The Ph.D. program at Tulane's A. B. Freeman School of Business is built on academic achievement. Intellectually challenging and rewarding, the program is designed for a highly select group of individuals who exhibit a lifelong commitment to scholarship, teaching, and research. The Ph.D. program is a full-time, research-intensive program. It offers concentrated study in the specialized areas of finance or management. Students are introduced to advanced levels of learning in their areas of specialization and supporting fields and are trained to conduct independent and meaningful research in their chosen specialties. The program is designed to be small, high quality, and very personalized. Doctoral students work closely with faculty members on faculty research projects and on their own research projects.

As part of the Ph.D. program, students are expected to work as teaching and research assistants to faculty. Faculty members serve as mentors in both research and teaching. During the third and fourth years of study and after completion of the Ph.D. qualifying examination, students are expected to teach courses in their chosen fields or closely related fields in the Freeman School's undergraduate or masters program.