Push the boundaries of your career. Change the business landscape. Be impactful.

Nobody makes it as far as you have in the business world without having drive and determination. A PhD in business management couples that tenacity with advanced business knowledge and skills, giving you the chance to push beyond your career's current boundaries and create brand-new expectations for yourself and your organization.

A PhD in business management is the highest academic credential attainable in the field of business. The degree is typically designed to prepare candidates for careers in academia, research, and other roles that require complex problem-solving. To that end, our online PhD in business program at Cumberlands focuses on original research and developing new theories to further the body of knowledge in your discipline. If you think you have what it takes, and if you want to advance your business career even further, take this as your sign to consider pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in business management at University of the Cumberlands.

Anchor: Stats
Anchor: Programs & Requirements
Programs & Requirements

Programs & Requirements

Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management

The online Doctor of Philosophy in Business from University of the Cumberlands will impart the skills you need to stay at the cutting edge of innovations in business, along with the tools you need to teach at postsecondary institutions. You’ll learn the business philosophy, critical thinking skills, and evidence-based practices necessary to excel in any teaching, research, or business roles.

This online graduate degree in business builds on your undergraduate and graduate work, as well as your practical, real-world business experience. Along with professional research courses, you’ll take core business courses in areas ranging from comparative economics and corporate finance to managerial ethics and social responsibility.

Curriculum for this online Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management program—including all coursework and field and clinical experiences—will engage you in the theories, strategies, and tactics you need to:

  • Research and attain business discipline-specific knowledge and competencies
  • Develop business-related professional skills—from communication to collaboration
  • Assess your personal values, connecting them with ethical business and research behaviors

Course Requirements

BACC 731 Advanced Managerial Accounting

BADM 733 Strategic Marketing: Research and Practice

BADM 734 Corporate Finance: Fiscal Management in a Global Climate

BADM 735 Comparative Economics

BADM 737 Managerial Ethics and Social Responsibility

BADM 838 Strategic Thinking, Decision-Making, and Innovation

DSRT 734 Inferential Statistics

DSRT 834 Advanced Statistical Applications

DSRT 837 Professional Writing and Proposal Development

DSRT 850 Qualitative Research

DSRT 736 Dissertation Seminar

DSRT 839 Advanced Research Methods

DSRT 930 Dissertation

DSRT 931 Dissertation

A content specialty area of at least twenty-four (24) hours must be earned in one of these disciplines:

  • Accounting
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Finance
  • Healthcare Administration
  • Marketing
  • Project Management
  • Strategic Management

For a full list of course offerings or more program-specific information, visit our Academic Catalog page. 

Anchor: Mission & Goals

Mission & Goals

The mission of the Plaster Graduate School of Business is to foster academic excellence and student achievement at the graduate level. We will prepare you academically to become a productive, competent, and ethical professional.

Evaluate your personal values and connect them to ethical behaviors.
Synthesize and integrate current research and literature to problems found in the areas of accounting, finance, economics, management, and marketing.
Construct research-based, strategic, effective, and ethical solutions to optimize organizational performance (both domestic and international).
Develop advanced communication, collaboration, research, and critical thinking skills.
Execute rigorous research and present scholarly work that contributes to the professional body of knowledge of business and provides linkages to practical business applications.
Anchor: Career Outcomes

PhD in Business Management Careers & Outcomes

All stats from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Chief Executive: $122,480

Chief Executive: $122,480

Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within guidelines set up by a board of directors or similar governing body. Plan, direct, or coordinate operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate executives and staff managers.

Advertising Manager: $133,380

Advertising Manager: $133,380

Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services.

Market Research Analyst: $68,230

Market Research Analyst: $68,230

Research conditions in local, regional, national, or online markets. Gather information to determine potential sales of a product or service, or plan a marketing or advertising campaign. May gather information on competitors, prices, sales, and methods of marketing and distribution. May employ search marketing tactics, analyze web metrics, and develop recommendations to increase search engine ranking and visibility to target markets.

Management Analyst: $93,000

Management Analyst: $93,000

Management analysts recommend ways to improve an organization’s efficiency.

Personal Financial Advisor: $94,170

Personal Financial Advisor: $94,170

Personal financial advisors provide advice to help individuals manage their money and plan for their financial future.

Sales Manager: $127,490

Sales Manager: $127,490

Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams.

Anchor: FAQs

Common Questions

A Ph.D. in Business is the highest academic credential attainable in the field of business. The degree is typically designed to prepare candidates for careers in academia, research, and other roles that require complex problem-solving. To that end, the program focuses on original research and developing new theories to further the body of knowledge in your discipline. Doctoral candidates pursue interdisciplinary coursework to gain a strong professional foundation. They also take courses on research skills in preparation for completing an original dissertation. 

Many students wonder if a Ph.D. in Business is the same as a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA). While both are doctoral degrees, these programs differ in a few ways—most notably, in their approach to research. Because a Ph.D. is traditionally intended for those pursuing careers in academia, this program emphasizes original rather than applied research. Ph.D. candidates focus on making contributions that advance the field of business. DBA programs also require research, but the focus is on applying existing theories to real-world business problems. 

Ph.D. and DBA programs may also lead to different professional outcomes. Many students pursue a Ph.D. in Business because they intend to teach in a postsecondary setting or work as researchers. A DBA, on the other hand, is designed for business practitioners who hope to attain advanced leadership roles in their organizations. That said, after earning a Ph.D., many graduates pursue a business career outside the realm of academia. With a doctoral degree under your belt, you’ll be ready to choose your own path.

Earning your PhD in business online could unlock a range of management and leadership career paths. There are many lucrative fields that offer room for growth as you pursue your business leadership aspirations.

After earning an online PhD in business, you could pursue career paths such as:

All programs at University of the Cumberlands are offered at some of the lowest rates in the nation – and we even include free textbooks through our One Price Promise! For more information on how affordable this program would be for you, visit our Financial Aid page.

Among other things, by the time you complete your PhD in business management at Cumberlands, you will be able to:

  • Research and attain business discipline-specific knowledge and competencies,
  • Develop business-related professional skills—from communication to collaboration, and
  • Assess your personal values, connecting them with ethical business and research behaviors.

Each course lasts eight weeks, called a bi-term. There are two bi-terms per semester, and three semesters per year (fall, spring, and summer). Many classes are asynchronous, meaning there is no set login time; you can work on schoolwork whenever you find time. Cumberlands provides free rental textbooks to online students as part of its One Price Promise. 

Anchor: Faculty

Faculty Experts

Get to know the doctoral business faculty at Cumberlands.

Dr. Gary Moss

Dr. Gary Moss

Associate Professor
Accounting
Business Administration
Doctor of Business Administration
Master's in Strategic Management
MBA - Master Business Administration
PhD Business

Dr. Gary Moss

Contact Information

gary.moss [at] ucumberlands.edu
Available by appointment only
Margaret Combs

Margaret Combs

Professor
Business Administration
Accounting
Doctor of Business Administration
PhD Business
MBA - Master Business Administration
Master's in Strategic Management

Margaret Combs

Contact Information

Dr. Stephanie Thacker

Dr. Stephanie Thacker

Associate Professor
Business Administration
Doctor of Business Administration
MBA - Master Business Administration
PhD Business

Dr. Stephanie Thacker

Contact Information

stephanie.thacker [at] ucumberlands.edu
Hutton School of Business

Program Accreditation

The Hutton School of Business at University of the Cumberlands has received specialized accreditations for its business programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) located at 11960 Quivira Road in Overland Park, Kansas, USA. For a list of accredited programs please refer to our IACBE member status page.

Please review our Public Disclosure of Student Achievement.

 

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