Admissions Policies

Our program is only for full-time students. A full-time student is expected to complete the course work requirements in two years; this requires three or four courses each semester, participation in Summer Paper Seminars in each of the first two years, and regular participation in the Professional Development Program (see Program Requirements). The student must pass a qualifying examination shortly after completing the course work and spend the next two years working on a dissertation. Students who enter the program on a full-time basis must have permission of the Program Director in order to switch to part-time (fewer than 9 credits per semester) status.

By accepting admission as full-time students, applicants commit themselves not to take or continue paid employment, even self-employment, outside the university. Our faculty have the highest standards of performance at the doctoral level, and in order to meet those standards, full-time students must really study full-time.

If you are not a doctoral student in the Rutgers Business School, you need permission from the instructor and the program director to enroll in one of our doctoral courses. Permission should be requested from Assistant Dean Gonçalo Filipe at 973-353-5371.

Permission is usually granted to students in other doctoral or masters programs at Rutgers or NJIT.

Students who are not in any degree program may also ask to enroll in our courses. Permission is usually granted, up to a limit of four courses, if the instructor feels that the student adds value to the class for other students. To apply for non-degree study, go to Graduate School-Newark's Non-degree Graduate Student Program. The application is not competitive and does not require a review of the applicant’s credentials other than official transcripts of an undergraduate degree. Students who take courses on a non-degree basis are not given any preference in our regular admissions process, but the non-degree study provides an opportunity for the student to learn about the nature of academic research in business and for the faculty to make a better judgment about the student’s potential if they later apply for admission.

In some cases, a doctoral student in a department outside the Rutgers Business School (RBS) may simultaneously satisfy the requirements of his or her home program and one of the ten concentrations in the RBS doctoral program. In this case, the student will be awarded a single PhD joint in the home program and in the RBS major. The student’s transcript will be annotated to indicate that the student has satisfied the requirements of both PhD programs.

For more information, see Joint PhDs with other Rutgers Programs

Only complete applications for admission will be considered. Consideration is guaranteed only for applications completed by February 1st. The only scheduled meetings of our faculty admissions committees are following the stated deadlines.

Because an application is not complete until official GMAT or GRE scores are received, arrangements should be made to sit for these examinations well in advance of the deadlines.

When completing the Application for Graduate Admission, the applicant indicates whether he or she wishes to be considered for financial aid. Only applicants for full-time study are considered for financial aid. Consideration for financial aid is only for applicants for fall admission whose applications are completed by the February 1st deadline.

Rutgers University supports the resolution of the Council of Graduate Schools, which sets April 15 as earliest date at which institutions will ask potential graduate students to decide whether to accept offers of financial support. Acceptances after April 15 are considered binding.

In addition to the financial aid offered by the program, U.S. citizens and permanent residents only may apply for need-based grants, loans, or work-study. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be completed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

After completing the electronic admissions application, please send us the non-refundable application fee of U.S. $70.00, payable by check or money order to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Complete applications that have been received by the official deadline will be processed and reviewed by the program. All application materials become the property of Rutgers University and cannot be returned.

It is your responsibility to send all required materials to the Program Office by the official deadline. We cannot notify you of missing items, nor can we track individual documents that have been separately mailed. The program office can answer questions about the status of your application, but answers may be slow because of the large number of inquiries.

The Director of the Doctoral Program has final authority for decisions. Admission committees recommend admission after reviewing applications and supporting credentials. The program office will notify you of the official admission decision and provide registration information. Only the written correspondence you receive from the program office constitutes an official approval of admission.

International Students: International students applying for admission without financial aid from the university must document total financial resources for four years after they are admitted and accept the admissions offer.

Multiple Applications: You may apply to another Rutgers program by submitting a separate fee, application, and set of supporting documents per the admissions process of that program. Our admissions system operates independently of other programs.

Non-degree Application: With the permission of the Program Director and the instructor, a student may enroll in a course on a non-degree basis. This permission will be granted only when the instructor and Director believe that the student is outstanding enough to add value to the class for other students.

Students who qualify and wish to study on a non-degree basis should not use this application. Instead, they should request the application for non-degree study from the Graduate Admissions Office. Test scores, transcripts, and letters of recommendation are not required.

Rutgers University Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment

This Policy discusses the university's prohibitions against discrimination and harassment based upon membership in enumerated protected classes, as well as the prohibitions against retaliation based upon the exercise of rights pursuant to the policy. The scope of the policy, as well as definitions of harassment and discrimination, and process for reporting violations is set forth at http://policies.rutgers.edu/sites/policies/files/00004529.PDF  

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. Sex discrimination includes sexual harassment and sexual assault. While it is often thought of as a law that applies to athletics programs, Title IX is much broader than athletics and applies to many programs at Rutgers. This policy also references the process for reporting violation of the policy. Additional information on Title IX is available at http://compliance.rutgers.edu/title-ix. The Student Code of Conduct can be viewed at http://judicialaffairs.rutgers.edu/university-code-of-student-conduct.