Marketing PhD Program

Is a Marketing PhD Program right for you?

That depends on so many factors!

First, think about what a PhD program really entails:

• Primary research on an issue that’s important to you–one that hasn’t been thoroughly covered already
• Writing a book-length dissertation on your research and what conclusions it’s brought you
• Studying and researching independently–for years

There aren’t that many people really suited for enrolling in–or at least, finishing–a marketing PhD program.  Really, you shouldn’t be thinking about enrolling in a PhD program in marketing unless there’s some hot new issue that you are dying to research.  Is there?

There are a lot of exciting things going on in marketing these days. All kinds of new issues have affected the way we look at marketing.  First, there’s globalization.  Suddenly you’re marketing for a bigger audience than ever before–and yet marketing for a niche is more important than ever.  And then, marketing methods are changing thanks to globalization and new technology.  Viral marketing is more viable than ever.  If you’re interested in researching some aspect of marketing that hasn’t been delved into deeply, then you may well be interested in a marketing PhD program.

How marketing works is changing.  Who you’re marketing to is changing.  And what is being marketed is changing as well.  The “Triple Bottom Line” in business has gone mainstream–people, planet, and profit–and a company’s reputation as responsible or sustainable is important.  This has certainly changed the way we look at marketing, and might lead you to an interesting research topic for a marketing PhD program.

Choosing a PhD Program in Marketing

The most important thing you can look at is the Marketing Department at the school in question.  The faculty, what their interests are, whether and where they’ve been published.  Your advisor will come from the department faculty, and that relationship will either sustain you or prove to be an obstacle to your success.