Marketing
Faculty and doctoral students in Marketing are a community of scholars dedicated to generating high-impact research. Their varied interests are reflected in the diverse mix of research topics they pursue. These include costs and benefits of prescription drug samples, pricing solutions to combat spam, advertising content as a signal of product quality, issues on rebate design, regulatory focus and framing of antismoking TV advertising, feature-positive effect and advertising persuasion, a comparison of product development practices in multiple countries, consumer preference and choice modeling, learning from failures, consumers perceptions of web pages/sites, effect of deadlines on service purchase process, real estate pricing, controlling non-response in surveys, factor retention criteria, revenue-equivalence in online auctions, quantity discounts and surcharges, visual perception, mere exposure effects and advertising.
Marketing faculty are highly regarded for their research productivity. For instance, the American Marketing Association's Web site ranks our marketing group as 15th among public and 28th among all U.S. universities, based on per capita productivity in the top journals. [Go to (http://docentes.fe.unl.pt/~lflages/index.html?other_links_frames.html&1 and click on "Institutional productivity in 9 major journals from 1984-1999" and then on "Productivity in JCR, JM, & JMR adjusted for department size"].
The same Web site also ranks our Ph.D. program in marketing with an emphasis on consumer psychology as 20th in the country, tied with Harvard, Texas A & M. and Iowa. (Click on the link “TOP PhD programs in marketing with an emphasis on consumer psychology”).
Marketing Program Requirements
BUS 901: Research Issues in Business Administration (four semesters)
BUS 902: Teaching Seminar
BE 917: Advanced Managerial Economics or an equivalent course
OR ECON 700: Survey of Microeconomics or an equivalent course
DSCI 920: Probability for Business Research or an equivalent course
DSCI 921: Statistics for Business Research or an equivalent course
PSYC 791: Statistical Methods in Psychology II
OR PRE 811: Analysis of Variance
PSYC 990: Multivariate Analysis
OR PRE 905: Multivariate Analysis
PSYC 991: Structural Equation Analysis
OR PRE 906: Structural Equations Models
Area of Concentration
Most students admitted in marketing typically will select that area as their concentration. However, an aspirant, with the assistance of his or her faculty advisor and the area faculty, may propose an interdisciplinary area of concentration that is a combination of the traditional business disciplines of accounting, information systems, finance, human resource management, marketing, decision sciences, organizational behavior, and strategic management. An aspirant may also propose an interdisciplinary area of concentration that includes emphases such as international business, law, and economics. The aspirant must take at least five advanced courses in the area of concentration. These courses may include those offered outside the School of Business.
Supporting Areas
Coursework in the area of concentration is supplemented and strengthened by study in one or two supporting areas. A supporting area is one that supplements and complements the area of concentration. The aspirant will satisfy the supporting area requirement by taking at least four advanced courses in the supporting areas (at least two courses in each of two supporting areas, or at least four courses in one supporting area). Courses recommended for preparation for the qualifiers may not be included in satisfying the supporting area requirement.
Research Methodology
For successful qualifier assessment, the student's program of study should include adequate preparation in research methodology.
Qualifier Assessment
Sometime during the third semester (excluding summers) of the aspirant's program, the Qualifier assessment Team (QAT) will meet and determine whether the aspirant should continue in the doctoral program. The QAT will do so holistically after taking into account the performance of the aspirant in courses taken, and the research and teaching skills of the aspirant.
Comprehensive Exam
As an aspirant for the Ph.D. in Business Administration, the student must successfully pass a comprehensive written-oral examination in the area of concentration.
Dissertation Proposal Defense
The aspirant shall prepare and successfully defend a research proposal at an oral examination before the Dissertation Committee. The objective of the oral examination is (a) the evaluation of the potential contribution of the proposed research, (b) the adequacy and appropriateness of the proposed research methodology, and (c) the aspirant's ability to successfully complete the proposed research. Copies of the dissertation proposal will be delivered to members of the dissertation committee, and also made available to other interested faculty members and Ph.D. students, at least one week prior to the date of the oral examination. It is strongly recommended that the candidate present the proposed dissertation research topic in BUS 901 prior to scheduling the oral examination.
Dissertation Defense
The committee for the final examination shall consist of at least five members (the members of the Dissertation Committee plus other members of the graduate faculty recommended by the chair of the Dissertation Committee and approved by the Research/Ph.D. Team). At least one of the members must be from a department other than the aspirant's major department; this member represents the Graduate School and must be a regular member of the graduate faculty. After the final oral examination has been successfully completed, the Dissertation Committee shall grade the written dissertation “Honors” or "Satisfactory." If the candidate fails the final oral examination, he or she may be allowed to repeat the examination upon the recommendation of the Dissertation Committee and the Research/Ph.D. Team.
Proposed Timeline- Year 1-2: Coursework & Comprehensive Exams
- Year 3: Dissertation Proposal
- Year 4: Dissertation Defense
PlacementsOver the past several years, our PhD graduates have been placed at schools such as Ohio State, Kansas State, University Of Georgia, University Of Houston, Michigan Technology University, Oklahoma State University, and University Of Wisconsin, Madison. For a complete listing, see the
Marketing Alumni page.