Haas Ph.D. Program
Curriculum
Organizational Behavior and Industrial Relations Curriculum
There are specific requirements for the doctoral program in each field of study. The faculty group can specify how certain departmental requirements are to be met and can add requirements or increase minimum standards. Optional courses may be taken in addition to the required courses, not instead of them. Students must consult with their field advisor to ensure that their choices make a sensible program.
Course Requirements
I. First Stage of coursework
Common core
Required:
- PHDBA 300 Teaching Business
Options:
- Econ 250 A, B, or C: Labor Economics or Econ 224: Economics of Institutions, MBA 293 or PHDBA 299A: Independent Studies; Additional OBIR courses
Basic Discipline
Required:
- Two doctoral level courses in the same outside department, usually Psychology or Sociology; sometimes Economics, Political Science, Education, Public Health, Anthropology or History.
Options:
- Additional courses in any outside discipline.
Research methodology
Required:
- PHDBA 297B Research and Theory in Business: Behavioral Science
- An advanced methods course in the basic discipline
Options:
- Students without adequate backgrounds in statistics should take multiple intermediate statistics courses. Additional courses on research methods in any department are strongly recommended.
Field
Required:
Either PHDBA 259A or PHDBA 259B is offered each semester by different professors; two semesters of each is required:
- PHDBA 259A Research in Micro Organizational Behavior
- PHDBA 259B Research in Macro Organizational Behavior
- PHDBA 259D: Special Topics in Organizational Behavior
II. Written examination
The written examination is taken during the summer between the second and third year. The exam is divided into three parts, taken from 9am to 7pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of a single week. The first part consists of a general macro OB and a general micro OB question. It tests mastery of the basic subject matter of the field. The second part of the exam asks you to write a critique of a research paper published recently in one of the core micro OB journals. The third part is a critique of a macro OB paper. Part 2 and 3 of the exam test the ability to critically review current state of the art in the field and to propose your own research ideas and research design.
III. Second Stage of Coursework
Required:
- PHDBA 297D
- PHDBA 259S in each semester after the written exam
Options:
- PHDBA 602 or PHDBA 299 (Independent Studies)
IV. Additional Requirements
Second Year Paper
Organizational Behavior and Industrial Relations students must prepare an empirical paper, written in journal article style, and submit the paper to faculty at least two weeks before their scheduled time of the 2nd year written exam. This paper must be approved by two Organizational Behavior and Industrial Relations faculty members before the student will be allowed to take the written exams described above (the field advisor has details). Organizational Behavior and Industrial Relations students are expected to participate in research seminars, colloquia, and student group meetings from the beginning of their program.
Oral examination
Students submit and defend their dissertation proposals in the oral qualifying examination in the third year of the program. The objective is to determine whether students have the intellectual capacity and academic preparation to complete the program. Successful completion of prior phases of the program and a well-defined research proposal are required.
Dissertation
A dissertation is the formulation and completion of a major research project and its written presentation. It is the last step in the program. The university has specific guidelines for completing the dissertation. A faculty committee reviews the dissertation as an ongoing process. The committee is chosen by the student and must consist of three or more faculty members, one of whom must be from an outside discipline. When all members are satisfied, they sign off on the dissertation to signify their approval. Then, the student files the work with the University.
