Study at Canada's leading research business school and open the door to a world of knowledge and opportunity.
Program goals and objectives
Students will have achieved the following upon graduating from the PhD Program:
1. Students will have an indepth knowledge of the process of scientific discovery and the Philosophy of Science (epistemology), which they will be able to apply to their research discipline.
2. Students will be skilled communicators with the ability to share knowledge and expertise effectively with a variety of audiences. They will be able to present their findings at a research seminar or a conference, to teach a complete course effectively, and be able to publish in the academic genre of their discipline.
3. Students will be have the appropriate analytical research foundation for their chosen area of specialization, and will be able to apply their analytical knowledge and skills to research problems in their chosen area of specialization.
4. Students will have an indepth understanding of leading research within their chosen area of specialization, and will be able to enrich and advance the body of knowledge for their chosen area of specialization through deep analysis and synthesis of research problems and findings.
Duration of studies
You can expect to do a minimum of two years of formal course work. Including thesis preparation and defence, most students require at least four years to complete the doctoral degree. The university has established a six-year overall limit on the time to completion of the doctoral degree and expects you to have a passed the comprehensive examination and presented a thesis proposal by the end of three years.
Course work, seminars and examinations
Course work combines study of foundation areas of business including mathematics, statistics, economics, computer science, psychology and philosophy, whose concepts and methods may be applied in research and the process of decision making, with core courses in relevant management decision areas.
You can choose the latter from Accounting, Finance, Management Information Systems, Management Science, Marketing, Organizational Behaviour, Strategy and Business Economics, and Real Estate and Urban Economics. The specific courses selected depend on requirements in the field of specialization and on your particular area of interest.
In some areas of specialization, the defined special field of study will include a minor field of interest. There is a preliminary examination in each area. Except for students whose PhD program is in Management Science, the preliminary examination will be waived if first class standing in required courses is achieved.
All first year students take a seminar in research methodology, which raises basic issues in the philosophy of science, surveys research in the basic disciplines and the various areas of management, and nurtures creativity. It also gives you exposure to and experience with research methods and skills.
Study in the chosen field of specialization is followed by comprehensive examinations. Here you demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the literature of the field and its basic concepts, as well as their application in the field of specialization.
In order to learn techniques of effective teaching, all students are expected to enroll in the faculty's seminar in teaching methods and undertake a teaching practicum of one or two course sections under the supervision of a faculty member. Normally the seminar in teaching methods is taken at the end of the second year of studies.
Dissertation
The writing of a scholarly dissertation that makes an original and substantive contribution to knowledge is the final step in the program. First, under the supervision of a dissertation committee, you prepare a formal dissertation proposal, which is presented at an open workshop or seminar. The purpose of the dissertation proposal is to demonstrate the significance and feasibility of the proposed study. During the seminar, you must also outline the research plan and justify the specific methodology to be used.
Once the dissertation committee has approved the proposal, you can complete your dissertation. It usually develops, extends, tests empirically, or shows new applications of theories, techniques or models relevant to management. The dissertation demonstrates your capacity for independent scholarly research, and must meet the standards for publication in leading academic journals in the field of specialization.
When complete, your dissertation is sent to an expert in the field who gives a critical appraisal, following which you must successfully defend the dissertation in an oral examination, proving your ability to define a significant problem in the field, solve it, and communicate ideas effectively.
Graduation requirements
To be awarded a UBC PhD in Business Administration, you must:
- complete courses in the basic disciplines
- satisfy field requirements in the area of specialization
- pass preliminary examinations (if necessary) in the basic and field courses
- pass comprehensive examinations in the field of specialization
- propose and complete a dissertation acceptable to the student's dissertation committee
- defend the dissertation before a university examining committee