Marketing

The goal of the Ph.D. program is to encourage the intellectual growth of serious scholars who will contribute to the field of marketing. The purpose of the Ph.D. program is to provide a strong basis for the scholarly activities of research and teaching at a major institution of higher learning. We endeavor to provide a warm and supportive environment for the development of outstanding scholars and scholarly work.

Our Ph.D. program is tailored to meet each person's needs, objectives, and prior course work.

• The program normally requires four years: two to two and a half years of course work, and the remainder in dissertation research and writing.
• Individual programs vary, but students usually complete six courses from the Marketing Department. These consist of the following course seminars:
  • Marketing Management
  • Behavioral Research in Marketing
  • Marketing Channels
  • Qualitative Research Methods
  • Measurement
  • Marketing and Society
• In addition to the Marketing Department courses, several research methods courses (such as statistics, research design, causal modeling, field research and so on) are required.
• Each student must choose an outside area relevant to his or her interests (such as psychology, economics, statistics, sociology, etc.), and complete at least four courses in that field.
• If the student's Masters level background in business and marketing is not strong, some additional courses in these areas may be necessary. The total semester hours required for the Ph.D. is 99 beyond the Bachelors degree, of which 20-36 usually come from the Masters degree. Nine of the hours are methods courses, usually about 20 are dissertation hours, and the remainder are courses taken in the Ph.D. program.
• Students are required to work closely with faculty members to develop a first year paper (scheduled for the summer following first year) and a second year paper (scheduled for the spring semester of second year) for submission to scholarly journals. In addition, a review in an area of marketing that has not been covered by a seminar is required (completed by the end of the summer of second year).
• Upon successful completion of the coursework, the papers, and the marketing review, students are admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. and can begin work on the dissertation.
• Students will work with one or more of our faculty on their research, as a means of learning about the research process and the pursuit of new knowledge. Each year we assign each student a research assignment with one of our faculty members.
• Over the duration of the program, students will be expected to teach for four academic semesters. In addition, we try to provide opportunities for additional teaching in the summer, depending of funding availability.

• A Masters degree in business or related field from an accredited university
• Academic transcripts that showcase excellent grades
• GMAT score of at least 650, however we have made exceptions for exceptional students. We do not waive the GMAT exam requirement.
• A statement of purpose discussing your area of interest in marketing, why you want to earn a Ph.D. and what you hope to accomplish with it. Your statement of purpose is to be submitted through UNL GAMES (Graduate Admission Management and Evaluation System) application system.
• Your resume is also submitted through GAMES.
• Three letters of recommendation are required and submitted through GAMES.
• Minimum English proficiency: Paper TOEFL 550, Internet TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.5

Scholarships

• Assistantships