Navigating the UCLA Anderson PhD Program: A Comprehensive Guide to Requirements

Embarking on a Ph.D. program is a significant step in one's academic and professional career. The UCLA Anderson School of Management's Ph.D. program is designed for individuals serious about advancing the understanding of business disciplines through rigorous research, offering the opportunity to train with world-renowned scholars and the next generation of researchers. This article will explore the various requirements for the UCLA Anderson Ph.D. program, covering admission criteria, academic expectations, and program milestones.

Application and Admission

The first step towards joining the UCLA Anderson Ph.D. program is the application process. The online application will guide you through all the necessary steps, allowing you to pause and return at any time. UCLA strongly discourages using agents in this process. The application for graduate admission should be used to apply for the Ph.D. program.

Initial Application Requirements

If you are applying to UCLA as a graduate student for the first time, or if you have applied before but were not admitted, you must complete all parts of the application. If you filed an application for graduate admission at UCLA within the last year and were admitted but did not register, be sure to select Renewal from the dropdown menu at Application Type in the application. Submit only the application, and any additional or updated information or records. After the first renewal, the application fee must be submitted with each subsequent application. If you have ever registered as a graduate student at UCLA, whether you completed a graduate program or not, complete all parts of the application. Formal application for readmission is not required of a student returning from an official leave of absence.

Application Fee Waivers

Applicants sponsored by the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship Program are eligible for a deferral of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, select PPIA under Program Participation. Participants in other programs may also be eligible for fee waivers. Event-based waivers may waive the application fee for PhD and state-supported doctoral programs. Inquire about event-based fee waivers at designated conferences and recruitment events.

Ethical Conduct

As an applicant, you must adhere to UCLA’s Student Code of Conduct. The Code applies to applicants who become students for offenses committed during the application process.

Read also: UCLA Anderson Guide

Essays and Personal Statements

Admissions committees are keen to hear your voice, focusing on your academic goals, personal experiences, and unique perspective. These elements are what make your essay compelling. Your application must be truthful and reflect your own work. Essays that rely heavily, or entirely, on AI may be treated as academic dishonesty. Your story, in your own words, is the most powerful part of your application.

The statement of purpose is an integral part of your application for graduate admission. It is used to understand your academic interests, and to evaluate your aptitude and preparation for graduate work, as well as your fit with the proposed program of study. Your statement of purpose will be used in conjunction with your application for consideration for graduate admission and financial support. Address the following questions:

What is your purpose in applying for graduate study in your specified degree program?
What experiences have prepared you for advanced study or research in this degree program? What relevant skills have you gained from these experiences?
Why is the UCLA graduate program to which you are applying the best place for you to pursue your academic goals?

The Personal Statement is an opportunity for you to provide additional information that may aid the selection committee in evaluating your preparation and aptitude for graduate study at UCLA. Consider the following questions:

Are there educational, personal, cultural, economic, or social experiences, not described in your Statement of Purpose, that have shaped your academic journey? If so, how?
Describe challenge(s) or barriers that you have faced in your pursuit of higher education.

Academic Prerequisites

The faculty of each graduate program evaluate applicants who meet the minimum requirements and recommend a selection from among them. A key requirement is a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, comparable in standard and content to a bachelor’s degree from the University of California. Graduate admission through the regular process requires an overall scholastic average, including any post-baccalaureate study, of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better, or its equivalent if the letter grade system is not used. However, through the “Dean’s Special Action” (DSA) process, departments are able to admit applicants who do not meet this GPA requirement when other aspects of the applicant’s file suggest readiness for graduate study. The DSA process requires no additional action on the applicant’s part; it is at the department’s discretion to initiate it.

Standardized Tests

GMAT or GRE scores are required for the MBA, FEMBA, MFE, and MSBA programs. The Executive Assessment (EA) is also accepted for the FEMBA program for candidates with 8+ years of work experience. Note that a STEM Master’s degree, JD, MD, CPA, or extensive quantitative experience can waive the exam requirement for the EMBA program. The test must have been taken within five (5) years of the submission date of the UCLA Graduate Division online application. The minimum score for the TOEFL iBT is 87 out of 120.

Transcripts and Recommendations

Hard copies of official documents and transcripts are NOT required in the application phase. However, you will need to provide two letters of recommendation to support your application.

Deadlines and Notifications

Be sure to consult your specific UCLA graduate program for the specific deadline for your proposed major. Applications to some programs may be considered if received after a program’s stated deadline, provided that the enrollment limitations have not been exceeded. Decisions for fall applications are announced starting in February and continuing through Summer. Each program has a different review period that follows its admission deadline. Although sometimes casually referred to as such, April 15th is not a deadline for graduate decision notification.

Admission Decisions and Deferrals

Submitted application materials are reviewed by faculty admissions committees in each major program who select the best qualified applicants. These admissions committees base recommendations for admission upon a careful comparison of applications, and this may take considerable time. Recruitment, Outreach and Admissions, therefore, cannot guarantee that the applicant will receive a response, favorable or unfavorable, on or before any specific date. If you applied to UCLA before (or were an employee or a student), there may be a mismatch between your name or other personal data on the application and what is already in UCLA’s database. Many of these discrepancies (such as a name change) are resolved by the Division of Graduate Education staff without further need for communication, and the situation does not impede review of your application by the program.

In most cases, UCLA does not offer deferrals for graduate admission. However, there are exceptions:

Active military service: Admitted students with active military orders may request a deferral for the duration of their service.
Graduate Council-approved temporary allowances: On occasion, the Graduate Council may authorize programs to offer deferrals under specific circumstances.

Program Structure and Requirements

The UCLA Anderson Doctoral Program is a full-time program and is not geared to working professionals. Part-time student status is not permitted. The program is designed to be completed in four years, though it often takes students a fifth year to complete degree requirements. Students are typically offered TA and RA positions.

Read also: Anderson School's Part-Time MBA

Advising and Program Monitoring

Doctoral students may earn a M.S. degree on their way toward their Ph.D. Students are advised by their area liaison and doctoral faculty adviser. The overall adviser of the program is the Senior Associate Dean, M.S./Ph.D. Students are required to submit Proposal of Study forms by the end of their second quarter. These forms list the courses students expect to take to fulfill the requirements of the program. The M.S./Ph.D. Program Office conducts a quarterly review of student progress, based on study forms and transcripts. Students who are having scholastic difficulty or who are not making sufficient progress are asked to discuss their situation with the Senior Associate Dean. All conversations with the Senior Associate Dean relating to progress are documented; copies are sent to the student’s adviser, and records are kept in the student’s file in the M.S./Ph.D.

Coursework Requirements

The research preparation requirement consists of two parts: (1) a course requirement and (2) a research paper. Students are required to take five research courses which are not part of the major field area classes taught in the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management. These courses must be at least 4 units, and letter-graded. These courses must be completed before taking the oral qualifying examination and may not be waived by prior graduate work.

The breadth requirement consists of eight courses which are clearly outside the major field area. These courses must be at least 4 units, and letter graded. Students should use these courses to become more knowledgeable about the basic elements of several other management disciplines and functional areas or to define a minor field of research and teaching proficiency. A maximum of three of the eight required breadth courses can be waived based on previous graduate work from a previously earned master’s degree.

Each of the eight academic areas has a different list of required major field courses (most of which are letter-graded, with the exception of workshops/seminars, which are S/U-graded) that is designed to prepare the student to pass the major field examination.

Examinations and Candidacy

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. Proficiency in the major field area is determined by a written examination, supplemented in some areas by an oral examination. Students are required to present the substance of their dissertation proposal in a formal seminar to which all Ph.D. students are invited. When all the preliminary requirements have been fulfilled (course work, research paper, major field examination, seminar), students are eligible to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination and, if passed, to be advanced to candidacy.

Time to Degree and Academic Standing

The program is designed to take five years (15 quarters) from graduate admission to awarding of the degree. Completion of the degree cannot exceed seven and one-half years (23 quarters). A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. The minimum standard of performance of the school exceeds the University’s minimum grade point average of 3.00. A student is given written notification of approaching deadlines.

The decision to recommend academic disqualification is made by the Senior Associate Dean in consultation with the faculty in the student’s area of specialization. A student may appeal a recommendation for academic disqualification through a request to the Dean of the school to appoint a faculty committee to review it.

Additional Resources and Opportunities

Housing and Parking

There is a variety of both University and privately-owned housing available to UCLA graduate students. Student parking assignments are made on a need-based point system that considers such factors as class standing and commute distance, and favors those students who demonstrate the greatest need.

Summer Sessions

The UCLA Summer Sessions offer approximately 500 undergraduate and graduate courses each summer.

Disability Services

The University of California, Los Angeles actively encourages persons with disabilities to apply for admission. Federal Law (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) prohibits the University from requesting disability related information prior to admission.

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