The Doctoral Program in
Strategy
PhD Department, SB 418
Irvine, California 92697-3125
phd@merage.uci.edu
949/824-8318
http://merage.uci.edu/PhD
Welcome to the Ph.D. Program in Strategy
The Strategy Ph.D. program develops scholars who study the factors that
drive a firm’s fundamental strategic choices, and the way such choices
influence firm performance. The program embraces a wide variety of
methodological approaches but shares an emphasis on rigorous scholarship
directed at understanding the processes that cause important strategic
outcomes. Faculty and student work has considered risk-taking, managing
strategic innovation processes, behavioral understandings of competition,
the antecedents and consequences of executive succession and selection, and
understanding the processes that impact strategic decision-making.
Strategy Faculty and Research
The strategy area currently
has two senior and three
junior faculty members, who
all have high research
productivity and impact in
field. The area's faculty
members participate actively
in their academic
professions. They serve on
or have served on the
editorial boards of the field’s top journals (Strategic Management Journal,
Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review,
Management Science, Organization Science, Strategic Organization, Journal
of Management, etc.). In addition, Prof. Bromiley has held editorial
positions at Management Science (associate editor), while Prof. Wiersema
currently serves as the associate editor at the Strategic Management Journal
and at the Academy of Management Review. They have held and hold
executive positions in the premier academic societies. Prof. Wiersema
served on the board of directors for the Strategic Management Society
(2006-2010) and as president of the Corporate Strategy & Governance
interest group of the SMS as well as on the executive committee of the
Business Policy & Strategy Division of the Academy of Management. Prof.
Bromiley has headed the national Consortium for Centers of Organizational
Research, which included Wharton, Northwestern, Michigan, CarnegieMellon, Minnesota, and other top organizational research groups.
The current research interests and topics of the Strategy faculty members
include:

Margarethe Wiersema (Ph.D., University of Michigan): CEO
succession & dismissal, CEO replacement, corporate strategy –
product and international diversification, corporate governance

Philip Bromiley (Ph.D., Carnegie-Mellon University): Behavioral
research in strategic management, strategic decision-making,
strategy processes, corporate risk-taking, accounting
misrepresentation, R&D policy, trust in organizations, corporate
capital investment

Yan Gong (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison): capabilities,
routines and unexpected events in entrepreneurial firms.

Yu Zhang (Ph.D., INSEAD): interaction between strategy and
capital markets, competitive strategy, corporate governance.

Libby Weber (Ph.D., University of Southern California): inter-firm
relationships, contracts, M&A, capability development, bounded
rationality, complementing economic-based theory with
psychological theory to ask new questions
General Requirements
Strategy Ph.D. students should complete
all the Ph.D. degree requirements within
four academic years after entering the
program. As part of the educational
process, students should attend all
Strategy area colloquia/seminars as well
as any colloquia/seminars by the
Organization and Management group,
Center of Organizational Research
(COR), junior faculty research colloquia,
or brown bags series that relate to their research interests. Students must
pursue their studies full-time.
There are 2 phases during the Ph.D. program:
a. Phase I. Pre-candidacy – Preliminary, Qualifying Stage
b. Phase II. Post-candidacy –
i. Dissertation Proposal Stage
ii. Dissertation Defense Stage
PHASE I. Pre-candidacy Stage – Preliminary, Qualifying Stage – the first
2 years of doctoral studies:
During this phase, students take courses in research methodologies as well
as research seminars in strategy, organizations theory, and other academic
fields. The objective is to achieve proficiency in methodological
techniques, research design, as well as theories utilized in strategy and
management research.
During the summer after the second year, students take a Phase I exam that
will address the literature in the strategy Ph.D. reading list, any literature
covered in the strategy and Organization Theory seminars and
methodological understanding. By passing the Phase I exam, the candidate
enters Phase II of the Ph.D. Program and has advanced to candidacy.
PHASE II. Post-Candidacy Stage – Dissertation Proposal Stage – the 3rd
year of doctoral studies:
On passing the phase I exam, the Ph.D. student forms a Doctoral
Dissertation Committee (referred to as the Candidacy Committee in UCI’s
doctoral requirements), chaired by a strategy faculty member, to develop
either a dissertation proposal or alternatively a proposal for three separate
research papers.
PHASE II. Post-Candidacy – Thesis Defense Stage – the 4th year off
doctoral studies:
Continuing under the supervision of the Chair, the student must execute the
research outlined in the proposal. Usually, this requires data collection,
analysis, and the write-up of results. After the Committee judges the written
dissertation or three research papers of sufficient merit, the student must
formally defend the dissertation or the three research papers to the Doctoral
Dissertation Committee in a public forum.
Student Support
Students admitted in the doctoral
program in Strategy normally
receive a four-year support
package covering tuition, fees and
a living stipend. This support is
provided through a combination
of scholarships, teaching
assistantships and research
assistantships.
Student Placement
Students graduating from the doctoral program in the Strategy area obtain
research faculty positions at business schools nationwide. Our recent
graduates’ placements and dissertation titles include:

Thomas P. Moliterno (University of South Carolina): “Behavioral
antecedents of firm level resource replacement and acquisition”

Mark Washburn (California State University, Long Beach):
“Managing external aspirations: Examining how executives
influence stock market analyst forecasts”

Joseph Beck (Shippensburg University): “Corporate
diversification strategy and divestment using integrated TCE-RBV
theoretical framework”
Irvine, California: The Heart of the Tech Coast
The University of California, Irvine, campus is located in Orange County,
California, in the heart of the entrepreneurial Tech Coast, and just an hour’s
drive north to Los Angeles or south to San Diego. Home to a variety of
global companies, the Orange County lifestyle is ideal to attract the best and
brightest, with its temperate weather, white-sand beaches, and snow-capped
mountains. While the learning program is intense, students also enjoy
making the most of their personal time.
Website Information
We invite you to explore our extensive website for further information on
the Ph.D. program, our faculty profiles, papers and research areas, plus the
Merage School in general.
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Doctoral Program Home Page: merage.uci.edu/go/phd
Merage School Home Page: merage.uci.edu
Faculty Directory: merage.uci.edu/go/directories
Ph.D. Student Directory: merage.uci.edu/go/directories
Faculty Research: merage.uci.edu/go/research
Academic Areas: merage.uci.edu/go/AcademicAreas
Contact Us
In addition to world-class faculty, a thriving learning and living
environment, The Paul Merage School of Business distinguishes itself for its
highly personalized attention and service. From faculty to staff to fellow
students, we want you to succeed. Please do not hesitation to contact us
directly at any time:
Noel Negrete
Associate Director, Doctoral Program
PhD Department, SB 418
Irvine, California 92697-3125
phd@merage.uci.edu
949/824-8318
PhD Department, SB 418
Irvine, California 92697-3125
phd@merage.uci.edu
949/824-8318
http://merage.uci.edu/PhD