GMAT & GPA Expectations

Admission to the Ph.D. program is selective. Offers for admission will be made to students who demonstrate aptitude for, and interest in, advanced research in business. Previous study in business is not required. Admission decisions are based on a number of factors: Undergraduate/graduate grade-point-average, GMAT score, employment history, letters of recommendation and the applicant's personal statement of goals. As a guideline to applicants, a total GMAT score of 640 and a GPA of 3.65 (on a 4.0 scale) on undergraduate/graduate work would be representative of students currently enrolled in the program.

International applicants for whom English is not the primary language must have an official TOEFL score of 600 or higher and a verbal sub-score from the GMAT at or above the 50th percentile. In addition, international applicants are also asked to submit official TSE scores.

The ‘typical’ student will take doctoral seminars the first year that will begin to develop a foundation in Supply Chain Management related theories as well as research methodology. This will prepare the student for the first year paper which will be grounded in concepts learned from the research seminar. The first summer will be involved with writing the paper as well as the first opportunity to teach a course.

This will set the stage for the second and third years, in which the student will be much more immersed with faculty to increase research skills through research development, design and data gathering, paper writing, conference attendance and presentations, and classroom instruction. These activities will prepare the doctoral student for comprehensive exams (typically at the end of the second year) and passage on to doctoral candidate, wherein the dissertation becomes the focus during the third and fourth years.