Management and Organizations Department | Course Descriptions

All doctoral students will take a three course seminar series in their first year that provides a foundation in the primary intellectual disciplines that inform management scholars. These courses -- organizational behavior, organizational theory, and strategy -- provide a strong theoretical grounding.

Beyond the core doctoral seminars, students are expected to take a number of advanced seminars in their area of specialization. Strategy students take doctoral level seminars in microeconomics and industrial organization, organizational behavior students take doctoral level seminars in psychology and organizational theory students take these seminars in sociology.

All students are required to take four courses in graduate-level research methods, including a research methods survey course that covers a variety of methodologies commonly deployed in management studies.  In addition, students attend a professional development seminar in their first and second years and a research design and development seminar in their second and third years. 

The doctoral program allows a student to complete all course work in two years of full-time study, requiring 36 credits for those entering with a Master’s Degree and 54 for those with a Bachelor’s Degree. While credit may be granted for courses taken at other institutions, students must complete at least 15 points of course work at NYU. To remain in the program, a student must maintain a grade point average of at least a 3.0.

Advanced Research in Organizational Behavior
MGMT-GB.3381
3 credits
The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the theories methods and approaches that characterize microorganizational behavior OB research within the field of management We will explore classic and contemporary theories enduring controversies and emerging empirical research This exploration will include examining dissecting and analyzing past and current research on a variety of major topics in OB The goal is to cover the highlights of the field and develop the skills necessary for evaluating analyzing and integrating research on any topic in OB and beyond

Organization Theory
MGMT-GB.3387
3 credits
Organizations operate in dynamic environments. This course introduces doctoral students to the principal theoretical perspectives and empirical findings used to explain relationships among environments organizational strategies designs and performance. Students are expected to develop expertise in the analysis of environments and organizations from several theoretical perspectives such as resource dependence theory institutional theory organizational ecology and industrial organization economics. The seminar stresses the competitive and mutual dimensions of environments that propel managers to enact business corporate and collective strategies structures processes and systems to enhance their firms effectiveness. Both theoretical and empirical research are examined to illustrate how different theoretical perspectives require different empirical research methodologies. "

Strategy 
MGMT-GB.4301
3 credits
The field of Strategy is motivated by a simple question What allows certain firms to earn positive economic profits while others deliver negative return It offers a set of complicated answers differences in industry structure internal capabilities superior managerial decision making vertical and horizontal scope and so on In the past 3 decades Strategy has emerged as an important area of study in Management The Business Policy and Strategy division now boasts of the largest membership in all of AOM In practice the field of Strategy is the only area that speaks exclusively to the highest level of corporations he leaders the CEOs and the movers and shakers of the modern firm It transcends functional areas such as finance or marketing as it brings functional knowledge to bear on the most critical issues faced by the firm key decision makers While there is a strong degree of core consensus among scholars Strategy is a young discipline with many unresolved theoretical puzzles and empirical challenges Far from being obstacles these gaps present attractive and ample opportunities for fledging scholars to make a mark Whether you aspire to contribute directly to the scholarship of Strategy or are simply curious about how Strategy may relate to your area whether it be Information Systems Marketing or Public Policy this course offers an overview of classic concepts and ideas and introduce you to current research in Strategy.

Research Design and Development
MGMT-GB.3193
1.5 credits 
This course is designed to lay a foundation for good empirical research in management and organizations, introducing basic assumptions and underlying logics. The goals of the course are (1) to examine the steps required to frame an empirical research question guided by theory, (2) to introduce students to the range of research methodologies used in our field and examine the strengths and limitations of each, and (3) to facilitate students' application of these steps to their own research projects in a workshop format. It is designed for management Ph.D. students who will undertake research publishable in scholarly social science journals. Students will become acquainted with a variety of approaches to research design, evaluate the products of empirical research, practice several common techniques, and apply these practices to their own research projects.