Stanford's Graduate School of Business offers the Doctor of Philosophy degree for those seeking academic research and teaching careers in the study of management. The School's faculty are dedicated to research at the frontiers of their fields, and professors involved in the Ph.D. Program number about 100. The Ph.D. student body is a gathering of approximately 100 men and women working in seven different fields of study. This excellent faculty-to-student ratio fosters close interaction between students and faculty; a shift from student to colleague characterizes the Ph.D. program experience.

The intensity of the Program demands energy and zeal in the pursuit of greater understanding, and a willingness to master the behavioral, economic, and mathematical sciences that are the essential components of academic research in business-related disciplines. Such preparation reaches its culmination in the original research presented in a candidate's doctoral dissertation, and conferral of the Ph.D. in Business signifies that he or she has attained expert competence in a major field of management study.

Each student in the Program chooses to concentrate in one of seven available fields of study. Field liaisons—and later, dissertation advisor,—play a key role in guiding students through the Program. Although a student's primary coursework and research activities are concentrated in the field of specialization, this does not limit the range of a student's study; cross-disciplinary study is frequent and encouraged. Regular conferences between the student and faculty advisor are instrumental in helping the student to map a blueprint for study that integrates both required and elective coursework and reflects a student's unique interests.

The Graduate School of Business Ph.D. Program invites diversity in the scholarly community. A significant number of the Ph.D. student body have joined the Program from abroad, and a variety of personal and professional backgrounds is represented. These backgrounds range from individuals with substantial experience in management and/or industry to those newly graduated from undergraduate programs such as economics, mathematics, or psychology. A profile of the entering class can be found in the Admissions section.