Specializations
PhD in Organizational Behaviour
Courses in this specialization cover the foundations of research and theory in organizational behaviour, psychological processes in organizations, interpersonal and group processes, multilevel dynamics, organizational theory, as well as specialized topics such as conflict and emotions.
Is this Specialization for you?
Discover how this program aligns with your academic or research oriented career goals. Request a virtual one-on-one meeting with a member of our program team.
Program Structure and Content
Each student is required to complete the following courses as well as a research project of publishable quality, present at our annual Smith Grad Student Consortium, comprehensive exams, and present at a research seminar in year 3.
Course offerings change from year to year. This sample stream is not reflective of a guaranteed curriculum but is instead an example of what a curriculum could look like in a given year. Please note the minimum requirement to complete a degree is 27 credits. Many of our area groups will exceed the minimum courses to satisfy job market needs in academia.
With supervisor approval, students can select MGMT specialization courses from other area groups. Electives can be any other MGMT course or a course from another department at the supervisor’s discretion.
Course descriptions are available on the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs website. Any non-MGMT courses are linked below.
Sample Organizational Behaviour PhD Curriculum
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| Core | |
| MGMT 901 Research Foundations | Pass/Fail |
| MGMT 993 Teaching and Learning in Management and Business | Pass/Fail |
| MGMT 989 Major Research Project | Pass/Fail |
| MGMT 994 Upper Year Research Presentation | Pass/Fail |
| MGMT 999 PhD Thesis | Pass/Fail |
| Specialization – MGMT | |
| MGMT 950 Foundations of Research in Organizational Behaviour | 3 |
| MGMT 951 Seminar in Micro-Organizational Behaviour | 3 |
| MGMT 953 Seminar in Meso-Organizational Behaviour | 3 |
| MGMT 958 Advanced Topics in Human Resources Management | 3 |
| Electives – Supervisor Approved MGMT or Other Department | |
| MGMT 952 Advanced Topics in Organization Theory (or other elective) | 3 |
| PSYC 944 Attitudes and Attitude Change (or other elective) | 3 |
| Methods/Related Field | |
| MGMT 800 Statistics I | 3 |
| MGMT 900 Statistics II | 3 |
| MGMT 902 Qualitative Research Method Design | 1.5 |
| MGMT 903 Experimental Research Method Design | 1.5 |
| MGMT 904 Survey Research Method Design | 1.5 |
| Total Credits | 28.5 |
Examples of possible electives from other departments for the Organizational Behaviour specialization include: