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Business Administration PhD

Admission Requirements

  • Master's degree in business administration or equivalent with high academic standing, from a recognized university.
  • Applicants with a Master's degree in a field related to the proposed area of research may be admitted subject to satisfactory completion of qualifying requirements, if necessary, by taking up to five prerequisite courses in addition to the required coursework in the graduate program. The specific courses to be taken are determined by the Program Director depending on the student’s background and area of specialization.
  • Applicants must submit proof of satisfactory performance on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)within the previous five years.
  • Proficiency in English. Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate that their knowledge of English is sufficient to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field. Please refer to the English language proficiency page for further information on requirements and exemptions.

    Additional Admission Requirements

    Students are accepted only for full-time study.

    Fast-Track to PhD in Business Administration: Students enrolled in a John Molson School of Business Master of Science program and who have completed all program requirements except for the thesis may apply for permission to proceed directly to doctoral studies in the same discipline without submitting a master's thesis. In all such cases, the decision of the PhD Admissions Committee shall be final.

    Area of specialization: Applicants must select their area of specialization from the departments of Accountancy, Finance, Management, Marketing or Supply Chain and Business Technology Management, at the time of application. Enrolment in the program is strictly limited and applicants are selected on the basis of past academic record, letters of recommendation and the relevance of their proposed research to the areas of specialization of the department concerned.

    Requests to transfer to another specialization are treated within the normal application process in the new area of specialization.

    Degree Requirements

    Fully-qualified candidates are required to complete a minimum of 90 credits.

    Please see the Business Administration PhD Courses for course descriptions.

    The program consists of three consecutive phases: the Qualifying Phase, the Course Phase, and the Thesis Phase.

    Qualifying Phase


    		Given their academic background, some students may be required to take up to five 3-credit courses, usually at the MBA, or MSc level before qualifying for the program. The minimum number of credits will be determined upon acceptance to the program and is formally communicated to the student by the PhD Office before entry in the program.

    Course Phase and Thesis Phase

    The minimum course requirement of this phase is 30 credits, corresponding to a minimum of 27 credits for courses and 3 credits for the Comprehensive Examination, as outlined below.

    Business Administration PhD (90 credits)

    30

    credits:  Course Phase‌

    60

    credits:  Thesis Phase‌  

    Course Phase (30 credits)

    6

    credits of Required General Courses:

    These courses are required for all PhD Business Administration students:

     

    • ADMI 871 Foundations of Business Research (3.00)
    ‌
    • ADMI 880 Pedagogical Methods (3.00)
    ‌   

    12

    credits of Required Specialization Courses chosen from the following:

     Accountancy Specialization: Business Administration PhD‌   

     Finance Specialization: Business Administration PhD‌   

     Management Specialization: Business Administration PhD‌   

     Marketing Specialization: Business Administration PhD‌   

     Supply Chain and Business Technology Management (SCBTM) Specialization: Business Administration PhD‌   

     

    9

    credits of  Business Administration PhD Elective Courses‌   

    Students may choose from scheduled graduate courses offered by their Department, another Department or Faculty at Concordia University, or by a University affiliated through the Joint Program. The course selection depends on the candidates research interests and background, subject to Faculty approval. A limit of 6 credits may be taken from MSc level courses with prior approval of the Graduate Program Director

    3

    credits Comprehensive Examinations:

     

    • ADMI 8890 Comprehensive Examination (3.00)
    ‌   

    0

    credits Professional Development:

     

    • ADMI 872 Doctoral Professional Development (0.00)
    ‌   

    Thesis Phase (60 credits)

    60

    credits:

     

    • ADMI 8902 Thesis Proposal (0.00)
    ‌
    • ADMI 890 Thesis (60.00)
    ‌   

    Accountancy Specialization: Business Administration PhD (12 credits)

    12

    credits of Required Accountancy Specialization Courses:

    ADMI 860 ADMI 861 ADMI 8601 ADMI 8602

    Business Administration PhD Elective Courses (9 credits)

    9

    credits of elective courses chosen from the following:

     

    • ADMI 873 Teaching and Learning with the Case Method (3.00)
    ‌
    • ADMI 8502 Advanced Topics in Management (3.00)
    ‌  

    Students may also choose from courses offered by their Department, another Department or Faculty at Concordia University, or by a University affiliated through the Joint Program. The course selection depends on the candidates research interests and background, subject to Faculty approval. A limit of 6 credits may be taken from MSc level courses with prior approval of the Graduate Program Director.

     

    Finance Specialization: Business Administration PhD (12 credits)

    12

    credits of Finance Specialization Courses:

     
    • ADMI 840 Corporate Finance (3.00)
    ‌ ADMI 8401‌ ADMI 8402‌ ADMI 8403‌      

    Management Specialization: Business Administration PhD (12 credits)

    12

    credits of Required Management Specialization Courses:

     

    • ADMI 812 Foundations and Current Topics in Organizational Behaviour (3.00)
    ‌
    • ADMI 852 Debating Strategic Management (3.00)
    ‌
    • ADMI 870 Research Methods in Management: Core and Advanced Issues in Quantitative Studies (3.00)
    ‌ ADMI 8501‌   

     

    Marketing Specialization: Business Administration PhD (12 credits)

    12

    credits of Required Marketing Specialization Courses:

     ADMI 8301‌ ADMI 8302‌ ADMI 8303‌ ADMI 8304‌   

    Supply Chain and Business Technology Management (SCBTM) Specialization: Business Administration PhD (12 credits)

    12

    credits of Required Supply Chain and Business Technology Management Specialization Courses:

     

    • ADMI 821 Artificial Intelligence for Business: Methods and Applications (3.00)
    ‌ ADMI 8201‌ ADMI 8202‌ ADMI 8203‌   

    Additional Degree Requirements

    • Credit Load. The normal course load for PhD students during the Qualifying and the Course Phase is between 12 to 18 credits for each academic year. In exceptional circumstances, a student in good standing may be granted permission to reduce their credit load.

    Academic Regulations


    1. Academic Standing. Please refer to the Academic Standing section of the Calendar for a detailed review of the Academic Regulations.
    2. Time Limit. Please refer to the Academic Regulations page for further details regarding the Time Limits.
    3. Graduation Requirement. In order to graduate, students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00.
     
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