COURSES

Students are expected to take a sequence of rigorous doctoral-level courses over two years, at the Ross School of Business and in the University. These courses cover methodological foundations (e.g., econometrics and multivariate statistics), theoretical foundations (e.g., microeconomics and social psychology) as well as the relevant marketing literature. The course sequence includes both core and required courses as well as electives that follow the student’s own interests. We encourage students to achieve master’s degree competency and certification in one of the basic disciplines, such as psychology, economics or statistics.

RESEARCH PROJECT

Students complete a research paper by the end of the first year of the program that is modeled on papers in marketing journals. They present it orally to the Marketing faculty.

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS AND CANDIDACY

There are two preliminary exams, given at the end of the first and second years of the program, which cover marketing and methodological topics. The remainder of the program is devoted to the dissertation.