Doctor of Philosophy in Management (Ph.D.)

Discover the Ph.D. in Management

Exceed Your Limits with Sullivan's Online Ph.D. in Management Program.

Thank you for your interest in Sullivan University's Ph.D. in Management program! Our mission is to develop research and application skills thereby preparing individuals to serve as leaders and scholars in their organizations. We also offer options for you, if you wish to enhance your career through teaching or training.

Why Our Students Chose Sullivan:

• Strategic Management
• Conflict management
• Human Resource Leadership
• Information technology
• Sullivan University's Ph.D. in Management embraces the scholar-practitioner model
• Sullivan University prepares practitioners to develop research and application skills that enable them to serve as leaders and scholars in their organizations
• Students have opportunities to conduct quantitative and qualitative pilot studies that prepare them for dissertation research

We Believe in Developing the Leader in You

Thank you for your interest in Sullivan University's Ph.D. in Management program. Our mission is to provide opportunities for students to become practitioners, develop research and application skills, and prepare individuals to serve as leaders and scholars in their organizations. We also offer options for you, if you wish to enhance your career through teaching or training.

Our program draws on the strengths of dedicated, talented faculty members who guide and mentor students through coursework and research projects. In fact, numerous students have partnered with faculty to research and co-author scholarly articles and present at professional conferences. In addition, we encourage a cohort model with an emphasis on developing and maintaining relationships with both faculty and fellow students.

The curriculum is designed to teach you how to conduct research and develop research professionals. No doubt, you will work hard and make sacrifices to earn this degree. However, through perseverance and dedication, you can succeed and realize your dreams.

Program Highlights and Locations

Benefits

• Our engaged faculty teaches through practical work experience
• No GRE/GMAT testing is required
• We utilize a practice-based curriculum

Online Format with Both Flexibility & Credibility

This is the accredited online Doctorate program that you've been seeking! Unlike other schools, we do not require residence or full-time participation, so you can complete coursework and dissertation entirely online from anywhere in the world. And, since Sullivan University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award Doctorates, this degree equips you with the expertise to meet and exceed your career ambitions.

Research-intensive. Student-focused.

It’s crucial to a field’s advancement that new and compelling ideas are presented. This is especially evident in the pursuit of any Doctoral Degree. Our mission is to help you master quantitative and qualitative research methods and analysis that will subsequently lead to subject expertise through your dissertation research.

Built-in Support Network

Students entering the program at the same time also take many classes alongside each other, creating a “cohort” of like-minded individuals to lean on throughout the rigor and reward of the Ph.D. program.

Culture of Collaboration

At Sullivan, distance education never means compromising opportunities for student-faculty collaboration. In fact, you will work closely with your instructors from start to finish. This begins with your individual faculty mentor who is your constant resource throughout your first quarter of study. It then continues through to your dissertation committee that will guide you through the process of becoming a doctor of management. In addition, it is very common for our Doctoral students and faculty to engage in research together, often co-authoring scholarly articles and presenting at professional conferences.

Emphasis on Advancement

A Ph.D. in Management is all about reaching new heights--intellectually, personally, and professionally. If you're interested in pursuing a career in management education, training, or research, our paid teaching assistant and research assistant positions provide invaluable experience to fit your specific professional aspirations.

Locations:

• Louisville Campus
• Fort Knox Extension Campus
• Learning Center - Louisa
• Online

Cornerstone Requirements

Sixteen credit hours may be transferred into the Ph.D. program from a Master's-level program into the Ph.D. in Management. Cornerstone courses must be from:

• Two courses closely aligned with the macro and micro-level courses required in the management core;
• A research course equivalent to Sullivan University's QNT 550 or CSC 550;
• A course in the student's concentration area or a root discipline of the concentration area;
• Cornerstone courses or their equivalents are determined at the discretion of the Ph.D. Admissions Committee and the Dean of the Graduate School.

Management Core

Twenty credit hours are required to provide foundational knowledge of theory-based courses and content for all students in the Ph.D. programs. Generally, these courses provide students with baseline knowledge expected from all Ph.D. students in Management. The management core courses cover the following: organizational theory, organizational behavior, human capital management, strategic management, and a course that integrates both organizational theory and organizational behavior in the study of innovation and change in organizations.

Research Core

Twenty-four credits are required as a research core. The Ph.D. is a research certification, and the research core courses are designed to provide students with knowledge and experience to function as high-level researchers in academic, business, and government organizations. All Ph.D. students take requisite coursework in research methods, research design, quantitative and qualitative research and analysis, proposal development, and mixed methods.

Concentration Area

Sixteen hours are required for a primary concentration or area of study. Students may choose one of the four concentration areas below:

• Strategic Management (Strategy)
• Conflict Management
• Human Resource Leadership
• Information Technology Management (IT Management)

The student's primary concentration area includes four courses common to all students who choose a particular concentration area.

Comprehensive Exam

Two credit hours are awarded for successful completion of the comprehensive exam. The comprehensive exam is offered in the term immediately following the student's successful completion of Ph.D. courses. Credits are awarded on a pass/fail basis, and no letter grade or quality points will be assigned for completion of the comprehensive exam.

Dissertation

A minimum of 12 credit hours are awarded for dissertation research. Credits are awarded after a student successfully defends a Ph.D. dissertation, and it’s accepted by the Dean of the Graduate School as “completion of requirements” for the Ph.D. Degree.

Residencies

Residencies are required for each of the first two years of students’ enrollment in Ph.D. studies; however, no credit hours are awarded.

Objectives

• To prepare students to conduct scholarly research relevant to the management of organizations in public and private sectors;
• To prepare students for responsible positions in private and public sectors;
• To prepare management practitioners to develop research and application skills that will enable them to serve as leaders and scholars in their organizations;
• To help public and private sector organizations solve critical problems, make better decisions, and create fast-paced environments built on performance excellence.

Student Learning Outcomes

The ability to:

• Apply principles and theories of organizational management to a variety of work settings;
• Analyze and review research critically;
• Identify research topics in one of four concentration areas;
• Conduct searches of scholarly and practitioner literature;
• Select appropriate research designs and statistics;
• Design quantitative and qualitative based research studies;
• Develop expertise in a topic by conducting a major research project.