Program Summary

The objective of the Marketing Ph.D. Program area of the Krannert Graduate School of Management is to educate cutting-edge future researchers who will contribute to the advancement of Marketing and Management Science. The program is a very focused one and the emphasis is put on quantitative methods and their applications in Management Science.

Students learn theoretical models and their empirical applications related to consumer behavior, organization buying behavior, pricing, product design, advertising, promotion, sales force, distribution, new product planning, marketing planning, and strategy decisions in their doctoral coursework in Marketing. The Research-Methods Requirement prepares students for research by providing necessary skills and tools through rigorous coursework. The Marketing doctoral seminars expand this research-methods base and expose students to specific Marketing applications. The goal is to provide an opportunity for students to identify contemporary, substantive marketing problems and come up with creative and original research ideas.

Students are expected to have basic quantitative skills. The required coursework addresses and builds on these quantitative skills. Depending on their interests, a student's research may cover a range of topics, such as advanced statistics & econometrics, optimization techniques, economic theory, psychology and decision theory.

Unique Features

• Faculty on Editorial Boards for top academic journals, including Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing Research, and Strategic Management Journal
• Quantitative research receives special emphasis in program of study
• Coursework includes rigorous classes from economics and statistics departments
• Doctoral fellowships available
• Small program with low student-faculty ratio

Student Profile (what we look for in an applicant):

• Strong analytical background in engineering, mathematics, economics, etc.
• MBA is helpful but not required; graduate degree a plus
• Work experience not required, although applicants typically have some experience in marketing, consulting, or a technical field such as engineering

Typical Program of Study

First year:

• Marketing doctoral seminar (fall and spring)
• Microeconomic theory (fall)
• Econometrics (fall and spring)
• Minor Area and/or MBA electives

Second year:

• Marketing doctoral seminar (fall and spring)
• Econometrics (fall)
• Applied Statistics and/or Microeconomic theory electives
• Minor Area and/or MBA electives

Typical Minor Areas of study include applied statistics and microeconomic theory. There is a comprehensive preliminary exam typically after the second year. The dissertation research is primary focus after the preliminary exam is completed.

Further Details on Marketing Area Program Requirements

Further information on the exact requirements of the Marketing area can be found at:

Marketing Area Requirements

Management Doctoral Program Requirements

Faculty & Research Interests

Chad Allred

Subramanian Balachander competitive marketing strategy, signaling, pricing, and game theory (on sabbatical)

Laura Downey internal/external communications, community outreach, employee volunteerism, marketing

Henry Feeser

Priya Francisco pplied econometrics, economic development, health economics, medical sociology, public finance, labor economics

Manohar U. Kalwani relationship marketing, price expectations, and the design of salesforce compensation plans

Qiang Liu

Mark M. Moriarty quantitative and management judgment forecasting and quantitative models of marketing decision variables

William T. Robinson order of market entry, firm survival, product innovation, product imitation

Sangwoo Shin marketing, applied economics, business administration

Recent Graduates
(First/Last Name, year of graduation, dissertation title, placement)

Donglei Qiu, 2008, Essays on Channel Management in Electronic Markets, Michigan State University, the Eli Broad College of Business.

Ian Clark Sumaylo Sinapuelas, 2007, Essays on Me-Too Brands. San Francisco State University

Bikram P. Ghosh, 2006, Essays on Cross Selling, Bundling, and Customer Retention. University of South Carolina

Ramakrishnaiah Bezawada, 2006, Essays on the Application of Spatial Models to Marketing Problems. SUNY Buffalo.

Justin Gressel, 2006, In Advertising, A Double Negative Does Not Equal a Positive. American University of Sharjah, UAE

Srinivasaraghavan Sriram, 2004, Models of Dynamic Brand Preferences. State University of New York.

Axel Stock, 2003, The Effect of Product Scarcity on Quality Image. University of Central Florida.

Deanna Wang, 2003, Modeling Count Data: Applications to Consumer and Physician Markets. San Francisco State University.