Ph.D. in Logistics/Supply Chain Management
*Applications for admission will be accepted beginning January 15, 2010
Program Overview
The main objective of the Ph.D. program is to train students for both advanced practice and academic positions with a broader goal of ameliorating the shortage of Georgia residents trained in logistics and materials management. These areas lie at the core of supply chain management. The Ph.D. builds on the College of Business Administration’s (COBA) nationally ranked (15th) undergraduate degree program in logistics. Graduates of the Ph.D. program will be prepared to serve as knowledge brokers, able to transfer knowledge of supply chain management and logistics to lay audiences and provide leadership in expanding this increasingly important and complex field.
Program Facts
In 2005, the Commission for a New Georgia identified logistics and transportation as one of five key “industry clusters” critical for future economic growth in the state1. With the Port of Savannah emerging as one of the largest ports in the country and Atlanta’s Hartsfield airport’s prominence in air cargo, Georgia has become home to many major distribution centers and trucking terminals. The governor’s initiative to expand port operations in conjunction with South Carolina further underscores the need for people trained in the logistics and transportation area. Graduates of the Ph.D. program will be equipped to enhance the future of the state via either an academic or industry career. Those entering academe will be able to teach future logistics students to help fill the increasing demand for such individuals. Those entering industry will be prepared to act as consultants and analysts to help develop Georgia’s preparedness to enhance the logistics and transportation industry cluster.
1http://www.newgeorgia.org/taskforces.html
Academic Program
The Ph.D. program will initially be delivered via traditional course work and other interactions with faculty in the College of Business Administration.
The program will require 60 credit hours, provided the student has a master’s in business from an institution accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business – International (AACSB). Students lacking a core understanding of major business areas will require up to an additional 18 credit hours (78 hours is thus the maximum required for students not holding an MBA). Course work in the degree will take two years, provided the student follows the prescribed lock-step program. A third year will be needed to work on the dissertation. Students will be exposed to a broad range of business functions, as well as the role of logistics and transportation in the global firm.
Areas of Concentration
Marketing
Information Systems
Operation Management
Students will select a supporting emphasis area from one of the following: marketing, information systems, or operations management. These supporting emphasis areas will allow students flexibility in securing positions both inside and outside of academia.