Doctoral

Ph.D. Spotlight

• “The program has considerable research strengths in analytical and empirical paradigms, so I took advantage of it and learned to seek sound theoretical foundation for empirical tests. I was fortunate to have had opportunities to work with many faculty while studying in the program. Some of them have become co-authors on research projects and others are good friends and mentors.”

  –Zeyun Chen
  Assistant Professor
  University of Colorado, Boulder

  

• “The faculty is diverse and well recognized in their respective research areas. They are very approachable and willing to work with doctoral students on research projects. The department holds an active workshop series where reputed external scholars present their latest work. This workshop series, in which doctoral students are encouraged to actively participate in, exposes them to the cutting edge accounting research. The leadership is extremely supportive of the PhD program in ensuring that students are supported with ample resources and opportunities to present their work at conferences.”

  –Tharindra Ranasinghe
  Assistant Professor
  Singapore Management University

  

• “The University of Houston Ph.D. program in Marketing encourages students to pursue original and impactful academic research, and to think and act like aspiring scholars. The support of the world-class research faculty provides an ideal environment to develop interesting research ideas while at the same time fostering intellectual rigor. What I really appreciated was the encouragement and kindness of the faculty members at the Marketing Department – they treat students as colleagues from the first day.”

  –Sonja Prokopec
  Associate Professor
  ESSEC, Paris

  

• “No matter your area of interest, UH has a strong advisor for you. Mike Ahearne was my supervisor. I have learned over the years that Ph.D. students in our field are amazed when they hear about the Bauer experience. In Mike, I have a lifelong role model, a dedicated mentor, a close friend, and a titan in our field who is my biggest advocate. For these reasons, there isn't another institution in this world I would have rather attended. Bauer gives you the opportunities, resources, and training you need to succeed.”

  –Jeff Boichuk
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Darden School of Business

  

• “The faculty members are genuinely invested in doctoral students. They adopt an open door policy, so during my program, I had the luxury of interacting with them very often. The Ph.D. students are very collegial. Our friendship extends beyond the Ph.D. program. The marketing department at Bauer has always been one of the most productive in many substantive areas. The department also runs Friday seminars and an annual doctoral student consortium, which offer its doctoral students valuable networking opportunities with outstanding researchers and cohorts from other universities.”

  –Son (Sonny) Lam
  Associate Professor
  University of Georgia

  

• “The Ph.D. program has been a very enriching experience. I am a biologist and did not have any interest in business when I graduated from college. I started working and became curious about the things that happened in the lab that had nothing to do with biochemistry. Why were we pursuing this or that alliance? How were the companies we worked with choosing which projects to fund? How did the entrepreneurs I worked with decide to enter such risky ventures? Even the daily interactions with my bosses and co-workers mystified me. This is how I became interested in business, and the Bauer Ph.D. in management program has been an excellent match for this curiosity.”

  –Susana Velez-Castrillon
  Assistant Professor
  University of West Georgia

  

• “If I could sum up my experience my Bauer Doctoral experience, I would do so in one word, empowering. Through guidance of faculty, I was empowered to choose my coursework, research topics, and even how to teach my classes. While this led to much frustration and many failures early in the program, I was able to develop my own identity as an academic very early in my career. As a result, I found a true passion for research, particularly for topics I never thought I would enjoy.”

  –Zachary Hall
  Assistant Professor
  Texas Christian University

  

• “I joined the PhD program of Finance Department at Bauer College of Business in 2007. With a physics background, I am especially grateful the Finance Department offers systematic PhD courses that helped me to form my knowledge foundation and gradually build up my intuition for future research. I also benefit a lot from the weekly seminar and colloquium, which share research progresses and encourage discussion. The faculty at Finance department are strong both in their research abilities and advising students. They are productive, insightful, and always willing to help. I greatly appreciate that they set high standards for PhD students.”

  –Bingxin Li
  Assistant Professor
  West Virginia University

  

• “The Bauer Ph.D. program was a great opportunity for me to achieve my academic goals. It was structured in a way that students were able to learn various areas of their field of study throughout coursework and focus on their research areas by working on research projects. It was also a great experience working with Bauer faculty during my Ph.D. studies.”

  –Madhu Kalimipalli
  Associate Professor
  Wilfrid Laurier University

  

• “The Bauer Ph.D. program was a great opportunity for me to achieve my academic goals. It was structured in a way that students were able to learn various areas of their field of study throughout coursework and focus on their research areas by working on research projects. It was also a great experience working with Bauer faculty during my Ph.D. studies. They were very research active and tried to help students develop skills for research and teaching.”

  –Eunju Lee
  Assistant Professor
  University of Massachusetts Lowell

  

• “I feel privileged to have earned my doctorate in Business Administration from C. T. Bauer College of Business. The Bauer doctoral program has enriched my life in so many ways, not only academically and professionally, but also personally as well with great friendships. I am thankful for all that I learned in the program, especially the training I received to have a successful career in higher education.”

  –Rachel Sturm
  Assistant Professor
  Wright State University

  

• “The Ph.D. program in Management at UH was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences for me. In addition to the academic rigor supported by experienced and qualified faculty, the program taught me valuable life lessons — to stay committed, focused, and organized. It provided me with several opportunities to self-learn and explore varying topics of interest. In my current position as Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of Houston-Downtown, I encounter new challenges and learning almost on a daily basis.”

  –Faiza Khoja
  Associate Professor
  University of Houston-Downtown

  

• Kenneth Sweet is an alum of the doctoral program in Management. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Management at Angelo State University in San Angelo, TX. Kenneth was the first in his family to graduate from high school and a first-generation college student. He has been a member of the U.S. Army and Texas Army National Guard for more than 18 years and is currently assigned as a Special Technical Operations Planner for 71st Theater Information Operations Group at Camp Mabry, TX.

  –Kenneth Sweet
  Assistant Professor
  Angelo State University

  

• I earned my doctorate from the Bauer College of Business back in 1978. During my Ph.D. program I had the great fortune to work with such outstanding faculty as Skip Szilagyi, Bob Keller, and the late Jack Ivancevich. These individuals, as well as several other and other faculty members, mentored me and gave me great appreciation of the importance of research, teaching, and service. The department equipped me with the skills necessary to perform at a high level across all three of these areas.

  –Ricky Griffin
  Distinguished Professor
  Texas A&M University

  

• When deciding between PhD programs, I was searching for both rigor and collegiality. I found both at the Bauer College of Business. The doctoral program is challenging yet supportive. I never stopped working: reading, thinking and writing … enjoying every minute. But, it’s the people, faculty and fellow students that made the difference.

  –JéAnna Abbott
  Professor
  University of Houston