Requirements

Responsibility for the administration of the doctoral program is shared by the Department of Business Information Technology and the university’s Graduate School.  General university graduate degree requirements, procedures and policies, departmental listings, course descriptions, and financial information are available through the Graduate School web site.

The Virginia Tech academic calendar operates on the semester system.  There are two 15 week sessions scheduled from late August through early May, followed by two five-week summer sessions.  The normal academic load for full-time doctoral students is 12 hours during each regular academic term and six hours during the summer sessions.  All Ph.D. candidates must complete a minimum of 90 semester hours beyond the baccalaureate.  This total must include a minimum of 27 semester hours of approved course work and no fewer than 30 hours of research and dissertation credits.  At least 50 percent of all graduate course credits (excluding research and dissertation credits) must be earned at Virginia Tech.  The program of study must also satisfy four departmental specifications.

• A minimum of 12 hours of graduate course work must be taken in the Department of Business Information Technology.
• A minimum of nine hours of research methodology related course work must be completed.
• At least two continuous years must be spent in residence on the Blacksburg campus.  A minimum of 24 graduate-level semester credit hours must be earned during this period.
• Ph.D. candidates have full instructional responsibility for at least one course during their doctoral studies.

The typical Ph.D. candidate enters the program with a master’s degree in business or a related technical discipline.  For students with the appropriate background, three to five years are normally required for the completion of the program.

Each student’s formal program of study is prepared during the second or third semester of study.  This plan is developed by the student in conjunction with their Ph.D. advisory committee.  In formulating the program, attention is given to the candidate’s prior academic preparation and career objectives.  Typically a significant number of credits are taken outside the Pamplin College of Business in the departments of computer science, electrical and computer engineering, industrial systems engineering, and statistics.

Related Departments

This flexible PhD program allows for students to take classes, pending advisor approval, in a variety of related academic departments including Accounting and Information Systems, Computer Science, Finance, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Management, Mathematics, and Statistics.