New Executive PhD Program Launches

The Business School launched an executive PhD program specifically designed to give executives greater influence on the challenges and opportunities in their industries, combining their life experiences with rigorous academic research to effect change, particularly in support of social justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

“The Business School continually aspires to meet the needs of today’s highly dynamic world, in which social justice and diversity continue to emerge as critical factors in a company’s vision,” says Debora Jackson, dean of The Business School. “The Executive PhD program will ensure that leadership professionals have the critical skills necessary to make meaningful contributions in the ever-changing global business landscape.”

The program helps experienced executives advance their own careers, become thought leaders, and make scholarly contributions through which they can have a greater impact on their fields. The executives’ research can also benefit junior colleagues by giving them another tool to increase their occupational knowledge and help grow their careers. The first classes for the new PhD will be held in fall 2022 and students will be able to choose one of three concentrations—Entrepreneurship, Information Technology, or Operations Management.

The program is geared toward senior leaders in an organization, such as those in the C-suite or adjacent to it, who have at least 15 years of experience; it is designed in a way that allows students to remain in their current professional roles while working toward their PhD.

“The Executive PhD program can help executives be a force of positivity and support social justice goals. Executives interested in this program are not participating because they want another degree, they’re participating because they want to make the world better in some way, and this program can provide a mechanism for giving back,” says Business School Professor and Department Head Diane Strong.