Ph.D. Program Course Requirements

Overview

Programs of study for all W. P. Carey Business Administration Ph.D. concentrations consist of four components: (1) a Basic Program (minimum of 12 semester hours), (2) an Advanced Program (minimum of 24 semester hours), (3) Additional Courses to fulfill Ph.D. requirements (minimum of 24 semester hours), and (4) Dissertation and / or Research credit (minimum of 24 hours).  The total program of study must consist of at least 84 semester hours of credit beyond the bachelor’s degree.

Basic Program (min. 12 semester hours)

The Basic Program provides Ph.D. students with a sufficient background in theory and quantitative methods to succeed in further doctoral-level coursework and to conduct independent research of a publishable quality.  The Basic Program consists of 3 hours of credit in economic theory (ECN 510 - Microeconomic Theory and Applications), 3 hours of credit in behavioral sciences (ECN 516 - Economics of Uncertainty and Information), and 6 semester hours of quantitative methods (QBA 525 - Applied Regression Models and QBA 535 - Multivariate Methods or equivalent as approved by the student’s committee). 

Advanced Program (min. 24 semester hours)

The Advanced Program is designed to provide the opportunity to pursue one or more areas of study that will complement the student’s core program in agribusiness. The Advanced Program consists of a minimum of 24 semester hours.  Of these 24 semester hours, the Advanced Program includes a minimum of 15 semester hours within the Area of Concentration, a minimum of 9 hours must be doctoral-level courses (numbered 700 or above) and 9 hours of doctoral seminar.  Note that 790 and 792 (reading and conference and independent research) cannot be used to fulfill Area of Concentration Advanced Program requirements. 

The Area of Concentration Requirements in agribusiness include each of the following components:

            1. Agribusiness Area of Concentration (9 semester hours at 700+ level) 

All students must complete AGB 701 (Advanced Agribusiness I) and AGB 702 (Advanced Agribusiness II) as part of their advanced program.  AGB 701 consists of three modules: (1) empirical demand analysis, production economics and industrial organization, (2) international theory, policy and empirical analysis, and (3) consumer food marketing.  AGB 702 also consists of three modules in: (1) marketing research and market development, (2) agribusiness finance (risk management) and (3) agribusiness finance (markets and valuation).  The agribusiness area of concentration also includes 3 semester hours of AGB 791 (Agribusiness Doctoral Seminar).  Potential seminar topics include:

• Risk management and pricing of real options
• Commodity marketing program evaluation
• Macromarketing and food marketing strategies in recovering economies
• Consumer food marketing strategies and research
• Food retailing and retail data analysis

            2. Complementary Area of Concentration (6 semester hours)

The agribusiness Ph.D. concentration is designed to be inherently interdisciplinary.  Therefore, students choose an additional 6 semester hours of doctoral-level (700+) credit from a complementary concentration within the W. P. Carey School.  Potential areas include finance, management, marketing, supply chain management, accounting, computer information systems or economics. 

            3. Research Methods (3 semester hours)

The Advanced Program also includes 3 semester hours of research methods (AGB 600) beyond the coursework taken in the Basic Program.  Research Methods is taught by Morrison School faculty and includes topics such as discrete choice models, spatial econometrics, conjoint modeling, time series forecasting and econometric simulation methods.  It is expected that the student will use this course as an opportunity to initiate and complete a publishable project in cooperation with either a W. P. Carey School or Morrison School faculty member. 

            4. Related Coursework (6 semester hours)

To complete the Advanced Program, students complete an additional 6 semester hours in coursework designed to support their research interests in agribusiness and their complementary area of concentration.  This coursework may or may not be from the complementary area of concentration.  Note that only one independent study (790) course may be used to fulfill the related coursework requirement.

Additional Courses to Fulfill Ph.D. Requirements (min. 24 semester hours)

All students must complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of additional coursework in support of their chosen area of specialization. 

For students entering without an M.S. in Agribusiness (or its equivalent), 18 semester hours must be completed from the following graduate courses in agribusiness: AGB 508 (Agribusiness Marketing), AGB 560 (Management Information Systems), AGB 561 (Agribusiness Research Methods), AGB 570 (Managerial Economics), AGB 510 (Agribusiness Management) and AGB 532 (Agribusiness Finance).  In addition, 6 hours of coursework must be taken from 500-level agribusiness offerings in order to provide an introduction to potential areas of research and to highlight current issues of interest in the field.  Examples include AGB 552 (International Agricultural Policy), AGB 511 (Agricultural Cooperatives) and AGB 554 (Advanced International Trade).

For students admitted with a master’s degree in agribusiness, a maximum of 30 semester hours may be considered for transfer and acceptance from previous graduate studies toward the W. P. Carey in Business Administration Ph.D. program.  All transfer credit is subject to approval by the program committee and the Division of Graduate Studies.  All coursework designed to fulfill the program of study requirements must be chosen from graduate level-course work, as identified from the institution from where the courses were taken.

Dissertation Research

After the first term of coursework (9 hours), each Ph.D. student will select a program committee consisting of three faculty members, with one member required (to a maximum of two) from the W. P. Carey School of Business.  The committee chair must meet W. P. Carey School of Business minimum criteria to serve in this capacity.  A comprehensive examination is taken before the end of the second year of doctoral level coursework. 

The dissertation itself is intended to be an original work of research that represents a significant contribution to the state of knowledge in the field of agribusiness and adhere to the formal formatting and style guidelines outlined by the Division of Graduate Studies.  Students are expected to complete and defend a dissertation proposal by the end of the third year of coursework.  The proposal outlines the research problem, objectives, research methods, and potential implications of the dissertation research.  Once the proposal is approved, the student is formally admitted to candidacy.  

The dissertation is not regarded as complete until the student has successfully defended the dissertation before his or her own committee and has obtained the necessary signatures certifying successful completion.  It is expected that the student will either have published, or intend to publish at least one, and likely several, papers based on the dissertation research.  

Teaching Requirement

All agribusiness concentration Ph.D. students are required to complete a teaching assignment in which they are fully responsible for the preparation and dissemination of all instructional materials for an undergraduate course of a minimum of 3 semester hours.  Performance is assessed and graded on the basis of student evaluations and one in-class observation by the student’s committee chair.

Ph.D. Program Timetable

      First and Second Years

• Complete Basic Program and a significant part of the Advanced Program
• Take and pass Research Methods course and complete draft of research paper
• Take and pass comprehensive examination before the end of the second year

      Third Year

• Complete supporting coursework
• Write and submit research proposal to USDA or similar funding agency
• Revise and resubmit research paper completed in second year
• Complete teaching assignment to the satisfaction of the committee chair
• Defend dissertation proposal by the end of the third year

      Fourth Year

• Complete and successfully defend dissertation