Management (PhD)

Located in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, our PhD in Management program will turn you into an advanced researcher with both theoretical and practical understanding of the complex problems of business management. We offer five distinct fields, including:

Develop unparalleled research abilities.

Work alongside leading academics.

Apprentice-style approach to learning.

Let's Talk About Your Future

We know applying to a PhD program is a significant step. To help you determine if the Lazaridis PhD in Management is the right fit, we encourage you to start by reviewing the program details and admission requirements. If you still have questions after reviewing the material, feel free to reach out to us.

Contact Us

Program Details

Program Structure

The program is structured to be completed in four years.

In the first two years, you will complete 11 half-credit courses and write the comprehensive exams. Comprehensive exams are typically completed at the end of your second year.

In the third and fourth years of the program, you will focus on completing your dissertation proposal and dissertation. In order to develop and refine your research skills, you are expected to engage in research throughout the program.

You will also complete a non-credit course on university teaching.

Faculty with Supervisory Status

While we do not require you to have an approved faculty supervisor selected when you apply, we encourage prospective applicants to learn about the interests and ongoing research of our faculty members. If you'd like to connect with a professor about their research work, email lazaridisgradprograms@wlu.ca and we can connect you with them.

Available Fields

Challenge yourself and work with experts in your field as you write and defend your doctoral dissertation. You can pursue research in any of our five fields: 

Accounting

The Accounting field in Laurier’s PhD in Management program prepares you for an academic career. You will be encouraged to focus your learning and research in empirical financial accounting or behavioural accounting.

Our program provides students with a breadth of knowledge of accounting theory and research methodologies. Through teaching and research assistantships, coursework, seminars, and independent research, students develop analytical and interpretive skills as well as intellectual independence. We welcome applications from students in accounting or related fields, such as finance or economics.

We have one of the largest Accounting programs in Canada with 26 faculty and lecturers. Over the past 22 years, we have had 11 gold medallists on the Common Final Evaluation (CFE; formerly the Uniform Final Examination (UFE)), administered by CPA Canada). This degree of success is more than any other university in Canada. All of our PhD graduates have received academic placements at North American research universities.

PhD in Management, Accounting Field Coordinator:

Finance

The Finance field in Laurier’s PhD in Management program is designed for the brightest and hardest-working individuals who are seeking academic and research positions. We welcome applications from students in business and related fields, such as economics, accounting, statistics and mathematics.

Our invigorating research environment is supported by highly productive and internationally recognized scholars who publish in top journals. As well, many of our graduate students have won best paper awards at conferences and have published their work in high-ranked journals.

Building on finance theory, our PhD students undertake research in four key areas of financial management: financial markets, corporate finance and governance, options and futures, and market microstructure.

PhD in Management, Finance Field Coordinator:

Marketing

The Marketing field in Laurier’s PhD in Management program offers you the opportunity to conduct research on contemporary topics of theoretical and managerial significance. Our areas of specialization include consumer behaviour, innovation, marketing strategy, brand management, and services marketing. We welcome applications from those with education and/or experience in business and marketing or a relevant field such as psychology and economics.

Our program centres on theory development, empirical analysis, and developing managerially relevant knowledge. It builds on core theories from marketing and other disciplines (including psychology, economics, and decision sciences). You will have the opportunity to acquire a broad range of methodological skills including experimental design, surveys, qualitative research, and quantitative modelling. Our focus is to hone your research skills both through course work and by actively collaborating with you in new or ongoing research projects.

PhD in Management, Marketing Field Coordinator:

Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management (OB/HRM)

Our PhD in Management degree program with a concentration in Organizational Behaviour (OB) and Human Resource Management (HRM) is a four-year program. In the first two years, you will complete courses and your comprehensive exams. In years three and four, you will focus on research with your supervisor and other faculty members. Opportunities for teaching are also available. If you complete your MSc in Management with us, you will receive credit for those courses you have already completed, which can decrease the length of the time it takes to complete this degree. This program is designed for students who wish to become academics and researchers.

PhD in Management, OB/HRM Field Coordinator:

Supply Chain, Operations and Technology Management

The disciplines of Supply Chain, Operations and Technology Management seek answers to fundamental questions about the design, production, and delivery of goods and services. We welcome applications from students with backgrounds in business, mathematics, engineering, economics and related fields. Graduates of our PhD are prepared for a career in academia or research.

PhD in Management, Supply Chain, Operations and Technology Management Field Coordinator:

Quote Image

The AACSB accreditation is based on a portfolio of performance metrics and that includes high quality teaching, high quality research and a high quality environment that we provide for our students.

Admissions

Ready to take the next step?
Just follow our three-step admission processwe’ll walk you through how to apply and
get set for your first day as a
grad student.
 

  • Start: Fall (September)
  • Format: Full-time
  • Application deadlines:
    • Application Portal Opens: October each year
    • Early Application Deadline: Dec. 1 
    • International Application Deadline: March 30 
    • Domestic Application Deadline: July 15

Applications received after the early application deadline are accepted and reviewed until capacity is reached or the final deadlines pass.

Tuition and Funding

Tuition Fees

Regardless of the type of graduate degree program you intend to pursue, financial planning is important. At Laurier, we want to provide you with as much information as possible about a variety of scholarship and funding opportunities and equip you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.

2025/2026 Tuition Fees*

Per Term

PhD (Domestic)

$2,622.92

PhD (International)

$6,885

Tuition Fees  Incidental Fees

Funding and Research Scholarships

Eligible full-time doctoral students are guaranteed a minimum of $24,000 total funding per year for up to four years. The average annual funding for eligible PhD in Management students exceeds $30,000. Students are expected to apply for external awards (specifically Tri-Agency and Ontario Graduate Scholarships) each year where eligible.

Looking for more ways to help fund your studies? Here’s how you can access funding and research scholarship opportunities at Laurier: 

Waterloo Campus

This program is available on Laurier's Waterloo campus.

Laurier's Waterloo campus is home to more than 19,000 graduate and undergraduate students. Tucked into several city blocks, this campus is walking distance to your classrooms, food, and various campus amenities.

Laurier is a leading force in research among Canadian universities, and many of our research centres and institutes are housed in Waterloo.

Learn more about Laurier's campuses.

Careers

The Lazaridis School is committed to providing PhD candidates with a solid foundation from which to build successful academic careers. Many of our graduates receive offers for assistant professor and tenure-track positions from universities around the world, including:

  • York University
  • McMaster University
  • University of British Columbia
  • University of Waterloo
  • SUNY Fredonia
  • Penn State
  • University of Memphis
  • Kean University
  • Zayed University, UAE

Not all of our graduates go on to pursue academic careers; some find success working for organizations in which they can apply their expertise in other ways. Graduates with non-academic positions include:

  • Hosein Nooriaan, Senior Analyst, Risk Management, RBC Group
  • Yunhua (Julie) Zhu, Senior Associate, PwC
  • Gregory Tanguay, Marketing Director, Laborie
  • David Whiteside, Happiness Research Fellow, Plasticity Labs
  • Sara Babaee, Software Developer in Optimization, NAVBLUE an Airbus Company
  • Tannaz Mahootchi, Senior Methodologist, Operations Research, Cancer Care Ontario

Contact Us

Lazaridis Graduate Program Recruiters
Brenda Burns and Victoria MacKenzie

View a complete list of all faculty and staff in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics.