PhD Program at the Katz Graduate School of Business

Welcome to the Katz Doctoral Program website. We hope that the site answers many of your questions about the program and motivates you to contemplate a career of scholarship.

Like many PhD programs in the United States, we aim to prepare our students to become productive and discerning research-oriented faculty members. However, our program provides several unique benefits.

• Mentorship focus: Mentorship begins during the application process, grows throughout the program, and continues into your academic career.

• Flexibility: Your minor area can be tailored to your specific interests. It need not fit into areas of the school or the University of Pittsburgh. Many students create their own minor area, integrating courses across interest groups and schools within the university.
• Experience-based learning: Work with faculty members on research projects earlier and teach courses later in your program, rather than serve as teaching assistants for the bulk of your program.
• Exclusive courses: The majority of doctoral coursework is conducted with small and interactive Phd-only sections. Our program is not constructed from masters’ level courses with additional PhD-only assignments.
• Internationally-recognized faculty: Our faculty are productive, internationally-recognized scholars, many of whom serve as authors or editors of the top journals in their fields.
• Electronic resources: The University of Pittsburgh is a leader in providing on-line research resources. Out of the 115 research libraries in the USA, ours was #8 in expenditures on electronic resources. There are also 6.2 million physical volumes at your disposal.
• By using security software, you can browse extensive collections from school, at home, and on the road. Full text journal articles are often available at no cost and make the research process simultaneously more comprehensive and convenient.
• Networking opportunities: Through leadership positions in their fields, our faculty often provide valuable connections to other researchers. Many students, for example, present papers at conferences, engage researchers from other institutions on their thesis projects, and even participate in academic associations.
• Network of Distinguished Alumni: Many of our graduates have received honors for their scholarship. They hold titles of Dean, Associate Dean, chaired professors, and full professors around the world.
• Broad resources: Take coursework toward your degree at the Katz School, elsewhere in the University, or at Carnegie Mellon University through the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education.

Not only will excellence in research enhance your ability to work in a university, it can also enhance your chosen field by creating and contributing knowledge to your discipline.

While you contemplate your prospects as a doctoral student, self-reflection is very helpful. Are you curious? Deeply reflective? Do you enjoy coursework for its own sake rather than just as a means to an end? Do you often find yourself questioning “Why?” or “Why not?” Do you seek to sort out fact from fantasy, and truth from opinion? Do you enjoy considering several sides of an issue, organizing a set of disparate facts, or trying to reconcile several conflicting viewpoints? If so, you could be an excellent candidate for a scholarly life.

Browse this site, using the buttons on the left. The areas of study and degree requirements are most likely among the first you will want to review. Please also browse the other topics and let us know if you have any questions.

We look forward to your application and your commitment to make a difference in your chosen field!

Sincerely,
Dennis F. Galletta
Professor of Business Administration and
Director of the Doctoral Program