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The School of Business PhD program has a rich tradition of training scholars who can both enhance the intellectual understanding of business theory and practice and effectively transmit this knowledge to other scholars, business professionals, and students.

The high scholarly productivity and leadership of the school's 80 faculty members are regularly noted in national rankings. Recent studies of U.S. and worldwide scholarly research productivity rated School of Business faculty among the top graduate business schools in the country. In addition to world-renowned recognition for research, the School of Business faculty bring a variety of real-world experience to the program.

The PhD degree provides advanced instruction that actively involves the student in research. School of Business doctoral candidates share with their professors the experience of exploring the frontiers of knowledge while acquiring the spirit as well as the methods of productive scholarship. At the time of enrollment, each student is assigned a major advisor to provide program counsel and to channel communication within and between School of Business departments. The mentoring relationship between the major professor and student is one of mutual agreement.

Degree Program Specializations

The School of Business PhD program allows students to select a specialization from one of our seven departments. Each specialization permits the student, with the assistance and direction of a major advisor, to tailor a program based on research interests and career goals. 

Admissions

Students apply to the PhD in Business through one of the named options:

Funding

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources

Prospective students should see the program website for funding information.

On This Page

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements, in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Major Requirements

Curricular Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement 51 credits
Minimum Residence Credit Requirement 33 credits
Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement 26 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244.
Overall Graduate GPA Requirement See Named Options for this requirement.
Other Grade Requirements n/a
Assessments and Examinations See Named Options for this requirement.
Language Requirements There are no curricular language requirements for Business PhD students.
Graduate School Breadth Requirement A doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate is not required; breadth is achieved in other ways.

Required Courses

Select a Named Option for required coursework.  

Named Options

A named option is a formally documented sub-major within an academic major program. Named options appear on the transcript with degree conferral. Students pursuing the PhD in Business must select one of the following named options:

 

Policies

Students should refer to one of the named options for policy information:

Professional Development

Graduate School Resources

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

Learning Outcomes

  1. Articulate frontiers, limits and challenges with respect to theory, knowledge and practice within the field of study.
  2. Create research and scholarship that makes a substantive contribution within the field of study or to the practice of the field.
  3. Develop a proficiency in methodology relevant to the field of study.
  4. Articulate complex or ambiguous ideas in a clear and understandable manner to students, colleagues, and society.
  5. Understand and adhere to ethical and professional conduct in a diverse scholarly environment.

People

For more information about the faculty and their research interests, please visit the directory.

Accreditation

AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Accreditation status: Accredited. Next accreditation review: 2026–2027.