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Academic Areas > Area Websites > Organizational Behavior > PhD Coursework
 

 

PhD Course Work

 

The curriculum in the PhD Program includes both required courses and electives. Required courses cover the fundamental tools that every scholar in organizational behavior must possess to conduct research in the area. Electives provide additional tools that are suitable to pursue the student’s specific research interests.

 

The PhD in organizational behavior requires all students to take a minimum of 15 graduate level courses which must include micro OB, macro OB, research methods, groups and teams, human resource management seminars as well as various classes in statistics. Five of the 15 courses need to be in methods. Other elective courses include psychology, sociology, and economics depending on the student's preferences.

 

Students may also pursue specific interests by taking additional elective courses in topics related to organizational behavior (e.g., psychology). Courses are offered at Kenan-Flagler as well as other Departments at UNC, including Psychology and Sociology. Students also have the option to take courses at Duke University. Students choose their course work under the supervision of their advisor and the director of the PhD Program in Organizational Behavior.

 

Sample Course Sequence

 

Year 1 – Fall Semester  Instructor

EDUC 684 – Statistics I  

PSYC 867 – Advanced Survey of Social Psychology

SOCI 860 – Sociology of Organizations  

BUSI 852 – Groups & Teams 

William Ware

Lawrence Sanna

Howard Aldrich

Ben Rosen

Year 1 – Spring Semester

  

EDUC 784 – Statistics II

BUSI 808 – Applied Research Methods I

BUSI 857 – Human Resource Management  

William Ware

Jeff Edwards

Dan Cable

 

(Begin work on Summer Paper)

 

  

Year 2 – Fall Semester 

  

EDUC 884 - Statistics III

BUSI 809 – Applied Research Methods II 

BUSI 851 – Micro Organizational Behavior

William Ware

Jeff Edwards

Adam Grant

Year 2 – Spring Semester 

EDUC 888 – Introduction to Structural Equation Models

PSYC 870 – Psychology of Emotions 

BUSI 853 – Macro Organizational Behavior

William Ware

Barbara Fredrickson

Dick Blackburn

 

(Take Comprehensive Exams)

 

   

The Tables of PhD Courses contains the required seminars and some of the elective courses students may take in the OB PhD Program. For a complete list of graduate courses available at UNC, visit http://www.unc.edu/gradrecord/programs/deptintro.html

 
     

 Core Courses
DescriptionFilter
Individual Behavior in Organizations (Micro OB)
Busi 851Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Analysis of individual behavior, adjustment, and effectiveness. Examination of attitudes, stress, problem solving, decision making, motivation, and personality. Applications to management of human resources.
Macro OB
Busi 853Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Prerequisite, graduate standing in business administration. Intensive study of multiple theories including those taking a rational, behavioral, and/or open systems approach to understanding organizations.  Specifically, the course examines contingency, resource dependence, learning, network, population ecology, institutional, and organizational economic theories.
Groups and Teams
Busi 852Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Intensive critical examination of interpersonal and intergroup behavior, including decision processes, communication, conflict, and conflict resolution in large organizations.
Human Resource Management
Busi 857Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Review the research literature on how firms are made more effective through their people. Coverage includes topic like recruitment, hiring, compensation, socialization, culture, and performance management.
Applied Research Methods 1
Busi 808Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Addresses fundamentals of empirical social science research. Topics include framing a research question, comparing research designs, instrumentation, reliability, validity, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Emphasizes application and analysis.
Applied Research Methods 2
Busi 809Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Continuation of Busi 808. Topics include statistical control, categorical variables, interaction, curvilinear and similarity effects, longitudinal analysis, path analysis, structural equation modeling, and publication. Emphasizes application and analysis.

 Research
DescriptionFilter
Statistics 1
Educ 684Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).

Studies descriptive and inferential statistics for educational research, including an introduction to fundamentals of research design and computer data analysis.

Statistics 2
Educ 784Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Prerequisite, Educ 684 or permission of the instructor. A linear model approach to the analysis of data collected in educational settings. Topics include multiple regression, analysis of variance, and analysis of covariance, using computer packages.
Statistics 3
Educ 884Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Prerequisites, Educ 684, 784. An extension of the general linear model to analysis of educational data with multiple dependent variables, with computer applications.
Introduction to SEM
Educ 888Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Introduction to structural modeling.
Sociology of Organizations
Soci 860Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Prerequisites, permission of the instructor. Structural features of organizations. Behavior in organizations. Organizational career patterns. Comparative analysis of structure, behavior, and careers in different types of organizations. Interorganization and organization-environment relations.
Advanced Survey of Social Psychology
Psych 867Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).

Prerequisites, graduate standing or permission of the instructor. Survey of research and theories of attitude change, interpersonal relations, and small groups.

 Minor
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