{"id":2701,"date":"2021-07-08T12:04:33","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T17:04:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/business\/?post_type=program&p=2701"},"modified":"2025-12-15T09:10:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T15:10:46","slug":"areas-of-study","status":"publish","type":"program","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/business\/academic-programs\/management-science-phd\/areas-of-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Areas of Study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\t\t\tAreas of Study\t\t<\/h1>\n\t<\/header>\n\t\n\t\n\n

The Lubar College\u2019s doctoral program offers five major areas of study:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The growth of financial markets, in terms of size, sophistication, and international integration and coordination, have made financial economics a rich and rewarding field for scientific research. Students are taught state-of-the-art mathematical, statistical and computer techniques, and their applications to financial research. Modern concepts of rational expectations, market efficiency, agency theory, optimal capital asset pricing, dynamic hedging, securities regulation, corporate restructuring, and portfolio theory are offered to students as fertile grounds for theoretical and empirical studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Management Information Systems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Information systems provide the manager of an organization with information and a set of tools to aid in decision making. Increases in organizational requirements for information, along with recent dramatic advances in computer technology, have caused computer-based information systems to become a central component of almost all organizations. The preparation of a student for research in the Management Information System (MIS) area requires an extensive background in technical and organizational areas which provide a foundation for understanding how the new technological advances assist management.  The PhD MIS concentration provides both a strong technical orientation as well as an organizational perspective of system design. The program is designed to produce graduates who will become university faculty in the MIS area, along with meeting the needs of industrial and consulting organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marketing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the micro level, the field of marketing is concerned with development of effective strategies for managing such activities as product development, promotion, pricing, and distribution in a way that organizational objectives are achieved. At a more macro level, the discipline focuses on comparative marketing systems and the impact of society and environmental factors on marketing systems. To prepare the student for research in marketing, the curriculum places reliance on a solid understanding of relevant buyer behavior theories and appropriate research methodologies. The areas of expertise of marketing faculty in our doctoral program include: buyer behavior, product management, buyer choice modeling, marketing research techniques, and marketing strategy development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizations and Strategic Management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The field of organizations and strategic management can be divided into three areas. Organizational behavior examines such topics as motivating and coordinating employee efforts, theories and practice of leadership, individual decision making and problem-solving, conflict resolution, negotiation, and employee responses to work. Organization theory considers such topics as designs for jobs and organizational structures, environmental relations, management of change and innovation, technology, organizational decision making, and control systems. Strategic management investigates topics such as industry analysis, strategy formulation and evaluation, strategic fit, planning systems and top management teams. Research in the field of organizations and strategic management develops theories and measures, applies a variety of research methods and analytic techniques, and generates both descriptive information and prescriptive implications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supply Chain and Operations Management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Supply Chain and Operations Management focuses on the design and management of efficient processes which direct the conversion of factors of production into goods and services provided by an organization. The discipline deals with planning, coordinating, and controlling supply chain\/operations management systems, and covers such topics as production analysis and design, purchasing and materials management, capacity planning and scheduling, forecasting, inventory management, facility location and layout, investment decisions, information systems, production strategy, and quality control. Expertise of the faculty lie in the areas of production and inventory systems, production strategy, automation and computerization, and management of technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the above, with the approval of the PhD committee, students can minor in a variety of areas including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n