duke phd in management

Ph.D. Program

Decision Sciences

Duke's Fuqua School of Business

The Ph.D. program in Decision Sciences at Fuqua prepares students to pursue cutting-edge research under mentorship of our faculty. The training and research themes in our Ph.D. Program is comparable to that of top Ph.D. programs in operations research and management science with a strong methodological and rigorous component. The Decision Sciences Ph.D. program is primarily intended to prepare graduates for academic research careers, though positions in industry are also a possibility. Prospective Ph.D. students with strong mathematics background and a desire for theoretical research in areas of decision sciences and operations research are encouraged to apply.

The interdisciplinary nature of our program leads students  to take courses and interact with students and faculty from many other areas around Fuqua and Duke University. Our Ph.D. students take graduate-level courses in applied probability, computer science, decision sciences, economics, mathematics, operations research, and statistics as the foundation upon which to build a program of original research culminating in a dissertation. No previous course work in business administration is necessary or expected. In addition to Ph.D. courses offered by Decision Sciences faculty , our students are expected to take graduate courses at Fuqua School of Business, and at Duke computer science, economics, mathematics, and statistics departments. Programs of study and research are individually designed to fit each student’s interests and abilities.

Admissions:

Applications can only be submitted through Duke Graduate School . Full details about application procedures, academic regulations, deadlines, and the like can be found at the Duke Graduate School website. When completing the application, please select Department/degree: “Business Administration-Ph.D.” and Specialization “Decision Sciences.” (Late applications may be considered in exceptional circumstances; please contact Professor David Brown , the Ph.D. program coordinator for Decision Sciences).

Successful applicants will demonstrate a strong mathematical background and desire to pursue research compatible with our program. (Applicants primarily interested in descriptive, empirical or experimental research should consider applying to a different Ph.D. Program at Fuqua.)  All aspects of the application package are important: statement of purpose, transcripts and grades, standardized test scores (GRE is preferred to GMAT), recommendations from faculty, etc. Decision Sciences faculty make admission decisions, typically by mid-March. All admitted students are given a full tuition grant and a generous living stipend for five years, provided their progress is satisfactory.

Additional Information:

• Online Application
• Fuqua Ph.D. Program
• Decision Sciences Ph.D. Program Progress Guidelines

PhD Program

• Curriculum/Program Requirements
• Current Students
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Programs and Degrees

The Duke University Graduate School offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 80 departments and programs of study, as well as certificate programs; dual, joint, and 4+1 degrees; and graduate programs at Duke Kunshan. Our graduate students have the opportunity to work closely with faculty across Duke’s nine other schools and to conduct research in connection with numerous campus research institutes and centers.

We conduct external reviews on our programs approximately every six years to evaluate the quality of the research and teaching and to recommend ways to enhance the programs’ effectiveness.

Degree Programs

Other programs, certificate programs.

Graduate School students in Ph.D. and master's programs can pursue graduate certificates to gain advanced training in interdisciplinary or emerging fields of knowledge.

Dual, Joint, 4+1 Degrees

The Graduate School offers specialized dual- and joint-degree programs that promote interdisciplinary research.

DKU Programs

Duke Kunshan is a partnership of Duke University and Wuhan University and offers two master's degree programs through Duke Graduate School.

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Ph.d. program.

Through a series of forward-looking initiatives, Duke Economics has transformed itself into a department that focuses on a distinctive intellectual vision of our discipline, a vision that combines methodological rigor with intellectual breadth and diversity — and an insistence on real-world relevance. As a student of our Ph.D. program, you are joining a community of economists that aspires to transform conventional assumptions and venture into areas of inquiry that transcend the traditional boundaries within the field of economics and between disciplines. There are many opportunities for interaction with related disciplines, including environmental economics in conjunction with the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, finance and regulation through the Fuqua School of Business, law and economics through the School of Law, public policy through the Sanford Institute of Public Policy, and statistics through the Statistical Sciences.

We strongly believe our graduate students will go on to become the next generation of intellectual leaders. To that end, most graduate-level classes — with the exception of the core courses — are sufficiently small so that each student gets individual faculty attention, and we offer countless opportunities for interaction with leading scholars from around the world. 

Our Program

Duke University offers a world-class doctoral program in economics, featuring a vibrant faculty of exceptional scholars and teachers along with superior research facilities. The faculty is dedicated to anchoring all teaching and research firmly in the core disciplines of microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics. The first year of the program lays the critical foundation necessary for later work in field courses and dissertation-level research.

See Requirements

• Fields of Study

The Department of Economics requires doctoral candidates to acquire certification in one major field and one minor field:

• Applied Microeconomics
• Econometrics
• History of Political Economy
• Macroeconomics and International Economics
• Microeconomic Theory

For Prospective Students

For those interested in our program, learn more about our degree, our university, and our community. We'll explain the application process, financial support, and more.

For Current Students

We've compiled resources to assist you while working toward your master's – from requirements and processes, to advising and  EcoTeach services , useful Duke links, and more.

Learn more about the application process, deadlines and other resources for our candidates.

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PhD Admissions

Earn your doctorate at duke.

Completing a PhD program in engineering is hard. Really hard. But after years of preparation, frustration and celebration, a Duke doctorate stands out from the crowd.

Between field-defining faculty and a web of industrial, entrepreneurial and public-policy connections, with a Duke Engineering PhD, you can just about go anywhere and do just about anything your heart desires.

And with Duke’s comprehensive financial and professional support, you won’t take that journey alone.

Duke: The Path to a High-Impact Career

Wherever your path leads you, a Duke PhD will ensure you’ll arrive prepared to make a difference.

Biomedical Engineering

Civil & Environmental Engineering

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science

Guaranteed funding.

Duke provides significant financial support. And that’s just the beginning. There’s mentorship and career exploration support, too.

Generous Stipend

Guaranteed pay, 12 months a year, for the first five years

Paid Tuition

Covered by Duke during the first five years of study

For the first five years, Duke pays all mandatory fees

Insurance Coverage

For six years, Duke pays your health and dental premiums

Applying to Duke

Contact us at [email protected]

Join Our Mailing List

Receive updates, insights and invitations from our Admissions Team

Review Financial Support Package

5 years of stipend—plus six years of health and dental coverage

Find Your Deadline

See the application calendar for all Duke PhD programs

Start Your Application

Using Duke’s secure online platform

Diversity Makes Better Engineers

An optimist sees the glass as half full. A pessimist? Half empty. An engineer sees a glass that’s twice as big as it needs to be. Point is, engineers see things differently. Duke engineers see things very differently. Why use glass at all? Can we create a more efficient material? Ooh, should we include a water quality sensor? Here, we value different backgrounds and ways of thinking—because new approaches generate new solutions.

PhD students

Phd students per tenure-track faculty member, of our phd students received an nsf or other prestigious fellowship, in new research awards won in fy22, best graduate biomedical engineering program.

U.S. News & World Report

Lower cost of living in Durham vs. Boston

Facilities: welcome to wilkinson.

The newest of our buildings is 81,000 square feet of transformational design. Inside Wilkinson are research neighborhoods focused on advances in health, computing and the environment.

Dedicated workspaces for doctoral students feature natural light and campus views.

Durham and Beyond

Location. location. location..

At the north vertex of North Carolina’s famed Research Triangle, the city of Durham is essential to the Duke Engineering experience. Among our neighbors are hundreds of startups and standard bearers both private and public, a growing collection of James Beard Award-winning chefs, and a quickly growing community and skyline. River rafting, trail hiking, mountain climbing and sandy beaches are all just a couple hours’ drive away.

It doesn’t take an advanced degree to see why Durham is the #3 best place to live in America according to U.S. News and World Report, but come get one here anyway.

Interested in joining our community?

Start a conversation with Duke.

The Department of Population Health Sciences develops critically-thinking, creative, and collaborative research scientists that are passionate about improving healthcare for all. The doctoral program equips students with the knowledge and tools they will need to research and work alongside health systems, government agencies, non-profits, industry, and others pursuing improved health of populations.

Admission Deadlines

Application Deadline : The application for 2023-2024 admissions  to the Population Health Sciences PhD program has opened, and will close on November 30, 2023.

Successful applicants will find a close fit with a departmental  faculty  advisor who shares their research interests. The DPHS Education leadership team identifies potential matches early in the admissions process, so those offered admission to the program can be assured of a strong match with a faculty advisor. 

Also, please note that the  online degree application requires you to identify potential mentors from our department. You will have an opportunity to contact these potential mentors after you hear whether you have been accepted to the doctoral degree program.  

Some guidance on how to identify those faculty members. 

• What excites you in your research field? 
• What is a productive area that fits your values and your career plans? 
• Who is engaged in research that is complementary to your interests?

About the PhD in Population Health Sciences

The Duke PopHealth PhD program prepares researchers to formulate important research questions, design studies to answer them, organize resources to carry out relevant studies, and analyze the results to contribute scientific and policy insights. Our coursework, experiential learning, and professional development help prepare PhD students to be leaders in the population health field.

Our faculty are world-renowned for their expertise and strengths in the following areas:

• Health Measurement. Learn more
• Implementation Science. Learn more
• Health Policy
• Health Services Research
• Health Economics

Why Choose Duke for a PhD in Population Health Sciences?

The department, which is part of the Duke University School of Medicine, offers Ph.D. candidates a unique and rich setting in which to acquire that foundation and then use it to complete their studies and dissertation research. Ph.D. students can:

Access Duke's  PopHealth DataShare , which provides access and consultation to large data sets from federal and state government sources as well as a private insurer

Tap into Duke PopHealth’s partnerships with world-class institutions like  Duke Cancer Institute ,  Duke Clinical Research Institute ,  Duke Global Health Institute , and  Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy

Connect with Duke PopHealth’s  Center for Health Measurement , the  BASE Lab ,  QualCore , and  INTERACT  (Implementation Science Research Collaborative) – which each offer specialized research support.

Enjoy proximity to Duke Health, which provides most of the health care in Durham County. Students can also connect with the Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center and  ADAPT Center .

Doctoral Degrees

Earth & Climate Sciences (ECS)

Environment (ENV)

Marine Science & Conservation (MSC)

University Program in Ecology (UPE)

University Program in Environmental Policy (UPEP)

University Program in Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health (ITEHP)

You’ll find Nicholas School alums pursuing their passion and making positive impacts worldwide. Our programs give them the foundational knowledge and practical skills to become leaders and innovators in a wide array of fields and sectors.

MS'93 statistics, PhD'99 soils and hydrologic science

PhD '00, Environmental Politics & Policy

#WomenInSTEM: Danica-Schaffer Smith, Ph.D.

Danica Schaffer-Smith, a postdoctoral research associate at the Nicholas School, talks about being a woman working in STEM, her early inspirations to pursue environmental science and encouraging today's young women.

WATCH VIDEO

Research@Nicholas: Environmental Contaminants

Duke Environment researcher Heather Stapleton studies the health risks from exposure to chemicals in products.

Research@Nicholas: Global Environmental Health

Duke Environment researcher Randy Kramer studies global environmental health.

Research@Nicholas: Coal Ash & Fracking Impacts

Duke Environment researcher Avner Vengosh studies the environmental and human impacts linked to coal ash and fracking wastewater.

Research@Nicholas: Marine Fisheries

Martin Smith, George M. Woodwell Distinguished Professor of Environmental Economics, discusses how Nicholas School research takes us from discoveries to solutions on some of the most pressing issues facing our oceans today.

Research@Nicholas: Marine Microbiology

Zackary Johnson, Arthur P. Kaupe Associate Professor of Molecular Biology in Marine Science, discusses how Nicholas School research takes us from discoveries to solutions on some of the most pressing issues facing our oceans today.

Exposure to Fracking Chemicals and Wastewater Spurs Fat Cells

The tiniest of organisms could prove a huge resource as a sustainable source of food and fuel for Earth’s growing population. Duke Marine Lab’s Zackary Johnson leads the Marine Algae Industrialization Consortium (MAGIC)

PhD Student Explores Environmental Racism in Southern U.S.

PhD student Danielle Purifoy discusses her journey across the South with Brooklyn-based artist Torkwase Dyson to document the environmental legacy of racism in historic black communities in N.C. and Alabama. Their work, “In Conditions of Fresh Water,” is on exhibit at the Center for Documentary Studies through June 3, 2017. More information at https://documentarystudies.duke.edu/.

Duke Marine Lab: Using Bamboo Poles to Build Stingray Exclusion Cages

PhD student Stacy Zhang and lab technician Carmen Hoyt spent the summer building stingray exclusion cages and control treatments in the local seagrass beds of Core Banks. The cages are made of bamboo cut locally in Chapel Hill as opposed to PVC piping in order to be more environmentally friendly. For a full cage treatment, a bamboo pole is placed every 25 centimeters in a hole created using a Pacer pump. In the end, there will be 42 study sites of various treatments, and the study will run for a year.

Seaver Wang Recalls NASA Research Cruise

Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment Ph.D. student Seaver Wang sailed on the Sea to Space Particle Investigation cruise, a joint project between NASA and the Schmidt Ocean Institute. During the month-long voyage of the north Pacific Ocean, Wang operated a scientific instrument that measured phytoplankton breathing.

before you go

Help us keep in touch — it won’t take long, master of management studies: overview, get down to business.

The Master of Management Studies (MMS) degree provides basic entry-level business skills to students with little to no prior career experience. The MMS curriculum covers 15 business courses (a total of 43 credit units) taught over five terms.

Two MMS program formats are available: The  MMS: Foundations of Business program and the  MMS: Duke Kunshan University program.

It is important that you understand which MMS program is the best fit for your interests and goals before you apply. Connect with our admissions counselors, who can help you determine which MMS program is the right fit for you.

• You may only apply to one of the two MMS programs in an application year. 
• You cannot switch programs while you are a student.  

Compare the Programs

Sociology and Criminology

Whatever happened to austin van loon our alumni check in.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree (B. Sc.) from our department in 2016, Austin went on to earn a PhD from Stanford University. One of his advisors there was Professor Robb Willer, who in 1999 also graduated with a bachelor’s degree from our department. Austin has been conducting research at Duke University’s Polarization Lab studying ways to make social media behavior less harmful and more socially beneficial.

Austin begins the next step in his career this fall as an assistant professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He says that his training at the University of Iowa—in methods, analysis, and research experience from Professors Mary Noonan, Alison Bianchi, and Freda Lynn—was crucial to his success. Several of his graduate school classmates at Stanford told him they envied his head start. Other courses at the University of Iowa helped as well, especially learning the Python programming language in Computer Science and formal logic in Philosophy.

Working as the lab manager in the Center for the Study of Group Processes under Professor Bianchi was a high point of his time at Iowa. He also formed a band, “Tread New Waters,” that played for open mic nights, random passersby on the Ped Mall, and even did a show at the Culvers restaurant in Coralville.

Austin worked for University Catering for several years while at Iowa and hasn’t lost his passion for cooking. He enjoys listening to podcasts on the economy, politics, public policy, and global affairs. At professional conferences, Austin has been known to rally attendees for impromptu karaoke sessions.

NOTICE: The University of Iowa Center for Advancement is an operational name for the State University of Iowa Foundation, an independent, Iowa nonprofit corporation organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, publicly supported charitable entity working to advance the University of Iowa. Please review its full disclosure statement.

Graduates of Front Line Supervisor Program Embrace Leadership

Nine-month program in Duke Human Resources gives 13 supervisors the confidence and tools to thrive

In 2021, Jorge Fidhel Gonzalez faced a decision: should he take on the challenge of becoming the supervisor of the Duke Department of Biology’s Research Greenhouses?

It wasn’t an easy decision.

Since 2010, Gonzalez had been a staff member of the greenhouses, which contain more than 15,000-square feet of space for rare specimens and plants for research projects. He had plenty of experience in different aspects of agriculture, but had little in management. And, being born in Peru and Raised in Venezuela, he said he was unsure that his communication and problem-solving skills were at the level he’d like them to be.

With the encouragement of his wife, Bridgette, and his Duke colleagues, Gonzalez stepped into the supervisor position. And now, with his completion of the Front Line Supervisors Program, Gonzalez feels firmly rooted in his leadership role in the Department of Biology.

On May 23, Gonzalez was part of the 13-member 2023-24 class of the Front Line Supervisors Program , which celebrated the completion of the nine-month program with a ceremony at Penn Pavilion. The program’s third class was drawn from managers from across Duke University and Duke University Health System.

“This was a great opportunity,” Gonzalez said. “It made me face what I was afraid of and made me more confident doing my job.”

Launched in 2019 through the Professional Development Academy in Duke Learning & Organization Development, a unit in Duke Human Resources, the Front Line Supervisors Program provides insights into leadership, business concepts and project management to new entry-level supervisors.

“Stepping into a supervisory role can be a really powerful experience,” said Gina Rogers, Duke Human Resources Associate Director for Organization & Workforce Development and the Front Line Supervisors Program Director. “You can go home on a Friday as an individual contributor and come back on a Monday as a manager and things have shifted. Oftentimes, there’s not a developmental element to help with that transition. This program is designed for that.”

The latest cohort, which began in May 2023 and wrapped up in March of 2024, includes a 360-degree assessment, in-person coursework and a capstone project. Gonzalez did his project on ways to streamline the execution of the greenhouses’ annual food drive and plant giveaway.

Antwan Lofton, Vice President of Duke Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer, spoke to the graduates and commended them for balancing the requirements of the program and the responsibilities of their day-to-day work.

“I know this wasn’t easy, and I know you had competing interests,” Lofton told the group. “You had to figure out how to divide your time to do all of the many tasks you have to do, particularly when you’re a front line supervisor. There’s no one to jump in and do what you do like you do. But you made it happen.”

Along with the Duke Leadership Academy, Duke Management Academy and the Foundational Skills Program, the Front Line Supervisor Program is one of several professional development programs offered by Duke Learning & Organization Development .

The Front Line Supervisors Program is offered every two years. The application process for the next edition of the program will take place in early 2025.

“This program is very valuable because it helps you understand that you are not the only person at Duke who may have the same doubts or questions,” Gonzalez said. “It shows you that you have the tools that you need to do the job. You just need to make a few adjustments and you will be OK.”

Meet the 2023-24 Class of the Front Line Supervisors Program

• Jordan Butler , Service Access Team Lead, Duke Urgent Care – Croasdaile
• Alisha Couch , Departmental Business Manager, Campus Grants Management
• Amanda Douglass , Assistant Manager, Duke Raleigh Hospital – Acute Rehabilitation
• Jorge Fidhel Gonzalez , Research Greenhouse Supervisor, Duke Biology Department
• Heather Kelly , Assistant Nurse Manager, Duke University Hospital Emergency Department
• Arianna Miller , Assistant Director for Alumni Communication, Development & Alumni Relations
• Veronica Mills , Program Coordinator, Population Health Sciences
• Crissie Moody , Complex Care Coordinator, Duke University Medical Center
• Elizabeth Nixon , Clinical Services Coordinator, Rehabilitation Services
• Preston Roundy, Clinical Services Coordinator, Rehabilitation Services
• Christa Rutledge , Service Access Team Lead, Patient Revenue Management Organization
• Erica Walker , Senior Clinical Research Coordinator, Emergency Medicine
• Lauren Woods , Population Health Specialist, Population Health Sciences

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