Admissions

Program Prerequisites

All applicants are expected to be graduates of an accredited American college or university or a foreign institution determined to be equivalent, and to have achieved acceptable grade point averages in all prior undergraduate and graduate studies. Applicants must submit scores on either the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Records Examination (GRE).

The following prerequisites should be met upon application, or shortly after entry, to the PhD Program:

• Mathematics and Statistics: Working knowledge of differential and integral calculus, matrix algebra, probability, sampling, estimation, hypothesis testing, experimental design, and regression.
• Economics: Intermediate level knowledge of microeconomics and macroeconomics.
• Business Administration: Introductory level knowledge of the following areas: accounting, finance, marketing, business policy, operations management, public policy toward business, and business law.

Students entering the program may have acquired the knowledge by formal course work, self-study, or work experience. Some students with otherwise strong credentials are admitted without meeting all of these prerequisites. Such students usually make up their deficiencies by taking more courses than students who meet the requirements upon entry. Applicants with a recently awarded MBA degree are normally considered to have met these entrance requirements.

There are 9 different areas of specialization in the Isenberg PhD program: Accounting, Finance, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Information Systems, Marketing, Management Science, Organization Studies, Sport Management and Strategic Management. The programs in the areas of specialization are highly selective, and admit 2-3 students per year.

Students must demonstrate competence in:

• A foundation in research methodology (including statistics) and economics or behavioral sciences
• A major area of concentration within business administration, and an allied area of minor concentration
• Designing, executing, and completing a significant research project
• Teaching in their area of interest

Application Process

Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit the campus and meet with the director of the doctoral program, faculty members, and current PhD students in the candidate's major field of interest. The best time to schedule an interview is October through March.

Application Deadline: To receive priority consideration for admission the following September, applications must be completed and submitted online by December 15. Applications completed and submitted after the deadline may also receive consideration until admissions for an area of specialization is complete. Each area of specialization has a committee of faculty members that reviews the applicant's file and makes recommendations for admission to the director. Final recommendations are made by the director and forwarded to the UMass Graduate School.

Admission is for the fall semester only.  Students may take courses before entering the program, and transfer up to 6 hours of such course work as credit toward the degree.

Financial Assistance

Teaching and research assistantships are available each year to qualified, regularly enrolled doctoral students. Students who receive a teaching or research assistantship will not pay tuition and will receive a stipend and health insurance coverage. An assistantship usually requires 20 hours of work per week and is renewable usually for 4 years, provided the student exhibits satisfactory progress toward the degree and satisfactory performance as an assistant. Students with assistantships usually serve at least 1 year as a teaching assistant and at least 1 year as a research assistant. Further, second, third and fourth year students may supplement their academic-year stipend by teaching evenings and during the January and summer intersessions, and by serving as research assistants during the summer.

In addition, the University offers a number of other fellowships and assistantships that require no service from the recipient and are awarded on a University-wide competitive basis.