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Management, PhD
Wharton’s Management program prepares students to apply rigorous social science disciplinary theory and research methods to the demands of current management and leadership challenges in the public and private sectors. Our faculty has a broad range of interests ranging from the behavior of individuals, teams and groups to organizational strategy of multinational firms. Major areas of faculty research currently include:
- new venture formation, growth, and corporate entrepreneurship;
- human resources and competitiveness;
- emotions, identity, creativity and motivation;
- political and social influence strategies;
- technology and practice adoption, diffusion, and transfer within and across organizations;
- organizational learning and adaptation;
- and the strategic management of complementary resources and capabilities within an organization, alliance, network or ecosystems.
Each student draws on the faculty’s diverse expertise and varied interests to develop a program uniquely suited to his or her interests frequently spanning the formal specializations noted above. The program encourages students to gain research experience by working closely with multiple faculty on a variety of projects beginning with a research assistantship assignment in the first year with the hope of entering the job market in year 4 or 5 with multiple research papers in the publication pipeline.
For more information: https://doctoral.wharton.upenn.edu/management/
View the University’s Academic Rules for PhD Programs .
The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2024 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.
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PhD Curriculum
The PhD program in Management consists of 16 graduate-level course units: 7 units of management seminars (6 theory and 1 research methods), two additional units of research methods (e.g., MGMT 970; SOC 530, 611, 612 or 613; EDUC 771 or 880; MKTG 967), a 2 unit statistics sequence (e.g., STATS 500/501 or 520/521), 2 units of courses in social science theory (e.g., Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Psychology, Government, History, Communications, …), and 3 units of free electives, as well as the dissertation. Up to 3 units of free electives can be waived by related graduate-level coursework from another institution. In addition to the dissertation, students are also required to complete a research paper. Teaching skills are developed through the requirement of leading two recitation sections of our introductory undergraduate course. Doctoral students are also expected to participate actively in department colloquia.
All students are required to take 3 Management courses in the first year (2 core foundations courses and 1 research methods course):
MGMT 900 – Economic Foundations of Research in Management MGMT 933 – Psychological and Sociological Foundations of Research in Management MGMT 953 – Research Methods
Subfield Specializations – Students must take at least four credit units from the half-unit subfield specializations:
MGMT 918 – Personnel Economics A (0.5 cu) MGMT 919 – Personnel Economics B (0.5 cu) MGMT 920 – Seminar in Human Resources Research (0.5 cu) MGMT 925 – Seminar in Corporate Strategy (0.5 cu) MGMT 926 – Corporate Transactions & Strategy (0.5 cu) MGMT 935 – Network Theory & Applications (0.5 cu) MGMT 937 – Entrepreneurship Research Seminar (0.5 cu) MGMT 938 – Family Business Research (0.5 cu) MGMT 939 – Entrepreneurial Innovation Research (0.5 cu) MGMT 951 – Seminar in Micro-Organizational Behavior (0.5 cu) MGMT 952 – Seminar in Macro-Organizational Behavior (0.5 cu) MGMT 955 – Foundations in Multinational Management (0.5 cu) MGMT 957 – Seminar in Emotions in Organizations (0.5 cu) MGMT 958 – Advanced Topics in Macro-Organizational Theory (0.5 cu) MGMT 959 – Seminar in Multinational Management (0.5 cu) MGMT 960 – Institutions and Multinational Management (0.5 cu) MGMT 961 – Advanced Topics in Micro-Organizational Behavior (0.5 cu)
Additional Program Information
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Management PhD Guidelines and Requirements
- Guidelines on Overlapping Topics for Course Papers
- First Year Exam Guidelines
- Second Year Exam Guidelines
- Second Year Paper Requirements
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Fall 2025 Application Now Open
The application for Fall 2025 admission will open September 15th, 2024 and deadline to apply is December 15th, 2024, 11:59PM EST.
The Wharton Doctoral Programs admits students for full-time study only beginning in the fall semester each year.
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