FAQ

We have a strong preference for the GRE, which is the standardized test required for entry into PhD programs in the social sciences. However, we will accept GMAT scores.

Absolutely not. Our PhD program is not a “super-MBA,” nor is it the natural continuation of an MBA. An MBA is a professional degree, which sets you up for impact on management practice within a particular firm or organization—and that’s great. The goal of our PhD program is different: to train the next generation of innovation, entrepreneurship and strategy researchers so that they can push the frontier of knowledge outward in these domains. The degree and degree requirements are geared towards training people to be (research) faculty at business or policy schools.

No. Nor will it hinder your chances to be admitted. Many TIES PhD Alumns received an MBA prior to matriculating in our program, at an earlier stage of their career.

We look very closely at applicants with a strong foundation in an engineering or science discipline. The admissions committee values evidence of technical depth in a particular area. A master’s degree is one way to signal that type of expertise. Professional achievements are an alternative way to do so.

Our approach to training PhD students is unapologetically disciplinary. This means that students are asked to choose one social science discipline when starting the program: Economics or Sociology. This choice is not anodyne. It is an intellectual commitment that will probably leave a lasting imprint on your journey through our program. Where the study of innovation and entrepreneurship intersects with your social science discipline, your training will prepare you for contributing to the debates that animate that discipline. This could mean publishing your research in disciplinary journals (and not simply in management journals); collaborating with researchers who were trained in economics and sociology departments; participating in meetings and conferences mostly attended by researchers trained in these disciplines; or all of the above. As a result of this disciplinary orientation, there is a wide overlap in the courses our students take in the first two years and the course requirements of a traditional PhD program in economics or sociology.

We ask ourselves this question all the time! There is extensive overlap between the type of courses TIES PhD students typically take, and courses students in a traditional economics PhD program would take: a year-long sequence in microeconomic theory; a year-long sequence in econometrics; a year-long sequence in one or more economic subfields (such as industrial organization, labor economics, or organizational economics). However, TIES PhD students do not typically take a course in macroeconomics, or on advanced theoretical topics. More importantly, our students are expected to engage with the phenomena they study to an extent that is rare in a typical economics PhD program. Most TIES PhD dissertations include an element of qualitative fieldwork, which often frames and motivates investigations using large-sample archival or experimental data. Our group takes pride in our students’ ability to straddle the usually rigid divide between econometric analyses and qualitative understanding.

Yes! But please make sure that you also apply to the Economic Sociology program, which may be a good fit as well. This will ensure that faculty members from both groups will have a chance to review your application.

Every TIES student must take 15.357 “Economics of Ideas, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship”. This course is designed as an introduction to the field and its canonical set of questions, theories, and empirical evidence. Beyond this introductory class, TIES PhD students have a weekly reading group, with each meeting centering on a small number of papers. In the recent past, students have also taken courses taught by colleagues at the Harvard Business School and Boston University. The TIES seminar series, which includes top speakers from the field, also offers a regular source of ideas for our students.

Our PhD fellowship package covers five years, which we believe ought to be enough to complete the program. In the recent past, some of our graduates have taken six years to complete their dissertation, with the help of external fellowships such as the Kauffman Foundation Dissertation Fellowship. Depending on your ability to zero-in on a dissertation question, and access the necessary data, it is possible to complete our program in four years. This, however, tends to happen very rarely.

We admit between one and three students every year. Our hope is that every student who begins the program will graduate with a PhD and launch an academic career. In very rare cases, we have asked students to leave the program if they could not pass their general examinations or were unable to provide a draft of an independent research paper by the beginning of the third year.

Probably not. Our program represents a strong commitment to the pursuit of knowledge in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategy. The overwhelming majority of TIES PhD graduates do end up in tenure-track academic positions. Other programs might be more appropriate if your ambitions veer more towards consulting or policy work.

Yes! First, you will be exposed to many new ideas, theories, and settings over the course of the PhD program. Your interests will evolve as you become mature as a researcher and start developing your own research agenda. Second, TIES faculty members love to interact with students who can teach them about novel technologies or innovation phenomena. Third, students are encouraged to “choose their own pond,” and in our field it might well mean studying the impact of a new technology (e.g., AI, CRISPR, or something else) on the internal workings of organizations, entire industries, or the rate and direction of innovation across fields.

Quite a bit. The level attained with a typical science, engineering, or economics undergraduate degree is adequate. Specifically, required courses in microeconomic theory and econometrics do require command of linear algebra, probability theory, statistics and calculus. More advanced mathematical skills — such as real analysis and measure theory — are helpful, but not necessary.

Yes! In particular if your undergraduate major is in economics, sociology, statistics, political science, or computer science. Just make sure that your statement clarifies why you believe the TIES PhD program is a good fit for your research aspirations, relative to a PhD program in a traditional social science discipline.

Absolutely not. The decision to admit a student is made by the entire group, not by individual faculty members. The PhD student fellowship is portable and will not constrain your search for a PhD mentor. Students generally decide on their main dissertation mentor sometimes during the third year. Until then, they are encouraged to speak to as many faculty members as possible. At the same time, if the research of one or more faculty members clearly overlaps with your scholarly interests, you should articulate why in your statement.