FAQ's

A Ph.D. in Business Administration will prepare you for a career as a college or university professor. The program is designed to prepare individuals to perform research, teach, and provide service to their university, college, community and to the profession. Occasionally, graduates of Ph.D. programs do not become university professors but instead move into specialized government or industry jobs; however, our program focuses on preparing candidates for academic careers.

Currently, there is a high demand for academicians in all business disciplines. Research suggests that this demand will continue to increase.

Earning a Ph.D. can be broken down into two stages: the coursework stage and the dissertation stage. All students must first complete 2 years of coursework, culminated by a set of comprehensive exams. Students then spend at least two years developing and conducting original research resulting in a written dissertation.

When you enter the program, you will be matched to a faculty advisor. Although this faculty member may advise you throughout the entire program, neither you nor the faculty member are obliged to maintain this initial arrangement. As you develop your own interests and research agenda, a different faculty member may emerge as a more appropriate advisor. At the dissertation stage, your advisor will help you select a committee who will assist and guide you as you complete your dissertation.

While taking coursework, you should expect to take nine hours each semester. During the dissertation stage, you will be enrolled for a minimum of three dissertation hours each semester.

The program is typically four years with two years of coursework and two years of dissertation work.

Because teaching is critical to success in an academic career, all Ph.D. students will teach while they are enrolled in the program. During the first two years of the program, students are each assigned a faculty member who serves as a teaching mentor to the student and for whom the PhD student also work as Teaching Assistants (TA) for 10 hours per week. In this way, students engage in teaching activities under the close supervision of a faculty advisor. During the third and fourth years of the program, PhD students will serve as instructors teaching two courses per semester. The teaching experience allows students to develop a teaching portfolio, a requirement for employment at many colleges and universities.

Applicants must select the area of concentration they would like to pursue before submitting their application. The PhD Program in Business Administration currently offers five concentrations: Finance, Management, Marketing, Information Systems, and Accounting.

An MBA or a business-related master’s degree will reduce the amount of coursework needed to earn your Ph.D. in Business Administration. However, we welcome applicants who have training in other fields. If you do not have a business background, you may be required to take up to eight “leveling” Business Foundation courses in addition to your Ph.D. coursework.

A master’s degree is not required for admission to the program. However, if you do not have a master’s degree you may be required to take up to eight “leveling” MBA courses in addition to your Ph.D. coursework.

Your chances of acceptance are improved if you have a solid record of academic achievement and a high GMAT score. Relevant business experience is also a plus.

A GMAT score is preferred. However, if you have taken the GRE within the past five years with an exceptionally high score, you do not need to take the GMAT.

Yes, the GMAT requirement applies to all applicants.

If your GMAT or GRE score is more than five years old, you must re-take the exam.

The TOEFL, or IELTS, is required of all applicants whose native language is not English. An acceptable score is 600/250. 

You must re-take the TOEFL, or IELTS, if your score is more than two years old.

Persons writing letters of recommendation should sign their name across back of the envelope (across the part of the envelope that has been sealed). The writer should send the letter directly to:

The Graduate School

The University of Texas at El Paso

Mike Loya Academic Services Bldg. Room 223

500 West University Ave.

El Paso, TX 79968-0566

Alternatively, the online application system allows you to "register" your recommenders so that they can submit their recommendation letters online. Please see the application link for this process.

The University's institutional test code is 6829.

Yes. Subject to availability of funds and academic performance, students are provided financial support in the form of teaching and research assistantships. Generally students admitted into the program receive an assistantship which comes with a cost of living stipend. Additionally, the program awards fellowships on a competitive basis for incoming doctoral students. The fellowship will cover the cost of tuition. Access to funding is very competitive and is provided to those students who demonstrate the highest probability of success as an academic. Health insurance is also included with the assistantship. Other benefits are also available. For more information about benefits, please contact Human Resources at (915) 747-5202 or visit their website at https://admin.utep.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=505. All applicants are also encouraged to apply for financial assistance outside the University. Numerous financial assistance programs are available to Ph.D. students. For more information, please contact The Graduate School at (915) 747-5491 or visit: http://graduate.utep.edu/scholarships.html.

No additional form is needed for the tuition fellowship or assistantship.

El Paso sits at the far most western tip of Texas where Texas, New Mexico and Mexico intersect. El Paso has consistently ranked as one of the safest cities of its size (500,000+) in the nation. It is the fifth largest city in Texas and the twenty-third largest city in the U.S. The city boasts mild winters with a mean high of 76.8 degrees, a mean low of 50.6 degrees and an average of 310 days/year of clear and partly cloudy skies. Bordering Ciudad Juárez, México, El Paso provides an ideal location for business students to study a wide range of business issues and to experience a diverse social and cultural environment not available elsewhere. For more information about El Paso and the surrounding region, please visit Visit El Paso.