Program Requirements:
Technology & Operations Management
Students in TOM generally complete the program in four to five years. Below are the program requirements:
Coursework
Prerequisites
Introduction to Probability and Statistics: All doctoral students enrolled in the TOM DBA program are required to have completed one undergraduate or graduate course in introductory probability and statistics. If this requirement has not been fulfilled prior to matriculation, then an equivalent course will be required in the first term of the student's doctoral program.
Courses meeting this requirement include:
- HKS API-201a. Quantitative Analysis and Empirical Methods.
Doctoral Coursework
A minimum of 13 semester courses at doctoral level, plus unit seminars are required. MBA course requirements are outlined below.
I. Two year-long course sequences (4 courses)
1. Management and Markets: This two semester sequence includes classic works in administrative theory, human motivation and interaction, corporate strategy and organizational design and modern capital markets.
- HBS 4001. Management and Markets: Administration, Human Behavior
- HBS 4003. Management and Markets: Organizational Economics, and Finance.
2. Microeconomics Theory: A comprehensive two semester sequence on economic theory.
- HBS 4010/Economics 2020a. Microeconomic Theory I
- HBS 4011/Economics 2020b. Microeconomic Theory II
II. Research Methods Courses (4 courses)
Students must take one course from each of the following four categories. Pre-approval of the TOM DBA faculty coordinator is required if a student wishes to fulfill these requirements with alternative courses.
Introductory Applied Econometrics: One introductory course in applied econometrics is required. Students who have already taken an introductory applied econometrics course should substitute a more advanced course to fulfill this requirement.
Courses that fulfill this requirement include:
- Econ 1123. Introduction to Econometrics
- Gov 2000. Introduction to Quantitative Methods (usually followed by Gov 2001)
- HKS API-209. Advanced Quantitative Methods I: Statistics (usually followed by HKS API-210)
Intermediate Applied Econometrics: One intermediate course in applied econometrics is required. A more advanced level course may be taken with faculty approval.
Courses that fulfill this requirement include:
- Gov 2001. Advanced Quantitative Research Methodology
- HKS API-210. Advanced Quantitative Methods II: Econometric Models
- MIT 14.387. Topics in Applied Econometrics
Research Design: One course in research design required. This course addresses issues such as causal inference, identification, matching, instrumental variables, regression discontinuity, qualitative versus quantitative approaches, randomization, and field and lab experiments.
Courses that fulfill this requirement include:
- HKS API-208. Program Evaluation: Estimating Program Effectiveness with Empirical Analysis
- Econ 1127. Statistical Methods for Evaluating Causal Effects
Additional Research Methods: One additional research methods course is required from the following list of courses.
- Applied Econometrics: MIT 14.386. New Econometric Models.
- Experimental Methods: Courses include HBS 4430/Econ 2041. Field Experiments; STAT 140. Design of Experiments; and HBS 4160/Econ 2040. Experimental Economics.
- Qualitative Methods: HBS 4070. Design of Field Research Methods.
- Survey Methods: STAT 160. Design and Analysis of Sample Surveys.
- Econometrics Theory: Courses include Econ 2120. Introduction to Applied Econometrics (Econ 2110 may be required as a prerequisite course) or Econ 2140. Econometrics Methods
III. Additional Doctoral Courses (5 courses)
Technology and Operations Management students are required to take five additional doctoral courses.
Innovation-track students are required to complete:
- HBS 4480. Operations Management
- HBS 4540. Management of Technological Innovation; HBS 4825. Innovation and Organizations; OR HBS 4355. Sociological and Organizational Perspectives in Entrepreneurship Research
- Three doctoral elective courses, two of which must be in a single discipline (e.g. economics, sociology, or operations research)
Operations-track students are required to complete:
- HBS 4480. Operations Management
- HBS 4460/AM 221. Advanced Optimization
- HBS 4465. Stochastic Methods
- Two additional elective courses to fulfill the five course requirement.
IV. Seminars
Students are strongly encouraged to attend and participate in seminars throughout their program. In the second year, students are required to attend:
- HBS 4840. DBA Seminar for Technology and Operations Management
Operations-track students are also required to participate in the following seminar at least once during their first or second year. In this seminar, students are exposed to leading research on operations management
- HBS 4842. The Operations Management Reading Group
V. MBA Courses (1 or 5 courses)
Students who do not have an MBA are required to take either the first semester of the MBA program or 15 credits of second-year MBA courses, including one course with a general management focus. Students who have a non-HBS MBA are required to take one approved, full-term (3 credits) second-year MBA course in general management.
Good Academic Standing
To remain in good academic standing, DBA students are expected to maintain a B+ grade point average.
Special Field Exams
At the end of the second year, students are required to pass the Special Field Exam which encompasses the student's primary field of study (Operations Management or Innovation Management) and a more narrowly focused concentration area.
Dissertation Proposal and Dissertation
By the end of their third year, all students must obtain approval of their dissertation proposal . Students are required to write a dissertation, which typically takes the form of three publishable papers. The dissertation defense is oral and open to the public.
Students in TOM often begin research in the summer preceding their first year by working with a TOM faculty member. Students typically begin working on their dissertation research during their third year of study.
