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The PhD program in strategic management allows students to make scholarly contributions to the field through research, and to prepare for a career in academia.

From exploring strategic decision processes to resource allocation, students seek to understand the factors that make up a successful organization.  

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The PhD program in Strategic Management is designed for individuals who are committed to scholarly research that contributes to literature on strategic management theory and practice. 

The fundamental question that drives strategic management is: Why do some firms outperform others? Students in our PhD program uncover the reasons for success and failure among organizations. Their research helps guide the field, and sets students on a path toward an academic research career.

To ensure the success of the student, the doctoral program offers:

  • Mentor-apprenticeship research relationships that pairs students with faculty who share their interests
  • Rigorous coursework that equips students with the intellectual tools to investigate questions in meaningful and nuanced ways
  • A supportive climate that supports each student's passionate pursuit of professional goals
  • World-class faculty who are active researchers with visibility in the field’s top journals

The structure of our program engages students in the research process early and often—encouraging students to collaborate with faculty in the creation of articles for publication. Each year, we host eminent research faculty from around the world for research talks and campus visits. We invite academically motivated, creative and open-minded candidates to apply.

Giuseppe Labianca
Berthiaume Chaired Professor of Leadership

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Academic Overview

Students generally complete a PhD in Strategic Management within four years. Students must take 45 credits of coursework, which seminars in organizational theory and organizational behavior, as well as statistics, methods and elective courses. Students must pass both a qualifying and comprehensive examination, take a professional colloquium course, write and defend a dissertation, and teach at Isenberg.

Cognate Areas

Our program is designed to be an integrative discipline that draws extensively from such fields as organizational theory, organizational behavior, and industrial organization economics. Major topics within the field include:

  • Competitive advantage
  • Dynamic capabilities
  • Corporate governance
  • Sustainable strategies
  • Strategic decision-making
  • Corporate entrepreneurship
Degree Timeline

YEAR 1: Coursework, including statistics, research methods and theory courses, and research electives; Qualifying exam; Colloquium

YEAR 2: Coursework, including core courses, research electives and minor area courses; Comprehensive exam; Colloquium

YEAR 3: Additional coursework as needed; Development of dissertation proposal; Teaching

YEAR 4: Dissertation

Strategic Management Doctoral Candidates

Strategic Management Doctoral Candidates

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