Logistics, Business, and Public Policy

PhD in Logistics & Transportation

Introduction
Admissions
Program Structure and Requirements
Research Paper Requirements
Steps in the Doctoral Program
Financial Aid
Faculty
Computer Resources
Further Information

The doctoral program in Logistics and Transportation is designed to produce outstanding scholars in the fields of logistics, transportation, and supply chain management. Graduates of the program are well-qualified to take academic positions in colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. Recent graduates have accepted full time positions at the following academic institutions: University of Kentucky, University of Texas at San Antonio, Arizona State University, Ohio State University, Lehigh University, University of Minnesota, University of Houston, Air Force Institute of Technology, George Mason University and National Technical University of Taiwan. Students in the PhD program achieve excellence through: (1) extensive preparation in the major, a related minor, and associated research tools (primarily statistics or operations research); (2) joint research with faculty; (3) independent research culminating in a doctoral dissertation; and (4) the teaching of courses for undergraduate majors in logistics, transportation, and supply chain management.

2. ADMISSIONS

The Logistics and Transportation faculty at the Robert H. Smith School of Business seeks to attract PhD students with strong academic credentials interested in pursuing academic careers. Applicants should have a strong interest in both research and teaching. Only students willing to work on their PhD on a fulltime basis will be considered for admission. No part time students will be admitted into the program. Competition for spots in the Logistics and Transportation PhD program is keen. In recent years, 30-40 applications have been received for admission into the Logistics and Transportation PhD program but only two or three students per year have been admitted. Admission totals depend on the quality of the applicant pool and the availability of resources to support students. Although the completion of a master’s level degree is not a requirement for admission to the PhD program in Logistics and Transportation, it is one criterion used to assess the potential ability of applicants to complete the PhD program. Other criteria used to assess applicants include: interest in pursuing an academic career in logistics and transportation; relevant academic and work experience; math, verbal, and oral communication skills; and English language abilities.

Applicants seeking admission into the Logistics and Transportation PhD program should follow the procedures outlined on the website of the Robert H. Smith School of Business PhD program. The required "Statement of Purpose" should indicate the applicant's career intentions and program goals as closely as possible. Preparation in differential and integral calculus (2 semesters of calculus) is an admission requirement. All applicants must be interviewed as part of the admissions process. Interviews will take place either face-to-face or over the telephone.

Applications to the Logistics and Transportation PhD program will be considered during the spring semester, generally during March and April. Interviews will take place during that time. Admission decisions are made by the Logistics and Transportation faculty subject to approval by the Director of the PhD program and the availability of financial aid as determined by the Dean’s Office.

3. PROGRAM STRUCTURE AND REQUIREMENTS

Each student develops a detailed Program Plan in consultation with the Logistics and Transportation PhD Advisor and the Director of the PhD Program. The process of program planning can begin at the time of application and continue at orientation/registration. A complete Program Plan should be in force for each student by the end of the first semester, and subsequent modifications require explicit approval.

Formal transfer credit is not granted; however, course work successfully completed at other institutions may be accepted as fulfilling some part of the Program Plan, with the approval of the PhD Director and the Logistics and Transportation PhD Advisor. As the Graduate School Handbook emphasizes, a doctoral degree is "earned by competence" (as demonstrated in exams and research), not by the completion of course requirements alone.

The Logistics and Transportation Doctoral Program consists of the following four elements:

1. Major field – Logistics & Transportation (18 credits)
2. Minor field (12 credits)
3. Research tools (12 credits)
4. Additional course requirements which vary depending on the educational background of the student but may include a graduate course in economics, two MBA core courses, and a research methods course. A student wishing to pursue a double major would need to take 18 credits in a second major field (instead of 12 credits for a minor field) increasing total requirements by 6 credits.

Both major and minor field courses are typically satisfied by taking doctoral seminars. Although the title and content of the logistics and transportation doctoral seminar are subject to change, the six major field seminars may be as follows:

1. Logistics Research
2. Supply Chain Research
3. Supply Chain and Information Technology
4. Logistics Modeling
5. Industrial Organization
6. Transportation and Supply Chain Economics

In each of the seminars, students read relevant research papers and are tested on their knowledge of these papers. As well, students are required to write research papers for each of the seminars.

Students are encouraged to choose a minor field that fits well with their academic interests. Minor fields that work well with Logistics and Transportation majors include Marketing, Management Science, Information Systems, and Strategic Management.

4. RESEARCH PAPER REQUIREMENTS

Conducting high quality research is an integral part of the doctoral program, and writing publication-quality research papers is an important component of the doctoral seminars in logistics and transportation. As part of the curriculum, each student is required to write one research paper in the first year of his/her program and a second research paper in the second year of his/her program. The grades received on these papers count towards course grades. In addition, students are expected to submit the research papers to reputable refereed journals; i.e., one submission at the end of the first year of the program and one at the end of the second year, after receiving permission from the logistics and transportation faculty. Students must meet this requirement in a timely manner to remain in good standing in the program.

5. STEPS IN THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM

Course Work – A typical path toward completion of a PhD degree would begin with two to three years of course work. This time will vary depending upon a student's background and requirements.
Paper Requirements - Two research papers must be submitted to acceptable refereed journals before comprehensive exams are taken.
Comprehensive Exam – After Logistics and Transportation major credit requirements are completed, typically after two years of course work, and the paper requirements are met, students write their comprehensive exam. The general policy is that the comprehensive exam is subdivided into six questions, each testing knowledge from one of the Logistics and Transportation seminars.
Oral Comprehensive Exam – An oral exam is only required if the student earns less than a grade of pass on the written comprehensive exam.
PhD Dissertation Proposal – The dissertation proposal is defended by a PhD candidate after the student has made progress on defining a dissertation topic and writing about the proposed topic. All faculty and other PhD students are invited to attend and participate in the proposal defense.
PhD Dissertation Defense – The final step is for the candidate is to complete the thesis research and defend the results. The dissertation must exhibit the candidate's competence in analysis, interpretation, and presentation of research findings, and should be a major contribution to the literature. The candidate must defend the dissertation in a public defense.

The typical time for completion of the PhD program is 4-5 years of fulltime work. Throughout the PhD program a student will have the opportunity to discuss plans and progress with a number of faculty members. In addition there will be an annual review of the student’s progress with the Logistics and Transportation PhD advisor.

6. FINANCIAL AID

Please see the PhD Program Web site for a discussion of financial aid.

7. FACULTY

National prominence among leading universities requires, among other things, a strong faculty research orientation. Maryland's faculty clearly has this orientation and the research efforts of faculty members has led to numerous publications in leading academic journals. The members of the Logistics and Transportation faculty are also active in various editorial and reviewing capacities for the leading journals. High quality teaching is an essential requirement demanded of our Logistics and Transportation faculty and the faculty's teaching efforts has consistently ranked among the best in the College. Logistics and Transportation faculty members include the following:

JOSEPH P. BAILEY (Decision and Information Technology faculty member)
PhD, Technology, Management and Policy
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Bailey’s research and teaching interests span issues in telecommunications, economics, and public policy with an emphasis on the economics of the Internet. This area includes an identification of the existing public policies, technologies, and market opportunities that promote the benefits of interoperability. Bailey is currently studying issues related to the economics of electronic commerce and how the Internet changes competition and supply chain management.

SANDOR BOYSON
PhD, Technology Planning, University of Sussex

Boyson is a director of the Supply Chain Management Center. He recently served as director of a three-year, $1 million project on logistics best practices for the U.S. Department of Energy that involved the LBPP faculty and more than 600 firms. The findings have been published in a book co-authored with Tom Corsi, Logistics and the Extended Enterprise: Benchmarks and Best Practices for the Manufacturing Professional (1998, John Wiley & Sons). Boyson’s current projects include comprehensive surveys on physical and electronic supply chain management and research on net-centricity management practices. He has served as a senior technology management consultant and research study leader for major organizations. Boyson’s research has been highlighted in the Harvard Business Review and the Journal of Commerce. He has published more than 20 articles and two books on information technology, and is a founding and present editor of Technology Management.

THOMAS M. CORSI
PhD, Transportation Geography, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Corsi is a director of the group’s Supply Chain Management Center. His major areas of research deal with the strategies and policies of motor carriers in a dynamic environment, including a focus on safety management policies and programs. In addition, he has been involved in an assessment of industry best practices in logistics/supply chain management. He has published over 85 articles in the leading journals in logistics and transportation, is an associate editor of the Logistics and Transportation Review, and serves on the editorial board of Transportation Journal. Corsi has consulted for numerous federal and state agencies as well as major national trade associations and private sector firms. He is co-author of two books: one dealing with the effects of surface freight deregulation (with Winston, Grimm, and Evans) and the other dealing with logistics best practices (with Boyson).

MARTIN E. DRESNER
PhD, Policy Analysis, University of British Columbia

Dr. Dresner’s research focuses on public policy, economic, strategy, and technology issues in transportation and logistics. He has published over forty academic papers, reviews, and articles on transportation and logistics. His papers have been published in the leading journals in the field. He is the Series Editor of Research in Transportation Economics, on the editorial board of Transportation Research (Part D – Environmental Issues) and Transportation Journal, and is an examiner for the American Society of Transportation and Logistics.

PHILIP T. EVERS
PhD, Business Administration (Logistics Management), University of Minnesota

Evers’ primary research concentrates on exploring methods for achieving statistical economies of scale in logistics systems. He has analyzed the inventory reduction effects stemming from the consolidation of stock-keeping facilities, the implementation of trans-shipment policies between locations, and the employment of split orders. His intermodal-related research has focused on the operational effects of terminal consolidations and the actual and perceived levels of competitive service provided by affiliated carriers. Evers has worked on projects with numerous companies including Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M). He has also served as president of the Council of Logistics Management’s Baltimore Roundtable. He recently received the Allen J. Krowe Award for Teaching Excellence.

CURTIS M. GRIMM
PhD, Economics, University of California, Berkeley

Grimm has conducted extensive research on the interface of business and public policy with strategic management, with a particular emphasis on competition, competition policy, deregulation, and microeconomic reform both in the U.S. and overseas. His current research includes merger policy and competitive access issues in the U.S. rail industry. Grimm’s research has resulted in more than 60 publications in leading journals. During 1991-92 he was a visiting research fellow at the Australian Bureau of Transport and Communication Economics. Grimm has consulted for a number of government agencies and private firms, including the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Canadian Consumer and Corporate Affairs Department, and several railroads and railroad shippers. In addition, he has testified before Congress on competitive effects of railroad mergers.

HUGH S. TURNER
PhD, Transportation and Logistics, University of Maryland

Professor Turner's multi-faceted research interests include seaport policy and economics with emphasis on cost structures, port productivity, and infrastructure investment; the application of supply chain management principles to intermodal networks; the application of inventory management theories to service industries; and the impact of e-markets for transportation services on transportation service providers and supply chain management. His work has been published in Maritime Policy & Management and the 1999 Annual Transportation Research Forum Conference Proceedings. He won the Graduate Student Paper Competition Award sponsored by the Transportation Research Forum in 1999. He became an Eno Foundation Fellow in 2000.

ROBERT J. WINDLE
PhD, Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Windle joined the faculty in 1988 after working for six years at a private economic consulting firm. His area of specialization is applied transportation and public utility economics with a particular emphasis on the airline industry. His research focuses on public policy issues such as the threat of predatory pricing practices in the airline industry, the impact of hub and spoke systems on competition at hub airports, and the potential impact of opening the interstate highway system to economic development. Windle has published over 25 articles in leading academic journals and is a member of the American Economic Association and the Transportation Research Forum. He has consulted for various private and public agencies including the Maryland Aviation Administration, the World Travel and Tourism Council, and the Greater Washington Board of Trade.

8. COMPUTER RESOURCES

Through the University of Maryland and the Robert H. Smith School of Business, students have access to a wide array of software packages that may be used for research purposes.

9. FURTHER INFORMATION

Further information is available from the PhD Office’s Web site. For application and financial support information, please contact the PhD Office at 301-405-2214. For information on the academic content of the program, please contact Martin Dresner, the Logistics and Transportation PhD advisor, at 301-405-2204.