Apr 29, 2025

Catalog 2024-2025

Management, PHD

Location(s): Online, On-Campus

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A Holistic Approach to Management

The PhD program in Management at Maharishi International University explores how organizations create flourishing that fulfills the interests of the organization and produces positive impacts for society and the environment. The program’s investigations of holistic management encompass three components:

Developing Holistic Consciousness

The evolution of individual and collective consciousness cultivates the learning capabilities of systems thinking, collaborative relationships, and creative visioning to achieve shared value.

Managing the Transformation of Organizations for More Holistic Success

Evolving consciousness expresses itself in new management practices and forms of organization that enable organizations to innovatively address social and environmental needs.

Measuring and Communicating Holistic Outcomes

Evolving consciousness attends to and reports on a holistic range of performance outcomes, encompassing economic, social, and environmental results.

Transcendental Meditation

All educational programs at MIU include twice-daily practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique. This scientifically validated technique has been shown to lower stress, enhance brain functioning, increase intelligence and creativity, and support overall health. After regular meditation practice, our students often report feeling less stressed and more creative than ever. Students learn to reflect on how this transformative practice can be applied to help achieve their goals as educators and managers.

Professional Development for Teaching, Consulting, and Educational Management

Students in the PhD Management program train in principles and practices for successful management, writing, teaching, and research, which can be applied in a variety of leadership, consulting, and academic situations.

Preparing Researchers to Advance Knowledge of Holistic Management

The PhD Management program prepares each student to conduct original and significant research through courses in management theory, research methods, and statistics. Students are encouraged to identify a research topic early in their studies so that the research papers throughout the program can focus on this chosen topic.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the PhD in Management, students will be able to:

Evaluate the theoretical and methodological strength of scholarly work in the field of management.
Demonstrate mastery of the common body of knowledge within a research area in the field of management.
Produce original research on a suitably scoped topic that contributes new knowledge to the field of management.
Pursue a career in collegiate research or teaching.
Grow holistically for success in their personal and professional lives.

Entrance Requirements

The entrance requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Management are:

An earned MBA, master’s degree in a business-related field, or master’s degree and substantial business-related work experience.
GMAT or GRE exam scores
A substantial research paper as evidence of academic writing. The paper may have been submitted for required course assignments or as a thesis in the student’s master’s degree program. This should be a paper written by the student alone, not a project by a team of students. This writing sample may be accepted as a substitute for scores on GMAT or GRE.
TOEFL score of at least 575 (paper-based) or 90 (Internet-based), or IELTS overall band of 6.5, is required if a student’s native language is not English. TOEFL may be waived if the student has completed a degree program conducted in English.
At least two years of professional work experience in a business is preferred.

Graduation Course Requirements

To graduate with a PhD in Management, students must successfully complete all program requirements in the maximum allowed timeframe, including the 4-credit Science of Creative Intelligence course required for all graduate students, 22 credits of core Management courses, 20 credits of research methods courses, and one Forest Academy course in each semester in which the student is enrolled for 12 weeks or more. Note: This requirement may be waived in a semester when a doctoral student teaches a Forest Academy course.

When all core management and research methods are successfully completed, students must complete one research seminar in management per semester and a minimum of 20 credits in courses to prepare for the Qualifying Examination and the Dissertation in the following courses:

MGT 690 - Preparation For The Qualifying Examination
Prepares students for an exam that tests the student’s ability to critically analyze and integrate knowledge to complete a doctoral dissertation successfully.
MGT 700 - Preparing The Dissertation Proposal
Students work closely with their dissertation committees to determine the composition of the dissertation proposal, write the dissertation proposal, and prepare for the dissertation defense to assure that the plan of researching the proposed research question if complete and holds academic merit.
MGT 701 - Dissertation Research
When a dissertation proposal is accepted by the dissertation committee, the student is advanced to PhD Researcher status. The amount of time required to complete the dissertation varies according to the research project.

A student’s faculty advisory committee may require additional coursework if required by the student’s dissertation research.

PHD in Management Requirements

Exploring Consciousness Courses (4-6 credits)

Complete all courses in a sequence:

USA PhD:

MGT 5008A - Exploring Consciousness, Pt A Credits: 2
MGT 5008B - Exploring Consciousness, Pt B Credits: 2

Required Research Seminar Courses (1 credit per semester after completing 44 credits above)

MGT 679 - Phd Research Seminar Credits: 2-4

Qualifying Exam and Dissertation Research (minimum 20 credits)

MGT 690 - Preparation For The Qualifying Examination Credits: 4
MGT 700 - Preparing The Dissertation Proposal Credits: 8
MGT 701 - Dissertation Research Credits: 8

Forest Academy Requirement

Any Forest Academy course Credits: variable *

Total Credits varies

*Each course in an Exploring Consciousness sequence fulfills the Forest Academy requirement for the semester in which the course is completed.

PHD Graduation Dissertation, Exam, and Grade Requirements

To graduate with a PhD in Management, students must meet the following requirements:

Course Grades

A grade of B (3.00 GPA) or higher in all courses.

Qualifying Examination

This examination assesses the ability of the student to pursue doctoral research. Based on successful completion of this examination, the student is advanced to PhD Candidate status.

Teaching and Research Experience

All doctoral students who have passed their qualifying exams may be asked to help teach courses and/or help as research assistants. These activities give students necessary experience and skills in academic teaching and conducting research necessary in the career path of PhD graduates. Students who have reached PhD Candidate status may be awarded a PhD Assistantship, which entails this teaching or research.

Advanced Coursework

Advanced courses may be prescribed by the dissertation advisor and dissertation committee to ensure that students have comprehensive knowledge of a major field and related subjects. The courses students are required to take will depend upon academic background in relation to their graduate program and area of research interest.

Dissertation Committee

A doctoral student must form a Dissertation Committee of at least four members including the dissertation advisor, a faculty member from the student’s department, a faculty member from another MIU department, and one faculty member from another university or research institution. Dissertation committee membership must be approved by the director of the doctoral program and the Dean of Faculty.

Dissertation Proposal

The student submits the completed dissertation proposal to their Dissertation Committee and the Dean of the Graduate School for approval. When the dissertation proposal is accepted, the student advances to PhD Researcher status to prepare an oral defense of the dissertation.

Original Research for a Dissertation

Each doctoral student must conduct original research as the basis for a dissertation that contributes significantly to knowledge. This research is guided by the dissertation advisor and the dissertation committee and requires their approval. All doctoral students must be registered during each block they’re working on their doctoral dissertation, whether they live on or off campus.

Written Dissertation and Abstract

Dissertation guidelines are online at www.library.miu.edu/dissertation-guidelines-for-phd-candidates/ Students should read these guidelines before beginning their dissertations.

When writing a dissertation, students work closely with their dissertation advisor. At least four months before students plan to graduate, they should have the first version of their dissertation thoroughly checked by their dissertation advisor. Once the dissertation advisor has approved the dissertation, the student may submit the document to the other members of their dissertation committee. The committee members will review the document and give their comments in a timely fashion - within two weeks. After incorporating all comments, the student will send updated copies of the manuscript to all committee members at least two weeks before the dissertation defense.

Oral Defense of the Dissertation

The PhD researcher must successfully complete an oral defense of the dissertation. The oral examination in defense of the dissertation is conducted and evaluated by the dissertation committee (supplemented by additional appointed faculty members, at the discretion of the Dean of the Graduate School). The examination is scheduled for a date not earlier than two weeks after the dissertation and abstract have been submitted to the dissertation advisor and dissertation committee. The student must be registered during the block in which the final oral examination is taken.

Publishing the Dissertation

When the dissertation committee has reviewed and approved the dissertation and the student has passed the dissertation defense, the student incorporates any further recommended changes and corrections before submitting the dissertation to the MIU Library. To aid in completing the final dissertation, students present an electronic copy of their dissertations one month before graduation to the MIU Library Director (even if the dissertation is not complete). The Library Director will give the student feedback on formatting the dissertation. One week before graduation, the student must give the Library Director a final printed copy of the dissertation and two copies of the abstract. Everything needs to be complete at this time. All doctoral dissertations submitted to the Graduate School will be published. MIU subscribes to a service offered by Proquest ETD Administrator. Information about the publication procedures and fees may be obtained from the MIU Proquest ETD administrator website and from the MIU Library Director. Two copies of the dissertation will be placed in the MIU Library and will be available for interlibrary loan. The abstract will be published in Dissertation Abstracts, which announces the availability of the dissertation.