seminar in Intl Capital Mkts
Seminar in Corp Finance
Seminar in Investments
Finance Topics in Intl Bus
Finance Independent Study
MACC-LEVEL COURSE WITH ADDITIONAL WORK WITH PROFESSOR
Business Administration Program (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Comprehensive Exams:
Pass a series of comprehensive examinations after completing coursework but prior to beginning dissertation proposal
Dissertation Proposal:
Complete a doctoral dissertation with a minimum of twelve hours from the following:12
Finance Dissertation I
Finance Dissertation II
Total Hours78

Information Systems

Business Foundation Courses
Course Options:
Select eight courses from the following:24
Financial Accounting
Strategic Information Systems
Seminar, Microeconomic Theory
Managerial Economics
Global Econ Environment-Mgrs
Financial Management
Organizational Mgmt Seminar
Marketing Management
Concepts of Production Mgmt
Supporting Area (All courses require a grade of B or better)
Select three courses from the following:9
Intl Accounting Environment
Topics in Intl Acct Research
Seminar in Intl Manag Acct
Seminar in Intl Capital Mkts
Seminar in Intl Marketing
International Business Theory
Seminar in Intl Management
Students may also take doctoral courses outside of the College of Business with the approval of the Program Director
Quantitative & Survey Methods (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Required Courses:6
ECON 6370Applied Econometrics3
ECON 6372Panel Data & Discr Chce Modls3
Select two courses from the following:6
Econometric Forecasting
Financial Econometrics I
Financial Econometrics II
Advanced Regression Analysis
Survey Research Methods
Research Philosophy & Design
Structural Equation Modeling
Business Analytics I
Business Analytics II
Elective Courses (All courses require a grade of C or better) 15
Select five from the following:
Strategic Information Systems
Difusion and ICT Impact
Info Systems Outsourcing
Information Systems Security
Info Systems Independent Study
MBA-LEVEL COURSE WITH ADDITIONAL WORK WITH PROFESSOR
Business Administration Program (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Comprehensive Exams:
Pass a series of comprehensive examinations after completing coursework but prior to beginning dissertation proposal
Dissertation Proposal:
Complete a doctoral dissertation with a minimum of twelve hours from the following:12
Info Systems Dissertation I
Info Systems Dissertation II
Total Hours78

Marketing 

Business Foundation Courses
Course Options:
Select eight courses from the following:24
Financial Accounting
Strategic Information Systems
Seminar, Microeconomic Theory
Managerial Economics
Global Econ Environment-Mgrs
Financial Management
Organizational Mgmt Seminar
Marketing Management
Concepts of Production Mgmt
Supporting Area (All courses require a grade of B or better)
Select three courses from the following:9
Seminar in Intl Marketing
Marketing Topics in Intl Bus
International Business Theory
Seminar in Intl Management
Students may also take doctoral courses outside of the College of Business with the approval of the Program Director
Quantitative & Survey Methods (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Required Courses:6
ECON 6370Applied Econometrics3
ECON 6372Panel Data & Discr Chce Modls3
Select two courses from the following:6
Econometric Forecasting
Financial Econometrics I
Financial Econometrics II
Advanced Regression Analysis
Survey Research Methods
Research Philosophy & Design
Structural Equation Modeling
Business Analytics I
Business Analytics II
Elective Courses (All courses require a grade of C or better) 15
Select five from the following:
Accounting Behavioral Research
Intrnat'l Prod Op/Supply Chain
International Mgmt & Strategy
Internation Entrepreneurship
Intl Org Behav & HR Mgmt
Seminar in Orgztnal Behavior
Seminar in HR Mgmt
Int'l Op/Supply Chain Mgmt
Seminar in Marketing Theory
Marketing Topics in Intl Bus
Sem in Cross-Cult Mark
Topics in Int Marketing
Int'l Marketing Strategy
Marketing Independent Study
Research in Consumer Behavior
Sales and Services Mgmt Res
MBA-LEVEL COURSE WITH ADDITIONAL WORK WITH PROFESSOR
Business Administration Program (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Comprehensive Exams:
Pass a series of comprehensive examinations after completing coursework but prior to beginning dissertation proposal
Dissertation Proposal:
Complete a doctoral dissertation with a minimum of twelve hours from the following:12
Marketing Dissertation I
Marketing Dissertation II
Total Hours78

Management 

Business Foundation Courses
Course Options:
Select eight courses from the following:24
Financial Accounting
Strategic Information Systems
Seminar, Microeconomic Theory
Managerial Economics
Global Econ Environment-Mgrs
Financial Management
Organizational Mgmt Seminar
Marketing Management
Concepts of Production Mgmt
Supporting Area (All courses require a grade of B or better)
Select three courses from the following:9
Seminar in Intl Marketing
International Business Theory
Seminar in Intl Management
Management Topics in Intl Bus
Students may also take doctoral courses outside of the College of Business with the approval of the Program Director
Quantitative & Survey Methods (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Required Courses:6
ECON 6370Applied Econometrics3
ECON 6372Panel Data & Discr Chce Modls3
Select two courses from the following:6
Econometric Forecasting
Financial Econometrics I
Financial Econometrics II
Advanced Regression Analysis
Survey Research Methods
Research Philosophy & Design
Structural Equation Modeling
Business Analytics I
Business Analytics II
Elective Courses (All courses require a grade of C or better) 15
Select five from the following:
Accounting Behavioral Research
Intrnat'l Prod Op/Supply Chain
International Mgmt & Strategy
Internation Entrepreneurship
Intl Org Behav & HR Mgmt
Management Topics in Intl Bus
Management Independent Study
Seminar in Orgztnal Behavior
Seminar in HR Mgmt
Int'l Op/Supply Chain Mgmt
Seminar in Marketing Theory
Research in Consumer Behavior
Sales and Services Mgmt Res
Sem in Cross-Cult Mark
Topics in Int Marketing
Int'l Marketing Strategy
MBA-LEVEL COURSE WITH ADDITIONAL WORK WITH PROFESSOR
Business Administration Program (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Comprehensive Exams:
Pass a series of comprehensive examinations after completing coursework but prior to beginning dissertation proposal
Dissertation Proposal:
Complete a doctoral dissertation with a minimum of twelve hours from the following:12
Management Dissertation I
Management Dissertation II
Total Hours78