Ph.D. in Business Administration with a major in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources

Recent Placements

Auburn University; Baylor University; Boise State University; Kennesaw State University; Michigan State University; Middle Tennessee State University; Northeastern University; University of Missouri; University of New South Wales (Sydney); University of North Texas; Xavier University

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Awards & Honors

John Arnold, Best Convention Paper in the Human Resources Division at the Academy of Management Conference; College of Business Teaching Assistant Award
B. Parker Ellen III, Outstanding Reviewer for the Academy of Management's Organizational Behavior Division; Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology's Conference Student Travel Award.
Samantha Jordan, Editorial Review Board (Journal of Organizational Behavior and Group & Organizational Management)
Liam Maher, Academy of Management Grant and Outstanding Reviewer
Charn McAllister, Society for Human Resource Management Dissertation Research Grant
Josh Palmer, Best Conceptual Paper (Group & Organization Management)
Liwen Zhang, Schmidt-Hunter Meta-Analysis Award (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology)

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Recent Defended Dissertations

• “Understanding the Impact of Pay Transparency on Attracting Talent” by Andrew Keyes; Dr. Samantha Paustian-Underdahl, major professor
• “Is The Ally Helping or Hurting You? An Empirical Research Study on Allyship Experiences of Marginalized Employees” by Yingge Li; Dr. Samantha Paustian-Underdahl and Dr. Shanna Daniels, co-major professors
• “Newly promoted leaders: Role identity management strategies and their effectiveness in new leader transition” by Yufan Deng; Dr. Shanna Daniels and Dr. Gang Wang, co-major professors
• “Politics got you down? Unmet motivational strivings and experienced meaninglessness as consequences of perceptions of organizational politics” by Samantha Jordan; Dr. Jerry Ferris and Dr. Wayne Hochwarter, co-major professors
• “An examination of the role of abusive supervisor behavior on supervisor affect and future behaviors” by Josh Palmer; Dr. Pamela Perrewe and Dr. Gang Wang, co-major professors
• “What Does Behavioral Consistency Really Mean? A Meta-Analysis of Method Factors and Outcomes in Employee Selection” by John Arnold; Dr. Chad Van Iddekinge, major professor
• "Three Essays Examining the Stress Processes of Non-Veterans and Veterans of the United States Military in the Civilian Workplace" by Jeremy Mackey; Dr. Pamela Perrewé, major professor
• “Managing uncertainty: An examination of leadership factors that increase HRM system strength” by David Steffensen, Jr., Dr. Gerald Ferris and Dr. Gang Wang, major professors
• "Do we Measure Human Capital Resources Right? A Meta-analysis of Human Capital Resources Measures" by Liwen Zhang, Dr. Chad Van Iddekinge, major professor

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Selection of Recent Student Publications

Some recent representative publications from current or former students:

• De La Haye, D. C., Daniels, S. R., & Simmons, A. L. (2023). Working after incarceration: An integrative framework of pre- and post-hire experiences of formerly incarcerated individuals. Human Resource Management Review.
• Paustian-Underdahl, S. C., Little, L. M., Mandeville, A. M., Hinojosa, A. S., & Keyes, A. (2024). Examining the role of maternity benefit comparisons and pregnancy discrimination in women's turnover decisions. Personnel Psychology.
• Hochwarter, W., Jordan, S. L., Kapoutsis, I., Franczak, J., Babalola, M. T., Khan, A. K., & Li, Y. (2022). EXPRESS: Sometimes enough is enough: Nurses' nonlinear levels of passion and the influence of politics. Human Relations.
• Hochwarter, W. A., Jordan, S. L., Kiewitz, C., Liborius, P., Lampaki, A., Franczak, J., Deng, Y., Babalola, M.T. and Khan, A.K. (2022). Losing compassion for patients? The implications of COVID-19 on compassion fatigue and event-related post-traumatic stress disorder in nurses. Journal of Managerial Psychology.
• Chawla, N., Gabriel, A. S., Evans, J. B., Rosen, C. C., Koopman, J., Hochwarter, W. A., Palmer, J. C., & Jordan, S. L. (2021). A person-centered view of impression management, inauthenticity, and employee behavior. Personnel Psychology.
• Holmes, R. M., Hitt, M. A., Perrewé, P. L., Palmer, J. C., & Molina-Sieiro, G. (2021). Building cross-disciplinary bridges in leadership: Integrating top executive personality and leadership theory and research. The Leadership Quarterly, 32(1), 101490.
• Gabriel, A. S., Koopman, J., Rosen, C. C., Arnold, J. D., & Hochwarter, W. (2020). Are coworkers getting into the act? An examination of emotion regulation in coworker exchanges. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(8), 907-929.
• Hochwarter, W.A., Rosen, C.C., Jordan, S.L., Ferris, G.R., Ejaz, A., & Maher, L.P. (2020). Perceptions of organizational politics research: Past, present, and future. Journal of Management, 46(6), 879-907.
• Jordan, S. L., Hochwarter, W. A., Palmer, J. C., Daniels, S. R., & Ferris, G. R. (2020). Supervisor narcissistic rage: Political support as an antidote. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 35(7/8) 559–574. 
• Palmer, J. C., Chung, Y., Park, Y., & Wang, G. (2020). Affectivity and riskiness of retirement investment decisions. Personnel Review, 49(9), 2093–2110. 
• Palmer, J. C., Holmes, R. M., & Perrewé, P. L. (2020). The cascading effects of CEO dark triad personality on subordinate behavior and firm performance: A multi-level theoretical model. Group & Organization Management, 45(2), 143–180. 
• Zhang, L. Van Iddekinge, C.H., Arnold, J., Roth, P.L., Lievens, F., Lanivich, S., & Jordan, S.L. (2020). What’s on job seekers’ social media sites? A content analysis and effects of structure on recruiter judgments and predictive validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(12), 1530-1536.
• Jordan, S.L., Ferris, G.R., Wright, T.A., & Hochwarter, W.A. (2019) The roles of grit in organizational science theory and research. Group & Organization Management, 44(2), 320-360.
• Steffensen, D.S., Ellen, B., Wang, G., & Ferris, G. R. (2019). Putting the “management” back in human resource management: A review and agenda for future research. Journal of Management, 45(6), 2387-2418.
• Van Iddekinge, C. H., Arnold, J. D., Frieder, R. E., & Roth, P. L. (2019). A meta-analysis of the criterion-related validity of pre-hire work experience. Personnel Psychology, 72(4), 571-598
• Wang, G., Van Iddekinge, C. H., Zhang, L., & Bishoff, J. (2019). Meta-analytic and primary investigations of the role of followers in ratings of leadership behavior in organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 104(1), 70-106.

Prerequisites

Organizational Behavior and Human Resources doctoral students must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Although many students also have a master's degree in business or a related field (e.g., industrial and organizational psychology), it is not a requirement.

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Major Requirements

All OBHR doctoral students must complete courses in three areas: Tools for Analytical Research (TAR), Primary, and Support.

I. Primary OBHR Coursework
The primary area courses and seminars provide opportunities for in-depth study. OBHR doctoral students must complete the following six (6) primary area seminars.

• MAN 6275 Organizational Behavior
• MAN 6306 Human Resource Management
• MAN 6917 Research Design 
• MAN 6931 Strategy I (Microfoundations)
• MAN 6932 Strategic Management: Literature
• MAN 6933 Special Topics

In addition to these courses, first-year and second-year students will participate in a professional development series that will be an additional registered course in each semester of the first two years of the program. The development series is designed to introduce doctoral students to the roles and responsibilities of faculty, including research ethics, communication with faculty at other universities, the research review process, balancing research, teaching and service, among other topics.

II. Tools and Analytical Research (TAR) Area
OBHR doctoral students take four (4) Tools and Analysis and Research (TAR) courses.

Students must take the following three (3) TAR courses:

• PSY 6919 Research Design Analysis I
• PSY 6919 Research Design Analysis II
• MAN 6934 Data Analysis

Plus, one (1) additional TAR course, such as:

• EDF 5406 Multivariate Analysis
• MAR 6506 Consumer Behavior Methods
• MAR 6636 Qualitative Methods I 
• MAR 6665 Seminar in Marketing Models
• PSY 5916 Multilevel Modeling
• PSY 5916 Structural Equation Modeling

TAR course selection is done in conjunction with student’s adviser and the OBHR doctoral program coordinator, and must be approved by the program coordinator

II. Support Area Coursework
The Support area further develops the student’s research skills.

OBHR students are required to have a support area in research methods and must take the following two (2) courses:

• PSY 5916 Meta-analysis 
• PSY 5916 Psychometrics

 

Sample Course sequence

	Fall	Spring	Summer
Year 1	MAN 6275 Organizational Behavior MAN 6932 Strategic Management: Lit TAR GEB 6931 Professional Development	MAN 6931 Microfoundations MAN 6306 Human Resources Management  TAR/Support  GEB 6931 Professional Development	GEB 6904 Readings for Exam MAN 8964 Preliminary Exam  Defend 2nd-year paper (mid-May; submit paper a week in advance) Take written portion of comprehensive exams (by mid-July at the latest) Oral exams follow shortly thereafter (if necessary)
Year 2	MAN 6934 Data Analysis TAR/Support TAR/Support  GEB 6931 Professional Development	MAN 6917 Research Design MAN 6933 Special Topics  TAR/Support GEB 6931 Professional Development	Defend 2nd-year paper (mid-May; submit paper a week in advance) Take written portion of comprehensive exams (by mid-July at the latest)
Year 3	Dissertation	Dissertation Teach 1 course	Dissertation
Year 4	Defend dissertation proposal	Dissertation	Dissertation Submit job applications; interview at AOM Continue collecting and analyzing dissertation data
Year 5	Dissertation Interview for jobs	Defend dissertation

 

Admission decisions are made by the college’s Doctoral Admissions Committee and are based on a combination of factors, including prior academic record from accepted universities; GRE or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores taken within the past five years; letters of recommendation; experience; record of accomplishments. Admission is competitive and focused on students with grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher and GMAT scores of at least 555 (600 on GMAT exams prior to 2024) or GRE scores of at least 155 on each section of the revised test.

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Application Checklist

I. The following items should be submitted through the Florida State Graduate Application portal, available exclusively online at admissions.fsu.edu/gradapp:

• Non-refundable $30 application fee.
• Statement of Purpose (2-3 pages).
• Submit a current resume or C.V.
• Three (3) required references included in your application portal. This will generate an automated email sent to your references by our system to request that they submit a recommendation for you and answer a series of standardized questions.

II. The following items should be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office, 222 S. Copeland St./314 Westcott Building, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410 or to graduateadmissions@fsu.edu:

• One (1) official transcript from all colleges and universities attended (FSU transcripts are not necessary for FSU alumni, students). International applicants are required to submit an official NACES course-by-course transcript evaluation. Unofficial transcripts for U.S. institutions may be uploaded to your application for initial review. International transcripts must be an official NACES course-by-course transcript evaluation. Official test score. Please see the below section for International Applicants for more information.
• Request official GMAT or GRE scores. The code to send GMAT scores to Florida State is PN8K567, and the code to send GRE scores is 5219.
• English Language Proficiency scores are an FSU requirement for international applicants whose native language is not English or who have not completed an undergraduate or graduate degree from a U.S. institution or other institution where English is the required language of instruction; therefore, it cannot be waived). The code to send TOEFL scores to Florida State is 5219.

Test scores will only be considered official if sent directly from the testing service. The code for ETS to send (GRE and TOEFL) scores to FSU is 5219. The code to send GMAT scores to FSU is PN8K567. 

Transcripts and test scores should be sent to graduateadmissions@fsu.edu or: 
Graduate Admissions Office
222 S. Copeland St.
314 Westcott Building
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410
USA

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International Applicants

International applicants should visit gradschool.fsu.edu/admissions/international-admissions for information concerning financial responsibilities, degree equivalency, etc.

English Language Proficiency ExamInternational applicants whose native language is not English or who have not completed an undergraduate or graduate degree from a U.S. institution or other institution where English is the required language of instruction are required to take an English Language Proficiency exam and submit official test results in order to be admitted to Florida State University. The College of Business accepts all of the following examinations taken within the past two (2) years:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): a minimum score of 600 on the paper-based test and 100 on the internet-based test
• International English Language Testing System (Academic IELTS): minimum score of 7
• Pearson Test of English (PTE): minimum score of 66
• Duolingo: minimum score of 120 (Summer 2022 through Summer 2025)
• Cambridge C1 Advanced Level: minimum score of 180 (Fall 2022 and forward)
• Michigan Language Assessment: minimum score of 55 (Fall 2022 and forward)

In addition, international graduate applicants seeking teaching assistantships are required to pass a test of spoken English.

Transcript Evaluation Requirement
The Office of Graduate Admissions requires all international students to submit an official course-by-course evaluation of all academic records from non-U.S. institutions prior to application review. This verifies degree equivalency and serves in place of additional official or unofficial transcripts. This evaluation must be done by a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES): www.naces.org. FSU offers a partnership with The Evaluation Company (formerly SpanTran), our preferred credential evaluation service, which allows a streamlined process at a discounted rate. More information about this process is available after you submit the first part of your graduate application.

Ph.D. students typically take 27-33 credit hours each year. Here are the estimated program costs for the 2025-2026 academic year:

• Florida residents: $479.32 (tuition plus fees) per credit hour. Total estimated program cost is $12,941.64 - $15,817.56 per year.
• Non-Florida residents: $1,173.86 (tuition plus fees) per credit hour. Total estimated program cost is $31,694.22 - $38,737.38 per year.

Note: These costs do not include required books, supplies for courses, or required health insurance. Costs are subject to change. Fees above do not include some per-term flat fees for FSUCard and facilities use. For a breakdown of on-campus student fees and their explanations, visit the university’s Tuition Rates page.

The doctoral program is a full-time program that lasts four to five years. Students should plan to live in the Tallahassee area year-round, including summers. Our program is not set up for individuals who wish to take courses part time or online.

The College of Business awards financial assistance to applicants based on academic criteria and performance. The goal of the college is to provide assistantships and/or fellowships to all of our admitted doctoral students, subject to overall enrollment and fiscal limitations. Most doctoral students who request funding, who maintain a satisfactory level of academic and work performance, and who are in residence receive financial assistance from the college. Annual stipends and supplementary assistance such as travel expenses for conference attendance will vary among cohorts and programs. Students who are not Florida residents (including international students) should note that tuition waivers associated with assistantships cover the out-of-state portion of their tuition for the duration of the program. U.S. residents have the option of changing residency, if so desired. Please note that waivers do not cover all fees.
 
Doctoral students on assistantship are supported for four full academic years, contingent upon satisfactory performance in the program. Eligibility for fifth-year support is considered for a student having made substantial progress toward placement at a research-oriented university. For a full list of Florida State University funding and awards, visit gradschool.fsu.edu. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit all completed application materials before January 15 to be eligible for additional funding opportunities at the university level.

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Awards/Scholarships

The College of Business awards financial assistance to applicants based on academic criteria and performance. There are various scholarships available for graduate students. Visit our graduate scholarships page to learn more.

(Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit all completed application materials before January 15 to be eligible for additional funding opportunities at the university level.)

• For a full list of Florida State University funding and awards, visit gradschool.fsu.edu
• For more information on Florida State University's research and research funding, visit research.fsu.edu
• For more information on Florida State University's graduate fellowships and awards, visit ogfa.fsu.edu