Placement

The primary purpose of the GSU Ph.D. program in J. Mack Robinson College of Business is to educate students for faculty positions at major colleges and universities. With regard to securing a faculty position upon graduation, the most important criteria are a demonstrated ability to conduct business research, teaching abilities, and communication skills. The ability to research is established through the writing of a meaningful dissertation that contributes to knowledge and a preliminary record of presentations and publications. Teaching abilities are honed through GTA or TI experience.

The better universities tend not to accept new faculty members on an "ABD" (All But Dissertation) status; thus a student should plan to defend the dissertation prior to starting the employment process. In considering teaching positions, the student should develop criteria that s/he considers most important in evaluating potential employers.

The Process 

Most universities will attempt to bring in new faculty during the fall term. The recruitment process for these positions is initiated the previous fall, so the student should be prepared to start looking for a position a full year in advance. Students might want to attend one or more of the summer or fall conferences that have active student placement services. Early registration for placement services through these conferences is often required. A printed "placement roster" of available positions is available through some of the professional societies. The substantive content of a resume is, of course, most important, but a good format can also make a positive first impression.

As part of the recruitment process, the student may be invited to an on-campus interview at one or more universities. During such interviews, the student will likely be asked to make a presentation of his/her research interests. Most likely, the presentation will be on the dissertation proposal and preliminary findings. It is not expected that the student present the final dissertation results, since the dissertation will not likely be complete for several months.

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