Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration - Supply Chain and Information Systems

The Supply Chain and Information Systems Ph.D. Program spans the boundary of two primary fields: supply chain and information technologies. From an interdisciplinary perspective, the diversity of processes within supply chain and information systems provides abundant opportunities for the application of a broad array of rigorous research methods to a diverse set of interesting and relevant research topics. The diverse research interests from our faculty provides our phd students the opportunities to choose one or more of the three main research tracks: analytical modeling, empirical study, and experimental research. We do not offer one-fit-all study plans. Rather, with guidelines provided by our program, all our students take required and elective supporting courses to build their methodological foundations and accommodate their own research needs/interests. In addition, most of our students take courses across different tracks to enrich their tool boxes. Besides the courses that are offered in Smeal college of Business, one of the advantages of being part of a big research campus is that based on the students research needs and interests, they can take advantage of the vast variety of courses offered by the many Penn State programs across campus. These include Industrial Engineering, Economics, Statistics, Health policy, Ag Econ, and Information Science and Technology, just to name a few. Examples of the courses taken by students include optimization, supply chain models, econometrics, empirical methods, game theory, statistical research, marketing research methods, stochastic processes, service operations, data analysis, information systems, as well as many research topics courses.

Resume or CV: be sure to include extra-curricular activities, community activities, and an up-to-date work history.
Statement of Purpose (SOP): answer the following questions:
What are your career objectives in pursuing a doctoral degree in Business Administration?
Why have you chosen to apply to the Pennsylvania State University for graduate study?
Describe any previous research that you have done, as well as the kind of research you wish to pursue during your graduate studies and beyond.
Optional: To what other graduate business programs are you applying?
Transcripts: for every completed degree
Must be a scanned copy of an original transcript (Do not mail anything in at this time)
Advising transcripts and degree audits from a self-service website are not acceptable
Two recommendation letters: Each recommender will be contacted by e-mail, therefore it's important that you provide a valid e-mail address for each reference
If you wish to have more than 2 references, please send the names and e-mail addresses to phd-ms@smeal.psu.edu, along with your name and student number
GRE/GMAT tests
Scores must be sent electronically from the testing center. The GMAT & GRE code for Penn State is 2660.
GMAT is required for Accounting.
Finance, Management and Organization, Marketing, Real Estate, and Supply Chain & Information Systems prefer GMAT scores, but the GRE is an acceptable alternative.
TOEFL test (For international applicants only)
Must have a total score of 80 or higher with a speaking score of 23 or higher.
IELTS scores are not accepted
Paper-based TOEFL minimum score: 585