The David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah offers a program of study leading to a Ph.D. in the major field of Entrepreneurship & Strategy. The Strategy specialization offers exciting opportunities to pursue new research directions in the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation and technology, and international management. Students also select least one supporting allied field that must be outside the Entrepreneurship & Strategy Department. The Ph.D. program in Entrepreneurship & Strategy is flexible, and each student’s program is designed according to his/her experience, interests, and career goals.

The Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy Ph.D. program is designed to provide opportunities for individuals to develop excellence in their primary and supporting areas of study as well as in the quantitative and/or qualitative research methodologies through a set of seminars. The seminars are designed to provide the required training and education necessary to make contributions to published literature in the field; pedagogical excellence for advanced courses in a specialized area of management; and mastery of theory, research, methodology, and practice in one of the fields of management.

Doctoral students in theEntrepreneurship & Strategy Department work closely with faculty members on research and teaching assignments throughout their program. Students will have an opportunity to be involved in faculty members’ research projects, as well as to develop projects of their own. All students will have the opportunity to teach at least one course in their major area of study.

Each student’s program of study is tailored to the student’s needs and interests. Students work with their department Ph.D. Committee or Supervisory Committee Chair to design their program of study. Below is an illustrative list of classes that might be used to compose a program of study.

A minimum of 15 major field, 9 allied field, and 15 research competency credit hours are required. Three credit hours in research must be a Philosophy of Science course. Students are also required to take an effective teaching course, which is held the week between spring and summer semesters of their first year. Once students have completed all the necessary requirements to advance to candidacy, they are then required to complete a minimum of 14 hours of thesis research.

To learn more about each course, read the course descriptions in the General Catalog and Class Schedules.

There are no formal education requirements other than a bachelor’s degree. Specifically, an MBA is not required.