Marketing Program Requirements
The nationally renowned marketing faculty represent a diverse set of research interests ranging from consumer behavior to marketing strategy. Students develop individualized programs of study in close consultation with a faculty mentor or PhD Coordinator. The program is structured flexibly, providing students with a common orientation to marketing methods and issues, but also affording opportunities for specialized study in either a behavioral (psych/soc/anthro) or quantitative (econ/stats) track.
Students must complete all marketing PhD seminars in their chosen track of specialization (behavioral or quantitative) as well as at least 6 seminar credits of their choice from the other track (quant or behavioral) in marketing for a total of at least 24 credits. They should also complete at least 16 credits of supporting field/minor coursework, which should include 12 credits in methods courses (which can overlap with the 16 required supporting field courses). Minimum number of degree credits required is 40, covering the major area, methods and supporting/minor areas.
Course descriptions:
Mktg 8809: Consumer Behavior Research Methods
Topics related to conceptual theories/arguments about experimental design and statistical analysis of experiments. How to design experimental research for testing hypotheses and drawing conclusions.
Mktg 8810: Consumer Behavior Special Topics
Theories of consumer categorization. Literature on brand categories, category measurement, brand extensions/dilution/affect. Theoretical analysis.
Mktg 8811: Consumer Attitudes and Persuasion I
Theories and research in consumer behavior and related disciplines of social and cognitive psychology. Perspective primarily from information processing or social cognition. Consumer categorization, memory, beliefs, attitudes, and attitude change.
Mktg 8812: Consumer Attitudes and Persuasion II
How people process information for making judgments. How people acquire and mentally organize information and how such data are related to prior knowledge; how this knowledge or the processes performed on it guide judgments.
Mktg 8813/14: Consumer Judgment & Decision Making I & II
(I) Different theoretical approaches taken in judgment and decision-making research. Heuristics/biases, affect in decision making, judgments/decisions over time. (II) Draws from work on prospect theory and its derivatives. Anomalous choice; emphasizes applications in marketing theory, from inter-temporal choice to regret and counterfactual thinking in consumers/managers.
Mktg 8831: Seminar in Inter-Organizational Relations
This course looks at inter-organizational networks comprised of interdependent institutions involved in the task of moving goods and services from the point of production to the point of consumption. It examines historically important streams of research in the functional and institutional tradition that focuses on the behavioral school to understand key concepts. A review of the transaction cost, relational contracting, and analytical literature is also covered.
Mktg 8842/8843: Quantitative Modeling I & II
Advanced readings covering quantitative research in marketing; topics from theoretical/empirical research in marketing , econometrics and industrial organization.
Mktg 8851: Marketing Management & Strategy I
Examines topics in marketing management and the implementation of marketing strategies. Covers a diversity of thought both within
marketing and the strategic management literature.
Mktg 8852: Marketing Management & Strategy II
The seminar considers the role of branding within the organization, its business strategy and its success. Students will learn to critically evaluate fundamental ideas and more recent developments in brand management.
Mktg 8890: Marketing Topics Seminar
This seminar introduces students to various approaches to studying marketing, how they are used, and the limitations of each approach.
Rather than require a first-year examination, the Marketing Department now does a more comprehensive progress review/evaluation of its doctoral students at the end of the first year.
At the end of the students’ second year and after they have completed the written prelim (described below), students prepare a paper and deliver a presentation of original research they have conducted.
After completing their second year in the program, students take a written area of concentration exam, which assesses their breadth of knowledge in the area in which they intend to specialize.
The oral exam usually occurs within one semester of passing the written exam. It is usually based on a presentation of the second year research paper.
This should occur no later than 2 semesters before the student plans to graduate or go to placement.