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Supply Chain Management Research Center

A brief video about the Ph.D. in Business Administration with a concentration in Supply Chain Management.

For maximum viewing, select full screen mode on the video below.

The purpose of the Ph.D. program in Business Administration with a Concentration in Supply Chain Management is to prepare individuals for academic careers in research, teaching, and service at universities. In recent years, graduates of the Ph.D. program have accepted faculty positions at institutions such as Ohio State University, Michigan State University, University of Tennessee, and Texas Christian University.

Students seeking admission into the doctoral program should have the interest and commitment to pursue the knowledge and skills necessary for academic careers at leading universities and institutions. Students in the program gain knowledge in the theoretical and substantive areas of supply chain management and conceptual skills and methodological tools necessary to design and conduct independent research and interact with others in academic and business environments.

Using diverse research traditions including empirical (e.g., survey, secondary data) and mathematical modeling, the Supply Chain Management faculty are actively involved in research in diverse areas such as retailing, forecasting, inventory management, logistics outsourcing, and transportation management. The faculty work closely with doctoral students, training and mentoring them to become scholars and educators. The normal program size is eight on-campus, full-time doctoral students, allowing for close interaction with the faculty and other students at various stages in the program.

Students admitted to the doctoral program are expected to acquire:

• Knowledge of the various areas of study that constitute the field of supply chain management and develop an integrative understanding of relationships among these areas;
• Knowledge and skills to design, conduct, execute, and evaluate research that is publishable in leading journals; and
• A tradition of scholarship and excellence in teaching and learning.

The Ph.D. Program in Business Administration with a Supply Chain Management Concentration prepares individuals for research, teaching, service, and collegial roles in Supply Chain Management/Logistics/Transportation departments.

Course work for the Ph.D. Program in Business Administration with a Supply Chain Management Concentration is typically completed during the first two and a half years of the four year program. Students take a total of 14 courses and typically enroll in three courses per semester. The course work typically comprises five SCM core Ph.D. seminars, one graduate course in microeconomics, three seminars in a supporting field, and five methods classes. Further information on these courses is provided below.

Typical Ph.D. Program Structure and Time Line

SCM Core Seminars (15 hours)

Each doctoral will take five SCM Core Ph.D. seminars.

• Fundamentals of Logistics and Supply Chain Management:
  This course introduces students to the key substantive areas of logistics and supply chain management through a combination of lectures covering topics such as inventory control and forecasting and seminars discussing associated academic literature.
• Supply Chain Management Research:
  In this seminar, students will review and discuss a broad cross-section of research articles in the realm of supply chain management. During the discussions particular emphasis will be placed on the interest and merit of the research question(s), the appropriateness of the theoretical framework and/or hypothesis development, the adequacy of the research design, incl. data collection, measurement, and analysis (methodology), the accuracy of the discussion of the results. Each week’s readings will follow a common theme (content area and/or methodology), such that students will be familiarized with a wide range of relevant SCM literature and (mostly empirical) methodologies.
• Theory in Supply Chain Management:
  In this seminar, students will be exposed to key theories from fields such as strategic management and marketing and will learn about how these theories have been or can be applied to supply chain management research. Each week’s readings comprise about 3-4 conceptual and empirical research articles. During the discussion particular emphasis will be placed on the main premises of each theory, comparing and contrasting the inter-relationships among these theories, identifying applications of such theories to supply chain management research questions, and the critique of the use of theory in the context of the hypothesis development.
• Behavioral Supply Chain Management:
  The focus of this seminar is human behavior as it pertains to creating value in the supply chain and beyond. Topics may include but will not be restricted to behavior in inventory and ordering processes, in retail replenishment, in global supply chain management, in the face of adversity and catastrophic supply chain risk, and in supply chain relationships.
• Research in Retail Supply Chain Management:
  The focus of this seminar is research in retail supply chain management. As retailers have become more powerful members of their supply chains, retail-specific supply chain management research has become more prevalent in the literature. Seminar topics may include but will not be restricted to retail sales and order forecasting, inventory management, and store execution issues.

The department offers each seminar every other year, such that students will take these seminars in the spring and fall semesters of their first and second years in the program, respectively. These seminars are designed to teach students a range of theories, concepts and research capabilities relevant to the domain of SCM.

Microeconomics (3 hours)

ECON 6233 “Microeconomic Theory” or equivalent
(prior course work may be applied toward this requirement)

SCM Tools (15 hours)

Depending on their interests and background, students will choose five courses from the following list:

• Univariate statistics (min. 3 hours; e.g., ISYS 5203)
  (prior course work may be applied toward this requirement)
• Multivariate statistics (min. 3 hours; e.g., MKTG 6433, ISYS 5623, ISYS 5723)
• Econometrics (min. 3 hours; e.g., ECON 5613/6623/6633)
• Structural equation analysis (e.g., ISYS 6423)
• Other (e.g., linear programming, integer programming, stochastic processes, qualitative research methods, etc.)

Supporting Fields (9 hours)

Courses for the supporting fields requirement are selected in consultation with the student's Ph.D. Program Advisory Committee. All courses taken for the supporting fields requirement must be at the graduate level and/or taken for graduate credit. A minimum of six hours should be taken in graduate research seminars.

Registration

The departmental Ph.D. program coordinator will work with each doctoral student to define a set of courses that meets the requirements outlined above as well as the student’s needs and interests. To that end, each student should meet with the departmental Ph.D. program coordinator before June 30 for registration for the fall semester, and before November 30 for registration for the spring semester (a hold will be placed on each doctoral student’s account and will only be lifted after this meeting).

Dissertation (18 hours)

A dissertation will be written under the guidance of Supply Chain Management faculty who will chair the student’s dissertation committee. In addition to the chair, the dissertation committee will include a minimum of two additional graduate faculty members. One graduate faculty member outside the Supply Chain Management Department may be chosen for this committee depending on the dissertation topic.

Near the end of the third year in the program, students must successfully defend their dissertation proposal. Each student is required to share a written dissertation proposal no later than two weeks prior to the scheduled dissertation proposal defense. The scope of this proposal will be defined by the student’s adviser and will typically include a draft of key sections, including the introduction, literature review, theory/hypothesis development and methodology sections. In the case of a multi-essay dissertation, the proposal should, at a minimum, include a detailed draft of the first essay and an outline of the other essays. The dissertation proposal defense typically consists of two parts. First, the student will give a presentation outlining her dissertation. This presentation is followed by Q&A and/or a discussion of the student’s dissertation research. Hence, the purpose of the dissertation proposal is twofold: a) the examining committee assesses the student’s research capabilities (i.e., the ability to conduct meaningful and rigorous research and to defend her work), and b) the examining committee will work with the student to identify potential weaknesses and areas that may need improvement. The dissertation committee will determine whether the student satisfactorily defended her dissertation proposal. Failure to do so may result in a second proposal defense being scheduled at a later date or in the termination of the student from the Ph.D. program. This decision will rest with the student’s dissertation committee.

The successful completion and defense of a dissertation are an integral requirement of the Ph.D. program. During the dissertation defense, the committee members will verify that all their concerns/criticisms have been adequately addressed. The student may be asked to provide further explanation/justification on a select number of issues. In addition, the student may be asked to make some further (although typically minor) revisions prior to submitting your final dissertation to the Graduate School. Failure to satisfactorily defend the dissertation will result in the student’s termination from the Ph.D. program.

First and Second Year Paper Requirements

Students are expected to complete publishable research articles by the end of their first and second years, respectively. First-year papers may be co-authored with other doctoral students, but the student is expected to significantly contribute during all stages of the research process. Second-year papers should be completed by each doctoral student individually (under guidance and supervision of a faculty member). Failure to satisfactorily complete the first and second year paper requirements may result in the student’s termination from the Ph.D. program.

Annual Review

Each doctoral student is subject to an annual review to assess the student’s progress and performance in the program and to discuss the student’s plans for the subsequent academic year. All review forms must be submitted to the Graduate School by June 30 of each year. Hence, it is suggested that the student meet with the departmental Ph.D. program coordinator by June 15 of each year. The departmental Ph.D. program coordinator may also seek input from the student’s adviser in completing the student’s annual review.

Comprehensive Exam

Following completion of SCM core coursework, students take written and oral comprehensive exams at the end of their second year in the program.

The comprehensive exam is a closed book, closed notes exam that lasts all day and is taken in a timed and controlled environment. The exam consists of a set of questions developed by the SCM faculty. These questions are designed to offer the student an opportunity to display her knowledge of the literature, theories, concepts and tools in the domain of SCM. Particular emphasis is placed on the application of these elements to investigate a given research question. The comprehensive exam may also contain questions that are geared toward a student’s particular dissertation research interests.

The oral comprehensive exam is typically given several weeks after the written comprehensive exam. The examining committee consists of the student’s dissertation committee members. The content and duration of the exam is defined by these committee members. Typically, the student will be given an opportunity to elaborate on or clarify any of her answers from the written comprehensive exam. In addition, the committee may choose to discuss any other relevant topic, including but not limited to the student’s dissertation research.

Students who receive a passing grade on the comprehensive exams advance to candidacy. Students who receive a failing grade on the comprehensive exam may, with approval of the student’s examining committee, retake the exam once. Failure to pass the exam after two attempts will result in the student’s termination from the doctoral program.

As future faculty members, doctoral students not only acquire critical research skills, but also gain teaching experience. Each student will typically teach two undergraduate classes per academic year, starting in the second year of the program. These teaching assignments are a part of the students’ graduate assistantships (see Section 4 “Support” below). In their first year in the Ph.D. program, doctoral students will attend a semester-long seminar series offered by the Walton College’s Center for Teaching Effectiveness. The goal of these seminars is to give future instructors practical advice on a broad variety of teaching-related issues. The Center also offers mentoring and coaching services to first-time student teachers.

Students in the program are supported financially with tuition waivers and nationally competitive stipends (i.e., graduate assistantships) for four full years (up to $39,400 per year for outstanding candidates), assuming satisfactory progress in the program. The department, college, and university also provide a broad range of support for doctoral student research. For example, doctoral students are funded to attend major domestic and international conferences to present research papers.

Faculty are integrally involved with doctoral students on research targeted for publication in major journals. Recent articles coauthored by Supply Chain Management faculty and doctoral students have appeared in the Journal of Business Logistics, Journal of Retailing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Transportation Journal, and other top-tier academic journals.

Application requirements

Please refer to the Graduate School of Business for detailed information on application requirements and costs: http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp.

At a minimum, candidates must submit the following:

• Application Form
• Application Fee (non-refundable)
• Resume
• Official Transcripts
• Letters of Recommendation (3)
• Personal Statement of Objectives
• Official GMAT Score Report (the department does not accept the GRE)

International applicants must also submit a Summary of Educational Experience Form, a Supplemental and Financial Information Form, and TOEFL or IELTS test reports.

Application deadlines

The departmental application deadline is December 15 for enrolment in the subsequent fall semester. Prospective candidates are encouraged to establish contact with the departmental Ph.D. coordinator early on and submit applications well before the posted deadline. 

Link to online application website:
https://waprd.uark.edu/web-apps/uark/apply/

Selection criteria

We welcome candidates who are strongly committed to being part of a full-time Ph.D. program and show motivation and commitment towards meeting the requirements for our degree. We take a holistic approach in assessing candidates by taking into account their past scholastic record, letters of recommendation, test scores, prior work experience, and a statement of purpose. Prior research or teaching experience is desirable but not required. We especially encourage students to establish early contact with the Ph.D. Program Coordinator, Dr. Christian Hofer (chofer@walton.uark.edu), who will then work with potential applicants to assess their likely fit and work with them through their application process.

How many Ph.D. students are in the department?

The Supply Chain Management Department typically has eight PhD students, at differing stages of their program, at any one time. The Department typically enrolls two new doctoral students per year.

I am an international student. Do I have to take the TOEFL?

Yes, the TOEFL is required. A spoken English test score is required of all international PhD applicants and the internet-based TOEFL is our recommended test. You may take the IELTS as an alternative. We require an Internet-based TOEFL minimum score of 79 or IELTS with minimum score of 6.5. We require a minimum score of 26 on the speaking section of the internet-based TOEFL or a minimum of 7.0 on the speaking section of the IELTS.

Will you accept the GRE?

No, the Supply Chain Management program requires the GMAT.

What is a competitive GMAT score?

Successful candidates typically have GMAT scores above 650 points. Candidates that have GMAT scores below 600 points are encouraged to re-take the test prior to the application deadline of Dec 15th.

Do I need a master’s degree to be admitted to the Ph.D. Program?

The majority of the applicant pool for the Ph.D. program has their Master's degree. Your application will be more competitive with a Master's degree and therefore the Department recommends that applicants obtain their Master's degree prior to applying for the Ph.D. program.

Do you accept late applications?

The Supply Chain Management department may consider late applications but only on a space-available basis. However, please note that late applicants will not be eligible for Distinguished Doctoral Fellowship (DDF) funding. We therefore encourage all candidates to apply no later than Dec 15th.

Can I do this Ph.D. program part-time or in an on-line/long-distance format?

No. This Ph.D. program is full-time and requires a minimum of four years to complete. Most students are on assistantship and are required to work 20 hours a week. Between your coursework, research, and teaching, this program is a full-time commitment.