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Supply Chain Management

Ph.D. Specialization in Supply Chain Management

At the University of Oklahoma, the substantive emphasis of the doctoral program in Supply Chain Management focuses on nurturing and shaping independent scholars in supply chain management.  The doctoral program places a high emphasis on formal and informal mentoring of students. Faculty. work closely with PhD students training them to become great scholars, educators, and colleagues. Our faculty is renowned within the field of supply chain management and have extensively published their research in top academic supply chain journals. They also are active in industry research with several years of field experience in top global companies around the world.

All domains within supply chain management including procurement, operations and logistics are emphasized.

The University of Oklahoma doctoral program will help you develop an in-depth knowledge of supply chain management topics. Since research in supply chain management takes place at the intersection of many underlying “foundation” disciplines, you will be encouraged to also study concepts and principles in organizational theory, industrial engineering, psychology, health sciences, and economics.  For the methods training, students are encouraged to upskill not only in advanced statistical techniques but also in econometrics, panel data analyses, structural equation modeling, meta-analysis and systems dynamics (to name a few). Rigorous and scientific method based qualitative techniques such as ethnographic studies, case study research, design science and action research are also encouraged.  Our doctoral program provides you with the necessary skills for a successful career of research and teaching in top notch research-oriented universities.

The program’s objectives are:

  • to provide a strong foundation in supply chain management concepts for research and teaching
  • to prepare students for academic careers in supply chain management

The doctoral program in Supply Chain Management focuses on competence in strategic aspects of supply chain management, supply chain management theory, and behavioral concepts in supply chain management. Students receive rigorous training in many research methodologies that are important to conduct rigorous supply chain management research. Most doctoral candidates are appointed to a research assistantship early in their program to encourage interaction with faculty members.  In addition, many summer research and research related-travel opportunities are provided for students. It is expected that Oklahoma supply chain management specialization doctoral students be intimately involved in activities that prepare them for their careers as academics such as PhD program consortiums in key supply chain management conferences, presenting papers at reputed national and international conferences and working with faculty and industry partners to attract research grants that will enable students to pursue and conduct cutting edge research in supply chain management.

  Curriculum

The core or required classes for the Ph.D. in Business Administration with an emphasis in supply chain management typically consist of four doctoral seminars in supply chain management, two summer directed study courses, and three elective seminar courses to complete a minor, five research methods/statistics courses, and one economics course.

Doctoral seminars constitute a total of 21 hours/credits, and the total coursework requirement constitutes a total of 45 hours/credits. Substitutions can be made with approval of the Ph.D. program coordinator.

  • Supply Chain Management Channels
  • Supply Chain Management Models
  • Supply Chain Management Theory and Methods
  • Supply Chain Management Strategy
  • Business
  • Development of Management Thought
  • Global Business and the Environment
  • Organization Theory
  • Organization Impacts of Information Technology Management of Technological Innovation
  • Computer-Mediated Communication and Decision Making

OR

  • Supply Chain related disciplines
  • Marketing
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Economics
  • Geography
  • Industrial Engineering

The University of Oklahoma doctoral program requires 90 hours/credits beyond the bachelor's degree.  A maximum of 30 hours/credits can be devoted to the student's dissertation. This stipulation implies that a student devotes about 60 hours to completing (non-dissertation) course requirements. Required doctoral seminars and research readiness component courses add up to 30 hours/credits (as discussed above), so an additional 30 hours/credits of courses are required beyond the bachelor's degree level. Of course, students who enter the program with a master's degree will have already completed coursework that partially satisfies this requirement. Remaining hours/credits are met by enrolling in courses in the fundamental disciplines of economics, psychology, and statistics.

These requirements translate to roughly 2 years of courses for students entering with an MBA and 3 years of courses for students entering without an MBA. At that point, the student takes his/her general examination and begins his/her dissertation research.


To complete this component, the student is required to take a doctoral seminar in research methods, plus two directed study courses focusing on research. These directed study courses are the same ones mentioned above in the Required Courses section. In addition, the doctoral seminar in research methods will count towards the five-course research methods/statistics course requirement.

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. 

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.

Applying for Admission

 Apply to Graduate School at the University of Oklahoma

Submit application materials (official transcripts, GMAT/GRE scores, etc.) to:
 

Office of Graduate Admissions
Robertson Hall
731 Elm Avenue, Room 318
Norman, OK 73019


Applications will be processed and evaluated upon the submission of a completed online application. Offers of admission will not be made until all of the following materials are received by the Admissions Office:
 
  • Transcripts
    Upload a copy of transcripts from every college attended. Official copies should also be sent directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
  • GMAT Score
    Scores must be no more than five years old at the time of submission. Unofficial scores may be uploaded to the online application but admission decisions will not be made until official scores are received. The GMAT score is preferred; the GRE score will be accepted for all graduate programs except Accounting. GMAT score required but can be waived in certain situations.
  • Resume
  • Statement of Goals
  • Contact Information of  three recommendations: 
    Automatic email requests will be launched when you submit your application. This is not required.
  • TOEFL Score
     
    International applicants must submit a score from either the TOEFL  (minimum of 600 on the paper-based test, 250 on the computer-based test or 100 on the internet-based test) or IELTS (minimum of 7.0) as well as a Confidential Financial Statement. School Code: 6879
  • Application Fee
    A $50 ($100 for international applicants) non-refundable application processing fee is required to submit your online application.

 Apply to Graduate School at the University of Oklahoma

 


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People

Ken Petersen
Ken Petersen

Sr. Assoc. Dean of Faculty and Research
Marketing and Supply Chain Management


Email: petersen@ou.edu
Office: Adams Hall Room 102
Phone: (405) 325-2792

Calon-Nicole Gunter-Cox.
Calon-Nicole Gunter-Cox

Asst. Director of Graduate Advising – Norman
Graduate Programs


E-mail: brandy.n.gunter@ou.edu
Office: Adams Hall Room 4L
Phone: (405) 325-4865

Qiong Wang
Qiong Wang

Associate Professor
Marketing and Supply Chain Management


Email: qiongwang@ou.edu
Office: Adams Hall Room 1K
Phone: (405) 325-3561