Marketing (Graduate Program)

For information regarding the UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM, click here.  

Philosophy of the Department of Marketing PhD Program

The PhD program in business administration with a concentration in marketing is designed to produce collegial scholars for academic careers in research, teaching, and service at universities. A strong emphasis is placed on research and a collaborative research environment. The department has (1) a state-of-the-art behavioral research lab housed in the Business Education Complex where faculty and students can conduct their research and (2) a large undergraduate student subject pool used for academic research studies. Doctoral students receive opportunities to participate in research projects beginning during their first semester of the program and continue to work closely with fellow doctoral students and faculty members on various research projects targeted for conference and journal publication while they are in the program.

Strengths of the program include:

• Opportunities to work with faculty on research projects beginning in the first semester of the doctoral program to develop publishable manuscripts.
• A state-of-the-art Department of Marketing Behavioral Research Lab housed in the Business Education Complex and access to the Department of Marketing undergraduate student subject pool for research projects.
• Brown bag “Professoring Seminars” offered every other year by marketing department faculty who share information concerning developing a research program, research stream goal-setting, written comprehensive exams, teaching, dissertations, interviewing, and academia as a career (conferences, promotion, and tenure).
• Travel support budget to present original research at conferences including the American Marketing Association (Summer and Winter conferences), Association for Consumer Research, Academy of Marketing Science, Society for Marketing Advances, and Society for Consumer Psychology, for instance.
• Placement at major colleges and universities in the US and abroad. Graduates have been placed in marketing departments at universities including the Michigan State University, Auburn University, the University of Virginia, Baylor University, Villanova University, Texas Christian University (TCU), Georgia Southern University, Wayne State University, Appalachian State University, Grand Valley State University, and Ohio University, among others.

Program Overview

The program is year-round (fall, spring, and summer) for full-time study. The program consists of 24 semester hours of major marketing coursework, 15 semester hours of elective coursework, 12 semester hours of “common body of knowledge” coursework covering all other business disciplines (may be waived with an approved Master’s degree), and 12 semester hours of dissertation coursework for a total of 63 hours. Students spend two academic years (fall and spring) completing coursework and devote summer terms advancing their research with fellow doctoral students and faculty members. Upon completion of major marketing coursework, students must pass a written comprehensive (qualifying) exam of major marketing coursework. Upon completion of 24 semester hours of major marketing coursework, 15 semester hours of approved elective coursework, and 12 semester hours of “common body of knowledge” coursework, students must pass an oral exam. Each PhD candidate is also required to design, implement, and complete an original dissertation under the supervision of a marketing faculty member. Overall, the PhD program normally requires four years to complete.

The typical course work completed during the four year program can be located at: business.lsu.edu/marketing/Pages/PhDCurriculum.aspx

Administration

Admission

The department believes in the importance of strong, cooperative student cohorts; consequently, a new cohort of approximately 3 - 5 students is typically admitted every other fall semester. Admission is based on a number of factors, including the applicant’s record, standard admission test scores, a commitment to an intellectually demanding program of study, letters of recommendation, the applicant’s overall standing compared with other students, and the number of vacancies in the program in a given year. A qualified student who holds a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree from an accredited college or university is eligible to apply for admission to the PhD program, regardless of his or her previous field of study. Minimum standards for consideration include: a grade point average of at least 3.4 in the most recently completed 60 hours of work, a GMAT score of at least 600, and strong recommendations from at least three individuals who have had the opportunity to observe the applicant’s interest, ability, and commitment to a career of scholarship. The department does not accept GRE scores. International students whose native language is not English must also submit an acceptable TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE score. Applications are due December 31^st, the year prior to a fall semester admittance and reviewed by faculty in January. Selected students are admitted in that upcoming August.

Financial Assistance

Graduate assistantships and tuition waivers are generally awarded to all students accepted into the program and may be renewed for four consecutive years, assuming satisfactory progress is made toward completion of the degree. Because students are encouraged to collaborate on research projects throughout the PhD program, the department offers financial support for students to present research papers accepted at national conferences. During the first two years, students are assigned to a faculty member for 20 hours of work per week. Assistantship duties may include library work, assistance in grading, data entry and computer analysis of data sets, and working with a faculty member on a specific research project aimed at producing a publishable manuscript. During the third and fourth year, students are assigned to a faculty member for 10 hours of work per week and are typically required to teach one section of an undergraduate marketing course.

Graduate Faculty

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Degree Programs

Applications and supporting materials for all graduate study must be submitted through the online application site for the LSU Graduate School. Official transcripts, official test scores, and other materials that come from third-party sources must be mailed to: Graduate Student Services, 114 West David Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. These paper documents are stored electronically and departments have access to all materials submitted by and/or on behalf of a student applying to graduate study.

Programs

• Business Administration, PhD (Marketing Concentration)