Marketing is the process by which demands for products, services, and ideas are anticipated, managed, and satisfied. There are three major facets of marketing examined in our PhD program:
- Examination of factors affecting the structure and efficiency of markets and firm profitability within markets, often using economic theory
- Study of managerial and strategic issues in marketing, using diverse methods to examine marketing decisions and how such decisions can be improved
- Understanding the factors affecting buyer/consumer behavior, often using psychological approaches
Our objective is to provide PhD students with exceptional training that enables them to have successful research and teaching careers in any of these areas. This is accomplished by having students take courses selected to meet their individual needs and interests, work with faculty members on joint research beginning early in their program, and develop their own original research projects culminating in a dissertation. Students also assist faculty in teaching marketing courses to gain some teaching experience.
The Fuqua Marketing faculty are among the most published and cited marketing faculties in the world, and marketing faculty members have been editors of many of the field’s leading journals (e.g., Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science). The marketing faculty have received many honors and have held many leadership positions within the field.
Marketing is the process whereby demands for products, services and ideas are anticipated, managed and satisfied. This broad area of study has generated research at three levels. The first, or macro level, examines factors affecting the structure and efficiency of markets and the profitability of firms within markets. Often such explorations use economic theory. One example is the study of the effect of product differentiation on the optimal channel structure and profitability for the firms within an industry.
A second level of research is at the managerial level. The emphasis at this level is on improving the decision making abilities of managers. The methodology used is very diverse. It includes compiling descriptive information on how managers now go about making decisions, developing heuristics to augment current practices and building normative models of how managers should make decisions. Work at this level can be useful to both the public and business sectors. For example, one can develop new methods for testing advertising copy, examine the effects on purchase behavior of providing nutritional information in a grocery store or build an expert system which makes an individual manager’s expertise available throughout the firm.
The third, or micro, level is concerned with understanding the factors that influence buyer behavior. Often the theoretical base for these studies is psychological. Examples of studies at this level are determining the differential effect of a verbal or pictorial advertising message on the consumer’s brand preferences, testing the effects of Internet search agents on consumer choice, or examining emotionally difficult consumer choices.
The Ph.D. Program in Marketing at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business is designed to provide students with the training necessary for a successful research and teaching career in any of the above areas. This training is done by having students take courses selected to meet their individual needs and interests, work with faculty members on joint research, conduct a series of original research projects which ultimately lead to a dissertation, and assist in the teaching of marketing courses.
There are a number of reasons that Fuqua attracts and places such exceptional PhD students. First, the faculty are impactful. Second, they are committed to investing considerable effort in student development. Third, they are collegial and supportive. Fourth, their interests are broad, meaning that students will be able to find a match to their interests as they grow in the program. Fifth, the faculty are well connected to help with student placements. Sixth, there are numerous resources including a behavioral lab, data, and leading departments in economics, statistics and psychology at Duke. Seventh, our historical placements have been outstanding. See the link for some of our PhD student testimonals.
Admissions
The Ph.D. in Business Administration is a degree of the Graduate School of Duke University. Information on how to apply and deadlines for application can be obtained directly from the Graduate School at www.gradschool.duke.edu.
The Fuqua School of Business offers financial support to all those admitted to the Ph.D. program. The following support is offered in the first year:
(1) A full tuition grant, including registration fees and mandatory health insurance while in the program.
(2) A yearly stipend dispersed in 12 monthly installments for the five years of the program, contingent upon satisfactory academic progress.(As part of their doctoral training and educational experience, students would work as research and teaching assistants for an average of 10 hours per week in year one and 6 hours per week in years two through five.
(3) Additional research assistantship opportunities (roughly four hours per week) are also available beyond the first year.
The full tuition and registration fee grant is available for the student’s entire time in the program. Students continue to receive at least the monthly stipend for up to five years of the program, provided that the major field examination has been passed before the beginning of the fourth year. Obtaining research assistantship funds depend upon the student arranging to work with faculty members on research projects of mutual interest.