PhD Programs
The PhD programs at The Ohio State University build on a tradition of excellence in scholarship within Fisher College of Business - a tradition that provides you with perspective, expertise and skills necessary to reshape the business world.
The greatest strength of the program is Fisher's top faculty and their emphasis on research and teaching. The facilities and resources of Ohio State's campus enhance the doctoral experience. Another strength is Fisher's proximity to the corporate headquarters of a variety of businesses within the technology, service and manufacturing sectors and our involvement with the business community in Columbus, which offers extensive access to research sites and senior executives.
Fisher strategically manages the size of its PhD program through careful analysis of market and budgetary conditions and other factors. The result is a small and efficient, high-quality program. If you seek to develop your talents and pursue academic inquiry of the highest quality, we invite you to explore doctoral study at Fisher.
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12th
among public universities
UT-Dallas Business School Research Rankings, 2019-2023
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23rd
in North America
UT-Dallas Business School Research Rankings, 2019-2023
To compete effectively for positions at top-tier research institutions, tomorrow's educators must have a solid background in theory and practice, as well as a clear research agenda and an established research record.
A selective admissions policy ensures the quality of students entering the Fisher program. Students have the opportunity to work closely with a large number of faculty who are experts in a wide range of fields. Smaller class size means increased opportunities for student financial support.
It is expected that applicants to the PhD program intend to pursue the degree on a full time basis.
All admitted students into any of the Fisher PhD programs are fully funded, including a stipend and tuition costs. Funding is available for four to six years, at the discretion of each academic department.
Applicants to any of Fisher's PhD programs do not need to do anything to be considered for funding - if an applicant is admitted, s/he is funded. The funding may come in many different forms, such as fellowships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, supplemental grants or a variety of other methods.
Funding is commonly made through teaching assistantships, Graduate Teaching Associates or research assistantships, Graduate Research Associates. These positions may involve teaching, assisting faculty in research, and/or administrative activities.
Each department in Fisher College of Business offers a number of different PhD courses. Click on the links below to see what each department is offering this year.
- Department of Accounting and MIS
- Department of Finance
- Department of Management and Human Resources, including:
- International Business
- Strategy/Entrepreneurship
- Human Resources
- Organizational Behavior
- Operations and Business Analytics (Operations Management)
- Department of Marketing and Logistics
PhD in Business Administration
* Not accepting applications for Fall 2026.
PhD in Accounting & MIS
Careers and Alumni
Faculty members spend many hours advising and counseling students regarding their programs of study and dissertations. They counsel about teaching and involve students in their research projects.
Each Fisher PhD student has a faculty advisor through his/her program of study. Some departments also have committees that oversee each PhD student's progress. For more than a decade the college has mandated an annual review for each PhD student. Students receive formal feedback on their progress in the program and have the opportunity to respond to the report and the program.
Career Opportunities
In addition to Fisher faculty consultation, Ohio State's Graduate School operates a career placement and counseling service for all doctoral students on campus. The overwhelming majority of our graduating students - almost 100 percent - accept academic positions nationally or internationally.
Career Outcomes
Between Summer of 2018 through Summer 2023, Fisher graduated 60 PhD students. Of those 60:
- 1 works for the Government
- 1 works for Private Industry
- 1 returned to the Air Force
- 2 are at the Securities and Exchange Commission
- 43 are assistant professors in US institutions
- 13 teach in foreign universities (5 in Asia, 3 in Europe, 3 in Australia and 2 in Canada)
Recent Job Placements (Summer 2018 - Summer 2023)
- Tyler Atansov, PhD - Business (Accounting), 2023, Purdue University
- Woohee Choi, PhD - Business (Organizational Behavior), 2023, Providence College
- Molly Hughes, PhD - Business (Supply Chain/Transport/Logistics), 2023, West Virginia University
- Eduard Inozemtsev, PhD - Business (Finance), 2023, University of Melbourne
- Byung Wook Kim, PhD - Business (Finance), 2023, University of California-Irvine
- Junha Kim, PhD, - Business (Marketing), 2023, Rutgers University
- Minsu Ko, PhD - Business (Finance), 2023, Monash University
- Richard Ogden, PhD - Business (Finance), 2023, Rowan College
- Beverly Osborn, PhD - Business (Production/Operations Management), 2023, Indiana University
- Hoa Tran, PhD - Business (Finance), 2023, University of Alberta
- Rui Gong, PhD - Business (Finance), 2022, Private Industry
- Taegyu Hur, PhD - Business (Marketing), 2022, Iowa State University
- Hyeik Kim, PhD - Business (Finance), 2022, University of Alberta
- Jason Lee, PhD - Business (Finance), 2022, Security and Exchange Commission
- John Lynch, PhD - Business (Finance), 2022, Hofstra
- Jason Sigler, PhD - Business (Strategy), 2022, Government Employee
- Tiberiu Ungureanu, PhD - Business (Strategy), 2022, Appalachian State University
- Gunghee Yang, PhD - Accounting/MIS, 2022, HKUST
- Andrew Zeiser, PhD - Business (Supply Chain/Transport/Logistics), 2022, Middle Tennessee State University
- Shuxia Zhang, PhD - Business (Organizational Behavior), 2022, Wayne State University
- Zenan Zhou, PhD - Business (Supply Chain/Transport/Logistics), 2022, Arizona State University
- John Costello, PhD - Business (Marketing), 2021, Notre Dame
- Mary Cowx, PhD -Accounting/MIS, 2021, Arizona State University
- Seunghoo Chung, PhD - Business (Organizational Behavior), 2021, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Mark Johnson, PhD - Business (Finance), 2021, Brigham Young
- John Lowrey, PhD - Business (Productions/Operations Management), 2021, Northeastern
- Yuhan Zhan, PhD - Business (Organizational Behavior), 2021, Western Kentucky University
- Gregory Allen, PhD - Business (Finance), 2020, Security and Exchange Commission
- Bradley Cannon, PhD - Business (Finance), 2020, Brigham Young
- Hyowon Kim, PhD - Business (Marketing), 2020, Case Western Reserve
- Jia Lei, PhD - Business (Marketing), 2020, Kent State University
- Dongxu Li, PhD - Business (Finance), 2020, Xiamen University
- In Joon Noh, PhD - Business (Productions/Operations Management), 2020, Penn State
- Rahul Pandey, PhD - Business (Productions/Operations Management), 2020, University of Memphis
- Hao Wang, PhD - Business (International Business), 2020, University of Amsterdam
- Hailey Ballew, PhD - Accounting/MIS, 2019, Rice
- Zhengyu Cao, PhD - Business (Finance), 2019, University of International Business and Economics in Beijing
- Spencer Counts, PhD - Business (Finance), 2019, University of Southern California
- Danyang Jiang, PhD - Accounting/MIS, 2019, University of International Business and Economics in Beijing
- Min Park, PhD - Accounting/MIS, 2019, University of Kansas
- Somak Paul, PhD - Business (Productions/Operations Management), 2019, California State-East Bay
- Brent Schmidt, PhD - Accounting/MIS, 2019, Penn State
- Kiran Awate, PhD - Business (International Business), 2019, Virginia Tech
- Diana Choi, PhD - Accounting/MIS, 2019, Purdue University
- Shan Ge, PhD - Business (Finance), 2019, New York University
- Hyunseob Kim, PhD - Business (Strategic Management), 2019, Tulane University
- Amitkumar Singh, PhD - Business (Marketing), 2019, Southern Connecticut State
- Daniel Taylor, PhD - Business (Supply Chain/Transport/Logistics), 2019, Texas Tech University
- Luis Ivan Alfaro Dardon, PhD - Business (Finance), 2018, Norwegian Business School
- Brian Baugh, PhD - Business (Finance), 2018, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
- Jing Davis, PhD - Accounting/MIS, 2018, Chapman University
- Mengmeng Dong, PhD - Business (Finance), 2018, University of California-Riverside
- Sehoon Kim, PhD - Business (Finance), 2018, University of Florida
- Yingchao Lan, PhD - Business (Production/Operation Management), 2018, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
- Yoon Kang Lee, PhD - Business (Finance), 2018, University of Melbourne
- Aaron Nelson, PhD - Accounting/MIS, 2018, University of Texas at El Paso
- Andrea Rossi, PhD - Business (Finance), 2018, University of Arizona
- Andrei Salem Goncalves, PhD - Business (Finance), 2018, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Adam Smith, PhD - Business (Marketing), 2018, University College - London
- Kevin Smyth, PhD - Business (Supply Chain/Transport/Logistics), 2018, US Air Force
- Daniel Zane, PhD - Business (Marketing), 2018, University of Miami
The Ohio State PhD program prepared me for a successful career in academia. I had ample resources to help me learn how to conduct high quality research and to teach students. Most importantly, I had amazing mentors who really invested in me and taught me the nuances of the profession.
Toyin Clottey, Professor of Global Supply Chain Management, Mike Ilitch School of Business, Wayne State University
Joining the doctoral program in marketing at Ohio State was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my professional life! The program offers a rare combination of world-class research training and a supportive environment for students. My experiences at Ohio State were crucial in launching my career in research and resulted in lasting relationships with faculty and other students.
John Costello, Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Notre Dame
Reflecting on my time in Ohio State's Organizational Behavior PhD program, I truly feel like I won the lottery. The mentorship I received was unparalleled, with exceptionally prolific faculty who are not only highly respected in the field—regularly publishing in and serving on the editorial boards of top-tier journals—but also deeply committed to their students' growth and success. The faculty’s dedication to conducting impactful, multi-method research and their eagerness to provide hands-on learning experiences was instrumental in shaping my academic career. Whether it was conducting experimental studies in the behavioral lab or engaging in meaningful field research with firefighters in Columbus, I am immensely grateful for the opportunities I was given. The program's high faculty-to-student ratio, opportunities to learn from renowned scholars in other disciplines, and the supportive, collegial environment make Ohio State a truly special place. Even after graduation, the faculty’s ongoing support through networking, career guidance, and award nominations has been invaluable, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without the solid foundation they helped me build. I could go on and on about what makes this program and its faculty so special, but I’ll keep it short here—please feel free to reach out if you’d like to chat more!
Sarah Doyle, Associate Professor, Eller College of Management, University of Arizona
The mentorship I received as a doctoral student at Ohio State provided me the tools and support necessary for me to develop into a careful researcher, a considerate teacher, and an actively contributing member of our academic community.
Stephanie Eckerd, FedEx Supply Chain Professor, Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee
The foundations of my scholarly identity are grounded in my PhD training at Ohio State, where I learned to value tenacity and focus, explore diverse topics and methods, and embrace the challenges of risky exploration. Thank you, Ohio State faculty!
Rachna Shah, Professor Supply Chain and Operations, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
The training and mentorship I received as a Ph.D. student at Ohio State was inspirational. The Operations and Business Analytics faculty's passion for solving problems that are influential to both theory and practice sparked my passion for research and continues to inspire me today.
Keith Skowronski, Associate Professor, Management Science, Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina
Frequently Asked Questions
In other words, if I send you a listing or description of my credentials, can the program indicate the likelihood of my admission prior to application?
We do not pre-evaluate applications to the PhD programs. We will not comment on anyone's likelihood of being admitted prior to receiving a complete application from that person. We only review and make decisions on complete applications.
Fisher College of Business provides admitted students with four years of funding, as long as satisfactory progress is made from year to year. Top applicants may be nominated for University Fellowship. Otherwise, students would receive funding in the form of a Graduate Research or Teaching Associateship (GRA or GTA). Funding includes full tuition waiver and a monthly stipend.
No. The program is designed for students who will pursue the degree on a full-time basis. All courses are offered during the day, and students are expected to maintain approximately 10-15 credit hours per quarter, in addition to their research and/or teaching responsibilities.
Fisher's PhD programs admit once per year, in Autumn. Each Department has its own unique process and timeline for reviewing applicant files. Generally, departments will begin reviewing applications immediately following the application deadline, and will complete admission decisions by April 15.
Ohio State Graduate Admissions requires an official TOEFL or IELTS score from all international applicants unless that applicant is a citizen of, or earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from, an English Speaking country (access a list of exempt countries).
Those that have held US Permanent Resident, Asylee or Refugee status for a year by the time of matriculation may have the English Proficiency requirement waived.
Yes. All admitted PhD students are funded if they requested funding on their application. Part of the funding package is a requirement to teach. The laws of the State of Ohio require that every non-native-English-speaking graduate teaching assistant (TA) pass a competency test in spoken English before that individual is placed in the classroom to teach. An admitted student can take the exam after arriving on campus. However, if you wait to take the exam after being admitted and do not pass, your financial aid package will be at risk. Therefore, we strongly suggest you supply this exam score in your application. Fisher College of Business and The Ohio State University have no authority to waive this exam.
If you are applying to the PhD Business Administration program (including Human Resource Management), either the GMAT or GRE is required. The GMAT institution code for Business Administration is ZLJ-9D-76; the GMAT institution code for Human Resource Management is ZLJ-9D-64. The GRE institution code for both programs is 1592.
If you are applying to the Accounting and MIS PhD program, either the GMAT or GRE is required. However, the GMAT is strongly preferred. The GMAT institution code for Accounting is ZLJ-9D-02. The GRE institution code is 1592.
Even after graduation, the faculty’s ongoing support through networking, career guidance, and award nominations has been invaluable, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without the solid foundation they helped me build.