Management Ph.D. graduates thrive in tough academic job market

Terry’s reputation for research helps raise the prospects for Ph.D. candidates
Terry College management doctoral candidates

The Terry College of Business Department of Management secured a 100% job placement rate for its graduating doctoral candidates this fall.

Despite budget cuts and hiring freezes at many universities, graduates accepted positions on the management faculties at the University of South Carolina, Arizona State University and Pennsylvania State University.

“We work to sustain a culture that supports research by removing or reducing any barriers, and our Ph.D. graduates have come out of this challenging year with fantastic placements,” said Robert Vandenberg, the Robert O. Arnold Professor of Business and head of the Department of Management.

The Department of Management at the Terry College of Business ranked No. 1 for research productivity in 2019 out of 150 U.S. business schools, according to the TAMUGA Rankings.

The department values a high level of engagement between faculty and doctoral students. As a result, graduate students work on a wide variety of projects while they are at UGA, typically including publication of their own first-authored research projects. Most Ph.D. students graduate with at least one paper accepted by a top-tier publication, and faculty mentors help Ph.D. candidates develop their academic networks and presentation skills to excel at conferences, which pays dividends on the job market.

PhD candidates who graduate in spring 2021 include:

• Rachel Burgess, who accepted a tenure-track position at Arizona State University. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University in 2016 and completed her Ph.D. in organizational behavior this year.

• Edwyna Hill, who accepted a tenure-track position at the University of South Carolina. She earned a bachelor’s degree and MBA from the University of Florida and completed her Ph.D. in organizational behavior this year.

• Eric Lee, who accepted a tenure-track position at the Pennsylvania State University. He earned an MBA from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, in 2016 and completed his Ph.D. in strategy and entrepreneurship this year.