In addition to the usual University of California requirements for admission to graduate study, students must provide one of the following:

• the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) verbal and quantitative parts
• a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
• statement of purpose
• minimum of three references, of which two should be from academic sources.

Students holding an appropriate Baccalaureate degree may be admitted directly to graduate study leading to the Ph.D. in Management.

In addition to the usual University of California requirements for admission to graduate study, students must provide one of the following:

• the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) verbal and quantitative parts
• a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
• statement of purpose
• minimum of three references, of which two should be from academic sources.

Students holding an appropriate Baccalaureate degree may be admitted directly to graduate study leading to the Ph.D. in Management.

All degree candidates are required to complete the Teaching Development course MGMTPHD 297B. The objective of the course is to ensure that our Ph.D. students are adequately prepared to assume academic teaching responsibilities upon completion of their programs and to ensure that business doctoral students who teach classes at UCI are adequately prepared to do so effectively.

Provides students with a general exposure to their fields of emphasis, the discipline of management, and methodological tools. This phase must be completed within nine quarters. At the end of either year 1 or year 2 (depending on the field of emphasis), students will take a written comprehensive field examination covering material within their specific fields of emphasis.

Course Requirements

The Merage School doctoral courses are offered on a two-part School-wide menu: Theoretical Breadth and Research Methods. Courses may be added to the two menus as needed or availability as determined by the faculty.

1. Specialization requirement: Two courses in the student's primary area of specialization (one of the seven fields of emphasis offered by The Merage School of Business. At least one of these courses must be a Ph.D.-level seminar or Independent Study at the doctoral level. Requirements in the student's area of specialization are determined by the faculty in that area within the guidelines of doctoral study.
2. Breadth requirement: All doctoral students are required to take four breadth courses. Breadth courses are defined as the courses on the School-wide menus and courses offered in areas other than the student's area of specialization. These could be courses offered by other areas within Merage or departments outside of Merage. Students must take (at least) two courses from the School-wide menus, and (at least) two additional Ph.D.-level courses pertinent to the academic area of study.
3. Research skills requirements: Two courses that emphasize research skills that contribute to the development of research capabilities, as determined by the faculty in the area of specialization.
4. MGMTPHD 297A- Doctoral Proseminar and MGMTPHD 297B - University Teaching. These course requirements are common to all students, regardless of area of specialization.

This phase is also designed to prepare students for research and scholarship in their areas of emphasis. Following successful passage of the written comprehensive field examination, the student should select a Chair and, together with that Chair, identify at least two other members, one of which needs to be in another area within the school or outside the school. The committee, in consultation with the student, develops a program for the remainder of the Qualifying Phase. The program consists of the specification of the content of the student’s area of emphasis, requirements for the completion of written papers, and the methods by which the student will demonstrate readiness to conduct original research and scholarship. Students usually enroll in independent study with faculty advisors, as well as other courses as appropriate each quarter. During this period of advanced study, students gain a thorough understanding of their specific fields of emphasis, including detailed knowledge of the current literature and research trends. In this phase, students prepare themselves to become scholars who, through meaningful research, will make a significant contribution to the advancement of their chosen fields.
 
Phase I is completed upon successful passage of a formal oral qualifying examination conducted by the Candidacy Committee comprised of at least three faculty members, a majority of whom are affiliated with the Merage School.

This phase requires the completion of a significant original research project and a dissertation which demonstrates the candidate's creativity and ability to launch and sustain a career in research. Phase II typically ranges from 12 to 18 months in duration. The type of research project selected will be an important determinant of the amount of time a student will spend in this phase. Upon approval of the dissertation and final dissertation defense, the student's Dissertation Committee recommends conferral of the Ph.D. degree.

Course Requirements

Students enroll in 12.0 of Individual Study units under their Faculty Advisor’s supervision for research/dissertation work until they defend their dissertation and graduate.

Advancement to Candidacy

The student undertakes advancement to candidacy or the Ph.D. upon successfully demonstrating a high level of scholarship in full-time study at the doctoral level, when all preparatory work has been completed and the student is ready to proceed to the dissertation phase, as signified by successfully passing the oral qualifying examination at the end of Phase I.

The normative time for advancement to candidacy is three years. The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. is five years, and the maximum time permitted is six years.