Faculty supervisors
Welcome to the PhD in Management!
You are looking to pursue a research degree. So what does that mean for you? The heart of our grad program is a culture of curiosity and inquiry. As researchers, our job is to ask important and relevant questions and explore possible answers. You arrived here in part by being excellent at answering questions. Now, we ask you to learn to seek and ask questions. And, perhaps hardest of all, to hold off the impulse to supply quick answers, to learn to live in the suspense of not knowing. This educational journey will help to shape the thinker, writer, analyst, leader, and difference-maker you are inspired to be.
I am pleased to direct the PhD in Management program here at TRSM. Our mission is to train and support the next generation of social scientists. To achieve this goal, we put together comprehensive coursework and a supervisory structure to allow students to succeed in the new reality of knowledge production and sharing. It is you who make us who we are, and we look forward to the fresh ideas and energy you bring to our campus and our learning community.
Dr. Fei Song
Graduate Program Director, PhD Program
Finding a supervisor
When applying to the PhD in Management program, applicants must provide a statement of intent that outlines a research topic for their dissertation and identifies two to three potential supervisors. Finding a supervisory match is a part of the successful application to the PhD in Management program; students who cannot be matched with a supervisor will not be admitted to the program.
The program places great emphasis on ensuring strong matches between applicants and potential supervisors before they are admitted to the program. We encourage you to reach out to potential supervisors on your own and let them know that you are interested in working with them.
Supervisory committee
A supervisory committee is made up of two to four faculty members who provide guidance to PhD in Management candidates and assess their progress through the program, from the articulation of research intention to the completion of their thesis. Committee members will provide feedback and guidance to the student to ensure they complete the program successfully.
After finding a supervisor
Once you identify a suitable supervisor, feel free to reach out to them via email. Introduce yourself as an applicant of the PhD in Management program and describe your proposed research topic as well as why you believe the faculty member would make a suitable supervisor. You can do this in conjunction with submitting your application online. If you meet the other admissions criteria, the faculty member you have reached out to may ask to interview you or request that you complete a short assignment. If a faculty member has expressed an interest in working with you, please indicate that you have found the supervisor in your letter of intent or in an email to the program.
Once in the program, you will work closely with your supervisor to define your program of study, ensure you take the right elective courses, refine your research question, track your progress in the program and write and defend your dissertation on time.
To learn more about working with a supervisor, please visit the YSGPS Supervision and Advising guidelines.