The goal of the Ph.D. program in Marketing is to help prepare students for top-level research and teaching positions. Our focus is the intersection between strategy and behavioral research but also includes a high level of quantitative grounding necessary to be a successful researcher.
Culverhouse marketing students receive guidance from faculty and instructors with practical expertise in developing marketing campaigns and pioneering new market research methods, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience.
The Marketing PhD program prepares students for research-intensive careers in academic institutions. The program is designed to provide both the theoretical and quantitative background necessary to allow students to begin their careers and offer them the necessary grounding to develop new skills that will enable them to keep up with changes in the discipline.
The department is able to support a wide range of interests, but has specific expertise in the following:
An excellent record from accredited universities is required and should include:
We encourage prospective students to get their applications to us by January 1 of the year they would like to be considered for admission. Applications are accepted after this date, but those submitted on or before January 1 will be given priority.
We only accept students to start the Fall semester due to the structure of our coursework.
After an initial screening of applications for minimum admission requirements, we conduct phone or video conference interviews with a select group of candidates in January. From there, invitations are given to a small number of potential students for spring visits to interview and meet the faculty during February and early March. Most acceptance decisions are made by March 15. We will accept applications into the summer only if we have yet to fill our available positions.
All applications must be completed through The University of Alabama Graduate School website. To apply, go to graduate.ua.edu.
Students must complete 48 hours of coursework. We try, to the extent possible, to have students complete coursework in the first two years, assuming a student has completed a Master’s program from which classes can be transferred into our program. Courses fall into three categories: (1) Major Courses (24 hours), (2) Quantitative Courses (12 hours), and (3) Electives (12 hours).
Major Courses consist of the following:
MKT 674: Measurement and Structural Equation Modeling
Students are given some latitude in identifying quantitative courses and electives based on their specific interests.
Our qualifying exam process consists of two parts, a first and second-year paper. The first-year paper is completed between the first and second years during the summer. The primary goal of the first-year paper is for students to exhibit the ability to identify a unique research idea, provide a strong theoretical underpinning for the idea, draw on that theoretical perspective to develop and support testable hypotheses, and suggest a research methodology to allow the testing of the hypotheses. Evaluation of the first-year paper includes both written and oral components. The second-year paper occurs during the late spring of the second year and can be a continuation of the first-year paper or a new idea. The focus of the second-year paper is to provide evidence of the ability to carry out a research project, including data collection, analyses, and interpretation. The successful completion of the two papers and having completed all coursework allows a student to be admitted to candidacy.
The dissertation is designed to be the culminating experience in a PhD program. Therefore, it is expected that after completing the second-year paper process, if not before, students will begin discussions with the program coordinator and other faculty about the dissertation process. Dissertations can take a variety of forms but ultimately should be focused on developing an original research idea and the theoretical and methodological aspects of that idea. The formation of a dissertation committee is an early step in this process.
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