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Ph.D. Program

The Ph.D. program in Business Administration with a major in Management in the Pamplin College of Business is dedicated to developing the next generation of research faculty at top academic institutions. Our core mission is to produce doctoral graduates with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to function as researchers and teachers who go on to earn tenure as faculty members at research institutions.

Our curriculum emphasizes a solid foundation in strategic management, organization theory, organizational behavior, human resources management, and ethics and social responsibility through our four core courses. Students then specialize in any of these areas based on their research interests while pursuing skills in research design, measurement, and statistical analysis that will enable them to become effective researchers as they begin their academic careers. Our doctoral students engage in close and collegial research collaboration with our faculty, who are highly respected nationally and internationally based on their research excellence. Student-faculty research collaboration continue years after our students graduate from the program. Our faculty are committed to teaching and Ph.D. mentoring as demonstrate by a vibrant curriculum and steady increases in the productivity of our graduate students.  We view a doctoral education as the foundation for lifelong learning and develop excellence in our students so they can make significant scholarly contributions throughout their careers.

If you have a passion for research, an interest in joining a rigorous doctoral program, strong academic credentials, and like the thought of spending the next 4-5 years in the quiet, pastoral beauty of southwest Virginia and the Blue Ridge Mountains, then we encourage you to apply to our doctoral program.

Featured Research

Student-Faculty Research collaboration is the keystone of our Ph.D. program in Management. Doctoral students work with renowned researchers in the areas of Strategic Management, Entrepreneurship, International Business, Organizational Behavior, and Human Resources Management. Below are some recent publications of our faculty members and doctoral students:

Song, Y., Gnyawali, D. R., Srivastava, M. K., & Asgari, E. (2018). In Search of Precision in Absorptive Capacity Research: A Synthesis of the Literature and Consolidation of Findings. Journal of Management, 44(6), 2343-2374.

Townsend, D. M., Hunt, R. A., McMullen, J. S., & Sarasvathy, S. D. (2018). Uncertainty, Knowledge Problems, and Entrepreneurial Action. Academy of Management Annals12(2), 659-687.

Hunt, R.A. and M.L.A. Hayward. (2018). "Value Creation through Employer Loans: Evidence of Informal Lending to Employees at Small, Labor-Intensive Firms." Organization Science. 29(2), 284–303

Ward, A. K., Ravlin, E. C., Klaas, B. S., Ployhart, R. E., & Buchan, N. R. (2016). When do high-context communicators speak up? Exploring contextual communication orientation and employee voice. Journal of Applied Psychology101(10), 1498.

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Dr. Richard Hunt
Director of Graduate Studies
rickhunt@vt.edu
Kara Mullins
PhD Program Coordinator
mkara@vt.edu

The timeline for applications is as follows:

  • Application Deadline: January 15, 2024
  • Screening Applications: February & Early March
  • Decisions Made: Mid to Late March

If you have any further questions not addressed on our website, please contact Kara Mullins (PhD Program Coordinator); mkara@vt.edu.