Ph.D. in Organization Studies
Designed to prepare students for academic careers, the Ph.D. Program in Organization Studies at Boston College is recognized worldwide for its rigorous curriculum and exceptional faculty who are leaders in their fields.
The program emphasizes a strong foundation in organizational theory, research methods, and statistics. Students begin the program with a set of complementary courses in micro- and macro-organizational theory, qualitative and quantitative research methods, statistics, and teaching skills. In the third year, students complete a major empirical research project and teach a course of their own.
Throughout the Ph.D. program, students pursue research on their own and in collaboration with faculty. All students are encouraged to deliver papers at national and international professional conferences, as well as to submit articles for publication in top-tier research journals. Our graduates emerge as creative, independent scholars who can craft and pursue their own research agendas.
Fall 2022 Application Deadline
The deadline to apply for the Ph.D. in Organization Studies program is January 4, 2022.
Questions? Email Graduate Admissions.
COURSEWORK
Ph.D. students take a total of 15 credit hours during the program that includes both 7- and 14-week courses. All students begin the organization studies program with a set of foundational courses in organizational behavior and organizational theory, qualitative and quantitative research methods, statistics, research, and teaching skills.
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION
The comprehensive examination is given at the end of the second year. To pass the exam, students must demonstrate a substantial knowledge of theory and methods involved in the study of organizational behavior and theory.
RESEARCH PROJECT AND DISSERTATION
By the end of the third year, students complete a research paper demonstrating the ability to conduct innovative research in organizational studies. The culmination of the program is the dissertation: a substantial, significant, and original contribution to the body of knowledge in organizational studies that is prepared under the guidance of a dissertation committee of three faculty members.
ASSISTANTSHIP REQUIREMENT
Doctoral students at the Carroll School are expected to serve as research or teaching assistants throughout their studies. Typically, students work as research assistants for 15 hours a week during the first year of the program, serve as teaching assistants during both semesters of the second year, teach their own courses for one semester in the third year, and serve as research assistants for the remaining third through fifth years. In exchange, the Carroll School provides financial support for doctoral students in the form of a stipend and tuition remission.
Sample Schedule
| YEAR 1: FALL |
| Organizational Behavior Statistics I Quantitative Research Methods Research in the Community |
| YEAR 1: SPRING |
| Statistics II Flexible Core Elective |
| YEAR 1: SUMMER |
| Independent Research |
| YEAR 2: FALL |
| Organizational Theory Qualitative Research Methods Flexible Core Elective |
| YEAR 2: SPRING |
| Skills Core (Research I)* Skills Core (Teaching)* Elective |
| YEAR 2: SUMMER |
| Independent Research |
| YEAR 3: FALL |
| Independent Research Flexible Core or Elective* |
| YEAR 3: SPRING |
| Skills Core (Research II)* |
| YEAR 3: SUMMER |
| Dissertation Research |
| YEARS 4 & 5 |
| Dissertation Research and Defense |
*Refers to courses typically taught in 7 weeks.
Electives may be taken from other departments and universities, subject to approval.
Note: The following information reflects data for the entering classes of 2016–2021.
CLASS SIZE
| 2015 Class Size |
2 |
| 2016 Class Size | 4 |
| 2017 Class Size | 1 |
| 2018 Class Size | 3 |
| 2019 Class Size | 3 |
| 2020 Class Size |
1 |
| 2021 Class Size | 4 |
| Overall Selectivity | 6.8% |
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
| Average GMAT Score |
710 |
| GMAT 80th Percentile Range |
690-710 |
| Average GRE Score | 314 |
| GRE 80th Percentile Range |
315-327 |
| Average Undergraduate GPA | 3.46 |
| Average Full-Time Work Experience |
5.6 years |
| Students Holding Master's Degree |
75% |
Diversity
| Average Age | 29 |
| Women | 40% |
| International Students |
13% |
International Enrollments
| Canada | China |
| France | Italy |
| Pakistan | South Korea |
When it comes to career advancement, graduates of Boston College’s Ph.D. Program in Organization Studies have several distinct advantages.
Not only does the Ph.D. program instill the knowledge and skills required to conduct high-quality research and teaching in the field, the Management and Organization Department takes an active role in connecting students with exceptional academic career opportunities.
Our students and recent graduates are prolific scholars and writers, publishing regularly in top management and organization outlets such as Academy of Management Annals, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Advances in Strategic Management, Human Relations, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Organization Science, Organizational Psychology Review, Strategy Science, Research in the Sociology of Work, and Research in the Sociology of Organizations. They also have contributed articles to numerous other publications and chapters to books.
Where do our graduates work?
Babson College
Boston University
EDHEC Business School (France)
Harvard University
IESE Business School (Spain)
Kookmin University (South Korea)
Loyola University New Orleans
New York University
Northeastern University
United States Coast Guard Academy
University of Kentucky
University of Maryland
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Boston
University of Michigan
University of Western Ontario (Canada)
University of Virginia
Western Michigan University
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Yonsei University (South Korea)