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Wednesday, May 16, 2012 | 3:19 PM CDT

Management PhD Program Progression

To provide a sense of how the program unfolds over time, a program progression chart is presented in Appendix C. Another progression schedule is available from the Office of Graduate Studies. The following sections discuss the major elements presented in the program progression chart.

Initial counseling by PhD coordinator

The Department of Management PhD program coordinator serves as the advisor to each doctoral student in management until the formation of his/her permanent advisory committee. The advisory committee is normally formed at the end of the third semester or beginning of the fourth semester. The primary initial counseling comes during the day of orientation which takes place just before the start of fall semester.

The role of the PhD coordinator includes:

The early course work will focus on completing the various required courses as identified earlier. The PhD program coordinator serves as the primary advisor to doctoral students in the selection of the early course work.

Performance standards

Academic excellence is expected in all work undertaken. A minimum grade point (GPR) of 3.00 (B average, based on a 4.00 maximum) in all course work, other than those courses in which grades of Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) are given (681, 684, 690, 691, 692), must be maintained throughout the period of graduate study by every graduate student at Texas A&M University. After admission to the PhD Program, all grades earned in courses taken at Texas A&M will be used in computing the GPR.

A course in which a grade of C or less or Unsatisfactory (U) is earned will not count toward completion of the degree program. A course in which the final grade is C or less may be repeated for a higher grade. Both grades earned in a course that is repeated will be used in the computation of the GPR. Semester credit hours to which grades of D or F are assigned will also be included in calculating the GPR. Those courses (credit hours) involving grades W and Q shall be excluded in calculating the GPR.

Grades of D, F, or U for courses on a degree program must be absolved by repeating the courses and achieving a grade of C or above. If a grade of less than B is earned in any management seminar, that seminar must be retaken, as the low grade indicates that the student has failed to demonstrate competence in a core area of study.

Further information on performance standards is contained in the graduate catalog. Academic progress is monitored by the college Associate Dean for Academic Programs as well as the doctoral program coordinator. A student is considered to be on scholastic probation if the student’s GPR falls below the minimum 3.0 in any semester. Failure to remedy such academic deficiency in the following semester will result in the student's removal from the management PhD. program. In other words, two consecutive semesters with a cumulative GPR of less than 3.0 will result in the student’s expulsion from the program.

First-year review

During the third full semester in the program, the Department of Management doctoral program committee conducts a review of the student’s performance to date. A variety of information sources are used – faculty from whom the student has taken courses, faculty with whom the student has worked, the student him/herself, and grades in courses.

The primary purpose of the review is to diagnose the student’s strengths and weaknesses to assist in guiding his/her continuing professional development. The student receives both written and oral feedback from the doctoral program committee. The committee also seeks feedback from the student.

Establish advisory committee

The advisory committee guides and directs the student’s academic program. The advisory committee is responsible for the proposed degree program, the research proposal, the preliminary examination (written and oral), the dissertation, and the final examination.

In addition, the advisory committee as a group and as individual members are responsible for counseling students on academic matters, and, in the case of academic deficiency, initiating recommendations to the Director of the Office of Graduate Studies. The advisory committee should normally be formed after completion of the first-year review, which usually means at the end of the third semester or beginning of the fourth semester.

Committee chair

Each student needs to give thoughtful consideration to whom they wish to chair their committee. The Council of Graduate Schools in the United States suggests that students consider “faculty actively engaged in research” as potential committee members. An advisory committee chair is typically selected because the student feels comfortable in discussing with the chair his/her degree program and other related issues. The advisory committee chair, as well as the entire advisory committee is available upon demand. Students are encouraged to seek out this faculty as needed. Students are solely responsible for selecting their advisory committee. Those selected, however, may refuse to accept if they are too busy or for any other reason. This renders the composition of the advisory committee “mutually agreed upon.” The head of the Department of Management or a designated representative should be involved in the process and must approve the final selection of a chairperson.

Committee composition

Advisory committees will consist of no fewer than four members - three from management and one from the student’s minor area. With the consent of the advisory committee chairperson, a student may have more than five members.

In developing the composition of the advisory committee, a student should consider the following:

Committee changes

As students prepare to embark on their dissertation research, they may want to petition the Office of Graduate Studies to change the composition of their committee (including the chair) to better reflect their current research interests. Given the time period between formation of the advisory committee and the focusing in on a dissertation topic, it is not unusual to make one or more changes in the advisory committee. Students who wish to change the composition of their committee are advised to consult their advisory committee chairperson and the PhD program coordinator.

Preparation of degree plan

The student’s proposed degree plan must be filed with the Office of Graduate Studies before registration (or preregistration) for a fifth term, excluding summer terms, and no later than 90 days prior to the preliminary examination. The form on which the degree plan must be submitted is available from the departmental PhD coordinator or the Office of Graduate Studies. It may also be obtained online. The degree plan must list all courses taken at Texas A&M after admission to the PhD program. The proposed degree plan form must be signed by the student, the members of the student’s advisory committee, and the head of the student’s major department or the departmental PhD program coordinator.

The degree plan form is then submitted to the Associate Dean for Research and PhD Programs at Mays Business School. The Associate Dean will verify compliance with program requirements and will then submit the proposed degree plan form to the Director of the Office of Graduate Studies. Subsequent to the approval of a degree program, additional course work may be added by the student’s advisory committee. This could occur if additional course work is deemed necessary to correct deficiencies in the student’s academic preparation.

After the degree plan is approved, it may be altered by a petition initiated by the student. A petition form is used for all proposed changes in membership of a student’s advisory committee, change of major department, change in courses, requests for exception to published rules, etc. Petition forms are available from the departmental PhD coordinator or the Office of Graduate Studies. A petition requires approval of the advisory committee, the department head or departmental PhD program coordinator, and the Associate Dean for Research and PhD Programs before it is submitted to the Director of the Office of Graduate Studies.

Written departmental examination

The departmental exam is given to students in lieu of a formal written preliminary examination. This exam serves to focus student effort on developing a comprehensive understanding of the literature they will use during the rest of their professional careers. The examination process enables students to reflect on their course work and independent readings to develop a deeper understanding of the field.

Students should be able to articulate their perspectives on key theoretical and methodological issues. At the point of the exam, students should be broad based and current in their reading. They should be able to state and logically defend their positions on each of the major theoretical and methodological issues in their area of concentration and state the major positions held in other management content areas.

The formal objectives of the preliminary exam are:

All required core seminars have an in-class, closed book final exam. Students must pass each of these exams. The doctoral program coordinator will coordinate with the faculty teaching the courses so that these in-class exams have consistent expectations. This is a critical first-step in an effective overall examination process.

Approximately two months after course work is completed (usually after spring semester of the student’s second year) students take a one and a half-day written departmental exam in their chosen area (OB, Strategy, or HRM). If a student has joint interests, such as HR/OB, he or she must choose one area in which to take the exam. This will be a closed book exam. Students in the same area (e.g., OB or Strategy) will take the same exam.

On the first day, students will be asked to answer four out of 5-6 questions drawn from their specialty area. They will have eight hours to answer these questions. On the second day, students will be given a question related to methodology (usually they will be asked to critique the methodology of a given paper). They will have four hours to complete the second portion of the exam.

The doctoral program coordinator solicits questions for the exam from faculty in the chosen area and also solicits graders of the exam from the chosen area. The committee chair and the doctoral program coordinator create each exam from the solicited questions. The doctoral program coordinator and the committee chairs approve final grade determinations and any remediation activities before they are communicated to the student. The doctoral program coordinator (or its designated representative) actually administers the test, but all grades are turned in to the committees.

Some important characteristics of the departmental examination process are as follows:

Oral preliminary examination

An oral preliminary examination is scheduled in a timely manner following the successful completion of the departmental written exam. It is strongly recommended that no date be set for an oral examination until the committee has agreed that the student’s performance on the departmental written exam is adequate. This is to better ensure (though not guarantee) that the student avoids the embarrassment of a failure on the oral exam. For the oral defense to take place, each committee member must be present. Students are allowed one substitute (the chair must be present, however). If the missing member is from outside the department, the substitute must also come from outside the department. Finally, all committee members (and substitutes) must be members of the graduate faculty.

Oral preliminary examination checklist

Prior to holding an oral examination, the student must complete an oral preliminary exam checklist. An oral preliminary examination checklist can be obtained online. A signed form reporting the results of the preliminary exam must also be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies. This can also also be obtained online.

Finalize advisory committee

At this point in the program, the student may desire to change the composition of the advisory committee. The student may want to add or substitute committee members (including the advisory committee chair) to better reflect the primary interests of the student’s proposed dissertation research. It should be noted that changes to the advisory committee can take place at any time, but after prelims is a fairly common time for students to alter their committees.

Dissertation proposal

The student shall prepare a dissertation proposal acceptable to the advisory committee. The general field of research to be used for the dissertation should be discussed by the student and the advisory committee as early in the program as possible. This discussion should be the basis for selecting the proper courses to support the proposed field of research. At a later stage, when the conceptualization of the research can be outlined in detail, the official forms for proposing the dissertation should be completed which is available from the Office of Graduate Studies.

The narrative portion of the proposal submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies should not exceed ten pages. However, the proposal evaluated by the Advisory Committee should be of the length necessary to fully describe the proposed research. The detailed instructions regarding the written dissertation proposal to be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies are on the back of the Proposal Title Page for Thesis, Dissertation, and Record of Study which is available from the Office of Graduate Studies.

Oral proposal defense

An oral defense of the dissertation proposal is required. The proposal defense is open to all Mays graduate faculty, doctoral students, and other interested persons. Those attending the proposal defense are encouraged to provide the student with recommendations for improving or modifying the dissertation research design.

The purposes of having open proposal defenses are to obtain greater uniformity in the quality of proposals and to provide helpful suggestions to the student and the committee. The student’s permanent advisory committee evaluates the student’s proposal defense and the input of the interested graduate faculty and decides whether to approve the dissertation proposal.

For the proposal defense to take place, each committee member must be present. Students are allowed one substitute (the chair must be present, however). If the missing member is from outside the department, the substitute must also come from outside the department. Finally, all committee members (and substitutes) must be members of the graduate faculty.

The ability to perform independent research must be demonstrated by the dissertation. Although acceptance of the dissertation proposal is based primarily on the scholarly merit of the proposed research, the proposal must also exhibit creditable literary workmanship. Of course, the proposal presented is likely to be revised based on inputs received during the proposal defense. If approved by the advisory committee, the dissertation proposal is filed with the Office of Graduate Studies, and the student is advanced to candidacy.

Announcement of defense

The proposal defense must be announced to the college faculty and doctoral students at least two weeks (10 working days) prior to the scheduled date. A formal memo (or e-mail) should be prepared for announcing the proposal defense and given to a secretary in each department for distribution. Copies of the proposal should be made available to interested faculty and PhD students.

Approved proposal

The approved dissertation proposal is to be signed by all members of the student’s advisory committee and the head of the Department of Management. This signed proposal should be submitted (one original proposal and title page only) to the Director of the Office of Graduate Studies for final approval. This final approval should normally be secured before the commencement of data collection that involves field research. This final step is important, as it affects the scheduling of the final oral defense. Typically, a period of 14 weeks between the proposal defense and the final defense is required, starting when the proposal defense is filed with the Office of Graduate Studies. This 14-week period, however, may be waived at the discretion of the Office of Graduate Studies. Also, a 10-page summary of the proposal must be filed with the Office of Graduate Studies. Students should also be aware that Internal Review Board (IRB) approval is required for all proposals, not only those using human subjects. Those students whose dissertations involve human subjects may expect extensive delays and negotiations with the Internal Review Board prior to securing approval. Even research using only secondary data must file a form with the IRB and await approval before they will be admitted to candidacy.

Admission to candidacy

To be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree, a student must have:

The student and the chair of the advisory committee should receive written notification from the Office of Graduate Studies certifying admission to candidacy. The student should be admitted to candidacy well in advance of the date when the degree is to be granted. The final examination will not be authorized for a student who has not been admitted to candidacy.

Dissertation research

The doctoral dissertation must be original work by the student. The PhD is a research degree by definition. Thus, the dissertation must embody the results of research and show evidence of originality and independent investigation. The dissertation must show mastery of the literature and relevant research techniques, be written in credible literary form, and represent a contribution to knowledge in the field. As the Council of Graduate Schools notes: “the doctoral dissertation should be a distinct contribution to knowledge, and of sufficient value to warrant its publication in a reputable journal, or as a book or monograph.”

In years past some universities required that the dissertation (or a substantial part) be published before the degree was officially awarded. Today, that requirement has virtually disappeared; instead the common criterion has become the phrase worthy of publication.

The format of the dissertation must comply exactly with the instructions and specifications of the Office of Graduate Studies. These guidelines are included in Instructions Concerning the Preparation of Theses, Dissertations, and Records of Study. This booklet may be purchased from the Texas A&M Bookstore or you may borrow a copy from the PhD coordinator secretary.

Time limits

Students are encouraged to complete all requirements for a degree before commencing employment at another organization. When students leave campus before finishing, experience indicates that the time to complete the degree is frequently extended, and subsequent career progress is diminished.

Four-year limit

After passing the required preliminary examination, the student must complete all remaining requirements for the degree within four calendar years. Otherwise, the student will be required to repeat the preliminary examination – written and oral portions.

Ten-year limit

No student will be granted a doctoral degree from Texas A&M University unless all requirements for the degree are completed within a period of ten consecutive calendar years. The student cannot receive graduate credit for any course work that is more than ten calendar years old at the time of the final examination.

In Absentia registration

A doctoral student not in residence – but who has completed all course work on the degree plan other than MGMT 691 (research) – must register in absentia continuously each regular semester or 10-week summer session for one semester credit hour of MGMT 691. This in absentia registration must continue until all requirements for the degree have been completed.

A student who does not comply with this requirement will have future registrations blocked. The student who is blocked will be allowed to register only after receiving a favorable recommendation from a departmental review committee (not the student’s advisory committee), the endorsement of the department head, and the approval of the Director of the Office of Graduate Studies.

Final defense

Upon the recommendation of the student’s advisory committee, a final examination (oral in nature) shall be given. The student’s advisory committee, as finally constituted, will conduct this examination. The final examination is not to be administered until such time that the dissertation is available to the student’s advisory committee (including the graduate council representative) in substantially final form. This form would constitute, at a minimum, a typed version that is complete in all respects. Moreover, all members of the advisory committee must have had adequate time to review the document.

For the final defense to take place, each committee member must be present. Students are allowed one substitute (the chair must be present, however). If the missing member is from outside the department, the substitute must also come from outside the department. Finally, all committee members (and substitutes) must be members of the graduate faculty.

Scope of examination

Although the final examination may cover the broad field of management, it is presumed that the major portion of the time will be devoted to the dissertation and closely allied topics.

Participation and evaluation

The final examination is open to all members of the graduate faculty of Texas A&M. Therefore, persons other than members of the graduate faculty may be invited to attend the final examination. However, only the advisory committee will be present for evaluating the student’s performance on the final examination.

Deadlines and announcement

The announcement of the final examination should be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled date for the final examination. The form for requesting and announcing the final examination is available online. The approval to hold the defense is signified by receipt from the Office of Graduate Studies of the form for the final defense. This form is later used by the advisory committee to submit its recommendations to the Director of the Office of Graduate Studies concerning the acceptability of the candidate for the doctoral degree.

The candidate for the PhD degree must pass a final examination by deadline dates announced in the Office of Graduate Studies calendar each semester or summer session for graduation in that semester. If the final examination is after the deadline, graduation is deferred until the following semester. In such instances, the student is considered graduation only, and need not register at all for that final semester.

Conditions for holding the final exam

The final examination may be given only if the student meets the following conditions (in addition to satisfactory status of the dissertation research):

Expectations for good practice in graduate education

The major goals of graduate education at Texas A&M are to instill in each student an understanding of and a capacity for scholarship, independent judgment, academic rigor, and intellectual honesty. Faculty and graduate students have a shared obligation to work together to foster these goals through relationships that advance freedom of inquiry, demonstrate individual and professional integrity, and encourage common respect.

Graduate student progress is guided and evaluated by an advisor and a graduate committee. These individuals give direction and support for the appropriate developmental and learning goals of graduate students. The advisor and the graduate committee also have the obligation of evaluating a graduate student’s academic performance. The graduate student, the advisor, and the graduate committee constitute the basic core of graduate education. It is the quality, scope, and extent of interaction in this group that determine the significance of the graduate experience.

High quality graduate education requires professional and ethical conduct of the participants. Faculty and graduate students have mutual responsibilities in ensuring academic standards and quality graduate programs. Excellence in graduate education is achieved when faculty and students are inspired, have the academic and professional backgrounds essential to function at the highest level, and are genuine in their mutual desire to see one another triumph. Any action that negatively affects this interaction destroys the whole relationship. Mutual respect is critical to a successful process. With these goals in mind, these imperatives are put forth.

Expectations for graduate students

Expectations for faculty

Mentoring and advising expectations for graduate students

Graduate education is designed to ensure the development of the highest level of competencies. Graduate students rely on faculty advisors and advisory committee members to help them find and secure financial and/or intellectual resources to assist their graduate education.

The student’s specific advisor may change during the course of the student’s program. The role of an advisor also may change to become the role of a mentor. Throughout the PhD program, the committee chair in consultation with the student will select the members of the advisory committee.

Each graduate student is expected to:

Mentoring and advising expectations for faculty

The advocacy of faculty advisors for the academic progress of the graduate students in their program is fundamental. Our PhD degree program assigns faculty advisors to entering graduate students to provide counsel in academic and other matters. Over time students are expected to choose faculty advisors in accordance with disciplinary interest or expertise. A student should consult with the head of the administrative department concerning appointment of the chair of the advisory committee. Advising is multiform in its scope and breadth and may be accomplished in many ways.

A student’s academic performance and a faculty member’s scholarly and professional interests may coincide during the course of instruction and research. As the faculty-graduate student relationship matures and develops, direct collaborations may evolve. This may include the sharing of authorship or rights to intellectual property created through scholarly or other creative activity. Such collaborations are encouraged and are a desired outcome of the mentoring process.

Each faculty advisor is expected to: