Decision Sciences

Faculty and doctoral students in Decision Sciences are a community of scholars dedicated to producing high impact research. Their interests are reflected in the diverse mix of research topics they pursue. These research interests include Monte Carlo methods and their applications to Finance and decision theory, uncertain reasoning, artificial intelligence, time series analysis and forecasting, Bayesian statistics, and production and operations management. For further details, please explore the Decision Sciences faculty profiles below. Decision Sciences faculty are highly regarded for their research productivity and placement of doctoral graduates. They have published in journals such as Management Science, Operations Research, Decision Sciences, Journal of the Operational Research Society, European Journal of Operational Research, Artificial Intelligence.

Decision Science Program Requirements

Required Coursework

• BUS 901: Research Issues in Business Administration (four semesters)
• BUS 902: Teaching Seminar
• BUS 917: Advanced Managerial Economics or an equivalent course
  OR
  ECON 700: Survey of Microeconomics or an equivalent course
• BUS 920: Probability for Business Research or an equivalent course
• BUS 921: Statistics for Business Research or an equivalent course
• BUS 922: Advanced Regression or an equivalent course
  OR
  ECON 715: Econometrics I or an equivalent course
• MATH 765: Intro to Theory of Functions I or an equivalent course
• MATH 790: Linear Algebra II or an equivalent course

Area of Concentration

Most students admitted in decision science typically will select that area as their concentration. However, an aspirant, with the assistance of his or her faculty advisor and the area faculty, may propose an interdisciplinary area of concentration that is a combination of the traditional business disciplines of accounting, information systems, finance, human resource management, marketing, decision sciences, organizational behavior, and strategic management. An aspirant may also propose an interdisciplinary area of concentration that includes emphases such as international business, law, and economics. The aspirant must take at least five advanced courses in the area of concentration. These courses may include those offered outside the School of Business.

Supporting Areas

Coursework in the area of concentration is supplemented and strengthened by study in one or two supporting areas. A supporting area is one that supplements and complements the area of concentration. The aspirant will satisfy the supporting area requirement by taking at least four advanced courses in the supporting areas (at least two courses in each of two supporting areas, or at least four courses in one supporting area). Courses recommended for preparation for the qualifiers may not be included in satisfying the supporting area requirement.

Research Methodology

For successful qualifier assessment, the student’s program of study should include adequate preparation in research methodology.

Qualifier Assessment

Sometime during the third semester (excluding summers) of the aspirant’s program, the Qualifier assessment Team (QAT) will meet and determine whether the aspirant should continue in the doctoral program. The QAT will do so holistically after taking into account the performance of the aspirant in courses taken, and the research and teaching skills of the aspirant.

Comprehensive Exam

As an aspirant for the Ph.D. in Business Administration, the student must successfully pass a comprehensive written-oral examination in the area of concentration.

Dissertation Proposal Defense

The aspirant shall prepare and successfully defend a research proposal at an oral examination before the Dissertation Committee. The objective of the oral examination is (a) the evaluation of the potential contribution of the proposed research, (b) the adequacy and appropriateness of the proposed research methodology, and (c) the aspirant's ability to successfully complete the proposed research. Copies of the dissertation proposal will be delivered to members of the dissertation committee, and also made available to other interested faculty members and Ph.D. students, at least one week prior to the date of the oral examination. It is strongly recommended that the candidate present the proposed dissertation research topic in BUS 901 prior to scheduling the oral examination.

Dissertation Defense

The committee for the final examination shall consist of at least five members (the members of the Dissertation Committee plus other members of the graduate faculty recommended by the chair of the Dissertation Committee and approved by the Research/Ph.D. Team). At least one of the members must be from a department other than the aspirant's major department; this member represents the Graduate School and must be a regular member of the graduate faculty. After the final oral examination has been successfully completed, the Dissertation Committee shall grade the written dissertation “Honors” or "Satisfactory." If the candidate fails the final oral examination, he or she may be allowed to repeat the examination upon the recommendation of the Dissertation Committee and the Research/Ph.D. Team.

Proposed Timeline

• Year 1-2: Coursework & Comprehensive Exams
• Year 3 Dissertation Proposal
• Year 4 Dissertation Defense

Placements

Over the past several years, our PhD graduates have been placed at schools such as Virginia Military Institute, Albany State College, Univeristy of Tampa, Duke University, University of Nebraska, Omaha. For a complete listing, see the Decision Science Alumni page.