coursework phd

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What is the difference between Ph. D programs with coursework and those without it?

I have been looking into PhD programs in the Engineering field, and I have found different types of programs, such as some with coursework, and others without any coursework.

What is the practical difference between them? (Besides the obvious coursework) What kind of student is expected for each of them?

EDIT: To be more specific, I have been looking into Robotics PhD programs, such as:

• CMU Robotics PhD (Coursework + Research).
• KCL Robotics PhD (Only research).
• graduate-school

• It might be great if you were more specific about which engineering fields you are talking about and/or including links to the different types of programs you've found... –  TCSGrad Commented Feb 16, 2012 at 6:39
• As far as I know (which is little), coursework PhD programs tend to let you shape your thesis by learning incrementally from courses till you are better off on your own. For instance, if you were doing a PhD in Supercomputing; They would probably ask you to take "core courses" like Computer Hardware, Software and Design of Programs along with a few "electives" to strengthen a certain aspect and leave you on your own. Non-coursework, on the other hand, is like a full time job with research (and possibly, teaching) duties. You shape your thesis by interacting with advisors and reading books. –  user107 Commented Feb 16, 2012 at 6:53
• @shan23 Done, see edited question. –  Dr. Snoopy Commented Feb 16, 2012 at 20:35

4 Answers 4

It seems to me that there are several advantages; none of these are suitable for every student. It's up to you whether enough of them apply to you, to make it worth doing a taught PhD:

• A PhD with a bit of coursework in the first year will help those who are crossing over into a discipline that they're not already deeply embedded in: it will give you some hand-holding through the things you'll need to know but don't yet;
• it should (if taught well) also teach you some extra research skills;
• it will give you some indication as you progress as to how well you're doing, compared to how well you should be doing if you're going to finish
• it will allow you to explore different aspects of the field, to help you finalise your thesis topic
• it may, depending on the country and institution, give you an intermediate degree at the end of the taught section, such as an MRes, which will count for something even if you then don't go on to do the full PhD
• it lessens the culture-shock for those going straight from fully-taught study to a research degree.

• 8 "..it lessens the culture-shock for those going straight from fully-taught study to a research degree.." +1 –  user107 Commented Feb 16, 2012 at 7:15
• 3 Also +1 for the culture shock. Very true. Describes my situation exactly. –  Austin Henley Commented Apr 19, 2013 at 15:40
• 2 Coming from industry + masters, I found the class requirements annoying as they got in the way of me doing research full time. We had 9 required courses and only 2 of them provided any real value to my research. The major unseen benefit of classes is that their difficulty pushed me to make friends "in the trenches" of group projects and assignments. These friendships lasted throughout the rest of my PhD. –  Josh Hibschman Commented Jun 16, 2015 at 17:16

One thing to keep in mind is that there are international differences as well. In Germany, for instance, doctoral programs almost never require coursework as part of the research program requirements (although it may be mandated for purposes off establishing degree equivalency, if you come from a foreign country or have a degree from another field). This is because it is assumed that you have taken all the necessary courses as part of your Master's program, which is considered the follow up to the bachelor's rather than the precursor to the doctorate.

The reverse is true in the US: I don't know of any PhD programs there that don't require courses, for the reverse reason.

• 1 Does this mean that non-coursework PhD programs require that students have previously finished a Masters degree? –  Dr. Snoopy Commented Feb 16, 2012 at 20:37
• 6 In Germany, it does; however, for programs in other countries, you'll need to check the admissions policy of the individual programs. These are usually available on the Internet; if not, you can always send an email or call the personnel responsible for admissions. –  aeismail Commented Feb 16, 2012 at 20:45

Also, a coursework PhD program is very useful for someone (like me) who took a break from academia to work for a couple of years - it would be invaluable in refreshing those basics that have atrophied during the time spent at industry.

Sometimes, especially in the beginning, it is easier to measure course progress than research progress, and thus good for the self-esteem. Being able to say "I've accomplished something this semester" is crucial.

• Doesn't the extra workload from courses mean that to some extent, you will only get around to start concentrating on the research in year 2 and make comparably little research progress then? –  O. R. Mapper Commented Jun 17, 2015 at 16:19

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Completing your doctorate at Wharton requires 5 years of full-time study. The first 2 years in the program prepare you for admission to candidacy by taking courses, qualifying exams, and starting research projects. In the last few years, you are primarily conducting research full-time including writing and defending your doctoral dissertation.

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Doctoral Program - Coursework

PhD students register for 10 units in each of the Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters. Most courses offered by the department for PhD students are three units, including the core courses of the first-year program. In addition to regular lecture courses on advanced topics, reading courses in the literature of probability and the literature of statistics are available each quarter. Students working on their dissertation may register for up to 10 units of directed research in each quarter. Students should also register for selected courses outside the Statistics Department to fulfill the breadth requirement .

Prerequisites

Equivalents of Math 113, Math 115; Stats 116, Stats 200; CS 106A. (Descriptions of these courses may be viewed on Stanford's ExploreCourses course listings pages.

Previous experience has shown that before starting the core courses students need to have mastered the material in the prerequisite courses (or their equivalents at other universities), as demonstrated by very strong and relatively recent grades. Where this background is missing or not recent, admission to the PhD program will involve working with the Director of Graduate Studies to design an individual program to make up the necessary courses.

Core Courses

Statistics 300A, 300B and 300C systematically survey the ideas of estimation and of hypothesis testing for parametric and nonparametric models involving small and large samples.

Statistics 305A is concerned with linear regression and the analysis of variance. Statistics 305B and 305C survey a large number of modeling techniques, related to but going significantly beyond the linear models of 305A.

Statistics 310A, 310B and 310C are measure-theoretic courses in probability theory, beginning with basic concepts of the law of large numbers, and martingale theory.

Although the content of the first-year core courses is specified by the department, the order in which topics are studied and details of the presentation are left to the instructor and will vary from year to year. Unusually well-prepared students may place out of Statistics 305A. Students who do not have a sufficient mathematics background can, with approval from the Graduate Director, take the 310 series after the first year. All core courses must be taken for a letter grade.

Literature Course

Stats 319 is a literature course in statistics and probability that is offered each quarter. The course is generally taken by students in the second and third years and may be taken repeatedly. It serves two connected purposes:

• to expose students to a variety of topics of current research interest, for example, to help identify dissertation topics. Students are expected to read several articles and to write a short paper related to the reading that is presented to the class. The paper can be a synthesis of the reading material, or it may mark the beginning of research in the area. Reading assignments are made in consultation with any faculty member, especially the course instructor.
• to allow students the opportunity to practice giving and receiving feedback on talk techniques. The talk can be on dissertation work in progress, on an ancillary project (consulting, RA work), or on a selection of papers that the student has recently read. The instructor of the literature course, along with the student's course peers, provides feedback on the talk, and can also provide guidance in topic choice where needed.

All students who have passed the qualifying exams but have not yet passed the Dissertation Proposal Meeting must take Stats 319 Literature of Statistics at least once per year.

Advanced Courses (Depth Requirement)

Students are required to complete a depth requirement consisting of a minimum of three courses (nine units) of advanced topics courses offered by the department. Courses for the depth and breadth (see below) requirements must equal a combined minimum of 24 units. Recommended advanced topics courses include the following:

• Introduction to Time Series Analysis (Stats 307)
• Information Theory and Statistics (Stats 311)
• Advanced Statistical Methods (Stats 314A)
• Modern Applied Statistics: Learning (Stats 315A)
• Modern Applied Statistics: Learning II (Stats 315B)
• Stochastic Processes (Stats 317)
• Modern Markov Chains (Stats 318)
• Machine Learning Methods for Neural Data Analysis (Stats 320)
• Function Estimation in White Noise (Stats 322)
• Multivariate Analysis (Stats 325)
• Causal Inference (Stats 361)
• Monte Carlo (Stats 362)
• Design of Experiments (Stats 363)
• Bayesian Statistics (Stats 370)
• Convex Optimization I (EE 364A)
• Convex Optimization II (EE 364B)

In any given year only some of these courses will be offered. These courses are normally taken after the first year and may help students to find dissertation topics.

Consulting Workshop

Students taking the Consulting Workshop, STATS 390, provide a free consulting service to the Stanford community. Researchers from all areas of the university community are free to request appointments to discuss their research or analysis problems. This course allows students to assimilate material from their first-year courses, especially STATS 305A/B/C.

The consulting is executed by teams of students, in which inexperienced students are matched with those more proficient. The course is offered each quarter and may be taken repeatedly. Students are encouraged to participate in the formulation of the consulting problems and in any data analysis which may be involved.

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PhD Coursework & Plan of Study

Each student will complete at least 39 graduate hours while enrolled in the iSchool doctoral program prior to entering candidacy. A full-time student will ordinarily take two to three years to complete this coursework. To count toward a PhD, all coursework must be no more than six years old when the doctoral student is admitted to candidacy. 

The table below shows the minimum required coursework. Students may take (or be required by their committees to take) additional courses.

Students should review the tentative schedule of  iSchool courses  and the UT course schedule when planning a course of study.

Doctoral Core - 9 Credit Hours

Each student, whether full- or part-time, must take “Survey of Information Studies” in the fall of the student’s first academic year in the program and “Disciplinary Foundations for Information Studies” in the spring of that first year. Students will take “The Research Enterprise” as soon as practical, usually in the fall of their first year.

Research Methods Courses - 9 Credit Hours

Each student must take a minimum of nine credit hours of graduate-level research methods courses beyond the doctoral core:

• One graduate-level course in qualitative methods – three (3) credit hours
• One graduate level course in quantitative methods – three (3) credit hours
• One further graduate-level course germane to building skills to undertake research – three (3) credit hours

This requirement can be met via independent studies with faculty (e.g., INF 391D.06 - Directed Readings , or INF 391D.07 - Directed Research ) or classroom-based courses (e.g., INF 391F - Advanced Topics in Research Methods, Methodologies, and Design ). Research methods courses may be offered and taken within or outside of the iSchool.

The third methods course (beyond the qualitative and quantitative methods courses) can include advanced qualitative or quantitative methods, or coursework in skills necessary to undertake the anticipated dissertation research, including foreign languages, computer programming languages, policy analysis, information systems design, or skills in particular areas, such as chemistry or neuroscience.

All course selections should be discussed with the student’s committee chair, consulting other committee members as appropriate. Prior to enrolling in a course, students must obtain approval from their committee chair, who will confirm the appropriateness of such courses for fulfilling the research methods requirement.

Electives - 21 Credit Hours

The remaining 21 hours of coursework may be completed within the School of Information and/or outside the School of Information. All course choices should be discussed with the student’s committee chair, consulting other committee members as appropriate.

Students are particularly encouraged to take the following courses:

• Advanced Topics in Information Studies (INF 391E) , (aka “topical seminar”) which may be repeated when the individual course topics differ.
• Directed Research (INF 391D.07) in which students work closely with a faculty member, individually or in small groups, to contribute to original research, either in an apprenticeship mode as part of the faculty member’s research agenda or as a student-driven research project.
• Directed Readings (INF 391D.06) , in which students work closely with a faculty member, individually or in small groups, to complete an in-depth examination of the primary research and theory literature of the field in preparation for their qualifying examinations.
• Supervised Teaching in Information Studies (INF 398T) , (aka “the pedagogy course”) and teaching internships in which they work closely with faculty to develop, design, and support implementation of a course plan.
• Doctoral Writing Seminar (INF 391G) which provides an opportunity for students to improve their academic writing skills through a writing studio environment with instructor and peer critique.

Plan of Study

The doctoral student must produce a formal document identified as the Plan of Study prior to their first annual review. The Plan of Study is to be updated each year, prior to the student’s annual review.

The plan of study consists of the following seven components:

• The student’s CV
• One to three paragraph summary of degree progress, including participation in research, teaching, and service
• One paragraph academic plan, including research, teaching, and service, for the next year
• One paragraph description of career goals
• Table of coursework (format is provided below)
• Bullet point list of requested input from the committee
• An appendix with 2-5 recent major outputs (e.g., publications, course papers, etc.)

Coursework Listing

Students should list all the courses they have taken, are currently taking, and those they intend to take to satisfy their requirements for coursework. The format is provided below:

Each course listing should identify: The name of the course, the instructor for the course, the semester in which the course was/will be taken and the number of credit hours and the page number of the appendix where the course details can be found.

Coursework Requirements: Three columns should be used to show whether the course is to be counted towards each section of the coursework requirements. Students should ensure that the plan meets the coursework requirements outlined above.

Doctoral Program Overview

• PhD Degree Requirements
• Committees & Annual Review
• Coursework & Plan of Study
• Qualifying Procedure
• Candidacy & Dissertation

PhD Degree Resources

Student handbook.

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NTNU offers a range of courses at the doctoral level . In addition to the doctoral thesis, a PhD education consists of a coursework component of at least 30 ECTS. Most PhD programmes have a combination of compulsory and elective courses. As part of your application process, you must develop a plan for your coursework component. For more information on which courses are available for you, look at the web pages of the specific PhD programme.

Doctoral courses through Nordic universities

Nordic Five Tech (N5T) is an exclusive, strategic alliance of the five leading technical universities in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. As a PhD candidate at one of these universities, you may attend PhD courses at all five universities at no extra cost.

External candidates

If you are not a PhD candidate at NTNU, you may still apply for and attend PhD courses here .

National Researcher Schools

A national researcher school consists of a network of universities, university colleges and research institutes and complements the regular PhD programmes . By participating in a national researcher school you gain access to a larger research group, a greater variety of PhD courses, joint seminars and so on. Once you have been admitted to a PhD programme, you may join a national researcher school in your field of study.

The National Researcher Schools are financed by the Research Council of Norway.

Overview of the National Researcher Schools for PhD candidates at NTNU.  The page at the Research Council of Norway is in Norwegian, but most of the researcher schools have English names.

CS Phd Manual

Coursework will help you educate yourself in your research area and in CS more broadly. You may enroll in courses as long as you are here, including courses in other departments. Select courses are offered during the summer.

Students should aim to take 8 graduate courses within their first two years.  Students who began the program in the Fall 2022 or later must follow the current Coursework Advising Worksheet , which stipulates that more than half of all courses (at least 5 out of 8) must be taught in the Department of Computer Science.  Of those courses, 4 out of the 5 core distribution areas must be satisfied.  Distribution areas include  Theory, Applications, Systems, Software and Reasoning .  The remaining courses may be faculty advisor-approved electives inside or outside of the Computer Science Department.  When coursework requirements are complete, students must submit the appropriate coursework advising worksheet (signed by their advisor) to the Department’s Academic Program Administrator.

Students who were admitted to the program prior to the fall of 2019 may choose to use the current coursework requirements, or fulfill coursework requirements using the guidelines set forth in the pre-2019 Coursework Advising Worksheet . This included at least 6 core CS courses — 2 each from the Analysis, Applications, and Systems areas, and 2 electives. 

Some students prefer to get this requirement out of the way in the first year. However, 4 graduate courses per semester leaves little time for research and teaching. Your decision will depend on your funding situation, your personal preference, and your advisor’s recommendation.

Every semester your advisor must approve your course registration, and every semester you must register for approximately 15-20 credits of “PhD Research” (601.809-810). This is in addition to any other courses you are taking, and applies to you even if you’ve completed all of your coursework requirements.  The Registrar caps the credit limit at 25 credits each semester. PhD students should register for at least 20-credits every semester, so you’ll want to adjust the variable credit amount for your PhD Research section depending on your full course load.

Every semester, all students must attend a fair number of Computer Science Seminars.  SIS enrollment in the “Computer Science Seminar” (601.801-802) course is required for first and second year students only.

  How do I know if a CS course can be used as one of the 8 graduate courses?

The eligible CS courses are generally those courses numbered xxx.600 and above. The rarely used “Independent Study” (601.805-806) may be taken for graduate credit and a letter grade, under a faculty member’s supervision. Courses do not count unless they are taken for a grade; thus you cannot count pass/fail seminars or the required department seminar series (601.801-802). Also, courses are ordinarily 3 credits; a 1-credit course counts as only 1/3 of a course and three such courses can serve to count for one full course.  *Effective Fall 2017, only courses that are 600-level and above are eligible to be put toward the CS coursework requirements, except for documented and approved exceptions. This is a WSE-wide initiative and will not impact courses taken prior to the Fall 2017 semester.*

How do I know if a non-CS course can be used as one of the 8 graduate courses?

Any graduate course offered by a full-time JHU program is eligible with advisor approval. Your advisor must agree that the course is relevant to your degree — either to computer science generally, or to your specific program of study and research. Graduate level courses in most departments are those numbered 600 and above.

How do I know if a course can be used as one of the 5 core CS distribution areas?

The official designator list is on the CS website. For CS courses, the designations are also given in the course catalog.

Do I have to do well in the courses?

You need at least a C- for a course to count, and your average grade for the 8 courses must be at least B+. What you learn will also help you in your GBO Exam, your research, and your future career. But ultimately, the world will judge you on your research, not your grades.

Can I fulfill any of these requirements using graduate courses taken elsewhere?

Yes, if the courses have not been counted toward an undergraduate degree or taken as an undergraduate in another institution. They must be of comparable rigor and appropriate for the requirements in question, as attested by a syllabus, problem sets, or other course materials. You may apply up to 2 appropriate non-JHU courses toward the course requirements, with advisor approval. If you are willing to forego JHU’s MSE degree (typically because you already earned a master’s elsewhere), then you may apply more than 2 appropriate non-JHU courses toward the Ph.D. requirements, with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies; this may include up to 4 appropriate courses from JHU’s EP programs.

Responsible Conduct of Research Course

Before you begin your second year , you must take the in-person mini-course AS.360.625 Responsible Conduct of Research. This is under 10 hours and is offered during the summer, fall, intersession, and spring sessions.  Failure to comply with this requirement by the end of the first year of enrollment may result in the inability to conduct research and receive the associated stipend/salary.

Academic Ethics

This mandatory module and quiz is embedded in the WSE online orientation and part of every graduate student’s degree requirements.  You will see the course EN.500.603 added to your SIS enrollment.  Do not drop this course!

Department of Computer Science

• Ph.D. Coursework

The Faculty of the College of Engineering recommends a minimum number of courses for students in the Ph.D. program.  The EECS Department requires that a student, with the approval of their advisor, must choose courses to establish a major subject area, 1 minor subject area, and either two courses for an outside minor or two elective courses (one free and one outside EECS). The minimum number of units to complete the requirement must be at least 24 semester units.  In addition, students will also need to complete  prelim breadth courses .  The courses used in the prelim breadth requirement may be eligible to double count in the major, minor, or electives.

At the discretion of the Vice Chair or Head Graduate Advisor for EECS Graduate Matters, students may receive credit for some units (a maximum of 12 semester units) taken at a comparable institution. Students would need to fill out the Transfer Credit Petition , find a faculty at UC Berkeley to assess the comparison of the courses, then return the form to the staff Graduate Adviser for final review and approval with the Vice Chair. Please note that the approved transfer credits will be used for department purposes and will not appear in the official Berkeley transcript.

Graduate courses used for the Berkeley M.S. degree may be included as part of the Ph.D. coursework. Students may also transfer in coursework taken during their undergraduate career as long as the course was not used towards their undergraduate degree.  These courses must be at least upper division undergraduate or graduate courses.

More details of the Ph.D. coursework can be found in the Graduate Handbook . Students can also view Examples of Previously Approved Courses for EECS students.

There are two issues which students should consider when choosing specific courses for the minor:

• adequate technical content in the minor, and
• adequate breadth provided by the minor, as distinct from the major area.

Students that entered the Ph.D. program in fall 2020 and before, may choose to complete either Plan 1 or Plan 2 for the coursework requirements.

Ph.D. candidates entering in fall 2021 and beyond will be required to follow Plan 2.

Major (all grad (200 level) courses): 12+ units, 3.5+ GPA

Inside Minor (at least 1 grad (200 level) course): 6+ units, 3.0+ GPA

Outside Minor (at least 1 grad (200 level) course): 6+ units, 3.0+ GPA

Minor (at least 1 grad (200 level) course): 6+ units, 3.0+ GPA

Elective courses (at least 100 level): one free elective (any department, any area except for the major) and one outside EECS elective (not in the major and not listed as EECS), 3+ units for each course, 3.0+ GPA

Some things to consider:

• The Minor program must have an orientation different from the major program, and the courses involved should contain concepts not present in the major program.
• The Inside Minor may include one or more classes from outside the EECS department.
• The Inside Minor program must have depth (meaning at least 3 units of graduate course work of the 6 units required).
• The Outside Minor program must consist mainly of courses from outside the EECS Department (at most one course may be cross-listed within EECS).
• The Minors and each of the Elective Courses must have at least a 3.0+ grade point average.
• All courses must be taken for a letter grade (with the exception of courses that may have been taken in spring 2020 due to the Covid-19 accommodations).
• A minimum of 24 semester units must be completed.
• Courses in 298, 299, 301, 375 and 602 units do not count towards the requirement.

These course criteria attempt to constitute a body of knowledge and include courses from several different departments. For example, a student in computer hardware who wishes to have a minor in statistics and stochastic processes could include courses from the Statistics Department, as well as EE 226A.

There are cases where the technical overlap between EECS courses and courses in other departments is so great that a course in another department should be listed as part of the major, rather than as a minor, since they add so little breadth to your program. Examples of this sort of overlap would be Electromagnetics students in EECS taking certain EM courses in Physics or CS Theory students taking some of the theory courses in IEOR. These complications make it essential for students to fill out their Blue Card in the Graduate Office as soon as they have passed the preliminary exam requirement.

• Sample Blue and White Cards

Includes 299 CNs and forms.

• Designated Emphasis

Teaching and Statistics

Ph.D. Student Guide

• Ph.D. Oral Exam
• Ph.D. Breadth Requirement
• Ph.D. Blue Card
• Ph.D. Applications for the Qualifying Exam
• Ph.D. White Card
• Ph.D. Advancement to Candidacy
• Ph.D. Thesis Proposal Defense and Application
• Ph.D. Qual Eligibility
• Qual Deadlines
• Ph.D. Qual Committee
• Ph.D. Qual Format
• Ph.D. Teaching Requirement
• Ph.D. Dissertation Filing Fee
• Giving the Ph.D. Dissertation Talk
• Ph.D. Dissertation Filing Procedure
• Ph.D. Technical Report Submission
• Ph.D. Graduate Division Surveys
• Ph.D. Commencement
• Ph.D. Diploma and Transcript
• Ph.D. Student Review Instructions
• Ph.D. Student Review Forms
• Ph.D. Student Review Frequently Asked Questions

• PhD Course Requirements

[Part of the Policies of the CHD, August 2019 with later revisions; see also area-specific guidelines for  Applied Math ,  Applied Physics ,  Bioengineering ,  Computer Science ,  Electrical Engineering ,  Environmental Science & Engineering ,  and   Materials Science & Mechanical Engineering ]

The Committee on Higher Degrees (CHD) approves each graduate student’s program plan (and any revisions to it), and monitors progress towards attainment of the degree. It is the student’s obligation to keep the CHD apprised of any departures from an approved course selection plan in timely fashion.

Note that a Ph.D. student’s program plan must always comply with the requirements outlined here, in addition to complying with any area-specific requirements.  Area-specific Ph.D. requirements (course expectations, oral qualifying exam, dissertation, final oral exam) are also described on the Graduate Program - Degree Requirements pages of each area.

General Requirements

GSAS requires that all Ph.D. students complete at least 16, four-unit courses or their equivalent prior to graduation. SEAS requires that 10 of the 16 be letter-graded courses, at 100-level or higher, which together comprise the student’s Ph.D. Program Plan; c ourses at lower than 100-level, including all General Education courses, may not be included.   The remaining 6 courses beyond the SEAS 10-course requirement may include 300-level research courses and/or other undergraduate- or graduate-level coursework.

All SEAS Ph.D. Program Plans of 10 letter-graded, four-unit courses must be approved by the CHD and satisfy the following:

• No course with a grade lower than B- may be included in the Ph.D. Program Plan.  Also note the minimum average grade of B or better as described in the “GPA Expectations” section.
• a) Note that Physics 223 counts as a 200/2000-level SEAS technical course for students in Applied Physics and in Engineering Sciences.  
• b) For academic years 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, Bioengineering students may include a non-SEAS graduate-level technical class in place of one of the 5 such SEAS courses that are normally expected.
• a) Up to 1 disciplinary course may be a 100-level SEAS/FAS course.
• a) Up to 1 breadth course may be a 100-level SEAS/FAS course.
• b) Technical courses on topics adjacent and complementary to the student’s research topic may be breadth courses.
• c) Nontechnical courses, including innovation or communication courses, and courses from other Harvard schools outside SEAS/FAS normally may only be included in the breadth category.  In Computer Science the "breadth" category is called the "external minor".
• a)  Applied Math:  294/297/298/299r courses may only appear in the breadth category.
• b)  Applied Physics:  294/297/298/299r courses may only appear in the breadth category. If two 299r’s are taken, they must be taken with two different faculty.
• c)  Computer Science:  294/297/298 courses may only appear in the breadth category.  One 299r course is allowed in the disciplinary category. If two 299r’s are taken, they can be with the same faculty but the topics must be sufficiently different.
• d)  Engineering Sciences (Environmental Science and Engineering track only):  294/297/298/299r courses may only appear in the breadth category.  For students who started the program in 2023 or earlier, one 299r course is allowed in the disciplinary category.
• e)  Engineering Sciences (all tracks except Environmental Science and Engineering track):  294/297/298/299r courses may only appear in the breadth category. If two 299r’s are taken, they must be taken with two different faculty.
• f)  All degree areas : for students who entered the SEAS Ph.D. program prior to 2015, one disciplinary 299r/2990r course is allowed.
• a) Neither SEAS/FAS 300/3000-level courses nor courses taken under the auspices of the Harvard Extension School may be included on a Ph.D. Program Plan.
• those who are Teaching Fellows, for at most 4 units per section of TF appointment;
• international students who are taking the Derek Bok Center's  English, Culture, and Communicating Science  seminar in order to meet the GSAS English Language Proficiency requirement, for at most 4 units.

Note: 2-unit courses such as AP 299qr count as "half of a course" in the context of these requirements.  An "r" suffix on a SEAS course number indicates "repeatable for credit", e.g., for rotating-topic seminars.

Exceptions to these requirements are considered by petition to the CHD via the PhD Program Plan form, which must include a rationale for the exception. Further requirements for including prior graduate-level coursework from Harvard or elsewhere, or courses taken through cross-registration, on the Ph.D. Program Plan are given below.

• a) The student must provide justification why the other institution's course is necessary (e.g., SEAS does not offer the topic or it has not been offered in recent years, etc.).
• b) Only G-level (graduate) MIT courses are acceptable.
• c) The student should attach the course syllabus and catalog description when submitting the Program Plan.
• d) Courses taken at MIT do not count as 200-level SEAS technical courses.
• a) Up to two 200-level SEAS courses, including 200-level FAS courses taught by SEAS ladder faculty, taken as a GSAS Special Student prior to enrolling as a SEAS Ph.D. student can be included in the Ph.D. Program Plan subject to the above general requirements.
• b) SEAS/FAS 100-level courses taken prior to enrolling as a SEAS Ph.D. student cannot be included in the Ph.D. Program Plan.
• c) G-level MIT courses taken via cross-registration while enrolled as a Harvard masters student will be considered by the CHD.
• a) Normally a maximum of 3 Harvard-equivalent courses will be considered by the CHD.  SEAS and FAS 200-level technical courses taken via cross registration while in an MIT graduate program do not count against the 3-course limit.
• b) If the coursework was performed while a candidate for an undergraduate degree, the student must unequivocally demonstrate that the course credit was applied solely to a concurrent graduate degree.
• c) Petitions to the CHD need to demonstrate that the courses in question are comparable to SEAS graduate courses, typically by submission of the course syllabus, requirements, and documentation of grade obtained.  The student should indicate whether each course fits within the 8-course disciplinary category or the 2-course breadth category.
• d) Typically only 1 of the transferred courses can count as part of the five 200-level SEAS technical courses.
• e) Transfer credit must be petitioned for before or upon first submission of the final Ph.D. Program Plan in G2 year.  Students are encouraged to petition for transfer credit on their prospective Program Plan in G1 year.  Coursework cannot be older than four years at the time the student submits the petition to the CHD.  
• f) Grades in courses taken previously elsewhere will not be factored into the Harvard GPA.

G2+ students

In general, students must achieve at least a "B" average grade in the ten courses comprising the Ph.D. Program Plan.  At the end of any term, a student who has failed to maintain a B average or has received any unsatisfactory grade may be required to withdraw from the program. Students who have satisfied the requirements for the S.M. degree en route may still receive that degree.

G1 students

A Ph.D. candidate whose GPA at the end of the first semester is between 2.50 and 3.00 may be warned that continuation as a Ph.D. candidate beyond the second semester is contingent upon achieving a cumulative 3.00 ("B") or better average grade at the end of the second semester. Failure to meet this standard normally will result in the student being expected to withdraw from the program following the third semester, receiving the S.M. degree if its requirements have been met. The student may petition for reinstatement to candidacy for the Ph.D. at the end of the third semester; this petition will be granted only if there is a reasonable expectation that the qualifying examination can be completed on schedule during the fourth semester.

A Ph.D. candidate whose GPA at the end of the first semester is less than 2.50 but who could achieve a cumulative 3.00 GPA or better at the end of the second semester normally will be expected to withdraw after the second or third semester, receiving the S.M. degree if its requirements have been met. Continuation for a third and final semester is contingent upon a marked improvement in performance sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that the requirements for the S.M. degree will be completed at the end of the third semester.

A Ph.D. candidate who could not achieve a cumulative 3.00 GPA or better at the end of the second semester normally will be required to withdraw at the end of the first semester, thus terminating degree candidacy.

Area Course Requirements, Guidelines, and Model Programs

In addition to the above requirements, which apply to all SEAS Ph.D. students, each area (Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Computer Science, and Engineering Sciences) may have area-specific requirements or guidelines, and some areas have provided model programs with suggestions of appropriate courses.  A Ph.D. student’s Program Plan  must always comply  with the requirements outlined in the “General Requirements” section above, in addition to complying with any area-specific requirements.

These programs below form a starting point for a discussion with the faculty about areas of interest. Students should work in close consultation with their advisers to develop an appropriate program plan. Courses provide the background knowledge that is often needed to successfully complete research and allow students to learn more broadly about a field or related fields in a structured fashion.

In Academic Programs

• Non-Resident and Part-Time Study
• CHD Meeting Schedule
• PhD Overview and Timeline
• PhD Program Plans
• Teaching: G2 year
• Qualifying Exam: by end of G2 year
• Research Advisors, Committees, and Meetings
• Dissertation and Final Oral Exam
• SM and ME Course Requirements
• SM and ME Program Plans
• Masters Thesis and Supervisor
• SM degree en route to the PhD
• Graduate Student Forms
• Teaching Fellows
• External Fellowships List
• COVID-19 Graduate Program Changes (archived)

PhD Curriculum

Coursework requirements for all phd students.

The PhD Program in Nursing requires a minimum of 52 credit hours of coursework before the dissertation. The Plan of Studies below illustrates the scheduling of the required coursework.

PhD coursework is structured with a substantial core (31 credits) of nursing science and research methods to be taken in the School of Nursing.

This core will be expanded with elected statistics, research methods, and cognate courses in an outside field of study or minor area (15 credits) to be taken mainly outside of nursing in other Duke University departments. The student will choose elective courses with the guidance and approval of the supervisory committee. In addition, the supervisory committee may require the student to take courses above the minimum if the student needs additional coursework to support the dissertation research plan.

Additional requirements include a one-semester research practicum (1 credit) and courses that count towards a teaching certificate (5 credits).

PhD Program in Nursing Plan of Study

Preliminary Exam (Admission to PhD Candidacy)

The Graduate School requires submission of the Report of the Doctoral Preliminary Examination for all doctoral candidates by the end of the Spring semester of their third year. 

Ph.D. Coursework: Advice to My Younger Self

By  Natascha Chtena

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Natascha Chtena is a PhD student in Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. You can follow her on Twitter @nataschachtena .

Coursework is an essential part of any doctoral program, and it sets the stage for the dissertation phase. How essential it is I’m only realizing now—just when I’m about to be done with it.

As I’m approaching the end of my PhD coursework, I’m finding myself in a “coulda woulda shoulda” situation, reflecting on the many things I could have done differently and, ultimately, better on my road to the written qualifying exams.

What advice I would give to new PhD students (and my younger self)?

Learn how to speed-read. It might take a lot of effort at first, but it will save you time and frustration . New PhD students are treated like experts in “how to be a student.” Knowing how to read is assumed to be part of that. But many of us don’t. I mean, not really. During my first few quarters I was really trying to read everything that was assigned in my classes, until I realized (too late) that the point wasn’t to literally read everything . The point was to familiarize myself with authors and arguments and situate them within broader contexts, and for that I didn’t have to read 500+ pages a week line-by-line. While over the years I’ve become a faster reader, I wish I had invested time and effort in speed reading training at the beginning of my PhD.  

It’s never too early to get started with citation management tools . For the first year at least I took notes all over the place, misplaced some, and lost others. It took me more or less a year to develop a note-taking system that works for me and that is sustainable. It took me another year on top of that to start using citation management software. Looking back, there’s so much information that got lost along the way. Today I keep everything (including notes and annotated PDFs) on Zotero, but I can’t help fantasizing about the repository I would have built if I’d started in my first quarter (yeah, wishful thinking).

There’s no such thing as a useless methods course. There’s no such thing as too many methods courses. Therefore, if given the choice, choose a methods course . When I started out, everyone insisted that as part of my dissertation preparation I take as many methods courses as possible. Familiarity with a breadth of methods was supposed to make me a better researcher and more attractive on the job market, and to open up opportunities for collaborative, interdisciplinary research. I wasn’t sold. And so I largely ignored them, until I realized that methods training is not just about me and my dissertation or the kind of job I want after I graduate. It’s also about developing the ability to understand and critically evaluate other people’s research, ask the right kind of questions at conferences, peer review manuscripts, and offer constructive feedback to my colleagues. And that’s an essential part of being an academic (granted, if that’s what you want).

Research Apprenticeship Courses (RACs) are at least as useful as “regular” classes . As a first-year without a clearly defined research topic or a polished scholarly identity, the idea of joining a RAC (your university might have a slightly different term) or an informal research group terrified me. But as I progressed through the program, I realized how few opportunities there were to present my work and get substantial feedback. In “regular” classes, one is asked to respond to specific readings and to produce assignments that relate to the objectives of a specific course, defined by an instructor (as opposed to the student). In research groups, members have to carve out an academic identity for themselves, which is more challenging, but also, perhaps, more important.

Be selfish. Make course assignments about you. It’s ok. Treating every single assignment as a potential dissertation chapter is, I think, an ambitious plan that only a handful of prospective PhDs realize. But every end-of-term assignment should somehow contribute to your larger project. If you can pilot research projects in your classes towards what you want to do your dissertation on, do it. If you can work on different aspects of the same project in different classes, do it. If you can rework older work to develop something presentable at a conference, do it. If you’re taking a course that feels irrelevant to your work, write a literature review or do an annotated bibliography. If your professor fights you, try (politely) fighting back. Don’t write random analytical papers you will never use or develop further just to please some professor.

Stay open-minded. What you think is useful or relevant will (probably) keep changing for a while. Everyone is, at some point during their PhD, forced to take some class they really don’t want to take. Over the past few years I walked into quite a few classes thinking they would be irrelevant or even useless. But I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge (and I really should have taken better notes!). Sure, there are classes whose value I still have to figure out (and maybe never will), but there are also classes that surprised me and others whose relevance became apparent many months after I delivered that final paper.

Oh, and keep the syllabi on file . They are incredible resources full of cherry-picked readings in areas you will want to revisit, whether for your qualifying exams, articles, dissertation or, further down the line, your own classes.

What advice would you share with students starting out with their PhD coursework? Are there things you wish you had done differently? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

[Photo courtesy of Flickr user tommmmmmmmm and used under a Creative Commons license.]

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PhD Coursework

Coursework refers to the work undertaken by doctoral students before taking their oral exams. It includes the required courses, original research papers, and certification of language proficiency as described below.

Students admitted to the PhD program will obtain an MA as part of the process of completing coursework towards the PhD.

Course Requirements

Students entering the program with a bachelor’s degree take a total of 16 courses for 64 credits, or roughly 4 classes per semester at 4 credits each. Of these, 14 courses (or 56 credits), including the four required courses that all graduate students must take, consist of seminars, lecture courses, directed research, and directed study taken prior to the Qualifying Oral Examination. The remaining 8 credits are reserved for four semesters of a two-credit Dissertation Workshop course (GRS HI 900) taken after the oral exam.

Note that students entering with an approved Master’s degree from another institution are offered 16 credits of transfer courses, or the equivalent of 4 courses; instead of 56 credits, they are expected to take 40 credits prior to taking the Qualifying Oral Examination.

So that our graduates can participate fully in the historical profession, the Department of History familiarizes graduate students with historiographical and methodological paradigms in fields beyond their own area of expertise. All students in the PhD program (including students who have earned an MA at another institution) are thus required to take the following four courses in their first year of graduate study:

• GRS HI 800: European Historiography
• GRS HI 850: American Historiography
• GRS HI 870: African Historiography
• GRS HI 801: The Historian’s Craft

HI 800, 850, and 870 are reading and research courses on historiographical issues and approaches in the areas where the department has special strengths. In contrast, The Historian’s Craft (HI 801) is a research seminar designed to help students move from the original conception of a problem to a publishable article.

Note students must take the historiography courses (HI 800, 850, or 870) in their first year, alongside HI 801, which is offered every year in the spring semester.

• PhD students may take selected courses (numbered at the 500 level) that are open to undergraduates toward their degree requirements. Students are also permitted to take two graduate level courses in relevant disciplines other than history. These courses must be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor. Moreover, PhD students are encouraged to take Directed Reading and Directed Research Studies with their advisors and other faculty members of their choice.
• Students may also take approved courses within the Boston Consortium. Normally these courses are selected in consultation with the student’s advisor and respective Consortium faculty.
• Please note that the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GRS) expects students to pass their courses with a grade of B- or higher and maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0. If students earn a grade below a B- in any of their classes, they will automatically be placed on academic probation, which is considered in violation of the definition of “satisfactory academic progress.” Academic probation will endanger their funding. Under GRS policies, students who receive three grades below B- are liable for termination from their graduate studies at Boston University.
• After completing all other course requirements and the qualifying examination, every doctoral student is required to complete four semesters of a two-credit Dissertation Workshop course (GRS HI 900). The eight credits count toward the 64-credit requirement for PhD students. This course, presided over by a departmental faculty member, meets every two weeks for a presentation of a significant work or research related to the dissertation by a current graduate student, a roundtable discussion on an important research issue, or a topic relating to a career in college teaching. Although students in Boston are expected to attend the course regularly, students need not be in residence to enroll in HI 900. However, every dissertation student must present their research once a year, either in person or by some other means when appropriate.

Original Research Papers

Every doctoral student must write two major research papers between 25 and 40 pages. Students with an approved master’s degree from another institution are required to complete only one major research paper. The papers must be based on primary sources and meet professional standards of documentation, citation, argument, and structure. The paper completed in HI 801: The Historian’s Craft qualifies as one of the research papers. The second paper may be developed in a research seminar or directed research study. A copy of each paper must be approved by the student’s advisor and then submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies to determine if it meets these requirements. Approved papers remain in the student’s file. Students may not schedule their oral examination without having completed this requirement.

Language Requirements

The Department aims at graduating world-class scholars capable of conducting research in languages other than English. Students working in African, Asian, and European history must conduct primary research in languages other than English. But given that significant secondary literature is produced outside the English-speaking world, the Department believes that it is important for all of our doctoral students, including Americanists, to demonstrate a genuine ability to read research in foreign languages.  To this end, we require that doctoral candidates in United States history and Asian history demonstrate a graduate-level reading knowledge in one relevant foreign language, and doctoral candidates in European and African history demonstrate a graduate-level reading knowledge in two relevant foreign languages. In exceptional circumstances, doctoral candidates in European history may petition for exemption from the two-language requirement.

Students can demonstrate reading proficiency in a foreign language in one of three ways:

• Language examinations. Students are given an excerpt from a scholarly text and asked to translate as much as they can as accurately as they can into good English (a dictionary is permitted). These exams are administered during the semester in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. Exams must be scheduled with an administrator at least 2 weeks in advance.
• Language courses. The Department of Romance Studies offers reading courses for graduate students in French (GRS LF 621), Italian (GRS LI 621), and Spanish (GRS LS 621). The Department of World Languages & Literatures offers a reading course for graduate students in German (GRS LG 621). Passing one of these reading courses fulfills the department’s requirement for the language in question. Note that these courses may not be taken for credit toward the degree.
• Prior graduate school certification. If the candidate has passed a reading examination at another accredited graduate school and submits evidence to that effect to the Director of Graduate Studies, the departmental requirement will be waived in most instances.

PhD Students Who Have Already Earned an MA

Incoming PhD students who have already earned an MA receive the following credit upon approval:

• 16 credits toward the 64 credits required to advance to candidacy ( Note: please see the Department Administrator for details ).
• Credit for one of the research papers upon submission of the relevant document to the Director of Graduate Studies. It is worth noting that most students usually write two papers, one in the required course HI 801 and one through a directed study with their advisor.
• Credit for proficiency in one foreign language if certified by another accredited graduate school, contingent on the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.

Coursework for the Ph.D. Program

Registration.

Graduate students are expected to enroll in a minimum of 12 units per quarter. Per UC regulations, you may not enroll in more than 12 units of graduate coursework (200-level) or more than 16 units of combined upper division and graduate coursework per quarter (100-, 200- and 300-level). Please refer to the  Academic Calendar  for specific registration dates and deadlines.

Graduate students are not assigned appointment times; you may enroll in courses any time during registration operating hours.

You must enroll and participate in CHE 290 (Seminar) each quarter in residence until you Advance to Candidacy. You must also enroll and participate in CHE 294 (Presentation of Chemistry Research) each Winter and Spring quarter until you Advance to Candidacy.

CHE 262 (Introduction to Chemistry Research) is required only in your first quarter of the program.

The following are the courses required for the Ph.D. in Chemistry by research area. Students need to complete at least six graduate level courses comprised of research area core courses and elective courses. Descriptions of these course are available in the  General Catalog . You may enroll in elective courses outside of the Department with prior approval from your academic adviser. Also, you must consult with your academic adviser regarding any course substitutions and/or waivers.

Students are typically expected to complete their coursework prior to taking their  Qualifying Examination ; however, it is permissible for the QE to be scheduled during the quarter in which you are taking the final one or two courses in your area of study. All courses must be passed with a "B" grade or better.

Analytical Chemistry

• CHE 205: Symmetry, Spectroscopy and Structure
• CHE 240: Advanced Analytical Chemistry
• CHE 241A: Surface Analytical Chemistry
• CHE 241B: Laser and X-ray Spectroscopy
• CHE 241C: Mass Spectrometry
• CHE 241D: Electroanalytical Chemistry
• CHE 241E: Microscopy and Imaging Techniques
• Two elective courses in areas outside of analytical chemistry 

Biological Chemistry and Chemical Biology

• CHE 238: Introduction to Chemical Biology or BCB 211: Macromolecular Structure and Interactions
• BCB 211: Macromolecular Structure and Interactions
• CHE 210A: Quantum Chemistry: Introduction and Stationary - State Properties
• CHE 210B: Quantum Chemistry: Time-Dependent Systems
• CHE 211A: Advanced Physical Chemistry: Statistical Thermodynamics
• CHE 211B: Statistical Mechanics
• CHE 219 & 219L: Spectroscopy of Organic Compounds
• CHE 233: Physical-Organic Chemistry 
• CHE 238: Introduction to Chemical Biology
• Three elective courses in areas outside of biological chemistry and chemical biology

Inorganic Chemistry

• CHE 226: Principles of Transition Metal Chemistry
• CHE228A: Bio-inorganic Chemistry
• CHE228B: Main Group Chemistry
• CHE228C: Solid-state Chemistry
• CHE228D: Homogeneous Catalysis 
• Two elective courses in areas outside of inorganic chemistry 

Organic Chemistry

• CHE 231A: Organic Synthesis: Methods and Strategies
• CHE 233: Physical-Organic Chemistry
• Three elective courses in areas outside of organic chemistry

Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics

• CHE 210A Quantum Chemistry: Introduction and Stationary-State Properties
• CHE 210B Quantum Chemistry: Time-Dependent Systems
• CHE 211A Advanced Physical Chemistry: Statistical Thermodynamics
• Three elective courses in areas outside of physical chemistry and chemical physics

Elective Courses

• Two to three courses depending on research area

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PhD Program

Program overview.

Now Reading 1 of 4

Rigorous, discipline-based research is the hallmark of the MIT Sloan PhD Program. The program is committed to educating scholars who will lead in their fields of research—those with outstanding intellectual skills who will carry forward productive research on the complex organizational, financial, and technological issues that characterize an increasingly competitive and challenging business world.

Start here.

Learn more about the program, how to apply, and find answers to common questions.

Admissions Events

Check out our event schedule, and learn when you can chat with us in person or online.

Start Your Application

Visit this section to find important admissions deadlines, along with a link to our application.

Click here for answers to many of the most frequently asked questions.

PhD studies at MIT Sloan are intense and individual in nature, demanding a great deal of time, initiative, and discipline from every candidate. But the rewards of such rigor are tremendous:  MIT Sloan PhD graduates go on to teach and conduct research at the world's most prestigious universities.

PhD Program curriculum at MIT Sloan is organized under the following three academic areas: Behavior & Policy Sciences; Economics, Finance & Accounting; and Management Science. Our nine research groups correspond with one of the academic areas, as noted below.

MIT Sloan PhD Research Groups

Behavioral & policy sciences.

Economic Sociology

Institute for Work & Employment Research

Organization Studies

Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Strategic Management

Economics, Finance & Accounting

Accounting  

Management Science

Information Technology

System Dynamics  

Those interested in a PhD in Operations Research should visit the Operations Research Center .  

PhD Program Structure

Additional information including coursework and thesis requirements.

MIT Sloan Predoctoral Opportunities

MIT Sloan is eager to provide a diverse group of talented students with early-career exposure to research techniques as well as support in considering research career paths.

Rising Scholars Conference

The fourth annual Rising Scholars Conference on October 25 and 26 gathers diverse PhD students from across the country to present their research.

Now Reading 2 of 4

The goal of the MIT Sloan PhD Program's admissions process is to select a small number of people who are most likely to successfully complete our rigorous and demanding program and then thrive in academic research careers. The admission selection process is highly competitive; we aim for a class size of nineteen students, admitted from a pool of hundreds of applicants.

What We Seek

• Outstanding intellectual ability
• Excellent academic records
• Previous work in disciplines related to the intended area of concentration
• Strong commitment to a career in research

MIT Sloan PhD Program Admissions Requirements Common Questions

Dates and Deadlines

Admissions for 2024 is closed. The next opportunity to apply will be for 2025 admission. The 2025 application will open in September 2024. 

More information on program requirements and application components

Students in good academic standing in our program receive a funding package that includes tuition, medical insurance, and a fellowship stipend and/or TA/RA salary. We also provide a new laptop computer and a conference travel/research budget.

Funding Information

Throughout the year, we organize events that give you a chance to learn more about the program and determine if a PhD in Management is right for you.

PhD Program Events

Docnet recruiting forum at university of minnesota.

We will be joining the DocNet consortium for an overview of business academia and a recruitment fair at University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management.

September 25 PhD Program Overview

During this webinar, you will hear from the PhD Program team and have the chance to ask questions about the application and admissions process.

DocNet Recruiting Forum - David Eccles School of Business

MIT Sloan PhD Program will be joining the DocNet consortium for an overview of business academia and a recruitment fair at Utah, David Eccles School of Business.

October PhD Program Overview

Complete PhD Admissions Event Calendar

Unlike formulaic approaches to training scholars, the PhD Program at MIT Sloan allows students to choose their own adventure and develop a unique scholarly identity. This can be daunting, but students are given a wide range of support along the way - most notably having access to world class faculty and coursework both at MIT and in the broader academic community around Boston.

Now Reading 3 of 4

Profiles of our current students

MIT Sloan produces top-notch PhDs in management. Immersed in MIT Sloan's distinctive culture, upcoming graduates are poised to innovate in management research and education.

Academic Job Market

Doctoral candidates on the current academic market

Academic Placements

Graduates of the MIT Sloan PhD Program are researching and teaching at top schools around the world.

view recent placements 

MIT Sloan Experience

Now Reading 4 of 4

The PhD Program is integral to the research of MIT Sloan's world-class faculty. With a reputation as risk-takers who are unafraid to embrace the unconventional, they are engaged in exciting disciplinary and interdisciplinary research that often includes PhD students as key team members.

Research centers across MIT Sloan and MIT provide a rich setting for collaboration and exploration. In addition to exposure to the faculty, PhD students also learn from one another in a creative, supportive research community.

Throughout MIT Sloan's history, our professors have devised theories and fields of study that have had a profound impact on management theory and practice.

From Douglas McGregor's Theory X/Theory Y distinction to Nobel-recognized breakthroughs in finance by Franco Modigliani and in option pricing by Robert Merton and Myron Scholes, MIT Sloan's faculty have been unmatched innovators.

This legacy of innovative thinking and dedication to research impacts every faculty member and filters down to the students who work beside them.

Faculty Links

• Accounting Faculty
• Economic Sociology Faculty
• Finance Faculty
• Information Technology Faculty
• Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) Faculty
• Marketing Faculty
• Organization Studies Faculty
• System Dynamics Faculty
• Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management (TIES) Faculty

Student Research

“MIT Sloan PhD training is a transformative experience. The heart of the process is the student’s transition from being a consumer of knowledge to being a producer of knowledge. This involves learning to ask precise, tractable questions and addressing them with creativity and rigor. Hard work is required, but the reward is the incomparable exhilaration one feels from having solved a puzzle that had bedeviled the sharpest minds in the world!” -Ezra Zuckerman Sivan Alvin J. Siteman (1948) Professor of Entrepreneurship

Sample Dissertation Abstracts - These sample Dissertation Abstracts provide examples of the work that our students have chosen to study while in the MIT Sloan PhD Program.

We believe that our doctoral program is the heart of MIT Sloan's research community and that it develops some of the best management researchers in the world. At our annual Doctoral Research Forum, we celebrate the great research that our doctoral students do, and the research community that supports that development process.

The videos of their presentations below showcase the work of our students and will give you insight into the topics they choose to research in the program.

Attention To Retention: The Informativeness of Insiders’ Decision to Retain Shares

2024 PhD Doctoral Research Forum Winner - Gabriel Voelcker

Watch more MIT Sloan PhD Program  Doctoral Forum Videos

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How to decide between postgraduate research and coursework

It can be a little tricky figuring out which postgraduate degree is for you. That’s why we’ve done the work for you to clarify the differences between a coursework degree and a research degree, and where each could take your career.

The main difference between these two styles is coursework has classes and research has a thesis.

Postgraduate coursework: advanced classes

In a nutshell: an advanced continuation of undergrad-style learning.

Choosing a coursework degree means you’ll attend lectures and tutorials, complete assignments and sit exams – just like your first degree. You’ll be taught discrete units that are part of a set program and at a higher academic level than your undergrad.

Coursework degrees aim to deepen your knowledge and enhance your undergraduate degree with postgraduate training, focusing you towards a specific profession. Alternatively, you can use your undergraduate degree to pivot and pursue a new area of study at postgraduate level.

For instance, you may have completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English and Japanese, then realised you’d like be a high school teacher, so you enrol in a Master of Teaching (Secondary) .

Or perhaps you did a Bachelor of Science majoring in Engineering Science and after working for a couple of years, you now want to start your own business. Enrolling in a Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation could get you there.

Also bear in mind, some coursework courses can involve a research element such as the completion of a minor thesis. This forms part of training your time management and written skills.

If you’re looking to complete a degree part time or solely online, you can find a postgraduate coursework degree to suit you. There are graduate certificates, graduate diplomas and master’s degrees, and we’ve explained the difference between these  too.

Postgraduate research: independent thesis

In a nutshell: solo research project to produce an original thesis.

Taking on a postgraduate research degree provides you with the unique opportunity to follow your interest in an area of research and contribute to the field.

You’ll work on your own project, under the guidance of an academic supervisor who you have chosen, with the aim of producing, presenting and submitting a final thesis. This final thesis is the culmination of your original research and investigation – an original contribution to knowledge.

You can often undertake any project of your choosing, as long as you can find a supervisor to connect with. Once you’ve found a potential supervisor, meet with them to discuss your project proposal and see if they agree to supervise you.

If you’re interested in completing a PhD or are thinking about a career in academia, a research degree is a popular decision. This type of study enables you to demonstrate your capacity to conduct research independently and form a distinct contribution to an area.

So what’s ‘honours’, then?

Honours  is the opportunity to extend your undergraduate degree by a year – a sort of bridging year between undergrad and postgrad. The benefit is setting yourself apart from other undergraduate grads, as employers value the skills gained from the independent research project you’ll complete.

Honours is reserved for students who demonstrate strong academic performance in their final-year units. You may be invited to consider honours or you can apply directly . Students considering a research master’s or PhD are strongly encouraged to complete an honours year as a research training exercise and a taster of what’s to come in the research life.

Still can’t decide? See what some of our coursework and research graduates have to say .

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What to expect from a phd schedule.

Take a look at a current student’s schedule and get the insider perspective from doctoral students and coordinators on what to expect from a PhD schedule.

The life of a PhD candidate can be stressful as you adjust to a rigorous academic and research schedule. Penn and Wharton offer a variety of resources to help support you in the transition to PhD life.

Wharton’s sense of community offers a level of comfort when reaching out to faculty as well as fellow students to help solve problems. Doctoral students and coordinators give the insider view on what to expect from a PhD schedule.

Class and Research First

The first two years of a PhD program are mainly made up of classes and the beginning stages of research. Deborah Small , the doctoral coordinator for the Marketing program , said, “It starts with heavy duty coursework and a lot of specific requirements. At the end of your first year, there are qualifying exams on all the core marketing courses. Second year they still have a lot of coursework to do, but more of that is elective with a focus more on their interests. During those years they’re expected to get started on research.”

In addition to taking classes and getting started with research, the Marketing program requires students to write two papers. The first research paper is due at the end of the second year, the other is due at the end of the third year.

The Real Estate and Business Economics and Public Policy programs run like the Marketing program. Fernando Ferreira , coordinator for the programs, said, “During the first year they complete six core courses. In the second year, the focus shifts to field courses and to independent research. They have two professors advising them in that year.”

After completing the main courses, students shift to conducting independent research. For REAL and BEPP students this means writing three dissertation chapters during the third and fourth years.

Time for Conferences and Seminars

Because coursework is usually completed by the second half of the program, there’s time for students to attend lectures and seminars. Andrea Contigiani , a fifth year student in the Management program, said, “In my fourth year, I usually attended a seminar around lunchtime. Wharton has an incredible seminar series throughout the year, with a good seminar happening almost everyday. Occasionally, I attended other events, like MBA events or speaker series. I then go back to research for most of the afternoon.”

Prof. Small said, “Students are expected to actively participate in seminars and activities. They’re also encouraged to go to academic conferences and try to present their work at those conferences. It is similar to the expectations of being a faculty member, minus teaching.”

Classes take up the majority of the first two years of the programs. When the focus then switches to research, you’re expected to work independently. Sometimes that can be intimidating. You become your own boss, which is an adjustment from being told what to do and when to do it.

So how do you manage it? Get advice from students and coordinators.

Posted: August 4, 2017

• Work/Life Balance

Doctoral Programs

Matthew caulfield.

Hometown Ocean City, New Jersey

Concentration Management and Legal Studies & Business Ethics

Doctoral Stage Second Year

Typical Day at a Glance

8:30 am Wake up and get ready for the day

9:15 am Get to PhD Offices, respond to emails, check philosophy blogs and read news

10:30 am Journal article readings

11:30 am Meet with advisor

12:00 pm Attend departmental seminar speaker and lunch

1:30 pm Attend Wharton Social Impact Doctoral Community meeting

3:00 pm Attend business ethics seminar

5:00 pm Read for class

7:00 pm Meet with nonparametric statistics study group

8:00 pm Complete homework

12:00 am Go home

1:00 am Bedtime

What is your favorite part about Wharton?

First, the faculty are excellent. They are often leading experts in their fields, and they can offer advice that would be hard to find elsewhere.

Second, the other PhD students are just as passionate about research as you would hope. A huge part of my scholarly development has been due to the discussions I have had with other graduate students.

Third, the Wharton name can offer you serious advantages. In the course of research, I think industry practitioners as well as other academics have been more willing to talk or correspond with me because I am a graduate student at Wharton.

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• Harvard Business School →
• Doctoral Programs →
• PhD Programs

Accounting & Management

• Business Economics
• Health Policy (Management)
• Organizational Behavior
• Technology & Operations Management

Program Requirements

• Program Requirements →

Accounting & Management

A minimum of 13 semester courses at doctoral level are required. Each semester students will consult with the Accounting & Management faculty coordinators to receive approval of their course selections.

Microeconomics Theory : A comprehensive two semester sequence on economic theory:

• Microeconomic Theory I (HBS 4010/Economics 2020a)
• Microeconomic Theory II (HBS 4011/Economics 2020b)

All Accounting and Management students are required to have completed one undergraduate or graduate course in introduction to Econometrics. If this requirement has not been fulfilled prior to matriculation, then an equivalent course will be required in the first term of the student's doctoral program.

Courses meeting this requirement include:

• Introduction to Econometrics (Econ 1123)

Students must take four research methods courses, including one course in research design.

Courses that fulfill this requirement include, but are not limited to:

• Introduction to Applied Econometrics (Econ 2120); (Econ 2110. Introductory Probability and Statistics for Economists may be a required prerequisite)
• Econometric Methods (Econ 2140)
• Topics in Applied Econometrics (MIT 14.387)
• Advanced Applied Econometrics (Econ 2144)
• Computational Economics (Econ 2149)
• Time Series Analysis (Econ 2142)
• Seminar in Applied Statistical Methods (HBS 4809)

Research methods courses that meet the research design course requirement include, but are not limited to:

• Advanced Quantitative Research Methodology (Gov 2001)
• Empirical Methods in Corporate Finance (HBS 4220)
• Matched Sampling and Study Design (Stat 240); (Stat 140 or Econ 1127 are strongly recommended as prerequisites)
• Design of Field Research Methods (HBS 4070)
• Experimental Methods (HBS 4435)

Accounting and Management students are required to take seven additional doctoral courses.

• Management Control and Performance Measures (HBS 4403)
• Empirical Research in Financial Reporting and Analysis (HBS 4250)
• Doctoral Seminar in Accounting (MIT 15.539)
• Two breadth courses
• Two elective doctoral courses

All students without an MBA degree are required to complete two case-based HBS MBA courses.

Students are strongly encouraged to attend and participate in seminars throughout their program. In the third year, students are required to attend Accounting & Management Unit Seminars .

Good Academic Standing

Teaching requirement.

Students must teach or assist with teaching in a formally offered course for one full academic term. This engagement should include, at least, 8 hours of front-of-class teaching and 16 hours of teaching preparation time. The requirement may be fulfilled by completing a teaching fellow or instructor assignment at a Harvard University

Special Field Exam

Students are required to pass the Special Field Exam at the end of the second year or beginning of the third year. This exam has two parts: a written exam and an oral exam based on the course syllabi from any relevant doctoral research seminars in financial or managerial accounting undertaken by students in the course of their studies.

Dissertation Proposal

By the end of their third year, all students are required to obtain approval of their dissertation proposal by their Dissertation Chair.

Dissertation

Students are required to write a dissertation, which typically takes the form of three publishable papers, to the satisfaction of their Dissertation Committee. The dissertation defense is oral and open to the public.

LERNER BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

• Economics (Ph.D.)

PhD Coursework : Latest UGC Guidelines , Syllabus

PhD Coursework gives students a thorough grasp of their subject topic and the ability to perform independent research. The University Grants Commission (UGC) of India has published new PhD coursework guidelines and syllabus to improve quality and relevance.

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