PhD FAQs

Jan. 14, 2025, is the final deadline for all application materials for 2025 admissions, including letters of recommendation. Completed applications and application fee must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. U.S. EST on this date.

No.

Yes. Submit a non-refundable fee of $95 with your application.

Application fee waiver requests are managed by the Graduate School and not UNC Kenan-Flagler’s PhD Program. Domestic applicants who meet the criteria detailed here may be eligible.  Kenan-Flagler does not provide any other fee waiver option.

We must receive the following materials (including letters of recommendation) from you by Jan. 4, 2025:

• Your completed online application
• Unofficial transcripts of all college or university work to date
• Three letters of recommendation from professors, employers or associates qualified to evaluate your academic and professional qualifications.  All letters must be uploaded directly by each recommender and cannot be emailed separately to UNC Kenan-Flagler.  Recommenders should follow the instructions that will be emailed to them to complete this process.
  
• Your official GRE or GMAT test scores reported directly by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Must be current and no more than five years old. NOTE: Only applicants who already hold, or will earn prior to any offer of admissions, a research or professional doctorate degree may be exempted from this test requirement. All other applicants must have official scores reported by the ETS. International applicants also must submit official TOEFL or IELTS test scores from the testing center. Must be current and no more than two years old. (No other English Language tests are accepted.) Home based test scores for all required tests are accepted. Waiver requests for the English exam are processed within the online application. Please use these institutional test codes when submitting official scores:
  • GRE: University of North Carolina Graduate School, institution #5816; no departmental code is required
  • GMAT: Kenan-Flagler Business School – PhD Program, code D40-HL-50
  • TOEFL or IELTS: code #5816
• A Statement of Purpose describing how the PhD fits into your future goals
• A current resume/curriculum vitae (CV)
• A $95 non-refundable application fee.  NOTE: Only applicants who meet the criteria detailed here can request an application fee waiver.  Kenan-Flagler does not provide any other fee waiver option.

Please be thorough. We will not process incomplete applications.

GRE/GMAT:  Only applicants who already hold, or will earn prior to any offer of admissions, a research or professional doctorate degree may be exempted from this test requirement.  All other applicants must have official scores reported by the ETS.  Prior coursework, work experience or degrees at the graduate level (e.g. MBA or master’s degrees) does not exempt applicants from submitting these test scores.

TOEFL/IELTS:  International applicants who meet certain criteria as detailed here may be waived from the English Language requirement.  The waiver process is conducted directly within the online application and is managed by UNC’s Graduate School, not Kenan-Flagler’s PhD Program.  No other English Language tests are accepted.

No.

• You can tailor a program that fit your needs and prepare you for success in the academic marketplace.
• You learn from faculty who invested in preparing you for a career as a top researcher. They are your mentors as you learn, research and enter the job market.
• We offer a diverse set of courses not only at the Business School, but at neighboring universities, including Duke and NC State.
• Students choose to major in one of six areas; Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Organizational Behavior, Operations or Strategy and Entrepreneurship. Course requirements include 10 courses in your major and supporting areas and five courses in research methodology. We also expect students will have or acquire knowledge of each of the five functional areas of business, microeconomics and macroeconomics equivalent to that in the first year of an MBA program.
• Your are required to complete a research paper during the summer and fall after your first year in the program. You will work closely with faculty to produce a potentially publishable paper. We will evaluate it much the same way as a journal’s editorial review board would. The paper helps you develop research skills and experience.

You also are required to:

• Complete a summer research paper at the end of your first year in the program
• Pass an area examination in your second year
• Defend your dissertation proposal and final dissertation

Serve as a research and teaching assistant for at least one semester.

No. A bachelor’s degree or equivalent is required. Most applicants have completed some graduate-level work. Having a reasonable command of calculus and familiarity with basic statistics, economics and accounting is helpful.

• Official GRE or GMAT test scores reported directly by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The at Home test scores are accepted. Must be current and no more than five years old. Please use these institutional test codes when submitting official scores:
  • GRE: University of North Carolina Graduate School, institution #5816; no departmental code is required
  • GMAT: Kenan-Flagler Business School – PhD Program, code D40-HL-50
• International applicants must also report official TOEFL or IELTS test scores directly from the testing center. Home Edition test scores are accepted. Must be current and no more than two years old. (No other English Language tests are accepted.) Exemption requests for the English exam are processed within the online application and are only available for three categories detailed here. Please use this institutional test code when submitting official scores:
  • TOEFL or IELTS: code #5816

We do not have a minimum score for the GRE or GMAT, but we give most serious consideration to applicants who score in the 90th-100th percentile. We require a minimum TOEFL test score of 90 and IELTS test score of 7.

No. We prefer to see good grades, particularly in courses related to the area you wish to pursue. We also consider the strength of your undergraduate institution, its grading policies, your major and the trend in your GPA.

On average, students complete the program in five years, even if they have MBAs, but it can vary. Our program includes two years of coursework and approximately three years of research and writing your dissertation.

We have approximately 60 students from 14 countries. Their age ranges from 24 to 45; most are in their mid-20 and early 30s. They plan to pursue academic careers at business schools with strong research programs.

We look for good research skills, self-discipline, seriousness of purpose, a willingness to learn and creativity. We closely review your research statement, recommendations, transcripts and test scores.

Admission is extremely competitive for two reasons. We have high standards academically, and we are careful to make sure there is a good fit between students and faculty advisors.

We only interview short-listed candidates. After reviewing all completed applications, faculty will contact you if they are interested in interviewing you.

We are unable to schedule a meeting with staff/faculty or to have your application materials reviewed prior to submission to see if you qualify or are a good candidate for admission.

Yes, if your test result is more than 5 years old. If you think your test score doesn’t fairly represent your ability, take the test again. If you intend to retake the test, let us know or our decision will be based on your previous score.