Management Sciences

Admission Requirements

Entrance requirements for study for the PhD degree are:

• A Master's degree with at least an A-average and evidence of ability to pursue independent research
• TOEFL/TWE
• Applicants who have not completed three or more years of post-secondary work at a Canadian institution, or at an institution at which English was the language of instruction, will be required to provide certification of English language proficiency.
  Minimum TOEFL score is 580 or 237
  Minimum TWE score is 4.5
• Minimum IBT TOEFL score is 92, plus 24 minimum in the Speaking and Writing sections

Information about other accepted examinations of English Language can be found on the English Language Proficiency page.

• Three academic letters of reference. If the applicant has been working for several years, one business reference will be accepted along with two academic references. Referees will be emailed to complete and submit the official University of Waterloo Graduate Studies Reference form.
• All applicants must submit a copy of their resume or curriculum vitae.
• All applicants must submit a "Statement of Purpose" - a one page statement addressing your academic background, area of research interest, proposed research studies.

When an offer of admission is made, a PhD student will have faculty supervision and financial support. 

Degree Requirements

The PhD degree is awarded for the accomplishment of independent and original research and reporting thereon in a dissertation.

The normal requirements for the PhD degree are as follows:

All students in the Doctoral program must demonstrate competency in the material covered by the following three courses:

• MSCI 603 Principles of Operations Research,
• MSCI 605 Organizational Theory and Behaviour,
• MSCI 607 Economic Concepts for Management.

Competency can be established in any General Requirement course either by taking the course or by passing a written exam, administered by the instructor assigned to teach the General Requirements course in that year.

In addition to the General Requirements, PhD students must:

• take at least three courses (.50 unit weight per course) at the 600 or 700- level, with an overall average of at least 73%, and a maximum of one course grade under 70%. (These courses may include courses offered by other departments.)
• Pass a comprehensive examination, normally taken within 16 months of commencing the program. This examination will focus on three issues: (1) suitability of the proposed thesis topic; (2) adequacy of the preparation of the student for completing the proposed research; and (3) knowledge of the fundamental concepts of the management sciences,
• Submit and defend a thesis.