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Marketing addresses problems that organizations face in seeking to provide products and services that satisfy customers' demands. Students are expected to acquire a solid grasp of behavior and management science theory and method through their coursework. Relevant disciplines include behavioral science, economics, operations research, and statistics. Through workshops, seminars, and applied and theoretical research with faculty, candidates gain experience that is the prerequisite for independent work.

PhD candidates work alongside MIT Sloan's world-renowned marketing faculty. The pioneering research of MIT Sloan faculty in building and implementing marketing models and decision-support systems has enhanced new product development for decades. Other award-winning research projects focus on customer satisfaction and the psychological underpinnings of economic and consumer behavior.

Marketing Faculty

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The marketing faculty embrace research traditions grounded in psychology and behavioral decision-making, economics and industrial organization, and statistics and management science.

These traditions support research inquiries into consumer behavior, firm behavior, the development of methods for improving the allocation of marketing resources, and understanding of how marketing works in a market setting.

A small number of students are accepted into the PhD Program in marketing each year, with a total of about 18 marketing students in residence. Student-faculty relationships are close, both professionally and socially. This permits the tailoring of the program of study to fit the background and career goals of the individual.

A marketing student’s program of study usually includes several doctoral seminars taught by marketing faculty, some doctoral seminars taught by other Stanford GSB faculty, and a considerable number of graduate-level courses in related departments outside the business school, depending on a student’s particular area of investigation.

The field is often broken down into two broad subareas: behavioral marketing and quantitative marketing.

Behavioral Marketing

Behavioral marketing is the study of how individuals behave in consumer-relevant domains. This area of marketing draws from social psychology and behavioral decision theory and includes a wide variety of topics such as:

• Decision making
• Attitudes and persuasion
• Social influence
• Motivation and goals
• New technologies
• Consumer neuroscience
• Misinformation

Students in this track take classes in behaviorally oriented subjects within Stanford GSB and also in the Psychology Department . All students have the opportunity to interact with Stanford GSB faculty in every group and, indeed, across the Stanford campus.

Behavioral Interest Group

There is also a formal institutional link between the behavioral side of marketing and the micro side of organizational behavior , which is called the Behavioral Interest Group. The Stanford GSB Behavioral Lab links members of this group. This lab fosters collaborative work across field boundaries among those with behavioral interests.

The Behavioral Lab is an interdisciplinary social research laboratory open to all Stanford GSB faculty and PhD students. The lab’s research primarily spans the fields of organizational behavior and behavioral marketing, and covers a rich and diverse array of topics, including attitudes and preferences, consumer decision-making, group dynamics, leadership, morality, power, and prosocial behavior.

Preparation and Qualifications

A background in psychology and experience with experimental methods and data analysis provide optimal preparation for students pursuing the behavioral track, though students from a variety of backgrounds have performed well in the program.

Quantitative Marketing

The quantitative marketing faculty at Stanford emphasize theoretically grounded empirical analysis of applied marketing problems. This line of inquiry draws primarily on fundamentals in applied microeconomic theory, industrial organization, and econometrics and statistics.

Questions of interest include:

Investigating consumer choices and purchase behavior

Examining product, pricing, advertising, and promotion strategies of firms

Analyzing competition in a wide range of domains

Development and application of large-scale experimentation, high-dimensional statistics, applied econometrics and big-data methods to solve marketing problems

A common theme of research is the use of rigorous quantitative methods to study important, managerially relevant marketing questions.

Cross-Campus Collaboration

Students in this track take common classes in quantitatively oriented subjects with others at Stanford GSB, as well as the Economics and Statistics Departments. All Stanford GSB students have the opportunity to interact with Stanford GSB faculty in every group and, indeed, across the Stanford campus.

Solid training in economics and statistical methods, as well as programming skills, offers a distinct advantage for quantitative marketing students, but students from various backgrounds such as engineering, computer science, and physics have thrived in the program.

Faculty in Behavioral Marketing

Jennifer aaker, szu-chi huang, jonathan levav, zakary tormala, s. christian wheeler, faculty in quantitative marketing, kwabena baah donkor, wesley r. hartmann, sridhar narayanan, navdeep s. sahni, emeriti faculty, james m. lattin, david bruce montgomery, michael l. ray, itamar simonson, v. “seenu” srinivasan, recent publications in marketing, 50 years of context effects: merging the behavioral and quantitative perspectives, investigating complementarities in subscription software usage using advertising experiments, when the one true faith trumps all: low religious diversity, religious intolerance, and science denial, recent insights by stanford business, influencers want brands’ sponsorship, but not their rules, why advertisers pay more to reach viewers who watch less, your summer 2024 podcast playlist.

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Program Requirements

• Program Requirements →

Below please find the program requirements for a students in Marketing . Doctoral students in Marketing generally complete the program in five years.

A minimum of 13 semester courses at doctoral level are required. Each semester students will consult with the Marketing faculty coordinators to receive approval of their course selections.

Students in the Marketing program choose one of the following sequences

Microeconomics

• Microeconomic Theory I (HBS 4010/Economics 2020a)
• Microeconomic Theory II (HBS 4011/Economics 2020b)
• Social Behavior in Organizations: Research Seminar (Psychology 2630)
• Advanced Social Psychology (Psychology 2500)

Students must take four research methods courses, including at least one course in research design.

Research methods courses that meet this requirement include, but are not limited to:

Quantitative Research Methods

Research Methods Courses

• Introduction to Econometrics (Economics 1123)
• Introduction to Applied Econometrics (Economics 2120); (prerequisite Economics 2110; the pre-req will count towards 4 course requirement)
• Econometric Methods II (Economics 2115)
• Advanced Applied Econometrics (Economics 2144)
• Industrial Organization (Economics 2610)
• Statistical Methods for Evaluating Causal Effects (Econ 1127)
• Advanced Quantitative Methods II (KSG API 210i)
• Machine Learning and Big Data Analytics (HKS API 222)
• Statsitical Machine Learning (Statistics 195)
• Probability Theory (Statistics 210)
• Statistical Inference (Statistics 211)
• Bayesian Data Analysis (Statistics 220)
• Incomplete Multivariate Data (Statistics 232)
• Sequential Decision Making (Statistics 234)
• Advanced Demand Modeling (MIT 1.205)
• Advanced Natural Language Processing (MIT 6.864)
• Bayesian Modeling Inference (MIT 6.435)
• Inference Causal Parameters (MIT 14.388)

Quantitative Research Design Courses

• Advanced Quantitative Research Methodology (Gov 2001)
• Program Evaluation: Estimating Program Effectiveness with Empirical Analysis (HKS API-208)

Consumer Behavior

• Intermediate Statistical Analysis in Psychology (Psychology 1950)
• Multivariate Analysis in Psychology (Psychology 1952)

Research Design Courses

• Design of Field Research Methods (HBS 4070)
• Experimental Methods (HBS 4435)
• Field Experiments (HBS 4430)

Marketing students are required to take five additional doctoral courses.

Quantitative-track students are required to complete:

• Consumer Behavior (HBS 4630)
• Marketing Models (HBS 4660)
• Two breadth courses
• Three elective doctoral courses

Consumer Behavior-track students are required to complete:

• Micro Topics in Organizational Behavior (HBS 4882)
• Behavioral Approaches to Decision Making and Negotiation (HBS 4420)
• One elective doctoral course

All students without an MBA degree are required to complete two case-based HBS MBA courses.

Students are strongly encouraged to attend and participate in seminars throughout their program. Students are expected to attend the Marketing Unit Seminars .

Good Academic Standing

To remain in good academic standing, doctoral students are expected to maintain a B grade point average.

Teaching Requirement

Students are required to complete a teaching engagement of one full academic term that includes at least 8 hours, or 3 class sessions, of front-of-class teaching experience and at least 16 hours of teaching preparation time.

Special Field Exam

Students are required to pass the Special Field Exam at the end of the second year or beginning of the third year. This exam has two parts: a written exam and an oral exam based on a research paper a student has written.

Dissertation Proposal

By the end of their third year, all students are required to obtain approval of their dissertation proposal by their Dissertation Chair.

Oral Examination

Students are required to complete a dissertation proposal oral examination. In evaluating the student’s performance at the orals, the Dissertation Committee will take into account the quality of the student’s oral presentation, the quality of the student’s responses to questions from the Dissertation Committee, and the written material prepared prior to the oral date.

Dissertation

Students are required to write a dissertation, which typically takes the form of three publishable papers, to the satisfaction of their Dissertation Committee. The dissertation defense is oral and open to the public.

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PhD Program

The Wharton doctoral program offers students an unmatched interdisciplinary environment within which to generate creative ideas and hypotheses and to develop the analytic skills to evaluate them.

Faculty members are active in diverse research areas that connect to initiatives and centers both within Wharton more broadly, and other departments within the university. Recent research topics include such areas as: cognitive processes of consumers; consumer preference measurement; marketing decision support systems; design and adoption of new products and services; and social media and consumer inter-dependencies.

Recent graduates have received offers of faculty positions at leading business schools, including Columbia, Duke, LBS, MIT, Northwestern, NYU, University of Michigan and University of Chicago.

The department offers two degree program options: the Marketing program, which allows students to pursue a Consumer Behavior or Quantitative Track; and a joint degree program in Marketing and Psychology .

Please make sure to look at the Frequently Asked Questions for additional information and links.

• Marketing Degree Program
• Joint Doctoral Degree Program in Marketing and Psychology
• FAQ about PhD in Marketing 
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For more information or to request admission application forms:

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Wharton’s Marketing faculty, the most published and cited in the world, are leaders in developing new knowledge in marketing and related core disciplines.

The Wharton doctoral program offers students an unmatched interdisciplinary environment within which to generate creative ideas and hypotheses and to develop the analytic skills to evaluate them.

Faculty members are active in diverse research areas that connect to initiatives and centers both within Wharton more broadly, and other departments within the university. Recent research topics include such areas as: cognitive processes of consumers; consumer preference measurement; marketing decision support systems; design and adoption of new products and services; and social media and consumer inter-dependencies.

The Marketing Program requires students to have a basic knowledge of various business areas, computer programming, calculus, and matrix algebra.

For information on courses and sample plans of study, please visit the University Graduate Catalog .

For more information about the Joint Doctoral Degree in Marketing and Psychology:  https://marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/joint-doctoral-degree-in-marketing-and-psychology/

Get the Details.

Visit the Marketing website for details on program requirements and courses. Read faculty and student research and bios to see what you can do with a Marketing PhD.

2024 Best Online PhD in Digital Marketing [Doctorate Guide]

A PhD in Digital Marketing online program can give you the opportunity to specialize in business research. A PhD is also one of the highest educational qualifications that you can get in the field.

Digital marketing is an innovative and future-ready field, and it’s already essential for many businesses. In a digital marketing PhD program, you can work toward becoming a domain expert and get firsthand experience with research.

Editorial Listing ShortCode:

With the growing number of distance learning options, it’s now more convenient than ever to earn this lucrative doctorate.

Universities Offering Online Doctorate in Digital Marketing Degree Program

Methodology: The following school list is in alphabetical order. To be included, a college or university must be regionally accredited and offer degree programs online or in a hybrid format.

California Baptist University

California Baptist University offers a Doctor of Business Administration online program. This is a 56-unit program created for working adults. It can potentially be completed in as little as 3 years, including the dissertation. Classes are 8 weeks long and are taught by credentialed faculty with real-world business experience.

California Baptist University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission.

Concordia University – Chicago

Concordia University—Chicago offers a Doctorate in Business Administration that can be earned entirely online. It requires the completion of 60 credit hours and can potentially be completed in just 3 years.

Two specializations are available within the program: Innovation in Health Care Management and Strategic Leadership and Innovation.

Concordia University Chicago is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

George Fox University

George Fox University offers a Doctor of Business Administration. Concentrations are available in Accounting, Management, and Business Analytics. This is an online program that follows a cohort model. There are two required in-person sessions in Newberg, Oregon.

Students typically spend 3 years on coursework and 1 year completing a dissertation.

George Fox University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Grand Canyon University

Grand Canyon University offers a Doctor of Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing (Quantitative Research). The program focuses on the collection and interpretation of numeric data to aid in making business decisions.

Courses include Digital Technology and Consumer Behavior, Economics for Business Decisions, Complexity of Marketing, and The History and Philosophy of Marketing.

Grand Canyon University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw State University offers a PhD in Business Administration. The program is mostly online, but there is an in-person residency once a month. It is often useful for business professionals wishing to pursue academic positions.

Concentrations are available in Accounting, Information Systems, Management, and Marketing.

Kennesaw State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Liberty University

Liberty University offers a Doctor of Business Administration in Marketing. Courses are 8 weeks long and 100% online. Courses include Strategic Marketing Management, Marketing Promotions, Supply Chain Management, and Marketing Research.

The program requires the completion of 60 credit hours, and students usually finish in 3 years. It is designed to teach practical, real-world skills.

Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

National University

National University offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration with a specialization in Strategic Marketing. The program is designed to help prepare students for leadership roles in a variety of business settings. It requires the completion of 60 credit hours and can usually be completed in 3 to 4 years.

National University is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.

Trident University International

Trident University International offers a Doctor of Business Administration that can be earned 100% online. The program covers how to make evidence-based decisions and strategically improve business processes and outcomes. It is designed to provide flexibility for adult students.

Students in the program are required to complete an applied doctoral study project rather than a dissertation.

Trident University International is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

University of the Cumberlands

The University of the Cumberlands offers an online program for a Doctor of Philosophy in Business. Students can choose a specialty in Accounting, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Healthcare Administration, Project Management, or Strategic Management.

Core courses include Advanced Managerial Accounting, Strategic Marketing: Research and Practice, and Corporate Finance: Fiscal Management in a Global Climate.

The University of the Cumberlands is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Walden University

Walden University offers a Doctor of Business Administration in Marketing. The program covers key marketing concepts, including competitive intelligence, marketing channels, product development and commercialization, and consumer behavior. It also includes a capstone project.

Students have up to 8 years to finish the program.

Walden University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

PhD in Digital Marketing Online Programs

PhD in Digital Marketing programs are focused on creating scholars and knowledgeable experts who can help the industry move forward with original research. You can be trained to use your data analysis skills to solve marketing challenges.

Digital marketing is a quickly evolving field that relies on the latest technology.

It spans many of the modern tools and strategies currently used by companies to reach their target audiences, including social media, email, search engines, websites, and analytics.

As a digital marketing PhD student, you’ll likely choose a specific research question and build your expertise around that area. Doctorate programs in digital marketing typically emphasize econometrics, statistical analysis, and experimental research. You’ll likely take classes on marketing theories and applications as well.

During the second half of your PhD program, you’ll probably spend most of your time working on a dissertation that can be published in an academic journal.

Most programs will provide opportunities to learn how to critically analyze current papers on digital marketing and will have experienced faculty members with similar research expertise that can help guide you.

Different programs offer different concentrations, but here are some of the most common research areas:

• Consumer culture
• International marketing
• Product development
• Marketing innovation
• Social media sentiment
• Online advertising

To create an original research paper, you can study advanced models in marketing along with special topics. You can also practice using mathematical and economics tools to get insights from data.

Because of the focus on independent research, digital marketing PhD programs often include seminars and customizable classes along with plenty of time to work on your own.

Most graduates with a PhD in Digital Marketing become professors who conduct university research. Since data analysis expertise is highly sought after, others become market research consultants. Some take on strategic, executive-level roles instead, where they can apply what they’ve learned in a business setting. 

Digital Marketing Careers & Salaries

With the specialized skills that you can develop through a digital marketing PhD program, you can pursue careers in both the public and private sectors.

The most common career track for PhD graduates is academia, where they often teach marketing or business classes in colleges and universities. Because a PhD in Marketing is research-intensive, graduates are often well-equipped to conduct research alongside teaching.

For those who prefer to work for private companies, management roles in marketing and sales are often possible.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , here are the yearly median salaries of some of the advanced careers related to digital marketing. 

T hese are only the median salaries for each job. Actual salaries can vary based on location, your field of expertise, and many other factors. Still, the main career tracks—management, academia, and data analysis—may lead to high-paying roles down the road.

Outside of academia, professionals with a PhD in Marketing may become market research analysts or data analysts. Marketing is one of the fastest-growing fields today, with roles in diverse industries, such as management consulting, technology, and healthcare.

Digital Marketing PhD Curriculum & Courses

Online doctorate in digital marketing programs usually involve a lot of independent study, and classes vary based on the school, but you’ll likely take classes similar to the following:

• Microeconomic Theory : This course explores how individuals and organizations interact in different market structures, utilizing game theory to make predictions for decision-making.
• Econometrics : Going beyond economic theory, this course discusses how to make forecasts and draw cause-and-effect relationships through data analysis tools.
• Statistical Analysis : This course lays the groundwork for more advanced research classes by covering statistical methods for gathering and analyzing data.
• Qualitative Research : This class can give you the opportunity to have hands-on practice with qualitative research methods—such as one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and observation—and learn how to write reports about your findings.
• Industrial Organization : This course gives an overview of how organizations function realistically and how they influence each other when it comes to advertising, product placement, and other marketing dynamics.
• Marketing Management : This class delves into how to launch and implement marketing strategies across an entire organization, including tracking analytics, developing a brand, and maintaining customer relationships.
• Advanced Marketing Theory : This course delves into traditional and modern marketing models that are backed by research. You’ll likely need to read a wide range of academic papers and give your own critical analysis.
• Quantitative Research : This course aims to teach how to apply the statistical and econometric tools learned in other courses in order to design your own experiments.
• Consumer Behavior : The core of marketing lies in getting to know your consumers’ motivations, goals, and pain points and then adapting to these for effective brand positioning.
• Social Psychology : This class examines how people behave in a social environment and what factors influence their behavior.

Aside from these courses, a PhD in Digital Marketing will usually allow you to choose from several electives based on your research interests as well.

Admissions Requirements

Most digital marketing PhD programs have the following admission requirements:

• School transcripts . You’ll probably be asked to submit transcripts of all your previous undergraduate and graduate work.
• GMAT or GRE scores . Some doctorate programs still ask for standardized test scores, but a growing number of schools no longer require them.
• Recommendation letters . PhD programs generally favor academic references from former professors.
• Personal statement . You’ll typically be asked to describe your career goals and research plans.
• Resume . Admission officers may want to see if you’ve done any related work in your career.

Admissions for a PhD program tend to be stricter since it takes a lot of time and dedication to finish.

Accreditation

Since a PhD is the highest educational qualification that you can get, it’s essential to choose an accredited school with a high-quality program.

Regionally accredited schools meet up-to-date educational standards for their programs. Attending an accredited school is an eligibility factor for government financial aid as well. Employers may also favor degrees from accredited schools, especially if you’re planning to work at a university.

The US Department of Education maintains a list of accredited schools across the US, so you can confirm a school’s accreditation status on their website.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

As an incoming PhD student, you have a number of financial aid options you can explore. You may want to start your financial aid search by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) . This will determine your eligibility for government financial aid in the form of loans, grants, and work-study programs.

There are also opportunities for fellowships, which, if awarded, will allow you to focus on a specific field of research while getting your tuition fully paid. These are awarded on a merit basis, and a regular stipend may be included.

Another option would be to pursue graduate assistantships, where you can teach or help with a school’s research projects while you continue your studies. Assistantships can be beneficial since you can work for the school while increasing your research and teaching experience.

There are also private and public scholarships available for qualifying PhD students. These are usually merit-based as well.

Do You Need a Masters to Get a PhD in Digital Marketing?

It depends on the university, but many PhD programs accept students who only have an undergraduate degree.

The most standard track, though, is to earn your master’s and then apply for a PhD program. Still, it’s possible to skip your master’s and go straight to doctoral studies after earning your bachelor’s degree. This could potentially fast-track you by 1 to 2 years, but you’d also have less experience with research.

Depending on the program, if you’re applying with a bachelor’s, you may need a stronger application to help you stand out amongst applicants with master’s degrees.

If you do decide to earn a master’s, it may be worth noting that a number of universities offer an online masters in digital marketing , which may allow you to better balance your life responsibilities. Some also offerb accelerated marketing degree options at the master’s level.

What Can You Do with a Doctoral Degree in Digital Marketing?

A PhD in Digital Marketing can help you build a career in research, teaching, data analysis, and management. The academic field is the most popular destination for PhD graduates of digital marketing. They often work as professors who are active in research.

Some graduates opt to work in management, with roles such as chief executive and marketing manager.

Based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, many management jobs offer higher than average salaries. Graduates may also use their knowledge of statistics and data analysis to work for technology and research companies.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Doctorate in Digital Marketing Online?

Most digital marketing PhD programs take 3 to 5 years to complete if you’re studying full-time. On a part-time schedule, it will often take longer. Time to completion varies a lot from program to program. One factor that can change how long it takes is how many credits you’re required to complete.

A dissertation requirement is another factor that can impact your timeline to graduation. Typically, the second half of a PhD program involves writing a dissertation, which is often the most time-consuming part. Without a dissertation requirement, you might be able to finish in 3 years with full-time study.

What’s the Difference between a DBA vs. PhD in Digital Marketing?

A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Digital Marketing has a different focus compared to a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).

A PhD in Digital Marketing is ultimately focused on how to publish research.

What’s the Difference between Digital Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing?

The terms “digital marketing” and “social media marketing” are often interchanged, but they’re not the same.

Social media marketing is only one component of digital marketing, which is much broader.

What’s the Difference between Internet Marketing vs. Digital Marketing Doctoral Programs?

Internet marketing and digital marketing doctoral programs have different areas of study. 

There are slight differences, but digital marketing can cover both internet marketing and offline marketing.

Is a PhD in Digital Marketing Worth It?

Yes, a PhD in Digital Marketing is worth it for many students. If you’re aiming for a career in academia, a PhD in Digital Marketing can help you qualify. It can also help prepare you for research-intensive industries, especially since you’ll be graduating with your own original research.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, postsecondary teachers are in demand and expected to see 12% job growth over the next ten years. The market research job sector is also growing much faster than average.

Outside of research and academia, your PhD degree can also be a sign to employers that you have a good work ethic and specialized knowledge. 

Getting Your PhD in Digital Marketing Online

A PhD is the highest education credential that you can get in the field of digital marketing. It can be a stepping stone for working in research and academia.

Earning your PhD in digital marketing can help you become an expert in the subject matter. PhD programs in this field typically provide extensive training in delving into research and analyzing digital marketing trends. 

Since completing a doctorate can take several years, one option is to get your PhD in Digital Marketing online. Online marketing degree programs often allow for more flexible and convenient scheduling, better enabling you to balance your studies with work and life responsibilities.

If you’re ready to set out on your doctoral journey, there are many accredited schools with diverse research interests that you can explore.

About / Departments

Marketing Department | Ph.D. Program in Marketing

Ph.d. program in marketing.

The Marketing Department at New York University's Stern School of Business offers a doctoral program that is widely recognized for the great success of its graduates. It has a large and distinguished faculty working in a diverse set of research areas from both behavioral and quantitative perspectives. Stern's Marketing Ph.D. program is extremely selective and, once accepted, students benefit from the faculty's dedication to ensuring a positive and productive doctoral experience. The department fosters a nurturing environment with close collaboration between doctoral students and faculty members. By the time students graduate, most have published in leading journals such as the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research or Marketing Science. For example, 25% of our faculty publications in the last three years have been with doctoral students, past and present. Although the primary focus of the program is the development of top researchers, Stern doctoral students also receive extensive training for teaching and begin their first academic appointments well prepared for the classroom. The fact that we have one of the top-rated Ph.D. programs in the country is also evidenced by our placements of our doctoral students as faculty at top business schools (e.g., Harvard, Berkeley, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Florida, Michigan). The tenure, publication, and teaching records of our doctoral students are outstanding. All of these activities give Stern Marketing an important role in mentoring the future leaders of our field.

Faculty Contact for Marketing PhD Program

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Best Doctorates in Digital Marketing: Top PhD Programs, Career Paths, and Salaries

There is a wide range of digital marketing jobs you can get if you have a doctorate. You can be a professor or researcher in academia or pursue roles in different industries. In this article, we show you the best PhDs in Digital Marketing that you can earn to advance your career. We also provide information on the best digital marketing jobs and salaries for professionals with PhDs in Digital Marketing.

What Is a PhD in Digital Marketing?

A PhD in Digital Marketing is the highest-level academic degree students can get in the field of digital marketing. This program entails more research work than coursework. Typically, doctoral programs take four to five years to complete.

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How to get into a digital marketing phd program: admission requirements.

The admission requirements for a typical PhD in Digital Marketing are an online application for the program and official transcripts from your undergraduate or graduate education. Some schools also require standardized test scores, such as GMAT or GRE. You also need to submit your resume, letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose.

PhD in Digital Marketing Admission Requirements

• Official academic transcripts
• Test scores (GRE or GMAT)
• Letters of recommendation
• Statement of purpose

Digital Marketing PhD Acceptance Rates: How Hard Is It to Get Into a PhD Program in Digital Marketing?

It’s hard to get into a PhD in Digital Marketing program. Acceptance rates for doctorate programs in the marketing field are low. On average, less than 10 percent of prospective students who apply to doctoral programs in digital marketing are admitted because schools only admit a low number of students to these programs every year.

How to Get Into the Best Universities

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Best PhDs in Digital Marketing: In Brief

Best Universities for Digital Marketing PhDs: Where to Get a PhD in Digital Marketing

Some of the best universities for getting a digital marketing PhD are Arizona State University, Duke University, Stanford University, The University of Texas, and University of Pennsylvania. If you’re wondering where to get the best PhDs in Digital Marketing, the following list will help you learn more about the accredited schools that offer doctoral degree programs in marketing.

Arizona State University (ASU) was first founded in 1885 as the Territorial Normal School in Tempe. Offering over 450 graduate degrees in fields such as arts, computing and mathematics, entrepreneurship, and healthcare, ASU welcomes more than 70,000 students every year. It has been recognized by US News & World Report as the most innovative national university . 

PhD in Marketing

ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business offers a full-time residential Doctoral Degree in Marketing. It’s designed for graduate students who want to pursue research and teaching positions in marketing. Students can choose between consumer behavior, service strategy, and quantitative marketing models specializations to concentrate their digital marketing knowledge.

PhD in Marketing Overview

• Program Length: 5 years
• Acceptance Rate: 5-10%
• Tuition and Fees: $11,720 (in-state base tuition); $23,544 (out-of-state base tuition)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Teaching or research assistantships, loans and other financing options, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

PhD in Marketing Admission Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher
• GRE or GMAT test scores
• Undergraduate education transcripts
• Proof of English language proficiency (for international students)

Drexel University is a private research university that was founded in 1891. Its LeBow College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. This college offers PhD programs in economics and business, as well as an executive doctorate program in business administration. 

PhD in Business with a Marketing Specialization 

In this full-time PhD program, students can choose between an economics-oriented track and a behaviorally-oriented research track. Development of marketing channel systems is one of the courses where digital marketing can be covered. To graduate, students must complete 45 credits and write and defend a doctoral thesis.

PhD in Business with a Marketing Specialization Overview

• Program Length: 4 years
• Acceptance Rate: 10%
• Tuition and Fees: $0 - All admitted students are considered for research and teaching assistantships which include a full tuition waiver
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Fellowships, teaching and research assistantships, research awards

PhD in Business with a Marketing Specialization Admission Requirements

• Minimum of 3.0 GPA in undergraduate programs and 3.3 GPA in graduate programs
• Transcripts
• GMAT or GRE scores
• Personal statement
• 2 letters of recommendation

Duke University is a private research university that was founded in 1838 in Trinity, North Carolina. The school has more than 80 Graduate School Departments, and over 3,000 graduate students are enrolled in its graduate programs. Duke University’s main goal is to give students the analytical and critical skills they need to succeed in their chosen field of study.

The PhD in Marketing at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business aims to prepare students for successful careers in research and teaching. This program covers digital marketing through the effects of Internet search agents on consumer choice. To graduate from this program, students are required to write and defend a dissertation.

• Acceptance Rate: 11%
• Tuition and Fees: $28,950/semester (years 1-3); $4,000/semester (years 4+)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Tuition grants, research and teaching assistantships
• $95 application fee
• Academic transcripts
• Provide undergraduate GPA
• Statement of purpose essay
• English language proficiency test scores (for non-native speakers)

Georgia State University (GSU) is a public research institution founded in 1913. The university offers more than 150 graduate degree programs across nine different colleges. Innovation is central in GSU’s Graduate Schools, as the US News & World Report named it the second most innovative school in the country . 

GSU’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business prepares students for successful careers inside and outside academia. In this program, students learn to apply combined research and marketing methods to digital marketing. Its curriculum includes 15 hours of research courses, 18 hours of marketing courses, and nine hours of courses in the student’s area of interest. 

• Acceptance Rate: N/A
• Tuition and Fees: $4,776/semester (in state); $15,108/semester (out of state)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Teaching and research assistantships, doctoral fellowships
• Online application and $50 application fee
• GMAT scores
• College transcripts
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Immunization records

Harvard University was the first college founded in America in 1636. Its Harvard Business School (HBS) was later established in 1908. HBS is now considered one of the best business schools in the world. It offers doctoral programs in a wide variety of fields, such as accounting, management, economics, organizational behavior, and marketing. 

PhD in Marketing 

HBS offers a full-time Doctoral Degree in Marketing, which requires a minimum of 13 courses, including economics and psychology. Its machine learning, computer science, and statistics courses are useful for digital marketing analysis and application. To graduate, students need to complete a teaching engagement, pass the special exam, and write and defend a dissertation.

• Acceptance Rate: 4%
• Tuition and Fees: $0 (fully funded for 5 years)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Financial aid program, research support
• Online application and $105 application fee
• GRE or GMAT scores

Northwestern University is a private research institution founded in 1851. US News & World Report considers it one of the top 10 national universities in the country . It’s home to over 50 research centers and receives over $890 million annually in sponsored research awards. More than 13,000 students are currently enrolled in its 90 graduate degree programs.

This PhD in Marketing is offered through the Kellogg School of Management. It offers two concentrations in consumer behavior and quantitative marketing. It teaches students to become successful marketing researchers in various areas of marketing, including digital marketing. To earn a doctorate, students must complete 18 courses and maintain a GPA of 3.0. 

• Program Length: 4+ years
• Acceptance Rate: 7%
• Tuition and Fees: $18,689/quarter (8 or fewer quarters); $4,672/quarter (more than 8 quarters)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Fellowship stipend, teaching and research assistantships, tuition scholarships
• Courses taken form
• 3 recommendation letters
• Proof of English proficiency (for international students)
• Optional writing sample

Founded in 1855, Penn State University is a public land-grant research university with 24 campuses catering to graduate and undergraduate students. The university offers more than 190 graduate degree programs and around 100 graduate certificate programs. Penn State stays on top of the research field with over $1 billion in annual research expenditures.

Penn State’s Smeal College of Business offers PhD in Marketing in three specializations in consumer behavior, marketing management, and marketing models. All three of them provide valuable learnings applicable to digital marketing. The program’s graduation requirements entail the completion of all coursework, a qualifying exam, and a thesis dissertation.

• Program Length: 3+ years
• Acceptance Rate: 15%
• Tuition and Fees: $0 - Admitted students receive a tuition waiver and a monthly stipend guaranteed for five years
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Tuition waiver, monthly stipends, research assistantships, research funding options
• $65 application fee
• GPA and coursework
• GMAT, GRE or TOEFL scores
• Work sample, such as research papers or essays

Stanford University was founded in 1885, but it didn’t open its doors to students until 1891. In 1925, the Stanford Graduate School of Business was created. Its three full-time graduate degree programs are all accredited by the AACSB. Among this school’s faculty, there are five Nobel Prize laureates and five recipients of the John Bates Clark Medal in Economics. 

Students enrolled in this PhD in Marketing degree can choose between two areas of study in behavioral marketing or quantitative marketing. Its coursework for digital marketing include deep learning, machine learning, and consumer behavior. To graduate, students must pass a field exam, submit academic papers, and complete apprenticeships and a dissertation.

• Program Length: 2-3 years
• Acceptance Rate: 3.5%
• Tuition and Fees: $56,487/three quarters (if 11-18 units per quarter); $36,720/three quarters (if 8-10 units per quarter). 
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Fellowships, research and teaching assistantships, professional development grants. All incoming doctoral students in the Marketing PhD program are provided with financial aid for five years.
• Online application
• $125 application fee
• Official transcripts
• 3 letters of reference
• TOEFL score (for international students)

Syracuse University (SU) is a private research university established in 1870. It’s accredited by the Middle State Commission on Higher Education. SU’s graduate school offers more than 193 master’s degrees and 50 doctoral degrees across 13 schools and colleges. Over 1,400 doctoral students are currently enrolled in SU’s PhD programs.

PhD in Business Administration with a Marketing Major

SU offers a PhD in Business Administration with a Marketing Major through the Whitman School of Management. It has two areas of specialization, analytical modeling and empirical analysis, for quantitative marketing. Students need to earn 72 credits to complete this program. Other graduation requirements include submitting three research papers and a thesis.

PhD in Business Administration with a Marketing Major Overview

• Tuition and Fees: $1,802/credit hour
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Tuition waivers, yearly stipends, grants, fellowships, awards, teaching and research assistantships 

PhD in Business Administration with a Marketing Major Admission Requirements

• Recommendation letters

University of Arizona is a public land-grant research university founded in 1885. It offers more than 150 master’s degree programs and over 100 doctoral programs in a wide variety of fields. The university is known for its heavy investments in research and development, spending over $700 million in recent years.

The university’s Eller College of Management offers a full-time PhD in Marketing that prepares students for research-heavy and academic roles. Strategy, marketing models, and consumer psychology are some of the courses useful for a digital marketing career. The program’s coursework has 36 units in marketing, nine units in a minor subject, and 18 units of dissertation credits.

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• Program Length: 4-5 years
• Tuition and Fees: $14,600/academic year (in state); $34,800/academic year (out of state)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Teaching or research associateship
• $90 application fee
• TOEFL or IELTS scores (for international students)

University of California-Berkeley (UC Berkeley) was founded in 1868. At present, more than 5,000 graduate students are enrolled at UC Berkeley’s wide variety of doctoral degrees. The US News & World Report named UC Berkeley as the fourth-best global university in the country.

UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business offers an interdisciplinary doctoral marketing program with two areas of research in consumer behavior and quantitative marketing. Both tracks require taking courses in buyer behavior and choice modeling or marketing strategy. To get this degree, students need to pass an oral qualification exam and write and defend a dissertation.

• Acceptance Rate: 9%
• Tuition and Fees: $14,442/academic year (in state); $29,238/academic year (out of state)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Financial aid, scholarships, fellowships
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• $120 application fee
• GMAT or GRE test scores

University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) is an Ivy League research university founded in 1740. The Wharton School was established as UPenn’s first business school in 1881. The Wharton School offers nine graduate programs of study in various areas, including finance, management, and marketing. Currently, around 13,000 graduate students are enrolled in UPenn.

This interdisciplinary doctoral program in marketing offers a consumer behavior track and a quantitative track. Data analysis and research methods are some of the program’s courses, which can be best applied to digital marketing. To graduate, students need to complete a dissertation and at least 15 graduate-level course units.

• Acceptance Rate: 3%
• Tuition and Fees: $37,678/full program
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Financial aid awards, fellowships
• $80 application fee
• Official transcripts and academic history
• Personal statement essay

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a public research university founded in 1969. Over 900 students are currently enrolled in the university’s doctoral degrees. UTSA is home to 32 research centers and institutes and offers a wide range of well-funded research partnerships.

UTSA offers its doctoral degree through Carlos Alvarez College of Business. This degree requires a minimum of 84 credits for students who previously obtained a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 66 credits for those with a master’s degree. Its courses that are useful for digital marketing include strategy research and experimental design.

• Tuition and Fees: $575/credit hour (in state); $1,572/credit hour (out of state)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Annual stipends, research assistantships
• $50 application fee
• Personal statement of academic goals and interests

Can You Get a PhD in Digital Marketing Online?

Yes, you can get a PhD in Digital Marketing online. Northcentral University and Atlantic International University are some of the schools that offer online doctoral marketing degrees. You can also get a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Marketing online. A DBA program focuses more on practical marketing applications, while a PhD program is designed for research and academic-oriented positions.

Best Online PhD Programs in Digital Marketing

How Long Does It Take to Get a PhD in Digital Marketing?

It takes four to five years to get a PhD in Digital Marketing. Typically, students dedicate the first two or three years to completing the required coursework. During their second and third years, students are expected to complete a field exam. This exam measures their depth of knowledge and comprehension of the marketing field.

During the program’s remaining years, students must focus their efforts on research activities, a dissertation, and any additional graduation requirements. Such requirements can be to complete research or teaching assistantships. They can also be to submit academic papers to accredited publications and to participate in seminars.

Is a PhD in Digital Marketing Hard?

Yes, a PhD in Digital Marketing is hard. The average completion time of a PhD in Digital Marketing is between four and five years. The majority of doctoral degrees are full-time programs. This means that working outside while pursuing your degree won’t be possible. You’ll have to rely on funding options such as research assistantships to support yourself while you are studying.

A doctorate can also be hard because of the program’s coursework and graduation requirements, which will require a lot of hard work and dedication. In general, students have to complete courses in advanced digital marketing topics, as well as courses in complex disciplines like statistics. They also have to complete the program’s dissertation requirements.

How Much Does It Cost to Get a PhD in Digital Marketing?

It costs approximately $12,171 per year to get a PhD in Digital Marketing at a public institution, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The tuition for a doctoral degree at a private university can cost between $14,208 and $27,776 per year.

Many universities offer affordable graduate tuition rates. An example is Georgia State University, where in-state students pay $4,776 per semester, and out-of-state students pay $15,108 per semester. Moreover, there are plenty of funding opportunities for digital marketing PhD students.

How to Pay for a PhD in Digital Marketing: PhD Funding Options

The PhD funding options that full-time students can use to pay for a PhD in Digital Marketing are tuition waivers, fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships. Most schools also offer PhD students plenty of financial aid options to reduce their expenses. Some schools even provide stipends to help students with other living costs.

Best Online Master’s Degrees

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What Is the Difference Between a Digital Marketing Master’s Degree and PhD?

The difference between a digital marketing master’s degree and a PhD is the job outlook for graduates. Master’s degree programs are great for career advancement because they teach the necessary skills for various executive positions in the marketing field. PhDs are terminal degree programs designed to prepare students mostly for careers in academia.

Doctoral degrees are a necessity in a range of job roles in the academic field, such as college professor or tenure researcher. Doctorate programs take approximately five years to complete, while master’s degrees can be completed in only two years. Because of this, getting a PhD in Digital Marketing will give you more advanced knowledge of the marketing field.

Master’s vs PhD in Digital Marketing Job Outlook

Digital marketing professionals with a PhD have advanced skills and knowledge for academic positions in postsecondary education. This field has a job outlook of 12 percent . Professionals with a master’s degree can strive for a wide variety of digital marketing jobs across different industries. For example, market research analysts have a 22 percent job outlook .

Difference in Salary for Digital Marketing Master’s vs PhD

While a digital marketer with a Master’s Degree can get a median annual income of $93,000 , the average PhD in Digital Marketing salary is $106,000 per year based on PayScale data. This pay disparity exists because of the advanced skills and knowledge that a PhD graduate can offer in digital marketing roles.

Related Digital Marketing Degrees

[query_class_embed] https://careerkarma.com/blog/digital-marketing-bachelors-degrees/ https://careerkarma.com/blog/best-online-digital-marketing-bachelors-degrees/ https://careerkarma.com/blog/best-online-digital-marketing-masters-degree/

Why You Should Get a PhD in Digital Marketing

You should get a PhD in Digital Marketing because it’ll give you a proper knowledge of advanced topics and crucial research skills needed for various digital marketing jobs. Apart from gaining expertise, PhD graduates also enjoy low unemployment rates, higher salaries, and networking opportunities. Below, we discuss in detail the reasons for getting a PhD in Digital Marketing.

Reasons for Getting a PhD in Digital Marketing

• Lower unemployment. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, marketing professionals with a PhD have a lower unemployment rate at 2.5 percent than those with a master’s or bachelor’s degree. This can be partially because pursuing doctoral degrees make it easier for graduates to land digital marketing jobs in the academic field.
• Advanced knowledge. A PhD in Digital Marketing will give you advanced skills and knowledge. With this degree, you’ll also learn quantitative and qualitative research methods that are necessary for landing higher-paying digital marketing jobs in any field.
• Higher salary. Most companies tend to pay employees with higher education and experience more money. By earning a PhD in Digital Marketing, you’ll be able to make an annual salary of $106,000 or more, depending on your professional experience and where you work.
• Networking opportunities. A digital marketing PhD will give you plenty of opportunities to grow your professional network. Not only will you have the opportunity to meet other students with similar interests and passions, but you can also attend conferences and seminars. These events are where you can connect with experts from all over the world.

Getting a PhD in Digital Marketing: Digital Marketing PhD Coursework

Getting a PhD in Digital Marketing is a matter of completing the required course load and any other graduation requirements. The typical PhD coursework is broken down into core digital marketing courses, courses in other disciplines, and courses focused on research or how to prepare for your dissertation. Below are a few examples of the courses that students must take.

Consumer Behavior

Consumer behavior studies are the psychological and behavioral processes that influence people’s choices when buying or consuming products and services. With this course, graduate students will better understand how cultural and psychological variables tend to influence the behavior of consumers. They’ll uncover how this can be used for effective marketing strategies.

Introduction to Econometrics

Econometrics is a discipline that combines mathematical and statistical methodologies in order to quantify economic phenomena. With this course, students will learn how to use regression methods, such as nonparametric and linear regressions, to quantify and interpret relevant data. This is useful for students that want to pursue careers in digital marketing research.

Qualitative Research Methods

In digital marketing, qualitative research involves collecting and analyzing non-numerical data to understand phenomena that are useful in market research. With this course, PhD students will learn how to use qualitative research methods to gather data that can help in understanding all the factors and variables that influence consumers’ decisions.

Quantitative Marketing

Qualitative research is the process of collecting and analyzing numerical data. It’s a crucial step in statistical analysis. In this course, students will learn how to quantify and analyze the data gathered from surveys and polls answered by a target audience. This will help students draw insights based on the data gathered from market research focus groups.

Statistical Inference

Statistical inference refers to the process of deducing facts about a specific group of the population based on statistical data. This course will provide digital marketing students the skills necessary for working with statistical data. The use of statistical methods, such as statistical inference, is common in the marketing field, so it’s a crucial skill for digital marketers to learn.

Best Master’s Degrees

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How to Get a PhD in Digital Marketing: Doctoral Program Requirements

To graduate, PhD students have to complete the doctoral program requirements. Common graduation requirements include completing the required coursework, completing the necessary teaching or researching requirements, and writing and defending a dissertation. Finishing these requirements is how to get a PhD in Digital Marketing.

Doctorate programs require students to complete the necessary coursework, as well as a minimum number of credits. Core courses include digital marketing courses and research methods courses. The coursework is meant to be finished in the first two years of the program. Students might be required to maintain a minimum GPA throughout their coursework.

Once students complete the required coursework, they are required to pass an exam meant to assess the depth of their comprehension of topics covered in the first years of the program. It’s also meant to measure the depth of advanced knowledge they learned through completing the required coursework. This examination can be a written exam or an oral examination.

PhD students are required to complete research requirements. These requirements include working as research assistants and completing a set number of hours or classes of teaching. You might also need to participate in research assistantships under experienced faculty members, participate in seminars and colloquia, and submit your research to academic journals. 

Teaching apprenticeship requirements can mean working as teaching assistants (TAs) during a set time frame from the total length of the program. Alternatively, you might need to complete a teaching engagement during a semester or a full academic year. This is a great opportunity for students who want to pursue teaching careers.

To get a PhD in Digital Marketing, you’ll have to write and defend a dissertation. Dissertations are where students show that they’re able to conduct independent research and present it in a well-organized manner. Dissertation requirements include writing a dissertation, presenting a dissertation proposal, choosing a doctoral dissertation committee, and defending the final dissertation.

Potential Careers With a Digital Marketing Degree

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PhD in Digital Marketing Salary and Job Outlook

The typical salary for marketing experts with a PhD is over $100,000 per year. There are plenty of job opportunities for PhD graduates, both in business and in the academic field. On average, there are more than 200,000 job openings for digital marketers with a PhD every year. Most marketing professions are expected to grow between eight and 14 percent in the next decade.

What Can You Do With a PhD in Digital Marketing?

With a PhD in Digital Marketing, you can apply to various senior-level positions in marketing or academia. Once you get your degree, you’ll have the skills and knowledge necessary to work in positions such as marketing manager, postsecondary education teacher, market research analyst, and public relations manager.

Best Jobs with a PhD in Digital Marketing

• College Professor
• Marketing Manager
• Market Research Analyst
• Public Relations Manager
• Postsecondary Education Administrator

What Is the Average Salary for a PhD in Digital Marketing?

The average annual salary for a PhD in Digital Marketing is $106,000. This salary varies depending on the specific digital media marketing field a professional decides to focus on. For example, digital marketers working in an academic environment earn an average of $96,910 per year. Marketing experts who work in marketing management earn $133,380 per year.

Highest-Paying Digital Marketing Jobs for PhD Grads

Best Digital Marketing Jobs with a Doctorate

The best digital marketing jobs with a doctorate are marketing manager, public relations manager, postsecondary education administrator, college professor, and market research analyst. These jobs require an advanced education degree because they need experts who know digital marketing trends very well and know how to apply research methods.

In this section, we discuss an overview of the best digital marketing jobs with a doctorate. We also provide details on the salary, job outlook, and highest-paying states.

Marketing managers plan effective marketing campaigns and evaluate promotional campaigns of businesses. These professionals possess leadership skills and advanced knowledge of advertising principles needed for identifying potential target markets for a specific product or service. They create promotional campaigns for target markets. 

• Average Salary: $133,380
• Job Outlook: 10% job growth from 2020 to 2030
• Number of Jobs: 316,800
• Highest-Paying States: New York, New Jersey, California

Public relations managers create content, such as press releases, articles, draft speeches, and images for a company to reach its target audience. They also analyze the audience’s perspective of a business and create digital marketing strategies to shape or improve the business’s overall image.

• Salary with a Digital Marketing PhD: $119,860
• Job Outlook: 13% job growth from 2020 to 2030
• Number of Jobs: 89,000
• Highest-Paying States: District of Columbia, Virginia, New York

Postsecondary education administrators oversee student services, academics, and sometimes, faculty research at private and public colleges and universities. These professionals need to have interpersonal, problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills. They also need experience in administrative settings to perform their job.

• Salary with a Digital Marketing PhD: $96,910
• Job Outlook: 8% job growth from 2020 to 2030
• Number of Jobs: 178,800
• Highest-Paying States: New York, New Jersey, Delaware

College professors or postsecondary teachers in the digital marketing field develop outlines and syllabi for the courses they teach. They also plan individual lessons and assess their student’s progress through various assignments. 

• Salary with a Digital Marketing PhD: $79,640
• Job Outlook: 12% job growth from 2020 to 2030
• Number of Jobs: 1,276,900
• Highest-Paying States: California, Rhode Island, New Hampshire

Market research analysts have a vast knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods that are widely used in the marketing field. They also have the analytical skills required for interpreting complex data. Their main responsibility consists of evaluating the market conditions and determining the potential sales of a product or service.

• Average Salary: $63,920
• Job Outlook: 14% job growth from 2020 to 2030
• Number of Jobs: 740,900
• Highest-Paying States: Washington, Delaware, New York

Is a PhD in Digital Marketing Worth It?

Yes, a PhD in Digital Marketing is worth it because it provides more employment opportunities and a higher annual salary. With a doctoral degree, you can apply for academic positions, such as post-secondary education teacher or researcher. You can also apply in various industries as a marketing manager, public relations manager, or market research analyst.

Additional Reading About Digital Marketing

[query_class_embed] https://careerkarma.com/blog/digital-marketing-best-practices/ https://careerkarma.com/blog/trends-in-digital-marketing/ https://careerkarma.com/blog/digital-marketing-tools-everyone-needs/

PhD in Digital Marketing FAQ

Yes, you can get a PhD in Digital Marketing online. The best PhDs in Digital Marketing with a fully online format are offered by Northcentral University, Washington State University, and Trident University International. Liberty University offers online DBA programs, which have more hands-on experience than a traditional PhD in Marketing.

You should get a PhD in Digital Marketing because it’ll give you’ll learn in-demand skills and knowledge in marketing and research methods. Getting a PhD will not only ensure you earn a high annual income, but it’ll raise your chances of finding a good and rewarding job.

The digital marketing jobs that require a PhD are teaching and research positions in the academic field. If you want to pursue a career in academia, you must get a doctoral degree. While other digital marketing jobs might not require doctoral education, having a PhD will make you stand out from other candidates with a master’s or bachelor’s degree.

Yes, digital marketing is a good career choice. Digital marketers are one of the most in-demand professionals in marketing and advertising. Becoming a digital marketer will open a wide range of careers in business. The average salary of a digital marketing expert is approximately $50,000 per year, and the average PhD in Digital Marketing salary is over $100,000 per year.

About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication .

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PhD Programs in Marketing

The AMA helps potential doctoral students find the right program for them by maintaining a global list of PhD and DBA-granting institutions that offer the opportunity to specialize in marketing. If you would like your institution added to the list below, please email [email protected].

Current doctoral students may find helpful resources via the AMA DocSIG and PhD students who are going on the market should check out the AMA Transitions Guide or learn about Academic Placement at the Summer Academic Conference .

• ​Chinese University of Hong Kong  
• City University of Hong Kong 
• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 
• Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
• JK Business School
• Lingnan University​​
• Management Development Institute  
• Nanyang Technological University ​
• National University of Singapore  
• Aston Business School
• Athens University of Economics & Business  
• Bilkent University 
• Bocconi University  
• Boğaziçi University
• Cardiff University  
• City, University London  
• Copenhagen Business School
• Cranfield University  
• Erasmus Research Institute of Management  
• ESSEC Business School
• Frankfurt School of Finance & Management  
• Goethe-Universitaet Frankfurt  
• Grenoble Ecole de Management  
• HEC Paris  
• Hanken School of Economics  
• INSEAD 
• ICTE Business School  
• Kingston University  
• Koc University  
• Lancaster University  
• Loughborough University 
• Lausanne University  
• London Busines s School  
• Maastricht University  
• Manchester Business School  
• Nottingham University  
• Tilburg University  
• Umea University  
• University of Bradford
• University College Dublin 
• University of Cologne​
• University of Exeter  
• University of Glasgow  
• University of Grenoble  
• University of Groningen
• University of Guelph  
• University of Liverpool  
• University of Mannheim
• University of Muenster
• University of Navarra, IESE  
• University of St. Gallen 
• University of Southern Denmark  
• University of Stirling​
• University of Strathclyde 
• University of Valencia  
• VU University Amsterdam 
• Wilfrid Laurier University 
• Warwick Business School 
• Yeditepe University
• Carleton University  
• Concordia University 
• HEC Montréal  
• Laval University  
• McGill University
• McMaster University  
• Queen’s University
• Simon Fraser University 
• University of Alberta 
• University of British Columbia 
• University of Calgary
• University of Manitoba​
• University of Toronto  
• Western University  
• York University ​

Australia and New Zealand

• Bond University 
• Deakin University
• Griffith University​ 
• La Trobe University  
• Macquarie Graduate School of Management 
• Melbourne Business School  
• Monash University 
• Queensland University of Technology 
• Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology 
• University of Adelaide 
• University of Ballarat 
• University of Canterbury​
• University of Melbourne 
• University of Newcastle 
• University of New South Wales  
• University of Otago 
• University of South Australia  
• University of Sydney 
• University of Technology, Sydney  
• University of Western Australia 
• University of Wollongong

United States of America

• Arizona State University  
• Bentley University  
• Boston University 
• Carnegie Mellon University 
• City University of New York (Baruch College) 
• Cleveland State University 
• Cornell University 
• Columbia University  
• Drexel University  
• Duke University  
• Emory University  
• Florida Atlantic University  
• Florida International University 
• Florida State University
• Fordham University  
• George Washington University 
• Georgia Institute of Technology  
• Georgia State University 
• Grand Canyon University  
• Harvard University  
• Indiana University  
• Iowa State University  
• Kennesaw University 
• Kent State University  
• Louisiana State University
• Louisiana Tech University  
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology  
• Michigan State University  
• Mississippi State University 
• Morgan State University 
• New Mexico State University 
• New York University  
• Northwestern University  
• The Ohio State University 
• Oklahoma State University  
• Old Dominion University
• Pace University  
• Pennsylvania State University  
• Purdue University  
• Rutgers University  
• Saint Louis University 
• Southern Illinois University  
• Stanford University  
• State University of New York, ​Binghamton  
• Syracuse University 
• Temple University  
• Texas A & M University  
• Texas Tech University 
• University of Alabama 
• University of Arizona  
• University of Arkansas 
• University at Buffalo  
• University of California, Berkeley  
• University of California, Irvine  
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of California, Riverside
• University of California, San Diego  
• University of Central Florida 
• University of Chicago 
• University of Cincinnati 
• University of Colorado at Boulder  
• University of Connecticut  
• University of Florida  
• University of Georgia 
• University of Hawaii at Manoa  
• University of Houston  
• University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign 
• University of Illinois at Chicago 
• University of Iowa  
• University of Kansas 
• University of Kentucky 
• University of Maryland  
• University of Massachusetts – Amherst
• University of Massachusetts – Lowell  
• University of Memphis  
• University of Miami 
• University of Michigan  
• University of Minnesota  
• University of Mississippi  
• University of Missouri 
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln  
• University of North Carolina 
• University of North Texas 
• University of Oklahoma 
• University of Oregon  
• University of Pennsylvania  
• University of Pittsburgh 
• University of Rhode Island 
• University of Rochester  
• University of South Carolina  
• University of Southern California  
• University of South Florida  
• University of Tennessee 
• University of Texas – Arlington 
• University of Texas at Austin – Marketing 
• University of Texas – Dallas 
• University of Texas – El Paso​
• University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley  
• University of Texas – San Antonio 
• University of Utah  
• University of Virginia 
• University of Washington  
• University of Wisconsin-Madison 
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 
• University of Wyoming  
• Vanderbilt University 
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University  
• Washington State University  
• Washington University in St. Louis  
• West Virginia University 
• Yale University  
• Wayne State University  ​​​

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Top 10 Best PhD in Marketing Programs in the US [2024]

How deep do you want to dive into the ever-growing marketing field? A marketing background is a lucrative education choice that brings you applicable expertise for any industry. These days, marketing managers  make upwards of $130,000 per year. A master’s in marketing  is a great start.

But a PhD in marketing takes your career to the highest levels, though not only for individual businesses. You can take that expertise and dive deeper into research or pursue a teaching career in academia.

What are the best marketing PhD programs, and where can you find them? We’ve put together a solid list that even includes online marketing PhD programs for you to choose from!

Table of Contents

Best Marketing PhD Programs and Schools

Arizona state university, w. p. carey school of business, phd in marketing.

ASU was ranked no. 1  by the US News and World Report on its list of the most innovative schools. In this PhD marketing program, you can choose between three tracks: consumer behavior, quantitative marketing models, and service strategy. There are also core courses shared by all streams, which cover research methods and marketing models.

• Duration: 5 years
• Tuition : $11,720 per year
• Acceptance rate: 88.4%
• Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Harvard University, Harvard Business School

Harvard University is a world-renowned Ivy League  university known for its strength in research. This program draws on various disciplines, such as research methods, statistics, computer science , machine learning, and field seminars. After the first two years, students can embark on their dissertation. Although the Harvard Business School offers this program, doctorate candidates can also collaborate with other Harvard schools and MIT.

• Courses: 13
• Tuition : $50,928
• Acceptance rate: 5%
• Location: Boston, Massachusetts

The University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin School of Business

The Wisconsin School of Business has a strong reputation for its excellent faculty and reasonable tuition. The school’s core research areas for their marketing PhD are quantitative modeling, marketing strategy, and consumer behavior. Interested in a research position at a university, or teaching a specialized course? You’ll find many network opportunities if you enroll in this prorgam.

• Tuition: Refer tuition page
• Acceptance rate: 57.2%
• Location: Madison, Wisconsin

Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business

Phd program in marketing.

Carnegie Mellon University is based in Pittsburgh but has campuses all over the world. Their marketing PhD program covers topics like brand-choice models, marketing/operations interface, and theories of consumer behavior. Students are supported by excellent faculty to pursue quality research in specialty areas like behavioral and experimental economics , high-tech marketing, and two-sided market pricing.

• Duration: 4 to 5 years
• Tuition : $47,000 per year
• Acceptance rate: 17.3%
• Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The University of Colorado Boulder, Leeds School of Business

The University of Colorado Boulder is the flagship institution of the University of Colorado system and has nine schools and colleges offering around 150 programs. Its PhD in marketing is an advanced degree covering experimental and statistical methods, predictive modeling, quantitative marketing, and theory building, with crucial courses built around consumer behavior and quantitative modeling.

• Tuition : $2,811 per credit
• Acceptance rate: 84.2%
• Location: Boulder, Colorado

The University of Missouri, Robert J. Trulaske Sr. College of Business

The University of Missouri is a public land-grant university that offers high-quality but affordable education. Its PhD program in marketing focuses on developing teaching and research skills and helps students prepare for careers in various research settings. The program offers small class sizes and promotes a collaborative environment.

• Semester hours: 72
• Tuition : $414.60 per credit hour
• Acceptance rate: 81.8%
• Location: Cornell Hall | Columbia, Missouri

Florida International University, College of Business

Phd in business administration (marketing).

FIU College of Business is a world-renowned institution that falls within the top 5% of elite business schools globally and has been ranked second  in the nation for international business programs. Its PhD in Business Administration with a focus on marketing equips students with the knowledge necessary to establish successful careers in academics and research. The program’s key courses include marketing research methodology, advanced data analysis, and statistical methods in consumer research.

• Duration: 4 years
• Tuition : $10,935.36 per year
• Location: Miami, Florida

Drexel University, LeBow College of Business

Drexel University is a well-known private research institution and center of higher learning that emphasizes experiential learning. Its PhD in marketing program covers both the macro and micro aspects of marketing, though with a greater focus on the microelements. You can also choose between electives in economics-oriented or behavior-oriented subjects. Economics-oriented courses include econometrics and advanced microeconomics, while behavior-oriented includes multivariate analysis, and behavioral science research.

• Tuition : $2,000 per credit hour
• Acceptance rate: 77.2%
• Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Liberty University

Online doctor of business administration (dba) – marketing.

Looking for online marketing doctoral programs? Liberty University offers various fully online programs flexible enough for working professionals. Its DBA program in marketing includes strategic marketing management, supply chain management, marketing research, and marketing promotions. As one of the only fully-online marketing PhD programs available, it is ideal for working professionals who want to keep a balance between work and study. The program also lets you transfer up to 50% of credits from previous degrees.

• Credit hours: 60
• Duration: 3 years (average)
• Tuition : $595 per hour
• Acceptance rate: 50.1%

Grand Canyon University, College of Doctoral Studies

Doctor of business administration (dba): marketing (quantitative research).

Grand Canyon University is the largest private Christian university with almost 100,000 students. Unlike a qualitative DBA, which attempts to analyze topics using insights into how and why people think and behave, this quantitative DBA focuses on analysis by interpreting numeric data. This online doctorate in marketing includes courses about quantitative data collection and analysis, the complexity of marketing, and digital technology (a PhD in digital marketing is a great specialty!) and consumer behavior.

• Credits: 60
• Tuition : $702 per credit
• Acceptance rate: 80.7%

Should I Get a Doctorate in Marketing?

With a doctorate in marketing, you’ll be eligible for various high-level roles in academia, business, and research. These positions can offer salaries anywhere from $55,000 to $155,000, making the degree a valuable qualification for your CV.

Of course, like any discipline or program, a marketing PhD has advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of Having a PhD in Marketing:

• Excellent career prospects:

A PhD in marketing will qualify you for roles at the highest levels of business management, which you otherwise might not access with a master’s alone. Alternatively, you use this degree to pursue a career in academia and research.

• Job opportunities in academia:

A PhD is a prerequisite if you want to teach marketing at a post-secondary level or pursue certain research career paths.

• Scope for innovation:

A PhD in marketing helps you contribute to advances in the field, especially in cutting-edge areas like artificial intelligence and natural language processing. In contrast, a master’s degree has a smaller scope for research.

Drawbacks of a PhD in Marketing:

• You have to wait to launch your career:

Studying a PhD is a serious time investment: it takes around five years to complete for most people. Of course, this is after you’ve already completed your bachelor’s and master’s degrees, so it will take you an average of 11 years before the degree brings you higher on the career ladder.

• It’s a balancing act:

By the time you start your PhD, you might have a family to take care of. As a result, managing your studies, research, and family could be a challenge.

How to Choose a Marketing Doctoral Program?

With so many options, you might have trouble picking from the top marketing PhD programs. Here are some essential factors to consider before deciding:

1. Your career goals

You might be able to build a worthwhile career in marketing with a master’s degree . But for heavy research and academic or teaching work, you’ll need a PhD. If you’re not interested in teaching or research, you might reconsider the time and financial commitment needed to complete a marketing PhD.

2. Accreditation

Check each school you’re considering for their regional accreditation. Some marketing programs may even have programmatic accreditation to look out for. This is an important factor in picking a reputable program that’s attractive to potential employers.

3. Mode of delivery

If you’re already a working professional, full-time, on-campus study might not be an option for you. In this case, you must look for a PhD in marketing online that offers remote learning and flexibility.

These are just a few ideas to keep in mind. Weigh all your options and listen to your gut feeling in the end.

Alternatives to a Marketing Major

Marketing is a specialized discipline with well-defined objectives, needing specific skillsets. However, in today’s interconnected world, various disciplines share many of the same concepts.

You can still build a high-level career in marketing with qualifications in different fields, like:

• Advertising
• Data analytics
• Strategic management
• Analytical management
• Production management

Careers with a PhD in Marketing

A PhD in marketing can open doors to various top-level roles.

Here are some of the most common roles for professionals with a marketing doctorate, with the median annual salaries for each:

• Marketing Manager ( $67,696 )
• Market Research Analyst ( $55,742 )
• Chief Executive Officer (CEO) ( $156,413 )
• Professor (Marketing) ( $89,181 )

What Do You Need to Get into a Marketing Doctoral Program?

Every marketing PhD program has specific admission requirements. Always double-check by referring to the admission webpage or contacting a school representative. Usually, a master’s degree in a related field is required for admission.

Most programs will also require:

• A statement of purpose , research proposal, or both
• Letters of recommendation
• Academic resume
• GRE/GMAT scores may or may not be required

PhD Marketing vs. Master’s Degree: Which is Better?

A master’s degree in marketing is a career-oriented qualification that can propel you into a meaningful marketing career for a variety of corporations or small businesses. On other hand, marketing PhD programs are generally research-based and will give you more specialized knowledge that equips you for a career in the academic sphere.

PhDs also require a much more significant time and financial commitment.

PhD in Marketing FAQs

What can you do with a phd in marketing.

Popular career choices for marketing PhD grads include market research analysts, chief marketing officers, and marketing professors. This advanced degree will not only equip you for roles in senior management, but also the fields of research and academia.

How Many Years is a PhD in Marketing?

A PhD in marketing typically takes five years to complete. However, some universities allow you to earn your doctorate in as little as three years, though usually only if you have enough transfer credits. At the other end of the scale, your PhD may push out to up to seven years.

Is There a PhD in Marketing?

Yes. Many universities offer a PhD degree in marketing, as well as online marketing doctorate programs for working professionals. Some schools also offer a comparable DBA (Doctor of Business Administration)..

Can I Do a PhD in Marketing After an MBA?

Yes, you can do a PhD in marketing after completing an MBA. In fact, you might consider completing a DBA to be more in line with your studies.

Key Takeaways

You can access a wealth of career opportunities available with an MBA or another master’s degree . But if you want to open more doors in research and academia, a PhD in marketing is the way to go. With so many online study options, it’s easier now than ever to complete a remote degree while juggling work or a family.

If you want to explore more options for excellent advanced degrees, take a look at our guides for:

• Best online PhD in Psychology programs
• History PhD programs
• Best PhD programs in California

Lisa Marlin

Lisa is a full-time writer specializing in career advice, further education, and personal development. She works from all over the world, and when not writing you'll find her hiking, practicing yoga, or enjoying a glass of Malbec.

• Lisa Marlin https://blog.thegradcafe.com/author/lisa-marlin/ 12 Best Laptops for Computer Science Students
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• Lisa Marlin https://blog.thegradcafe.com/author/lisa-marlin/ BA vs BS: What You Need to Know [2024 Guide]
• Lisa Marlin https://blog.thegradcafe.com/author/lisa-marlin/ The 19 Best MBA Scholarships to Apply for [2024-2025]

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MARKETING PH.D.

VIBRANT, SMART, AND CURIOUS

Over the last ten years, 100 percent of marketing Ph.D. students have accepted academic positions upon graduating, thanks in large part to faculty mentors at the top of their game.

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RESEARCH BREADTH

The world is your laboratory.

ACADEMIC LIFE AT McCOMBS

Mentorship and practice.

CAREER PLACEMENT

The world needs you, application deadline.

The application deadline for the Marketing Doctoral Program is December 15th.

Extraordinary business and economic growth have ushered in exciting times in our Marketing Department, with many graduates starting their careers at the world's leading research institutions. The program's primary goal is to develop students into skilled researchers and future leaders in academia by creating and disseminating marketing knowledge that reshapes the marketplace.

Consumer Behavior

Research focuses on issues related to the acquisition and retention of consumers and consumers' consumption of goods, services, ideas, and experiences. The research both relies on and contributes to theory in marketing, psychology, sociology, and economics and has practical relevance, answering questions that inform and improve marketing and public policy decisions and individual-level consumer well-being.

Marketing Strategy

Research focuses on issues related to firms' strategies and behaviors, including topics such as innovation management, sales force management, distribution channels, market entry strategy, technology strategy, new venture marketing, customer relationship management, and marketing metrics. The research spotlights substantive real-world problems, and generally, the insights from marketing strategy research have direct and actionable implications for marketing practice.

Quantitative Marketing

Research focuses on developing theoretical models and empirical methods for applied marketing problems, drawing from economic theory, statistics, econometrics, and computer science to uncover novel insights, challenge existing theory, and advance marketing practice. The research, combining computational advances, fruitful collaborations with industry, and explosive growth in data availability, along with strong student demand for analytical training, portends a fulfilling academic career for those interested in quantitative marketing.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES

A wide variety of research designs is used, and mastery of quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques is essential.

PREPARATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

The Texas McCombs Marketing doctoral program assumes that students have taken advanced courses to establish a reasonable mathematical, statistics, and economics background. Adequate computer programming skills are necessary for coursework.

Prospective applicants are required to hold a four-year bachelor's degree (does not require a formal degree in the area of study) or equivalent before starting the program. There are no additional prerequisites or requirements for the Marketing department.

See Admissions for further information.

CAREER DESTINATIONS

The primary goal of the Texas McCombs Ph.D. program is to prepare students for exceptional academic careers. Over the last five years, McCombs Marketing Ph.D. alumni have excelled at top institutions globally.

Recent Graduate Placements

Current Students and *Job Market Candidates

Abbott, Paige

Alam, Meher

Basak, Somdatta,

Chavez Montes, Marcelino

Gautam, Aprajita

Ghosh, Robina

Niknejad Moghadam, Mahdi*

Nivsarkar, Anima

Shu, Runyang

Sridhar, Sachin

Urdaneta Romano, Constanza

Winer, Sarah

Wu, Xiaohan Jessica

Yu, Lingzhi

Zhang, Zhengwei (Harrison)

Paige Abbott

Somdatta Basak

Marcelino Chavez

Aprajita Gautam

Robina Ghosh

Mahdi niknejad moghadam*.

Anima Nivsarkar

Runyang Shu

Sachin Sridhar

Constanza Urdaneta Romano

Sarah Wiener

Xiaohan (Jessica) Wu

Zhengwei (Harrison) Zhang

ARE YOU READY TO CHANGE THE WORLD?

The Texas McCombs Doctoral Program is seeking individuals who are interested in transforming the global marketplace. Are you one of these future thought leaders?

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Marketing PhD Program

Marketing is an interdisciplinary field that examines the interactions of consumers and businesses in the marketplace. Academic research in marketing draws upon theories and methodology from a wide variety of fields, including psychology, sociology, mathematics, statistics, and economics. Faculty members in Marshall’s marketing department represent numerous theoretical backgrounds and substantive interests. As mentors, they encourage students to identify their own interests and develop the analytic and methodological skills to pursue their own research questions.

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• ADMISSIONS EVENTS

CONCENTRATIONS

Quantitative marketing.

This area of marketing shares theories and methodologies with economics, mathematics, and statistics. Faculty advising students in this area are experts in a variety of topics such as

• Applications of artificial intelligence in marketing
• Understanding how businesses manage social interactions
• The impact of digital platforms on different industries
• Social networks and network structures in markets
• Strategic pricing decisions
• Distribution-channel strategies
• Innovation and product growth
• Global markets

Consumer Psychology

This area of marketing shares theories and methodologies with social and cognitive psychology and behavioral economics. Faculty advising students in this area are experts in a variety of topics such as

• Status and luxury goods
• Branding and consumers’ attachments to brands
• Consumers’ strategies to maintain a positive self-evaluations
• Emotions and their effects on consumers’ valuations of products
• How the use of technology affects consumers’ enjoyment and memories of experiences
• Consumers' responses to service and product failure
• Budgeting and saving decisions
• Consumer Creativity

Developing Marketing Scholars

The aim of the PhD program in marketing at USC is to develop outstanding researchers and prepare them for productive careers in academia. During their studies, students will transition from consumers of knowledge to producers and disseminators of knowledge.

Marshall’s PhD program in marketing is highly selective. The small size of the program allows for close collaborations between students and faculty and for students to tailor their program of study to fit their background and research interests.

From the beginning of the program, students have the opportunity to engage in different research projects and receive guidance and mentorship from faculty experts. Students are strongly encouraged to develop their own research program and have the freedom to pursue their own ideas.

Faculty members are experts in their areas and are highly committed to the training and guidance of PhD students.

Faculty Coordinator: Gülden Ülkümen, Professor of Marketing

REQUIREMENTS

During their first two years in the program, students are required to complete a series of classes in marketing as well as in other departments in Marshall and USC at large.

Within marketing, PhD students complete four marketing seminars (two in quantitative marketing and strategy, two in consumer behavior). These seminars cover the key areas of academic marketing research and provide students a broad perspective of the field of marketing.

Fall Semester — Even Years

MKT 613: Marketing Models in Consumer and Business-to-Business Markets

Spring Semester - Odd Years

MKT 616: Consumer Behavior Theory and Research

Fall Semester - Odd Years

MKT 615 Strategic and Marketing Mix Models

Spring Semester - Even Years

MKT 618: Consumer Behavior and Decision Making

In addition, students take classes in other departments in the business school (e.g., Management and Organizational Behavior, Data Science), as well as in departments across campus (e.g., economics, psychology, statistics, computer science).

First Year Summer Research Paper

The first year paper allows students to develop their own research interest and to demonstrate their research potential. Students develop an original research question and provide initial tests of their predictions. A faculty mentor and other marketing faculty form the first year research paper committee that guides the student’s process.

Qualifying Exam

Following the spring semester of their second year, students will take part in a qualifying exam that leads to the assessment of whether the student is ready for ascension to candidacy. The topics pursued in the qualifying exam often evolve into a substantial portion of the student’s dissertation. A faculty mentor and other faculty members from marketing and from outside the department form the qualifying exam committee that guides the student’s process.

After passing the qualifying exam, students are admitted to PhD candidacy and pursue their research, culminating in their dissertation.

Research Mentorship

Students work with different research mentors over the course of the program. In the first two years, students work with different faculty member each semester, in order to expose students to different researchers and research approaches. By the end of year two, students should have identified a primary research mentor who will guide them until completion of the dissertation, i.e., their faculty advisor.

Year 1: In year 1, the research mentor aims to advise the student with their courses, studies, and overall strategies in the program. Students may assist with a faculty research project if it offers a good learning experience and does not interfere with classes and other program requirements. In some cases, the relationship may involve the student working on their own research project, in which case the research mentor serves as an advisor. Further, the research mentor may be involved in guiding the development of the first-year paper.

Year 2: In year 2, the student should gain further research skills by assisting the faculty mentor with a research project that offers a good learning experience. Activities may include data collection, data cleaning, data organizing, coding, and estimation for empirical projects, and checking models and proofs for theoretical projects. In some cases, the relationship may involve the student working on their own research project, in which case the research mentor serves as an advisor. Further, the research mentor advises the student in developing the second-year paper.

Year 3: In year 3, the student will continue to gain research skills by working on research projects from previous years that should involve different faculty. If not yet done, the student will start developing their own research projects and agenda. The research mentor will primarily serve as an advisor.

Year 4: In year 4, the student will continue to improve their research skills, advancing research projects from previous years, and start new ones. The research mentor will continue to serve as an advisor.

Year 5: In year 5, the research mentor serves to advise the student on completion of the dissertation. In most cases, the advisor will serve as the student’s dissertation chair.

You will work hands-on in a thriving research culture with constant exposure to new and important ideas. Marshall is ranked 5th in the world in research for the years 2018–2022 by the UT-Dallas Research Rankings.

Our faculty regularly publish in the field’s top journals, such as:

• Journal of Marketing
• Journal of Marketing Research
• Journal of Consumer Research
• Marketing Science
• Management Science

Our faculty also continuously publish in the premiere journals of related disciplines

• American Economic Review
• Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
• Journal of experimental Psychology: General
• Psychological Science
• The Rand Journal of Economics

Selective List of Journal Publications With Students

From the very beginning of the program, students collaborate with faculty on research projects with the goal of producing research that will be published in the top journals. Below, please find a selection of recent articles that resulted from these collaborations. * denote current or former PhD students.

Ceylan*, Gizem, Kristin Diehl, and Wendy Wood (forthcoming), “To Imagine or Not to Imagine: A Meta-Analysis Investigating the Effectiveness of Mental Simulation of Positive Experiences on Behavior,” Journal of Marketing .

Ceylan*, Gizem, Kristin Diehl, and Davide Proserpio (forthcoming), “Words Meet Photos: When and Why Visual Content Increases Review Helpfulness,” Journal of Marketing Research .

Chandrasekaran*, Deepa, Gerard J. Tellis and Gareth James (2022), “Leapfrogging, Cannibalization, and Survival during Disruptive Technological Change: The Critical Role of Rate of Disengagement,” Journal of Marketing.

D’Angelo*, Jennifer K., Kristin Diehl, and Lisa A. Cavanaugh. "Lead by Example? Custom-Made Examples Created by Close Others Lead Consumers to Make Dissimilar Choices." Journal of Consumer Research 46, no. 4 (2019): 750-773.

Donovan*, Leigh Anne and Priester, Joseph (2020). Exploring the psychological processes that underlie interpersonal forgiveness: Replication and extension of the model of motivated interpersonal forgiveness. Frontiers in Psychology.

Donovan*, Leigh Anne Novak, and Joseph R. Priester. "Exploring the psychological processes underlying interpersonal forgiveness: The superiority of motivated reasoning over empathy." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 71 (2017): 16-30.

Dukes, Anthony and Yi Zhu* (2019) “Why Customer Service Frustrates Consumers: Exploiting Hassel Costs by a Tiered Customer Service Organization,” Marketing Science, 38(3): 500-515.

Hong*, Jihoon, Max Wei and Gerard J. Tellis (2022), “Machine Learning for Creativity: How Similarity Networks Can Identify Successful Projects in Crowdfunding,” Journal of Marketing .

Jayarajan*, Dinakar, S. Siddarth, and Jorge Silva-Risso. "Cannibalization vs. competition: An empirical study of the impact of product durability on automobile demand." International Journal of Research in Marketing 35, no. 4 (2018): 641-660.

Paulson*, Courtney, Lan Luo, and Gareth M. James. "Efficient large-scale internet media selection optimization for online display advertising." Journal of Marketing Research 55, no. 4 (2018): 489-506.

Pei*, Amy, and Dina Mayzlin (2021), "Influencing the Influencers." Marketing Science, forthcoming.

Proserpio, Davide, Isamar Troncoso*, and Francesca Valsesia* (2021) "Does gender matter? The effect of management responses on reviewing behavior." Marketing Science, Forthcoming.

Gerard J. Tellis, Ashish Sood, Nitish Sood, Sajeev Nair* (2023), “Lockdown Without Loss? A Natural Experiment of Net Payoffs from to Covid COVID-19,” Journal of Public Policy and Marketing .

Troncoso*, Isamar and Lan Luo (2023), “Look the Part? The Role of Profile Pictures in Online Labor Marketplace,” Marketing Science .

Valsesia*, Francesca and Kristin Diehl (2022), “Let Me Show You What I Did Versus What I Have: Sharing Experiential Versus Material Purchases Alters Authenticity and Liking of Social Media Users,” Journal of Consumer Research¸ Volume 49, October, p. 430-449.

Tellis, Gerard J., Deborah J. MacInnis, Seshadri Tirunillai*, and Yanwei Zhang*. "What drives virality (sharing) of online digital content? The critical role of information, emotion, and brand prominence." Journal of Marketing 83, no. 4 (2019): 1-20.

Valsesia*, Francesca, Kristin Diehl, and Joseph C. Nunes (2017), “Based on a True Story: Making People Believe the Unbelievable,” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 71, 105-110

Valsesia*, Francesca, Joseph C. Nunes, and Andrea Ordanini (2021), “I Am Not Talking to You: Partitioning an Audience in an Attempt to Solve the Self-Promotion Dilemma,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 165, 76-89.

Valsesia*, Francesca, Davide Proserpio, and Joseph C. Nunes. "The Positive Effect of Not Following Others on Social Media." Journal of Marketing Research (2020): 0022243720915467.

Xu*, Zibin, Yi Zhu and Shantanu Dutta (Forthcoming), “Platform Screening Strategies And The Role of Niche Sellers on Service Provision”, International Journal of Research in Marketing

Xu*, Zibin and Anthony Dukes, (2021) “Personalization, Customer Data Aggregation, and the Role of List Price,” Management Science, forthcoming.

Xu*, Zibin, and Anthony Dukes. "Product line design under preference uncertainty using aggregate consumer data." Marketing Science 38, no. 4 (2019): 669-689.

Zhang*, Mengxia and Lan Luo (2023), “Can Consumer Posted Photos Serve as a Leading Indicator of Restaurant Survival? Evidence from Yelp,” Management Science , Vol. 69, No. 1, 25–50

Zhu*, Yi and Anthony Dukes (2017), “Prominent Attributes under Limited Attention,” Marketing Science, 36(5): 683-698.

Faculty Honors

The research of our faculty has been recognized repeatedly as innovative and highly impactful. Faculty members have been named fellows in the field’s leading professional organizations.

• American Marketing Association IO Lifetime Achievement Award
• Vijay Mahajan Lifetime Contribution to Marketing Strategy Award
• Alpha Kappa Psi Award
• Harold H. Maynard Award
• William F. O’Dell Award
• Donald R. Lehmann Award
• John D.C. Little Award
• INFORMS Society for Marketing Science Long-term Impact Award
• Fellow of INFORMS Society for Marketing Science
• Fellow of American Marketing Association
• Fellow of Association of Consumer Research
• Fellow of Society of Consumer Psychology

Proven Thought Leaders

Our faculty have a substantial role in shaping the discipline through their positions as editors, associate editors and editorial board members of:

• Journal of Consumer Psychology

Our faculty also include former presidents of major professional organizations, such as the Association for Consumer Research, the Association for Consumer Psychology, and INFORMS Society of Marketing Science (ISMS).

Program Culture

The culture of the program is research focused, collegial, supportive, and highly interactive. PhD students are “junior colleagues” encouraged to participate in academic research with faculty from the very beginning. The low PhD student/faculty ratio coupled with the marketing faculty’s “open door” policy promotes frequent and meaningful interactions between faculty and students about research, careers and teaching. Students also serve as colleagues and mentors to each other and often develop papers together.

Research Environment Faculty and students attend weekly scholarly presentations from invited faculty from around the world. In addition internal brown bag seminars and reading groups allow students and faculty to exchange ideas and receive feedback on research topics.

Student Background Our students come from all of over the world. They have strong academic backgrounds and bring with them a variety of experiences prior to joining the program.

Awards Marketing Ph.D. students have contributed to the field by publishing in leading journals and winning numerous prestigious research awards, including the SCP Sheth Award and the William O’Dell Award for long term contributions to marketing for articles published in the Journal of Marketing Research. Students have been recipients of INFORMS Society for Marketing Science (ISMS) Doctoral Dissertation Competition Award, finalists for the John D. Little Award for best paper in Marketing Science, and early career achievement award in marketing. Student research proposals have been funded by the Marketing Science Institute (MSI) and the Institute for The Study of Business Markets (ISBM).

PHD STUDENTS

Stephan (steve) carney.

• PhD Student in Marketing

Maansi Dalmia

Aparna jayaram, soohyun kim.

Our PhD graduates contribute to marketing research and practice throughout the world. We have a long history of mentoring PhD students who are on the faculty of top universities around the world.

Recent Placements (2023-2019)

Elisa Solinas (2023) Assistant Professor, IE, Spain

Wensi Zhang (2023) Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Dallas, USA

Gizem Ceylan (2022) Postdoctoral Researcher, Yale University

Ilya Lukibanov (2022) Data Scientist, AXS, USA

Sajeev Nair (2022) Assistant Professor, University of Kansas, USA

Isamar Troncoso (2022) Assistant Professor, Harvard Business School, USA

Chaumanix Dutton (2021) Assistant Professor, Arizona State University, USA

Jihoon Hong (2021) Assistant Professor, Arizona State University, USA

Mengxia Zhang (2021) Assistant Professor, Ivey Business School, Western University, Canada

Jennifer D'Angelo (2020) Assistant Professor, TCU, USA

Amy Pei (2020) Assistant Professor, Northeastern University, USA

Yao Yao (2019) Assistant Professor, San Diego State University, USA

APPLYING TO THE PhD PROGRAM

Dates + deadlines.

December 15, 2023: Application Deadline - Accounting, Data Sciences & Operations, and Management & Organization* 

January 15, 2024: Application Deadline - Finance & Business Economics and Marketing 

The link to the PhD Program application is available on the Admissions page and the next opportunity to apply is for Fall 2024 admission. Late applications may or may not be considered at the discretion of the admissions committee. 

Admissions decisions are made from mid-February to mid-April. You will be notified by email when a decision has been made.

ADMISSIONS CONTACT

Ph.D. Program USC Marshall School of Business 3670 Trousdale Parkway, BRI 306 Los Angeles, California 90089-0809 EMAIL

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PhD/ MPhil/ MSc Marketing (Research)

• Visit an Open Day
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• Course details
• Entry Requirements
• Teaching and assessment
• Employability

The PhD/MPhil/MSc (research) in Marketing programme offers a short taught component followed by a longer research phase. Taught modules allow you to broaden, as well as deepen, your knowledge of research methods whilst undertaking your own research and developing a set of transferable professional skills.

Doctoral researchers will be capable of analysing a range of data using a range of qualitative and quantitative techniques. They will be able to explain theories underlying different approaches to social science research. Doctoral researchers are expected to participate to the fullest possible extent in the life of the Department of Marketing and the Business School. This means attending seminars organised by the Department of Marketing and more widely in the Business School thereby helping expose doctoral researchers to new ideas emanating from outside their own area of specialisation. It also requires actively participating in PhD workshops and conferences organised by the Department of Marketing, the Business School and Graduate School as well as institutions outside the University of Birmingham.

Ultimately all doctoral researchers will have the ability to characterise and solve business and marketing problems using advanced research tools. They should be able to derive policy implications from their research and communicate these to policy makers, practitioners and other academics in a manner which is comprehensible. They will also be able to peer review others’ research and offer constructive criticism; and to extend the frontiers of the discipline through their own innovative research.

Doctoral researchers may choose to become academics, work in Government, businesses, supranational organisations or in the research arms of major financial institutions. They are expected to achieve a substantial understanding of contemporaneous marketing and business issues enabling them to take a lead in ongoing debates within society. They will be aware of and understand the function of related institutions at both a national and international level.

Fees 2024 - 2025

• Code 8164 - £4,778 (UK) MPhil Full time
• Code 8164 - £23,520 (International) MPhil Full time
• Code 8170 - £4,778 (UK) PhD Marketing  Full time
• Code 8180 - £2,389 (UK) PhD Marketing  Part time
• Code 8170 - £23,520(International) PhD Full time
• Code 8175 - £4,778 (UK) MSc (Research) Full time
• Code 8178 - £2,389 (UK) MSc (Research) Part time
• Code 8175 - £23,520 (International) MSc (Research) Full time

Learn more about fees and funding

Scholarships and studentships

A limited number of scholarships may be available to outstanding applicants. International students  can often gain funding through overseas research scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships or their home Government.

For further information contact the School directly or visit our helpdesk .

How To Apply

Our supervisory expertise includes a wide range of theoretical interests and methodological approaches. Applicants are urged to study the profiles of individual staff via their university profile pages and contact appropriate supervisors directly before they apply. When considering potential supervisors avoid generic emails to everyone in the department as such approaches seldom attract interest. It is better to email potential supervisors where you see a direct link to your proposed area of study and/or methods. Try to read some of the work written by potential supervisors and when you contact them, explain how your ideas fit with their existing research and/or stated areas of interest. When you submit your proposal, you should also consider how it relates to the broader research undertaken by the department and you might specifically discuss this in your application letter. You should also focus on the following questions in your proposal:

• What are you trying to find out?
• Why does this matter and to who?
• How will your work further or challenge existing thinking?
• What makes your proposed methods suitable to achieve all this?

If you have any questions about applying, please contact the department PhD lead, Dr Mike Molesworth ( [email protected] ). If you cannot find a suitable supervisor, you may still apply and the PGR lead will try to match you with a suitable supervisory team.

• How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate research programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the research programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page . Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Our Standard Requirements

The Business School's entry requirement is a good honours degree (first or upper second class honours) awarded by a recognised University in an appropriate subject, and a merit in a relevant Master’s degree. We usually ask students for an average of 65 in the taught component of their Masters. All international students also need to show that they have adequate knowledge of written and spoken English.

Learn more about our entry requirements.

Writing your research proposal

Along with your academic record, your references and your curriculum vitae your research proposal plays a critical role in the evaluation of your application.

Your research proposal should illustrate your ability to plan an independent research study and the relevance of your topic to the research interests and expertise of Birmingham Business School.You need to demonstrate that you understand the field that you plan to research, identify an interesting and original research question, and develop a tentative plan of study. It is highly desirable that your research proposal is written to the guidelines specified below.

Guidelines for the Research Proposal

When clicking on the Apply Now button you will be directed to an application specifically designed for the programme you wish to apply for where you will create an account with the University application system and submit your application and supporting documents online. Further information regarding how to apply online can be found on the  how to apply  pages.

International Requirements

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 14/20 from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Argentinian university, with a promedio of at least 7.5, may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent

Applicants who hold a Masters degree will be considered for admission to PhD study.

Holders of a good four-year Diplomstudium/Magister or a Masters degree from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5 will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a good 5-year Specialist Diploma or 4-year Bachelor degree from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan, with a minimum GPA of 4/5 or 80% will be considered for entry to postgraduate taught programmes at the University of Birmingham.

For postgraduate research programmes applicants should have a good 5-year Specialist Diploma (completed after 1991), with a minimum grade point average of 4/5 or 80%, from a recognised higher education institution or a Masters or “Magistr Diplomu” or “Kandidat Nauk” from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 75% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a CGPA of 3.0-3.3/4.0 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students who hold a Masters degree from the University of Botswana with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (70%/B/'very good') will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Please note 4-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a Diploma of Higher Education. 5-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a British Bachelor (Ordinary) degree.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

A Licenciatura or Bacharelado degree from a recognised Brazilian university:

• A grade of 7.5/10 for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement
• A grade of 6.5/10for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement

Holders of a good Bachelors degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good post-2001 Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a minimum average of 14 out of 20 (or 70%) on a 4-year Licence, Bachelor degree or Diplôme d'Etudes Superieures de Commerce (DESC) or Diplôme d'Ingénieur or a Maîtrise will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Holders of a bachelor degree with honours from a recognised Canadian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A GPA of 3.0/4, 7.0/9 or 75% is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1.

Holders of the Licenciado or equivalent Professional Title from a recognised Chilean university will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD study will preferably hold a Magister degree or equivalent.

Students with a bachelor’s degree (4 years minimum) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. However please note that we will only consider students who meet the entry guidance below.  Please note: for the subject areas below we use the Shanghai Ranking 2022 (full table)  ,  Shanghai Ranking 2023 (full table) , and Shanghai Ranking of Chinese Art Universities 2023 .

需要具备学士学位（4年制）的申请人可申请研究生课程。请根据所申请的课程查看相应的入学要求。 请注意，中国院校名单参考 软科中国大学排名2022（总榜） ，  软科中国大学排名2023（总榜） ，以及 软科中国艺术类高校名单2023 。  

Business School    - MSc programmes (excluding MBA)  

商学院硕士课程（MBA除外）入学要求

School of Computer Science – all MSc programmes 计算机学院硕士课程入学要求

College of Social Sciences – courses listed below 社会科学 学院部分硕士课程入学要求 MA Education  (including all pathways) MSc TESOL Education MSc Public Management MA Global Public Policy MA Social Policy MA Sociology Department of Political Science and International Studies  全部硕士课程 International Development Department  全部硕士课程

  All other programmes (including MBA)   所有其他 硕士课程（包括 MBA）入学要求

Please note:

• Borderline cases: We may consider students with lower average score (within 5%) on a case-by-case basis if you have a relevant degree and very excellent grades in relevant subjects and/or relevant work experience. 如申请人均分低于相应录取要求（5%以内），但具有出色学术背景，优异的专业成绩，以及（或）相关的工作经验，部分课程将有可能单独酌情考虑。
• Please contact the China Recruitment Team for any questions on the above entry requirements. 如果您对录取要求有疑问，请联系伯明翰大学中国办公室   [email protected]

Holders of the Licenciado/Professional Title from a recognised Colombian university will be considered for our Postgraduate Diploma and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent.

Holders of a good bachelor degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Bacclaureus (Bachelors) from a recognised Croatian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 4.0 out of 5.0, vrlo dobar ‘very good’, or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree(from the University of the West Indies or the University of Technology) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A Class II Upper Division degree is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1. For further details on particular institutions please refer to the list below.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Masters degree or Mphil from the University of the West Indies.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10, or a GPA of 3 out of 4, and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bakalár from a recognised Czech Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, velmi dobre ‘very good’ (post-2004) or 2, velmi dobre ‘good’ (pre-2004), or a good post-2002 Magistr (Masters), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum overall grade of 7-10 out of 12 (or 8 out of 13) or higher for 2:1 equivalence and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters/ Magisterkonfereus/Magister Artium degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Ecuadorian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 70% or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Magister/Masterado or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Licenciado with excellent grades can be considered.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 75% from a recognised institution. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bakalaurusekraad from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 4/5 or B, or a good one- or two-year Magistrikraad from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with very good grades (grade B, 3.5/4 GPA or 85%) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

Holders of a good Kandidaatti / Kandidat (old system), a professional title such as Ekonomi, Diplomi-insinööri, Arkkitehti, Lisensiaatti (in Medicine, Dentistry and Vetinary Medicine), or a Maisteri / Magister (new system), Lisensiaatti / Licenciat, Oikeustieteen Kandidaatti / Juris Kandidat (new system) or Proviisori / Provisor from a recognised Finnish Higher Education institution, with a minimum overall grade of 2/3 or 4/5, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters/Maîtrise with a minimum overall grade of 13 out of 20, or a Magistère / Diplôme d'Etudes Approfondies / Diplôme d'Etudes Supérieures Specialisées / Mastère Specialis, from a recognised French university or Grande École to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Magister Artium, a Diplom or an Erstes Staatsexamen from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5, or a good two-year Lizentiat / Aufbaustudium / Zweites Staatsexamen or a Masters degree from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good four-year Ptychio (Bachelor degree) with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10, from a recognised Greek university (AEI), and will usually be required to have completed a good Metaptychiako Diploma Eidikefsis (Masters degree) from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

4-year Licenciado is deemed equivalent to a UK bachelors degree. A score of 75 or higher from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) can be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 60 is comparable to a UK 2.2.  Private universities have a higher pass mark, so 80 or higher should be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 70 is comparable to a UK 2.2

The Hong Kong Bachelor degree is considered comparable to British Bachelor degree standard. Students with bachelor degrees awarded by universities in Hong Kong may be considered for entry to one of our postgraduate degree programmes.

Students with Masters degrees may be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Alapfokozat / Alapképzés or Egyetemi Oklevel from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 3.5, or a good Mesterfokozat (Masters degree) or Egyetemi Doktor (university doctorate), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a 60% or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the 4 year Sarjana (S1) from a recognised Indonesian institution will be considered for postgraduate study. Entry requirements vary with a minimum requirement of a GPA of 2.8.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a score of 14/20 or 70% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution, with 100 out of 110 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students who hold the Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies, Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Students with a Bachelor degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for entry to a postgraduate Masters degree provided they achieve a sufficiently high overall score in their first (Bachelor) degree. A GPA of 3.0/4.0 or a B average from a good Japanese university is usually considered equivalent to a UK 2:1.

Students with a Masters degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for PhD study. A high overall grade will be necessary to be considered.

Students who have completed their Specialist Diploma Мамаң дипломы/Диплом специалиста) or "Magistr" (Магистр дипломы/Диплом магистра) degree (completed after 1991) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of 2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate Masters degrees and, occasionally, directly for PhD degrees.  Holders of a Bachelor "Bakalavr" degree (Бакалавр дипломы/Диплом бакалавра) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of  2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, may also be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/50

Holders of a good Postgraduate Diploma (professional programme) from a recognised university or institution of Higher Education, with a minimum overall grade of 7.5 out of 10, or a post-2000 Magistrs, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a score of 16/20 or 80% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Libya will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved score of 70% for 2:1 equivalency or 65% for 2:2 equivalency. Alternatively students will require a minimum of 3.0/4.0 or BB to be considered.

Holders of a good pre-2001 Magistras from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10, or a good post-2001 Magistras, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, or a Diplôme d'Études Supérieures Spécialisées (comparable to a UK PGDip) or Masters degree from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (70-74% or A or Marginal Distinction from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 60-69% or B or Bare Distinction/Credit is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Malaysian institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum of 3.0) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from the University of Malta with a minimum grade of 2:1 (Hons), and/or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (Honours) from a recognised institution (including the University of Mauritius) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2:1).

Students who hold the Licenciado/Professional Titulo from a recognised Mexican university with a promedio of at least 8 will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Students who have completed a Maestria from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree, licence or Maîtrise and a Masters degree, with a score of 14/20 or 70% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students with a good four year honours degree from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. PhD applications will be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 60-74% or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Doctoraal from a recognised Dutch university with a minimum overall grade of 7 out of 10, and/or a good Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (minimum 4 years and/or level 400) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of B/Very Good or 1.6-2.5 for a 2.1 equivalency, and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters, Mastergrad, Magister. Artium, Sivilingeniør, Candidatus realium or Candidatus philologiae degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a CGPA of 3.0/4 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in the Palestinian Territories will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3/4 or 80% for 2:1 equivalency or a GPA of 2.5/4 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.    

Holders of the Título de Licenciado /Título de (4-6 years) or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Paraguayan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 4/5 or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  The Título Intermedio is a 2-3 year degree and is equivalent to a HNC, it is not suitable for postgraduate entry but holders of this award could be considered for second year undergraduate entry or pre-Masters.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría / Magister or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Título/Grado de Licenciado/a with excellent grades can be considered.

Holders of the Licenciado, with at least 13/20 may be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent. The Grado de Bachiller is equivalent to an ordinary degree, so grades of 15+/20 are required.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría or equivalent qualification.

Holders of a good pre-2001 Magister from a recognised Polish university with a minimum overall grade of 4 out of 5, dobry ‘good’, and/or a good Swiadectwo Ukonczenia Studiów Podyplomowych (Certificate of Postgraduate Study) or post-2001 Magister from a recognised Polish university with a minimum overall grade of 4.5/4+ out of 5, dobry plus 'better than good', will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Licenciado from a recognised university, or a Diploma de Estudos Superiores Especializados (DESE) from a recognised Polytechnic Institution, with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, and/or a good Mestrado / Mestre (Masters) from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Romanian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10, and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree/Diploma de Master/Diploma de Studii Academice Postuniversitare (Postgraduate Diploma - Academic Studies) or Diploma de Studii Postuniversitare de Specializare (Postgraduate Diploma - Specialised Studies) to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Диплом Специалиста (Specialist Diploma) or Диплом Магистра (Magistr) degree from recognised universities in Russia (minimum GPA of 4.0) will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes/PhD study.

Students who hold a 4-year Bachelor degree with at least 16/20 or 70% will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Students who hold a Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies,Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. A score of 14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2

Students who hold a Bachelor (Honours) degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (or a score of 60-69% or B+) from a well ranked institution will be considered for most our Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees with a 2:1 requirement.

Students holding a good Bachelors Honours degree will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good three-year Bakalár or pre-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, Vel’mi dobrý ‘very good’, and/or a good Inžinier or a post-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Diploma o pridobljeni univerzitetni izobrazbi (Bachelors degree), Diplomant (Professionally oriented first degree), Univerzitetni diplomant (Academically oriented first degree) or Visoko Obrazovanja (until 1999) from a recognised Slovenian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8.0 out of 10, and/or a good Diploma specializacija (Postgraduate Diploma) or Magister (Masters) will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor Honours degree (also known as Baccalaureus Honores / Baccalaureus Cum Honoribus) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (70%) or a distinction (75%).

Holders of a Masters degree will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelor degree from a recognised South Korean institution (usually with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average 3.0/4.0 or 3.2/4.5) will be considered for Masters programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 7 out of 10 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 60-74% or a CGPA 3.30/4.0 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Kandidatexamen (Bachelors degree) or Yrkesexamen (Professional Bachelors degree) from a recognised Swedish Higher Education institution with the majority of subjects with a grade of VG (Val godkänd), and/or a good Magisterexamen (Masters degree), International Masters degree or Licentiatexamen (comparable to a UK Mphil), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good "PostGraduate Certificate" or "PostGraduate Diploma" or a Masters degree from a recognised Swiss higher education institution (with a minimum GPA of 5/6 or 8/10 or 2/5 (gut-bien-bene/good) for a 2.1 equivalence) may be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0, 3.5/5 or 75% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bachelor degree (from 75% to 85% depending upon the university in Taiwan) from a recognised institution will be considered for postgraduate Masters study. Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for entry to our postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree or Mphil from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a Bachelors degree from the following universities may be considered for entry to postgraduate programmes:

• Ateneo de Manila University - Quezon City
• De La Salle University - Manila
• University of Santo Tomas
• University of the Philippines - Diliman

Students from all other institutions with a Bachelors and a Masters degree or relevant work experience may be considered for postgraduate programmes.

Grading Schemes

1-5 where 1 is the highest 2.1 = 1.75 2.2 = 2.25 

Out of 4.0 where 4 is the highest 2.1 = 3.0 2.2 = 2.5

Letter grades and percentages 2.1 = B / 3.00 / 83% 2.2 = C+ / 2.5 / 77%

Holders of a postdoctoral qualification from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.  Students may be considered for PhD study if they have a Masters from one of the above listed universities.

Holders of a Lisans Diplomasi with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0/4.0 from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a Yuksek Diplomasi from a recognised university will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (2.1) or GPA of 3.5/5.0

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree / Диплом бакалавра (Dyplom Bakalavra), Диплом спеціаліста (Specialist Diploma) or a Dyplom Magistra from a recognised Ukrainian higher education institution with a minimum GPA of 4.0/5.0, 3.5/4, 8/12 or 80% or higher for 2:1 equivalence and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

The University will consider students who hold an Honours degree from a recognised institution in the USA with a GPA of:

• 2.8 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement 
• 3.2 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement 

Please note that some subjects which are studied at postgraduate level in the USA, eg. Medicine and Law, are traditionally studied at undergraduate level in the UK.

Holders of the Magistr Diplomi (Master's degree) or Diplomi (Specialist Diploma), awarded by prestigious universities, who have attained high grades in their studies will be considered for postgraduate study.  Holders of the Fanlari Nomzodi (Candidate of Science), where appropriate, will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of the Licenciatura/Título or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Venezuelan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Scales of 1-5, 1-10 and 1-20 are used, an overall score of 70% or equivalent can be considered equivalent to a UK 2.1.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Maestria or equivalent qualification

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Vietnamese institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum GPA of 7.0 and above) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.  Holders of a Masters degree (thac si) will be considered for entry to PhD programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5/5.0 or a mark of 2.0/2.5 (A) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Students who hold a good Bachelor Honours degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

International Students

English requirements are IELTS 7.0 with no less than 6.5 in any band or equivalent.

The marketing department encourages PhD applications that align with one of the three research groups below.

Culture Research Group

Marketing innovations and consumer science research group, responsible and critical marketing research group.

Members of the Culture Research Group are interested in a range of topics drawing from the diverse field of the arts. Specific research areas include heritage, issues of culture and authenticity, art and artists as brands, the production and consumption of art, film production and reception, film distribution and exhibition, social responsibility in arts marketing, television, dark tourism, embodiment, visual arts and the market, the production and consumption of place, space and time, myth and marketplace, festivals, the intersection of arts and technology, how emerging artists use new technology, and sub-cultural and non-mainstream consumption.

• Alessandro Gerosa is happy to consider projects about taste, sociology of consumption, consumer cultures, and digital cultures, using qualitative or digital methods.
• Christina Goulding is interested in supervising qualitative project in cultural consumption, place, space and consumption, non-conformist or transgressive consumption, the arts meets technology, consumer identity projects, consumption and loss, the dark side of consumption, and consumption and resilience. 
• Chelsea Harfield’s research is into consumer behaviour, tourism, heritage, authenticity and narrative transportation. Her focus is qualitative methodologies.
• Scott Jones does research into marketplace cultures and consumer collectives, celebrity studies, fandom, responsible and ethical marketing, and alternative methods in qualitative research.
• Finola Kerrigan’s work is on the entertainment industries, cultural branding, and digital identity, and uses qualitative and visual approaches [not taking students for 2024 entry].
• Rohan Venkatraman is looking to support projects related to the intersection of marketplace hierarchies, especially gender and sexuality, and consumer culture, using qualitative and ethnographic methodologies.
• Julie Whiteman’s interests are in representation and consumption of gender, race, sexuality and class, using qualitative, intersectional research methods.

The marketing innovations and consumer science research group brings together researchers across the marketing field who are interested in innovative marketing practice, innovation itself, digital and technological innovations, as well as methodological innovations in marketing research. The group also has a focus on psychological theories as a means to understand consumers and their behaviour. Researchers in the group use a range of research methods but with some concentration on quantitative approaches to research problems.

• Raphaël Akamavi researches new product development processes, service innovation, consumption experiences, and social capital & organisational /industry performance using positivist approaches.
• Achilleas Boukis works on technology integration in physical interactions with customers, digital assets including NFTs, demanding consumers, branding cryptocurrencies and technology products, and brand equity using quantitative approaches.
• Fahad Ibrahim considers big data and technology in marketing, social networks and relationship marketing, using quantitative methods (specialised in structural equation modelling).
• Doga Istanbulluoglu’s areas of interest include online consumer behaviour, especially complaining, service recovery, and anti-consumption. She uses qualitative methods.  
• Grigorios Lamprinakos researches consumer psychology, cognitive and metacognitive processes, persuasion, sustainable consumption and socially responsible behaviour using experimental designs.
• Miriam McGowen’s research draws on consumer psychology perspectives to understand how social and situation factors impact consumer behaviour. She uses quantitative methods. 
• Amin Nazifi’s  research focuses on service failure and recovery, customer complaint management, customer satisfaction and loyalty, gamification, artificial intelligence, and consumer well-being using quantitative research methods and in particular experiments.
•   Eric Shiu  works on innovation in all aspects, as well as trust, agri-food and retailing, using experimental design, survey, interview, focus group, or a mix of these.
• Weiyue Wang is interested in employee – organisation relationships, employee cognition, ethics and ethical behaviour, services marketing and service performance using quantitative methods.

The Responsible and Critical Marketing Research Group aims to lead the academic development of knowledge of the subject, to contribute to the learning curriculum and reach out to those interested in improving marketing practices and standards. Research by members of the team covers areas of employee attitudes to responsibility, managerial and B2B ethics, responsible marketing and technology, consumer responsibility, marketing sustainability, base of the pyramid (BoP) marketing, market access and diversity, corporate social responsibility (CSR), marketing’s contribution to social and environmental elements of the ‘triple bottom line’ and responsible marketing education. The group are also interested in explicitly critical perspectives in marketing and consumer research.

• Robert Cluley researches contemporary marketing practice, how marketers work and think, and the role of technology in marketing. His methods include ethnography, action research, psychoanalytic interviews, content analysis and semiotics, and psychometrics.  
• Louise Hassan is interested in sustainability and health issues, including consumer decision-making or information processing from a consumer/social psychology perspective. Her methods focus on experimental approaches, but a wide range of methods acceptable.
• Sheena Leek is interested in information technology within business relationships, social capital and branding, consumer confusion in high tech areas, and convenience and healthy eating. She uses a range of qualitative approaches.
• Solon Magrizos  is interested in consumer happiness and wellbeing, responsible marketing, sustainable tourism, corporate social responsibility, ethical consumer behaviour, and responsible and irresponsible employees/employers. His research employs a wide range of qualitative/quantitative methods.
• Scott McCabe works on responsible and ethical tourism, including negative and positive emotions associated with responsible behaviour, social tourism, tourism as an experience, and new methods of assessing ethical, green sustainable tourist consumption.
• Mike Molesworth ’s research takes a critical approach to consumption and marketing, especially aspects of new technologies. He uses interpretivist techniques, including netnography.
• Fatos Ozkan Erciyas is interested in marketplace accessibility, inclusion and exclusion in marketing, and spaces and places of consumption, experiences of vulnerable/marginalized consumer groups.
• Mike Saren is interested in supervising projects in heritage and identity, consumer culture and relationships and marketing technology using qualitative approaches. 
• Emma Surman ‘s research is in the areas of ethics and sustainability of consumption, sociology of consumption, and decolonisation using qualitative and creative methodologies.
• Rohit Varman uses interpretive methodologies. His current inter-disciplinary research focuses on corporate violence, exploitation, modern slavery, and resistance to corporatization and marketization.

Doctoral researchers in Marketing are registered for a full time 3-year PhD or a part-time 6-year PhD. In the first year of the programme (first two years for those registered part-time) students are required to take 60 credits of core Research Methods modules from the MA Social Research programme. They are also recommended to take Advanced Training Modules from the MA Social Research Programme as appropriate to their research and training needs. Depending on their needs and accredited prior learning and subject to supervisory approval doctoral researchers can substitute 20 credits of the introductory MA Social research modules for Advanced Training Modules. By the end of their first year doctoral students will have completed an 8,000 word research proposal that they will present at the first annual review.  This forms the basis for supervised research over the remaining two years of the programme and the production of an 80,000 word thesis.

Applicants are urged to study the up-to-date profiles of individual staff members' research via their personal web pages. Each student will have two academic supervisors who will work with the students in their areas of expertise.  It is essential that students applying to the department recognise the expertise of their potential supervisor. It is possible to contact a potential supervisor to discuss the possibility of working with them and this communication would involve identifying the proposed research area and methods and identifying the link with the proposed supervisor’s work.  Current priority areas include:

Support and training

Birmingham Business School provides dedicated facilities, resources and support to postgraduate students and early career researchers which includes The Midlands Graduate School and Doctoral Training Centres and Programmes.  Find out more .

• Research at the Department of Marketing

Career prospects

The University of Birmingham has recently been ranked 9th in the UK and 55th in the world for post-qualification employability in a global survey of universities commissioned by the International Herald Tribune .

Recent PhD graduates from Birmingham Business School are working in central banks, Government departments, a variety of financial institutions, accountancy firms, supranational organisations and multinational corporations. Many of our PhD graduates also go on to forge successful academic careers in other top Universities.

Doctoral Research career assistance

The University of Birmingham has invested heavily in careers and employability support. The Careers Team have been praised for enhanced developments within their team and for adopting a model of integrated employability and internship support; something that has been rolled out and implemented across all Schools and Colleges at the University.

Doctoral researchers at Birmingham Business School benefit from its own well qualified dedicated Careers Team to support students with employment opportunities, work placements, internships and how to succeed at interview. In addition, a range of career management, personal development and employer events are run each year by the Careers in Business Team to help you make the most of the opportunities available.

The University also has dedicated careers advisors for international students  who run workshops and networking opportunities with potential employers. These are especially popular with international postgraduate researchers.

• Online chat events

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Are you gearing up to graduate with a bachelor’s or master’s degree and ready to dive into the world of digital marketing?  PMG’s Graduate Leadership Program Media Marketing track offers a full-time role where you'll drive tangible results for brands like Nike, Therabody, and Whole Foods right from the start. Located in the bustling heart of Dallas at The Link Uptown, you’ll develop industry expertise and build a strong network.

Program Highlights:

• Eight Weeks of Immersive Training: Jump into an intensive 8-week onboarding program designed to catapult you into the media and marketing realms. Think of it as your career launchpad.
• Hands-On Experience Early On: Get ready to handle projects that matter. You’ll gain client exposure early in your career, helping you leapfrog ahead of your peers in experience and expertise.
• Focus on Learning, Not Just Leading: While 'leadership' is part of our name, we're all about equipping you with the knowledge first. You’ll learn the ropes of digital marketing, campaign strategy, and tech-driven solutions before stepping up as a leader.
• Media Track Magic: Specialize in media strategies across various platforms—search, social, display, and video. You’ll manage budgets, craft campaign strategies, and analyze data to maximize impact.

What We’re Looking For:

• Academic Prowess: Completed a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree between Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 in Business, Marketing, Advertising, Communication, or a related field.
• Tech Savvy: A whiz at Microsoft Excel and comfortable working with numbers and data.
• Work Experience: Prior internships or work experience relevant to the marketing & advertising industry can help your resume standout
• Authorization to Work: Please note, we do not offer sponsorship for this role.
• Competitive Salary & Bonuses: We reward your hard work and passion.
• Top-Notch Benefits: From healthcare to 401(k) matching, pet insurance, and even fertility benefits—we’ve got you covered in all aspects of life.
• Award-Winning Culture: Work at the only company Ad Age named a Best Place to Work eight years in a row.  Enjoy perks like plentiful snacks, an in-office barista, and a team that’s genuinely supportive and connected.
• Grow With Us: With access to industry experts, mentors, and special bonding events, your growth is our priority.

Ready to Apply?

Step into a role where your contributions are recognized and your ideas valued.  Embark on your career journey at PMG’s Dallas office - more than just a job, it’s a foundation to a strong career.

About PMG : 

PMG is a global independent digital company that seeks to inspire people and brands that anything is possible. Driven by shared success, PMG uses business strategy and transformation, creative, media, and insights, as well as its proprietary marketing intelligence platform Alli, to deliver Digital Made for Humans™. Our team is made up of over 500 employees globally, and our work for brands like Apple, Best Western Hotels & Resorts, CKE Restaurants, Experian, Intuit, Kohler, Nike, Sephora, Therabody, and Whole Foods runs across 85+ countries and has received top industry recognition from Cannes Lions to Adweek Media Plan of the Year.

Named to Ad Age’s 2023 A-List, MediaPost’s 2023 Independent Agency of the Year, and Adweek’s 2021 Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year, PMG has grown through commitments to continuous improvement, business integrity, and cultivating dynamic relationships. We are proud to be named among Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators and Fortune's Best Workplaces in Advertising & Marketing (ranked #1), and to be the only company named to Ad Age’s Best Places to Work nine years in a row.

Being part of PMG means being part of a company culture that’s unmatched in digital. We’re willing to work hard to serve our clients and deliver value, results, and innovation -- which often requires true grit and remaining agile. We believe in taking care of ourselves and each other so that we continuously improve in every way. 

We’d love to get to know you and share more about why we love PMG and the work we do.  

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The 11 Best Digital Marketing Courses Free & Paid (2024)

Discover the best digital marketing courses, both free and paid, to kickstart your career in SEO and online marketing.

A digital marketing course is a good entry point for anyone wanting a career in SEO or online marketing . It can help to provide a basic knowledge base as a starting point.

You can build many different specialized career paths, and if you’re just starting your career or seeking to understand digital marketing as a business owner, it’s good to get a general overview of the field first.

Of course, actively experimenting and getting experience is the best way to learn SEO and digital marketing .

The following digital marketing courses are listed alphabetically, not in order of quality or value. Each course will provide different benefits, so consider them carefully for your needs.

Free Digital Marketing Courses

Many businesses offer digital marketing courses as part of their digital strategies. If a company wishes to be seen as an expert in the field, offering courses makes sense to improve its reputation and acquire new clients.

These courses are great as a window into the most current digital marketing skills and trends. They’re often taught and developed by practicing experts. However, the quality can vary, so check the credentials and reviews.

1. Google Skillshop Fundamentals Of Digital Marketing

• Google’s Fundamentals Of Digital Marketing .

Google is one of the leading digital companies. For many people, Google is the “face” of the internet and the first point of contact between humans and businesses online.

No matter how you feel about the vast control Google exerts over the internet and how business is done online, it’s one of the best places to start for general marketing knowledge.

The best things about the Skillshop is that it’s accessible, widely recognized, and contains refined content. There’s a lot to dig into, both in terms of digital marketing and Google tools .

Since you will likely encounter Google’s tools for managing websites, it’s a great place to start, and there’s a lot of content to continue your education in whichever way you need.

If you’re interested in search engine optimization or search engine marketing and ads, this is where you should start.

The fundamentals you learn in the Skillshop help you build a skill set around Google’s tools and services. You can also earn displayable certificates and awards when you complete the final assessments.

Experience Level

Key Learning

• Digital marketing fundamentals and basics.
• Step by step on how to take a business online.
• Search engine optimization and search advertising.
• Using Google’s tools.

Course Length

Course features.

• 24 individual modules.
• Introductions to important Google tools and search concepts .
• Quizzes after each module and a final assessment.
• Sharable award of completion.

2. HubSpot Academy Digital Marketing Course

• HubSpot Digital Marketing Course .

HubSpot is another big name in digital marketing. It specializes in “inbound” marketing strategies, focusing on activities like customer relationship management and content strategy .

If you’re most interested in the inbound side of marketing, focused on understanding customers and improving how websites contributor to customer acquisition, then this is a great place to start.

Just like with Google, the courses are focused on HubSpot’s specific service areas.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s where they have the most expertise to share. Once you have an account with the academy, HubSpot will give you personalized recommendations, which makes sense – personalization is its bread and butter.

By being part of its ecosystem, you’ll get a personalized learning experience. Paying attention to how it moves you through its lessons and content can also be a good lesson for you!

Watching how the pros move you through an inbound platform can be eye-opening if you pay close attention.

While this course is only a few hours long, the HubSpot Academy has many digital marketing courses. It’s a great way to build your own education and continue to gain skills throughout your career.

• Digital marketing strategy.
• Website optimization .
• Email and social media strategy.
• 5.25 hours.
• Certification.
• Five languages: English, French, Japanese, Spanish, German.

3. Semrush Academy: Digital Advertising 101

• Digital Advertising 101 by Tim Cameron-Kitchen .

Semrush is one of the biggest tool companies in the SEO space. If you’re interested in getting into SEO research and analytics, this course could be a good starting point.

You can expect this to be a focused course about devising strategies, planning and applying budgets, investigating competitors , and other data-driven activities.

However, the number of guest course instructors means that you can get insights from a variety of industry professionals in different roles and businesses.

Like with the other brand-offered courses, Semrush sticks to its core areas of business so you can expect courses that prepare you for marketing activities covered by its tools.

This, again, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You’re very likely to encounter Semrush in your career if you choose to focus on SEO.

While this individual course is short, the Semrush Academy contains many courses from industry leaders such as Kevin Indig .

There’s lots to dig into, and the variety of expert course instructors is an excellent feature in favor of this option.

• Digital advertising strategies.
• Audience profiling.
• Competitor analysis .
• Channel selection.
• Budget allocation.
• 111 minutes.
• Video course.
• Short and accessible.
• Jumping off point for more detailed courses in the Semrush Academy.

Paid Digital Marketing Courses

4. digital marketing institute + american marketing association professional certificate.

• DMI + AMA Certificate In Digital Marketing .

Unlike the free courses offered by individual marketing companies, the courses from DMI and AMA will be more platform-inclusive and cover a broader range of topics.

You’ll explore modules focused on different tools and marketing activities, allowing you to learn about analytics, social media platforms , content, SEO, and AI .

This sets you up to make informed decisions about where you want to specialize as a marketer.

Companies offering paid courses have an incentive to keep up with current developments and trends , as you can see by the AI-focused module in the screenshot above.

Bear in mind that it’s unlikely a general marketing course will be on the bleeding edge of new technology. As things change, the course needs to be adjusted and re-released. This takes time.

Paid courses are, of course, a much bigger up-front investment. Deciding if they’re worth both the time and money can be difficult.

One of the best ways is to look for reviews and ongoing conversations about the course and the company that offers it. You could even start new conversations on social media platforms and ask other professionals what they think.

This way, you can get more information about the teaching styles, how assessments are conducted, and what people got from the experience.

It’s always best to do this research independently, outside of landing pages. Armed with the direct experiences of people who’ve taken the course, you can decide for yourself if it will fit your learning style and career goals .

• Beginner to intermediate.
• $1,442 to $2,060.
• Content marketing.
• Social media marketing.
• Paid search and display advertising.
• Email marketing .
• Two certifications.
• Multiple in-depth modules.
• Live webinars and Q&As.
• Practice exams.
• Recently updated with an AI-focused module.

5. Google Digital Marketing & Ecommerce Professional Certificate

• Google Digital Marketing Course on Coursera.

Coursera is an interesting platform. You gain access to courses by paying a monthly fee. So while the courses are paid, you’re not putting a chunk of money down for one individual course. If you try one and don’t like it, then you can try something else.

Note that you can “enroll for free,” which begins a free trial. After the trial ends, you’ll be charged a subscription fee.

The course offered by Google is a great place to start if you’re trying out Coursera. It’s a long course series but still beginner-level. By the end of the free trial, you should know whether the course is worth it for you.

One thing to keep in mind is that the length of the course is not necessarily a selling point for a system designed to charge a monthly fee. Consistently assess the quality of the course and what you’re getting out of it.

Remember that it’s the learning that counts, not the certificate at the end. When you’re paying a subscription, you should avoid the sunk cost fallacy and pivot to new material if what you’re working on feels stale.

Remember to assess the price of the course by calculating the monthly fee against your actual completion rate. The site suggests a three-month completion time, which would cost $177, and would require just over 14 hours per week.

If you only had time for six hours per week, this course would take seven months and cost $413.

• The “enroll for free” option begins a free trial period. After the 7-day free trial, the cost is $59 per month.
• Digital marketing and ecommerce fundamentals .
• SEO, social media, and email marketing channels.
• Analyzing and presenting data .
• Building and managing ecommerce stores.
• Seven courses.
• 18 to 29 hours per course.
• 170 total hours.
• Professional training from Google.
• Career support.

6. Harvard Business School Online Digital Marketing Strategy

• Harvard Digital Marketing Strategy Course .

Attaining a certification from an educational institution can boost your resume. The other benefit of a course like this is the learning environment.

If you struggle with learning things passively, a course offered by an educational institution is more likely to be prepared and taught by education professionals.

Education is a skill on its own. Courses like this, including faculty and practicing experts, can give you a better learning experience.

Educational institutions are also likely to have learning platforms and community functions to help support you while you learn. In terms of paying up-front for a course, the right educational institution could be a safe bet that you’ll get value out of the experience.

This course highlights practical examples, which tie any theory you learn to real-world situations.

One thing to be wary of is that educational institutions can adapt slowly to digital trends. The value of a course like this will heavily depend on the expert practitioners included.

One thing to note about this course is that it appears to be much more tightly planned than the six-month course we examined above. This isn’t a bad thing.

Concise planning and careful material selection can improve your learning experience, and the people who developed this course likely have experience developing syllabi.

• Learn about metrics, objectives, target audiences, and value propositions.
• Paid, owned, and earned media.
• Attribution and calculating value.
• Seven weeks.
• 6 to 7 hours per week.
• Learn from real-world cases, brands, and business experts.
• Certificate of completion.
• Six modules.
• Community and networking group.

7. Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate

• Meta Social Media Marketing Course on Coursera.

This is another Coursera course, and so it comes with all the same notes we talked about with the Google Coursera course.

Run by Meta, this course focuses on social media, so you’re unlikely to get a broad overview of digital marketing as a whole. But you will get an overview of everything social media and brand management by one of the biggest brands in the industry.

Facebook has proven to be an incredibly enduring platform, and Meta owns other successful platforms and initiatives.

In addition to organic social media topics, you’ll learn about paid advertising . If you want to go into paid media, this would be a very helpful course for you as well.

Again, your mileage will vary depending on the time it takes you to complete the modules and how much time you have available per week.

Unfortunately, not all of this course’s modules give you time estimates. So, I would consider saving this one for after you have made a decision about whether Coursera as a platform is worth it for you.

• Brand management.
• Content marketing .
• Social media paid advertising.
• Six-course series.
• 10 to 20 hours per course.
• Not all courses have exact hour estimates.
• 22 languages.
• Career resources upon completion.
• Degree credit eligible (earn credits toward degrees from participating institutions).

8. NYU Continuing Education: Digital Marketing

• NYU Digital Marketing Courses .

Note: Courses fill up quickly, so you may need to wait for a new semester.

This course is very much structured like a traditional college course but with open enrollment.

More structured like a college course than the Harvard course above, you will get many of the benefits that come with formal education.

The courses are organized into sections with limited slots, which means they’ve planned for a certain number of learners and their needs. It’s going to be more interactive than a more free-form course taught with videos.

These courses are live and offered at specific times over the course of a semester. The benefits of this can be huge, as you’ll be participating in live lectures and learning.

You’ll have a community of other students to collaborate with, and your instructor may be available directly during certain times.

The disadvantage of this structure is that the course may not work with your schedule, and you won’t be able to learn at your own pace. This is a strict commitment if you want to make it worth the money.

• $400 to $1,000 per course.
• Digital marketing strategies and tools.
• Audience development and consumer analysis.
• Multimedia marketing channels.
• Each course is one semester long.
• Five courses to choose from.
• Courses taught by professional faculty.
• College-caliber learning without having to commit to a degree.

9. Wharton University Of Pennsylvania Digital Marketing Certificate

• Wharton Digital Marketing Certificate .

The Wharton program is another course offered by a college that comes with a certificate. Getting a certificate at the end can be a draw for your resume if you don’t have much relevant or recent experience.

You can enroll in this course immediately, and it’s a small weekly time commitment, which makes it perfect if you’re already busy.

On the other hand, it’s quite expensive compared to the other courses on this list, and since it’s an on-demand course, you won’t have access to the same college-style benefits of the NYU courses.

This course focuses more heavily on business and business management than others in terms of content. This could be great if you need to brush up on your business fundamentals, but it may not be ideal if you have business chops and want to really focus on digital marketing.

It does prioritize analysis, and a course from a college with a strong business background will definitely be a good candidate for improving your data analysis skills . If you’re heading into a data-focused career, this course could be perfect.

• Digital marketing fundamentals.
• Metrics and metric analysis.
• Research and analysis.
• 3 to 5 hours per week.
• Four courses in the certificate program.

10. UCLA Extension Digital Marketing Course

• UCLA Extension Digital Marketing Course .

Note: Make sure you’re applying for the online course if you can’t attend an in-person course.

Much like the NYU course, this is a more traditional college-level course. It is priced and organized consistently with other college-level courses. Don’t look at the price on this one and assume it’s not as valuable because it’s cheaper.

The online version of this course has no scheduled meeting times, which makes it slightly more accessible than the NYU course. But it’s still organized, very much like a college course.

It’s also taught by a marketing executive, so it’s another “best of both worlds” situation – college-level learning with the insights of an industry expert.

You can even check out the course syllabus at the bottom of the page to give you an idea of the content it will cover, as well as the books you’ll learn from.

While it doesn’t give you a breakdown of hours per week, you can get a very good sense of what you’ll learn over the course of the 11 weeks.

• Starting at $855.
• Digital marketing introduction and overview.
• Developing KPIs and monitoring metrics.
• Apply this course toward a certificate or specialization from UCLA.
• Four units.

11. University Of Illinois Digital Marketing Specialization

• University of Illinois Digital Marketing Course .

To finish our list, we have a college offering a course through Coursera. Like the other Coursera courses, this is split into a series of sub-courses. Most of the sub-courses are in the 20-hour range.

Like the others, the actual “price” of this course will depend on your weekly availability and completion rate. With the four-month estimate, this costs $236. If you only do six hours per week, it will cost $354 and take six months.

This course series provides a robust overview of general concepts and is ideal if you are brand new to digital marketing or marketing in general. The first modules start from the beginning and take you through the inception and development of digital marketing.

If you view the series of courses, you can see that this series is planned methodically and that you will build knowledge and skills in an intuitive way.

First, it introduces analytics theory, and then the next module covers analytics in practice. This kind of organization will help you fully grasp the core concepts and then walk you through applying them in practice.

This course would be a great place for you to begin your journey, and it might even be worth it if you already know some of the more basic concepts for the way in which it organizes and presents the material.

Like the Google Coursera course, this would be a great candidate to spend your free trial on.

• Digital marketing basics.
• Planning and measuring digital marketing.
• Social media.
• Marketing channels .
• Data gathering and analysis.
• 13 to 28 hours per course.
• 145 total hours.
• Seven courses, including basic principles, data and analytics, and digital media.
• 22 languages available.
• Regular assessments.

Digital Marketing Courses FAQ

What kind of digital marketing course should i take.

Digital marketing courses can help you learn the core concepts that you can apply to any specific skill set.

They are offered at various lengths – some with certifications , and some without. Some are offered by colleges with open enrollment.

The core factors you should consider are:

• What you’ll learn from the course:  Is the description specific about what you’ll get from the experience?
• Price: Free courses can be high-quality, but they tend to be short and lack interactivity. Paid courses offered by colleges will likely have the most support and community.
• Certification and credit:  Certifications can be helpful to share, but focus on the value the course offers to you first. Some courses can be used toward college credits, which is helpful if you are seeking a degree or professional certification from a college.
• Hands-on work and real-world examples:  Courses that offer learning by doing and seeing theory in action can have much more value.

Why Digital Marketing Courses Matter

There’s a lot of information out there for free. With enough research, you could learn most of the theoretical concepts yourself without giving up your money or your data.

But this can be time-consuming, and self-guided learning isn’t always the best solution. It’s easy to get inaccurate information or hit roadblocks.

Courses, especially those led by professional educators, give you a structured environment, resources, and sometimes community.

The right course could be the best way to reach your goals.

More Digital Marketing Course Overviews From SEJ

• 16 Of The Best Social Media Marketing Courses in 2024
• Best SEO Courses Online – Free & Paid Options
• 7 Best SEO Certifications: Are They Worth It?

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Academics & Curriculum

Here, you won’t be stuck in long lectures. You’ll get to work right away, applying what you learn in class, collaborating with classmates, engaging with corporate clients, solving real business challenges, and preparing for a rewarding career.

MS in Management Menu

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Learning powered by doing

You’ve got your heart set on a well-paying job in a high-growth company, but your undergraduate degree isn’t in management. No problem.

Build a bridge to the dynamic business world and show the marketplace you have what it takes to make an impact. As a Masters in Management Studies student, you’ll work on collaborative teams to solve real problems with real companies in real-time. And it all happens in Boston, a city that’s launching the next generation of innovation in everything from technology to health care to nonprofits.

A new project every eight weeks

Unlike any other business masters program, you’ll undertake a project with real companies every eight weeks — 4 in all. You’ll learn to work in teams with a diverse set of colleagues. After each team experience, you’ll receive individualized feedback, which you’ll apply in the next project. Under the guidance of a faculty leader small student teams together in projects that grow increasingly complex as students build their capabilities.

Project 1. A business simulation and case competition

where student teams run a coffee company during its first year of operation.

Project 2: A business opportunity analysis project

using competitive analysis, trend data, and customer research.

Project 3. A digital marketing client project

that builds the media and content for an end-to-end campaign for a new offer, customer segment or market.

Project 4. An innovation project

where student teams build the business plan for their own idea and convince an investor panel to back the recommendation.

Real Projects, Real Stakes, Real Impact

In this program with so much focus on real clients, you’ll dive into hands-on experience, applying classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios. It’s the ultimate bridge between theory and practice, preparing you for success beyond the classroom.

Recent Projects

• New  Shopping Experience  for Launch of a  New Brand of Spirits  in North America
• Redesign of  Thoracic Cancer Patient Journey  for Major U.S. Hospital System
• Launch Plan for Introduction of a  Sustainability Risk Management System  for  Global Insurer
• Digital Marketing Plan for  Genomics Services of Leading Life Science Company
• Customer Experience Redesign to  Make Kenmore Square a Retail Destination
• New Physician and Nurse Practitioner Experience for  Mid-Cap Pharmaceutical Company
• New Online Shopping Platform for  Global Grain and Protein Supplier

Real Client Presentation

In each project, MiM students offer meaningful recommendations to client leaders in a live setting. Check out a class presentation to project partner Athletic Brewing. Students developed a digital marketing plan to launch this new non-alcoholic brand in Spain, Ireland, and the Netherlands.

Invested Project Clients

Each corporate client invests their time to work with students on a bi-weekly basis. The client sets out project objectives, provides initial context, shares feedback on deliverables and assess the final output with the goal of implementing the recommendations in full or in part.

• Athletic Brewing
• Avery Dennison
• Azenta Life Sciences
• Basis Technology
• Belfort Digital Marketing
• Boston Medical Center
• Christiana Care
• Commonwealth Hotel
• Ibsen Pharmaceuticals
• Merrill Lynch
• Paratek BioPharma
• Related Beal
• Springs Industries
• Storable.com
• WellSense Health Plan
• Zurich Financial

An integrated course curriculum

The Questrom Master in Management Studies Program delivers a unique level of integration across courses and between courses and client project. Faculty meet weekly to make the links between the content they cover and the overall student learning objectives for each eight-week module. Spring electives allow students to tailor what they learn to their career goals. The electives also enable project teams build more advanced deliverables for their clients.

Questrom Master in Management Studies at a Glance

Add an introduction that covers the content in the table below that currently spans multiple columns: Tech and Coms Labs through all modules, Management Communications through modules 1 and 2, Consultative Communications through modules 3 and 4

During the summer a virtual career and job hunting course will develop the skills you need to present yourself, begin networking and interviewing and be ready to pursue your job hunt when you arrive in Boston. At the same time online Data Camps will build MS Excel skills for beginners and refresh skills for more advanced users.

Immerse in solving a business crisis simulation and undertake your first career networking push on the very first day of the program.  Launch is an immersion in hands on learning and career development that will integrate you rapidly into what it means to work in the real world. During launch students also take the first session for each course and engage in a Career Networking Hackathon event.

Module 1: Business Foundations

Mod 1 business launch simulation project.

Deploy the fundamentals of business decision-making in the areas of positioning, product offering, customer service, operations, pricing and marketing to profitably grow a new small business. Measure and assess results through P&L, cash flow, customer satisfaction and market share statements and reports.

Business Context and Strategy

COURSE CODE: ms717

Financial Reporting and Analysis

COURSE CODE: ms742

“If you can measure it, you can manage it” is an axiom of management. Accounting is the language of business measurement, the means by which business describes what they do, why they do it, and the value that it generates. In this course, you will be introduced to this language via financial statements: corporate reports, balance sheets, earnings and cash flow analyses, along with CVP-based analysis and decision making.

Quantitative Methods for Management Decisions

COURSE CODE: ms743

This course introduces students to statistics and probability, the means by which we analyze customers, markets, firms, industries…any and all aspects of the business experience. The goal is to teach students tools and techniques for analyzing data with an appreciation for the theory underpinning such analyses. How do we collect and analyze data in an unbiased manner?

Executive Communications A

COURSE CODE: ms749

Persuasive written, oral and interpersonal communications are essential skills that are required for success in every business discipline. In this class, students will learn how to communicate clearly and persuasively, and to connect authentically with their audience, in a way that inspires action. Students will learn to take a point of view on current business issues, support it with logic and evidence, and express it effectively in multiple mediums, ranging from written to verbal, and from formal to extemporaneous. Best practices for both in-person and virtual remote interactions will be explored and practiced. Coaching will be offered for client project meetings and presentations.

Module 2: Customer-Driven Growth

Mod 2 growth opportunity assessment project.

A growth opportunity investigation that relies on competitive assessment, trend analysis and customer insights to evaluate, size and place a value on potential market entry, acquisition or organic growth opportunities.

Customers and Markets

COURSE CODE: ms715

how we measure this growth (in terms of volume sold, revenues, or profits), it always starts with an understanding of how to create value for the customer. The most successful organizations understand that identifying, producing, delivering and capturing value is a strategic practice on which an enterprise thrives or dies. With so much on the line, growth cannot be relegated merely to the marketing department; it is a mindset to be embraced across the organization. This course provides students with an opportunity to deepen your understanding of the ever-changing world of marketing. It presents advanced concepts marketers in all companies are dealing with to grow their business.

Financial Decision Making

COURSE CODE: ms716

Finance is concerned with the efficient allocation of capital, maximizing operational cash flows and the management of financial risk. Capital is said to be efficiently allocated when the risk/return profile of the investment is in line with investor preferences with respect to risk, time and expected return. This course includes the basics of investment analysis: time-value of money, portfolio theory, risk-return tradeoffs and capital budgeting. Time-value of money refers to the valuation of differing values of expected cash flows across time and accounts for differing levels of expected risk. Portfolio theory refers to the optimization of the weights of investments such that the portfolio outperforms the average of the investments. This is accomplished through the minimization of unnecessary risk. Capital budgeting refers to the process of capital allocation within the business (by managers) such that the financial performance of the firm is maximized.

People, Teams, and Organizations

COURSE CODE: ms744

This course examines how teams function, how individuals within those teams operate, and how team members can deal with the sometimes tricky dynamics of working with others. The course is largely experiential, and involves individual introspection, one-on-one interactions with others, group exercises, and class discussion. Throughout the course, students will be asked to keep reflection journals, which will be collected halfway through the course and at the end. In addition, there will be an in-class assessment during the sixth session covering the models discussed in class to that point

Business Impact Modeling

COURSE CODE: MS775

Module 3: Growth Acceleration

Mod 3 digital marketing project.

Develop a comprehensive digital marketing campaign across social, search, paid ads, owned website, owned apps, email, sponsors, partners, and commerce channels targeted at the profile and needs of high potential customers. Bring the plan to life with tangible campaign content and media investments for each step in the prospect’s purchase journey.

Project Management and Control

COURSE CODE: ms747

In this course, students will learn how to use the concepts, tools and techniques of project management in order to successfully manage projects. System development project failures are generally failures of management, not failures of technology. Good management, along with an understanding of the appropriate use of technology, is therefore essential. Students will learn how to apply the concepts, tools and techniques of project management in today’s dynamic, digital business environment, where projects must be brought to completion under increasingly compressed timeframes and where decisions must be made under conditions of uncertainty.

Strategic Growth and Transformation

COURSE CODE: ms751

This course introduces students to issues associated with formulating corporate strategy. It draws on findings from various academic disciplines (e.g., economics, organization theory, sociology, accounting, and management policy) to build a fundamental understanding of how firms choose the businesses in which they operate, considerations for geographic expansion, and how technology interplays with strategy. Readings and cases lead towards understanding the underlying economics affecting a firm’s external and internal environments and the implications of these fundamental factors for affecting the practice of strategy design. The course is designed to challenge students both inside and outside of the classroom, and to inform their consulting project.

Product Management

COURSE CODE: ms771

Leadership and Change Management

COURSE CODE: ms756

The focus of this course is on leadership from a variety of perspectives: organizational leadership in the external environment, as well as leadership at the top, middle, and lower levels inside organizations. We look leadership from a behavioral, emotional intelligence, and situational point of view, developing students’ awareness, mindset, and skills in the process. In addition, we explore the challenges, theories, and skills of change management.

Digital Marketing Analytics

COURSE CODE: ms774

Corporate Financial Management

COURSE CODE: fe820

This course provides an in-depth analysis of financial considerations relating to corporate growth. It addresses the setting of financial and corporate goals in terms of maximizing shareholder wealth and relationships among working capital, debt levels, capital costs, dividend policy, growth and the value of the firm. It also considers the requisite financial analysis associated with mergers and acquisitions and bankruptcy.

Data Management for Managers

COURSE CODE: ms776

Module 4: Commercialize Innovation

Mod 4 innovation project.

Build a prototype of a new product or service innovation based on a concept developed by students in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship course. Develop a commercial launch plan that includes a customer acquisition model, operations scale up, investment sequencing, and timeline. Assemble the business plan to attract investors, demonstrate a return on investment. Pitch the plan to a panel of actual investors.

Negotiation and Conflict Management

COURSE CODE: ms753

This course explores the skills strategies and tactics of both collaborative and competitive negotiations. In addition, we look at team negotiations, multi-party negotiations, agency, stakeholder analysis, preparation, and conflict resolution. The course is largely experiential, and involves individual introspection, one-on-one interactions with others, group exercises, and class discussion

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

COURSE CODE: ms757

This course introduces students to the innovation processes, such as design thinking, and various types and models of innovation. Students will learn current approaches to developing value for innovators, companies, societies, and economies through entrepreneurship. The course will explore various contexts for innovation and entrepreneurship, including new ventures, mature companies, and foreign market entry.

Data Visualization

COURSE CODE: ms770

Customer Data Analysis

COURSE CODE: ms773

Consultative Selling

COURSE CODE: mk820

This course covers the consultative selling approaches and skills required to lead complex sales programs. Selling complex products and services typically requires a long sales cycle, a sales/solution team collaboration, a high degree of interaction with the client team, and the development of custom solutions specific to each client. This course covers all aspects of consultative selling, and specific topics include strategies to help clients identify opportunities, qualify deals, recognize unrealized value, create solutions, develop marketing programs, build teams, deliver projects, negotiate contracts, and manage relationships. Students will interactively work to develop the personal skills and behaviors essential to success, and will learn strategies and behaviors to become a trusted advisor and valuable partner to clients.

Across Modules: Harness Digital Technology

Weekly technology and communication labs unlock rapidly evolving generative AI, business automation, analytical and content development technologies.

Students explore and learn the basics of applications they are most likely to encounter in the workplace. Applications range from data and analysis tools, data visualization programs, digital marketing automation platforms, content creation and prototyping applications. The impact of AI is examined and experimented with throughout the course.

Students undertake intensive 3 – 4 hour skill building session to accelerate advance knowledge or build foundational basics in data analysis using Excel. Students can elect to undertake additional sessions in coding and data visualization.

The Master in Management Studies is a STEM-Designated program

Questrom’s Master in Management Studies program is designated by US Department of Homeland Security as a STEM-eligible degree program. International students in F-1 student status may be able to apply for a 24-month extension of their 12-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) employment authorization. More information about  STEM OPT eligibility  is available from the BU International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO).

The program covered so much important content in each module of the program. It was organized in a way that allowed us to build on topics from previous classes and client projects and move forward at an accelerated pace. Sydney Hall Masters in Management CREAM RIDGE, NJ

Upcoming Master in Management Studies Admissions Events

Gmac: the mba & master’s tour for women in business.

Wednesday, September 11

GMAC: The Master’s Tour – Boston

Tuesday, October 8

GMAC: The MBA & Master’s Tour North America

Wednesday, November 20

Apply for a Master in Management Studies Degree

Ready to apply? Follow the link to learn more about the application process. Once you’ve submitted your materials, we’ll start the review process. We’re happy to answer your questions along the way.

Application Deadlines

• Round 1: November 1, 2024
• Round 2: January 10, 2025
• Round 3: February 14, 2025
• Round 4: April 9, 2025
• Round 5: May 7, 2025*

*This date is only for domestic students or international students with a current, active F-1 visa.