Ph.D. in Strategic Management

Students in KU's doctoral program in strategic management explore how organizations achieve and sustain competitive advantage in an ever-changing global landscape, developing the expertise to publish in top journals and contribute to scholarship that shapes the way firms and organizations compete and thrive.

What sets KU apart

Preparation for academic careers: KU's program is designed to launch you into a successful academic career at a leading research university.
Close faculty mentorship: Collaborate with experienced scholars to develop expertise in research and teaching.
Access to premier resources: Connect with a wide range of research databases and resources to support your scholarly work.
Flexible timeline: Complete your doctorate in four to five years, tailored to your research and career goals.

Advancing knowledge in the field

Strategic management research tackles big questions about firm performance and decision-making, blending insights from economics, sociology, and psychology to firm strategy and strategic decision-making.

Important sub-fields within the discipline include:

Developing firm resources
Competitive interactions
Relational governance
Strategic decision-making
Innovation
Entrepreneurship
Organizational learning

The field increasingly focuses on research issues within the context of globalization and international business.

View a list of published faculty research

Admissions

Application requirements

What to expect in the program

View degree requirements and a detailed list of courses in the KU Academic Catalog.

Area of concentration

Most students choose strategic management as their primary concentration. However, with guidance from your faculty advisor and program faculty, you can propose an interdisciplinary area of concentration that combines traditional business disciplines (accounting, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, and strategic management) or areas such as international business, law, and economics.