PhD in Business (Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources)

The application period is 1 Aug - 31 Dec of each academic year. Applicants will typically be informed of our admission decisions in April.

Applications should be completed and submitted online.

After you have submitted your online application , the below documents are to be submitted either through post or handed in personally to:

Ms Melody
Graduate Research Programmes Office
Lee Kong Chian School of Business
Singapore Management University
50 Stamford Road, #05-01
Singapore 178899

a) Photocopy of passport / Identity Card 

b) GMAT / GRE original score report  sent by test centre directly to SMU

c) TOEFL / IELTS original score report sent by test centre directly to SMU ( applicants whose medium of instruction for their Bachelor and/or Master degree is not in English will be required to submit TOEFL/IELTS test scores)

d) Photocopy of Bachelor's Degree / Master's Degree Certificate/s  

e) Official academic transcripts showing details of course grades in your Bachelor and/or Master degree

f) Cover letter

g) Updated curriculum vitae 

h) Statement of purpose (expressing your purpose for applying to this program. This letter should also indicate which SMU OBHR faculty member(s) you are most interested in working with.)

i) 1-3 writing samples (such as a published paper or and undergraduate report)   

j) 3 Referee's Reports (A link will be sent to your referees' email directly; Please ensure that you have entered the official organisational email address of your referees accurately.)

k) Other supporting documents, if any 

How to Apply

Please click here on General Instructions for completing your Application.
For Applicant's Self Service Guide, click here .
For Applicant's Guide to Admissions, click here .

Online Application:

Online Application opens from 1 Aug 2025 - 31 Dec 2025 for AY2026 Aug Intake.

*If your application is received early, we may be able to interview you earlier and make you an early offer. 

Kindly note that applications without supporting documents will not be reviewed.

Admission Requirements

• Undergraduate Bachelor's degree from a reputable college or university
• GRE or GMAT
• Cover letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Statement of Purpose
  Your statement of purpose should clearly describe your purpose for getting a PhD at our programme and also list faculty members you are most interested in working with.
• 1-3 writing samples (such as a published paper or and undergraduate report)
• 3 referee's reports (A link will be sent to your referees' email directly; Please ensure that you have entered the official organisational email address of your referees accurately.)

TOEFL/ IELTS

Applicants must show proficiency in the English language. Applicants, whose medium of instruction at the Bachelor's/Master's level was not in English, are to sit for either TOEFL or IELTS.

PhD Programme Fees and Tuition

Please refer to SMU PhD Programme Fees page for detailed and latest breakdown of fees. SMU scholarship provides waiver of the registration fee as well as full subsidised tuition for all students admitted into the programme from August 2016 intake.

SMU Scholarship

The scholarship provides waiver of the registration fee and full subsidised tuition for all the full-time students admitted into the programme. Subject to satisfactory progress¹ scholars also receive a monthly living stipend. The maximum scholarship duration is 4 years for PhD programmes. Beyond the scholarship duration, students may receive continued support through research assistantship (RA) or teaching assistantship (TA).

¹At the end of each year, the School will assess the student's academic performance and recommend whether to renew the scholarship.

Monthly Living Stipend 

From August 2015, Singapore Citizens will be provided with 17% CPF contribution

SMU PGR Scholars are not allowed to take up any other gainful employment during the period of their scholarship without prior approval from the University.

As part of their Post-Graduate by Research training, SMU PGR Scholars are expected to work, without extra remuneration, as part-time Research Assistant/Teaching Assistant for up to seven hours per week.

Conference Funding

Students are encouraged to attend academic conferences, and to present research papers at conferences. PhD students with papers accepted for presentation at reputable conferences may apply for funding up to a maximum of S$4,000.

Presidential Doctoral Fellowship

Presidential Doctoral Fellowships are awarded to outstanding PhD students. Students awarded the fellowship receive a higher monthly stipend for one year, and additional conference support of up to S$4,000 during the award period.

Postgraduate Insurance

For more information on Postgraduate Insurance, please click here.

Students are encouraged to complete the programme in 4 years.

The minimum duration of the programme is three years. Most students, however, are expected to take about four years to complete the programme. The maximum registration duration of the programme is five years, unless special approval for a longer duration is given by SMU.

The curriculum consists of

• 6 Foundation courses (6 course units)
• 2 Electives (2 course units)
• 4 Advanced Research Topics (ART) courses (4 course units)

The programme also requires the preparation and completion of a PhD Dissertation (28 course units).

Programme Schedule (Sample)

Years 1 & 2

Six research foundation courses including:

• Foundations in Business Research
• Research Methods in Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Research in Organisational Behaviour
• Research in Human Resources
• General Linear Model
• Multivariate Statistics

Two electives:

Four Advanced Research Topics (ART) courses:

Some ARTs may be taught by faculty members visiting from overseas. The specific list of ART courses is subject to confirmation each year, based in large part on the expertise of available faculty members. Relevant ART courses offered in other areas, such as on advanced statistics (SEM, HLM), are also eligible.

PhD Qualifying examination

By Term 2 of Year 2, students should have completed the PhD Qualifying Examination.

Years 3-4 (+ Year 5 if warranted)

Completion of PhD Dissertation

Students are expected to form the PhD Committee in Year 2, including selection of a PhD Supervisor. Then, under the supervision of the PhD Supervisor, students will prepare and defend their dissertation proposal, conduct dissertation research, and conduct a final defence of the dissertation.

Years 3-4 (+ Year 5 if warranted)

Completion of PhD Dissertation

Students are expected to form the PhD Committee in Year 2, including selection of a PhD Supervisor. Then, under the supervision of the PhD Supervisor, students will prepare and defend their dissertation proposal, conduct dissertation research, and conduct a final defence of the dissertation.

Teaching Mentorships and Teaching Experience

Every student is expected to participate in a one-semester teaching mentorship in which the student acts as ?under-study? to a faculty member teaching an undergraduate-level OBHR course. This mentorship provides exposure to the main aspects of university-level teaching including course design, course delivery, and student assessment.

To gain autonomous teaching experience and confidence, PhD students are expected to teach at least one undergraduate-level OBHR course at SMU prior to graduation. If desired, it may be possible for students to teach additional OBHR courses to gain further teaching experience. The teaching duties may be used to count towards fulfilling unpaid Research Assistant (RA)/Teaching Assistant (TA) duties, which is part of students' PGR training. (For information on RA/TA duties, please see section on Admission, Fees and Scholarships)

OBHR Research Seminar Series

Students are expected to actively participate in all OBHR research activities including biweekly brownbags, research seminar series, job talks, etc.

Conference Attendance

Students are encouraged to attend international conferences. (Typically, this will be the annual meeting of the Academy of Management or the Society for Industrial-Organisational Psychology). Students presenting a paper may request for funding support from the School to attend the conference. Requests for funding support will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Additional Methodological Training Opportunities

We are one of the institutional member schools of CARMA and Instats. Therefore, students are encouraged to attend methodological courses outside the department as students can benefit from discounts when they register for courses.

Graduation Requirements

PhD in Business (OBHR)

• PhD level seminars in disciplines outside OBHR
  • Assessing and Developing Theory in OBHR
  • Research in Workplace Affect and Attitudes
  • Research in Decision Making
  • Research in Leadership
  • Research in Motivation
  • Research in Negotiation
  • Research in Organisational and National/Societal Culture
  • Research in Organisational Trust
  • Research in Personnel Selection & Staffing
  • Research in Organizational Justice
  • Research in Individual creativity
  • Independent Study
  • Research Foundation Courses (6 course units)
  • Electives (2 course units)
  • Advanced Research Topics (ART) courses (4 course units)
  • PhD Qualifying Examination
  • Oral Defence of Dissertation Proposal
  • PhD Dissertation (28 course units)
  • Oral Defence of completed Dissertation

The Ph.D. in Business (Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources) aims to equip doctoral students with the knowledge, skills, and ability to conduct highly-rigorous research in OBHR. The programme is designed to prepare students for an academic career in OBHR in major research universities worldwide. We aim to provide students with the ability to publish in the top OBHR journals of our field such as Academy of Management Journal,  Journal of Applied Psychology, Organisation Science, and Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, to present their research at academic conferences worldwide, and to teach university-level OBHR classes.

The programme includes:

• Intellectually-stimulating curriculum emphasizing the core foundations of organisational behaviour and human resources, statistics, and research methods
• Training in research from the very beginning of the programme, including idea generation, research design, data collection, manuscript writing, and navigating the journal review process
• Preparation for and experience in teaching OBHR at the university level

Our Ph.D. programme is intentionally small, with an average expected intake of about three to four students per year. This allows us to select very high-potential students, and enables each student to develop close working and mentoring relationships with OBHR faculty members.

Each student will be involved in multiple research projects with multiple faculty members beginning with the first term of study. Through these assignments, students will have ample opportunity to learn the craft of research through hands-on work (idea generation, research design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript preparation, conference presentation, manuscript publication) in addition to the required Ph.D. coursework.

I have to say the most satisfying aspect of my job is working with and mentoring PhD students and seeing them mature into top-notch researchers and succeed in our field. Our PhD programme is purposefully designed to make this happen. By the time you graduate from this programme, you should be able to develop and lead your own research programs that you will work on in collaboration with other researchers around the world and the results of which you will publish in our field's top journals. This will make you a valuable colleague at any research university.

- Kenneth Tai, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources

Testimonials

"SMU’s PhD programme was one of the most defining experiences of my life. The programme delivers rigorous training through a curriculum that is thoughtfully designed to prepare students for long-term success. Every aspect of what we learned was purposefully structured to equip us with the skills, mindset, and confidence to thrive in our academic careers. The faculty are exceptional scholars and mentors — deeply committed, generous with their time, and unwavering in their support. They challenged me to grow while always providing guidance when I needed it. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to learn, develop, and be part of such a collegial and inspiring community."

- Hye-Jung EUN (PhD 2021). Assistant Professor, NEOMA Business School, France

"The SMU OBHR PhD programme transformed my academic approach by blending rigorous training with genuine collaboration. Beyond just research skills, it immersed me in real-world problem-solving through interactive seminars and hands-on methodology training. The global classroom - where Asian, European and American perspectives collided daily - constantly challenged my thinking. But what made it special was the human element: professors who invested in my growth, classmates who became true collaborators, and countless coffee-fueled discussions that proved academia thrives on connection. This experience didn’t just teach me scholarship - it shaped how I think, work and contribute as part of a worldwide academic community."

- Na Zhao (PhD 2023). Assistant Professor, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, China

Welcome to the website for the SMU Ph.D. Programme in Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources.  Our OBHR faculty consists of professors who are dedicated to understanding and rigorously investigating some of the most fundamental, challenging, interesting, and important questions that exist surrounding the human experience in the workplace. Among us, you will find scholars who study creativity, decision-making, deviant behaviours, emotions, intercultural management, leadership, mindfulness, negotiation and conflict management, organizational justice, performance appraisal, personnel selection, work-life (im)balance, and other fascinating topics.

Several factors combine to make us an attractive place for Ph.D. training. First, we are among the most productive OBHR groups around the world, publishing regularly in top-tier journals. This means that from day one in the programme, our Ph.D. students will be co-authoring and learning firsthand how to conduct research. Please visit the pages of our faculty to find out more about our research and publications: Faculty

Second, we are a very collegial group of scholars. We believe deeply that “the people make the place.” We consciously work to maintain a positive and supportive culture, and we consider Ph.D. students an integral part of that culture. Third, because we are a relatively young faculty, we still vividly remember the experiences of earning a Ph.D. We know what worked and what didn’t work in our own Ph.D. programmes, and we recognise the huge investment it takes to train and mentor Ph.D. students. Having benefited from mentors in our own graduate studies, we now look forward to investing in the next generation of scholars.

Fourth, we recognise that quality in is important for quality out. We will admit only those students whom we believe have the potential to develop into scholars who can advance and disseminate knowledge to world-class standards. And fifth, our location in Singapore, a vibrant city-state at the crossroads of the many cultures and economies of Asia, provides scholars with an opportunity to identify and focus on very interesting, challenging, and globally relevant, managerial issues.

Please enjoy reading more about our programme and our research, and please don’t hesitate to contact any of us if you have any further questions.

We look forward to receiving your application to our Ph.D. programme.