There are three means of entry:

1. An applicant who holds a recognized master’s degree in a management related discipline with an average standing of at least “B+” may be admitted to PhD studies as a regular or provisional student

2. An applicant who holds a recognized master’s degree with high standing in a field other than management and who wishes to proceed to doctoral study in a management field should consult with the Graduate Program Coordinator about eligibility.

3. An applicant who has achieved excellent standing at the honours baccalaureate level in a management field and who wishes to proceed to doctoral study may enroll in a related master's degree. If the student achieves a superior academic record and shows a particular aptitude for research, the Board of Graduate Studies, on the recommendation of the Department/School admissions committee, may authorize transfer to the PhD program without requiring the student to complete the master’s degree.

All applicants are required to submit GRE (Graduate Records Exam) or GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) results when applying.

The goal of the PhD program in Management is to produce graduates with both a breadth of knowledge about management theories in general, and a depth of knowledge such that they will be competent researchers and/or teachers in their chosen field. Since most courses will be common to the current three fields in this program as well as to any future fields, the key indicator of the student’s area of specialization will be their thesis topic. Students should select all courses in consultation with the Graduate Program Coordinator and their supervisor. Students with an existing Master's degree awarded by the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, who have already taken some of the required courses as part of their graduate program, will be exempted from those course requirements.

Students in all fields of the program will take five core courses that will ensure that each student has a breadth of knowledge about management and research. Of the five core courses, one will cover the theories and practice of management, another provides an understanding of the philosophy of research and design, two courses cover quantitative research and the fifth covers qualitative research methodologies. In addition to the five core courses, there are two required field courses in the first year specific to each field. In the second year students select two additional required courses and two elective courses in their field in consultation with the program coordinator. All students must take the University teaching course in the fall of the second year, bringing the total number of 0.5 credit courses to twelve. In addition, all students must write a paper in a non-credit course the summer of the first year and attend every year a non-credit seminar series course that introduces students to the diversity of research projects undertaken by Guelph faculty, graduate students and by visitors to the University. Following their coursework, students will complete a comprehensive exam designed to test their knowledge in the general area of management and in their field of specialization. Students are to present and defend a doctoral research proposal in the semester after completion of the qualifying examination.

Overall, the proposed program consists of five semesters of coursework (five core courses, four required field courses, two electives and the teaching course), followed by the qualifying exam, presentation and defense of a research proposal, and finally, the completion and defense of a full doctoral dissertation.

Students are required to take a total of 6.0 credits (12 courses), the PhD Research Project Seminar course in the third (summer) semester (0.0 credit) and the Marketing & Consumer Studies Seminar course (0.0 credit) each fall and winter semester the student is registered.