penn state university phd in marketing

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A Scholar in Responsible Marketing

Smeal ph.d. graduate’s inspiration to restore trust in his field translated to career success..

As a marketer, Ben Beck noticed consumers’ growing skepticism of his profession. People have been increasingly worried about scam emails and wary of fake reviews on online platforms.

When he arrived at the Penn State Smeal College of Business in 2018 as a Ph.D. candidate in marketing, he dove into research with the aim of helping businesses restore consumer trust and create goodwill in their communities. Beck collaborated with Stefan Wuyts, professor of marketing, on a research project on the best ways to mitigate fake online reviews on platforms such as Yelp and Trip- advisor. They tested how platforms could adopt practices, such as building community between reviewers and review readers, to build consumer trust in those platforms.

Their research paper was accepted to the prestigious Journal of Marketing Research. That’s one reason why Beck, who graduated from Penn State Smeal in spring 2023, received several job offers for tenure-track faculty positions at leading research institutions.

Photography by Jake Campos

“Penn State taught me how to be a scientist,” he says, helping him develop the analytical and statistical skills of a scholar. This summer, he became an assistant professor of marketing in the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University, classified as an R2 research university.

Many other Smeal Ph.D.s have also landed at top research universities. Since 2013, the college has had 145 placements, and 63 percent of those were at R1 or R2 institutions.

That success comes from a relatively small program, capped at 65 students and offering a high faculty-to-student ratio. “Students are treated as future colleagues,” says Dana Campolongo, an education programs associate in Smeal’s Ph.D. program. “The teaching load is not excessive, and all students must attend our Teaching Summit before they are placed in front of a classroom.”

Stefan Wuyts and Dana Campolongo, Smeal Ph.D. program education programs associate

The college also has created a Smeal training session to meet the five-hour Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI) discussion-based education that is a requirement of the University’s Office of Research Protection. Led by Linda Treviño, Distinguished Professor of Organizational Behavior and Ethics, the training addresses topics related to the responsible conduct of research.

Beck will continue the kind of marketing research at Brigham Young that he started at Penn State and plans to work with Wuyts on future projects.

“Businesses can be a force for good in the communities in which they engage,” he says. “They actually can gain long-term customers who love their mission and want to continue to spend money with that company.”

Unlike most Ph.D. candidates in marketing, Beck entered the program with a decade of work experience. A native of Salt Lake City, he held digital marketing positions at several tech companies there including ContentWatch, Workfront, DigiCert, Lendio, and Kuali.

“Businesses can be a force for good in the communities in which they engage. They can gain long-term customers who love their mission and want to continue to spend money with that company.”

Beck also did consulting work. While he says he believes that the vast majority of marketers are not trying to scam consumers and are just doing their jobs, he would run into practices that seemed shady or misleading. For example, one company he consulted with made customers jump through hoops to get an advertised rebate. Another company deleted the negative reviews on its online platform, only posting the best ones. He believes companies can be more successful in the long run if they engender consumer trust.

Beck’s work experience gave him an advantage in developing good research ideas, says J. Andrew Petersen, associate professor of marketing and Beck’s advisor at Smeal.

“I think Ben was a step ahead of a lot of the other students when it came to understanding the business world and understanding the challenges out there. His ideas were relevant and interesting.”

Beck says Petersen helped him develop statistical coding skills as well as empirical skills such as disentangling potential causes of a phenomenon. Beck worked with Petersen on a project that would protect consumer privacy while still allowing marketers to use aggregate information to help companies target potential customers more effectively. With new regulations related to the collection of browser cookies due to take effect, this model would help companies zero in on prospective customers without violating privacy.

The research, one of his dissertation projects, informed a chapter in a book on the changing landscape of privacy and digital marketing.

“Ben was very creative, eager to learn,” says Wuyts, who is also director of the Institute for the Study of Business Markets at Penn State Smeal. “On top of that, he was also very open-minded. He’s a pleasure to work with.”

Beck says Wuyts taught him to “approach research with a theory-first approach and develop research that has a more theoretical contribution.”

Beck also is working with Wuyts on a research project in Cambodia about corporate social responsibility from the bottom up. They are testing the idea that small businesses in Cambodia, such as motorbike repair shops or produce vendors, can engender customer loyalty and grow their businesses by engaging in community service. “These small businesses are often worried about bringing money home to their family. There’s a fair amount of time when there are no customers in their shop. That’s time that they could be doing service in the community and generate more sales.” Beck is also springboarding other research projects with Wuyts.

In addition to the academic skills Beck developed at Smeal, he often found himself in the role of mentor and leader among the other Ph.D. candidates, says Meg Meloy, David H. McKinley Professor of Business Administration, chair of the marketing department, and former Ph.D. coordinator. When he arrived in the program, he was married and had a young family. He had already lived overseas, and he had consulted for dozens of businesses. He brought those business and life experiences to the program.

“He was the go-to guy if any of the marketing Ph.D. students had problems,” Meloy says. “He was constantly trying to involve them in social activities, to build cohesion and remind them of work-life balance. He understood the challenges that everybody was facing. His positive attitude, ready smile, and calm demeanor were a balm when the going got tough.”

Beck says he picked Penn State Smeal because he knew that the professors genuinely cared about the well-being and academic development of its students. He is finding those same values at the Marriott School of Business.

“In general, the feeling between the two business schools is very similar,” he says. “Good people — faculty and staff — caring about the students and doing high-impact research.”

SMEAL BY THE NUMBERS

Here are a few additional examples of the academic and long-term success of smeal students in 2022-23..

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Marketing, B.S. (Behrend)

Program Code: MRKTG_BS

At which campus can I study this program?

Begin Campus

Any Penn State Campus

Program Description

The objective of the Marketing major is to provide professional education to students leading to careers in business, government, and non-profit organizations. Typically, graduates are employed in business-to-business marketing, marketing management, sales management, retailing, marketing research, digital marketing, and brand management. The major provides a solid foundation in marketing practice, such as analyzing and understanding the needs and wants of present and potential customers, designing appropriate product offerings, establishing pricing policies, developing communication strategies, devising efficient distribution strategies, researching marketing data for the above functions, and coordinating marketing programs with other functional areas of business.

What is Marketing?

Marketing is a broad field that seeks to understand consumer, firm, and societal behaviors and subsequently identify ideas, products, services, and methodological approaches that deliver value. According to the American Marketing Association, Marketing involves "the set of institutions and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings valuable to customers, clients, partners, and society at large. Not only does marketing guide firms' managerial decisions in the marketplace, but it also offers insights into consumer awareness, public policy making, and non-commercial exchange of value (e.g., altruistic giving)."

You Might Like This Program If...

• You're curious about the world around you.
• You're a natural storyteller.
• You think critically and find creative solutions.
• You're analytical and love to support your ideas with data.
• You try to understand how others are feeling.
• You're up-to-date with the latest news and trends.

Entrance to Major

Entry to the Marketing major requires the successful completion of 5 entry-to-major courses: ACCTG 211 , ECON 102 , ENGL 15 or ENGL 30H , MATH 110  or MATH 140 , STAT 200 or SCM 200 . Each course requires a C or better grade for successful complete.

Degree Requirements

For the Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing, a minimum of 122 credits is required:

21 of the 45 credits for General Edcuation are included in the Requirements for the Major. This includes: 6 credits of GQ courses; 6 credits of GS courses; 9 credits of GWS courses.

Per Senate Policy 83.80.5, the college dean or campus chancellor and program faculty may require up to 24 credits of coursework in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned.

Requirements for the Major

Each student must earn at least a grade of C in each 300- and 400-level course in the major field.

To graduate, a student enrolled in the major must earn a grade of C or better in each course designated by the major as a C-required course, as specified by Senate Policy 82-44 .

General Education

Connecting career and curiosity, the General Education curriculum provides the opportunity for students to acquire transferable skills necessary to be successful in the future and to thrive while living in interconnected contexts. General Education aids students in developing intellectual curiosity, a strengthened ability to think, and a deeper sense of aesthetic appreciation. These are requirements for all baccalaureate students and are often partially incorporated into the requirements of a program. For additional information, see the General Education Requirements section of the Bulletin and consult your academic adviser.

Foundations (grade of C or better is required and Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)

• Quantification (GQ): 6 credits
• Writing and Speaking (GWS): 9 credits

Breadth in the Knowledge Domains (Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)

• Arts (GA): 3 credits
• Health and Wellness (GHW): 3 credits
• Humanities (GH): 3 credits
• Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS): 3 credits
• Natural Sciences (GN): 3 credits

Integrative Studies

• Inter-Domain Courses (Inter-Domain): 6 credits

Exploration

• GN, may be completed with Inter-Domain courses: 3 credits
• GA, GH, GN, GS, Inter-Domain courses. This may include 3 credits of World Language course work beyond the 12th credit level or the requirements for the student’s degree program, whichever is higher : 6 credits

University Degree Requirements

First year engagement.

All students enrolled in a college or the Division of Undergraduate Studies at University Park, and the World Campus are required to take 1 to 3 credits of the First-Year Seminar, as specified by their college First-Year Engagement Plan.

Other Penn State colleges and campuses may require the First-Year Seminar; colleges and campuses that do not require a First-Year Seminar provide students with a first-year engagement experience.

First-year baccalaureate students entering Penn State should consult their academic adviser for these requirements.

Cultures Requirement

6 credits are required and may satisfy other requirements

• United States Cultures: 3 credits
• International Cultures: 3 credits

Writing Across the Curriculum

3 credits required from the college of graduation and likely prescribed as part of major requirements.

Total Minimum Credits

A minimum of 120 degree credits must be earned for a baccalaureate degree. The requirements for some programs may exceed 120 credits. Students should consult with their college or department adviser for information on specific credit requirements.

Quality of Work

Candidates must complete the degree requirements for their major and earn at least a 2.00 grade-point average for all courses completed within their degree program.

Limitations on Source and Time for Credit Acquisition

The college dean or campus chancellor and program faculty may require up to 24 credits of course work in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned. Credit used toward degree programs may need to be earned from a particular source or within time constraints (see Senate Policy 83-80 ). For more information, check the Suggested Academic Plan for your intended program.

Program Learning Objectives

• CRITICAL AND INTEGRATIVE THINKING: Students will be able to think critically across business disciplines by considering different perspectives and using an integrated, holistic approach to perform relevant analyses, construct valid arguments, and make appropriate conclusions.
• ORAL COMMUNICATION: Students will be able to execute the oral communication skills that they have learned in the interactive business courses to business situations where effective explanation, persuasion, exchanging information and ideas are essential.
• WRITING COMPETENCE: Students will be able to demonstrate effective business writing skills.
• TEAMWORK: Students will be positive contributors to an effective team functioning via application of their functional skills in addition to strong interpersonal skills.
• ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Students will be able to recognize ethical issues and apply ethical theories in business situations at individual and/or organizational levels.
• FUNCTIONAL AREA KNOWLEDGE (ETS): Students will be able to apply foundational knowledge to analyze and solve problems and interpret written and visual material across various business domains.
• FUNCTIONAL AREA KNOWLEDGE (ACCOUNTING): Students will be able to demonstrate a broad general knowledge of the principles of accounting, both managerial and financial.
• FUNCTIONAL AREA KNOWLEDGE (ECONOMICS): Students will be able to demonstrate a broad general knowledge of the principles of economics, both microeconomics and macroeconomics
• FUNCTIONAL AREA KNOWLEDGE (FINANCE): Students will be able to demonstrate a broad general knowledge of the principles of finance.
• FUNCTIONAL AREA KNOWLEDGE (MIS): Students will be able to describe the benefits and challenges of applying information technology in various organizations and functional areas.
• FUNCTIONAL AREA KNOWLEDGE (INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS): Students will be able to apply basic multidisciplinary knowledge needed to conduct international business and analyze the impact of globalization.
• FUNCTIONAL AREA KNOWLEDGE (LEGAL ENVIRONMENT): Students will be able to identify key terms, concepts, and theories of the law, evaluate how law affects business, analyze legal issues, and apply the law to business situations.
• FUNCTIONAL AREA KNOWLEDGE (MANAGEMENT): Students will be able to demonstrate a broad knowledge of the business discipline of management.
• FUNCTIONAL AREA KNOWLEDGE (MARKETING): Students will be able to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge in the field of marketing.
• FUNCTIONAL AREA KNOWLEDGE (QUANTATIVE BUSINESS ANALYSIS): Students will be able to demonstrate a broad knowledge of quantitative business analysis.
• FUNCTIONAL AREA KNOWLEDGE (SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT): Students will be able to demonstrate a broad knowledge of supply chain management.

Academic Advising

The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.

Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.

READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY

Sean (Hyunsoon) Yim, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Marketing 271 Burke Erie, PA 16563 814-898-6431 [email protected]

Suggested Academic Plan

The suggested academic plan(s) listed on this page are the plan(s) that are in effect during the 2023-24 academic year. To access previous years' suggested academic plans, please visit the archive to view the appropriate Undergraduate Bulletin edition ( Note: the archive only contains suggested academic plans beginning with the 2018-19 edition of the Undergraduate Bulletin ).

Marketing, B.S. at Erie Campus

The course series listed below provides only one of the many possible ways to move through this curriculum. The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. This plan should be used in conjunction with your degree audit (accessible in LionPATH as either an Academic Requirements or What If report). Please consult with a Penn State academic adviser on a regular basis to develop and refine an academic plan that is appropriate for you.

Course requires a grade of C or better for the major

Course requires a grade of C or better for General Education

Course is an Entrance to Major requirement

Course satisfies General Education and degree requirement

Please see your academic adviser for approval before scheduling your course.

In order for a course to be eligible for an Approved Elective, the course can not be a lower level ENGL (1-6) or MATH (2-41) OR a GHW designated course. Please see your academic adviser if you have a question on a specific course.

All students are required to fulfill 45 credits of General Education courses. They include 9 credits of Natural Science (GN), 6 credits of Arts (GA), 6 credits of Humanities (GH), 6 credits of Social Science (GS) and 3 credits of Health and Wellness (GHW). Two (2) classes must be Inter-domain (N) or Linked (Z) courses. One (1) course must be designated an United States culture (US) and one (1) course must be designated an International culture (IL).

Any 3 credits may be substituted for a different designation (GN,GA,GH,GS, or GHW) once 3 credits in each designation area have been successfully completed.

MKTG 445 may be used as an International Business course or a Marketing Elective but, may not be used to satisfy the requirement in both categories.

University Requirements and General Education Notes:

US and IL are abbreviations used to designate courses that satisfy Cultural Diversity Requirements (United States and International Cultures).

W, M, X, and Y are the suffixes at the end of a course number used to designate courses that satisfy University Writing Across the Curriculum requirement.

General Education includes Foundations (GWS and GQ), Knowledge Domains (GHW, GN, GA, GH, GS) and Integrative Studies (Inter-domain) requirements. N or Q (Honors) is the suffix at the end of a course number used to help identify an Inter-domain course, but the inter-domain attribute is used to fill audit requirements. Foundations courses (GWS and GQ) require a grade of 'C' or better.

Career Paths

The Marketing major offers you a solid foundation in marketing concepts and practice, including marketing and consumer analytics, consumer behavior and psychology, distribution channels management, and digital marketing among and across other business units. Penn State Behrend has a comprehensive support system to help you identify and achieve your goals for college and beyond. Meet with your academic adviser often and take advantage of the services offered by the Academic and Career Planning Center beginning in your first semester.

Recent graduates of Penn State Behrend's B.S. in Marketing program work in marketing research, sales, social media analysis, supply chain analysis, marketing intelligence, sales analysis, and managerial consulting. Their employers include Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, American Express Financial Advisers, Apple, Coca-Cola, Fleet Boston Financial, Hershey Co., IBM, Mars Inc., Naked Lime, Oracle, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Our graduates have also joined Campbell Soup Company, Dick's Sporting Goods, Mediahub, New York Urban League, Barber National Institute, Prada Group, and Lord Corporation.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES OF THE MARKETING PROGRAM

Opportunities for Graduate Studies

Graduate study allows you to delve deeper into the subdisciplines of marketing that interest you most. Examples of master's- and doctoral-level study include social media management, content marketing, data-driven marketing analysis, digital marketing, consumer behavior, integrated marketing communications, and product marketing. Penn State Behrend also offers a hybrid MBA program that can be pursued in Erie and in Pittsburgh.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES

Professional Resources

• AACSB International
• American Marketing Association

Accreditation

The Black School of Business is accredited by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. As the world’s largest business education alliance, AACSB connects educators, students, and business to achieve a common goal: to create the next generation of great leaders. Synonymous with the highest standards of excellence since 1916, AACSB provides quality assurance, business education intelligence, and professional development services to over 1,500 member organizations and more than 785 accredited business schools worldwide. AACSB’s mission is to foster engagement, accelerate innovation, and amplify impact in business education.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION TO ADVANCE COLLEGIATE SCHOOLS OF BUSINESS

BLACK SCHOOL OF BUSINESS 281 Jack Burke Research and Economic Development Center Erie, PA 16563 814-898-6107 [email protected]

https://behrend.psu.edu/school-of-business

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Ph.D. Program in Hospitality Management

An advanced graduate program designed for hospitality management professionals who wish to pursue a career as a researcher or professor at the university level, Penn State’s Ph.D. in Hospitality Management (HM) will help you build a strong foundation as a leader on the cutting edge of this dynamic and ever-evolving field.

In addition to mastering the scope of knowledge in the core curriculum, students also have the opportunity to conduct significant conceptual research in a variety of emphasis areas:

Facilities Management

Operations Management

Institutional Management

Management Information Systems

Hospitality Real Estate Management

Consumer Behavior

Services Marketing

Financial Management

Human Resources Management

New Product Development

The broad-based curriculum of this doctoral program is enhanced by special events featuring Conti Professors — recognized leaders within the hospitality industry— who visit the school on a regular basis to interact with students and faculty, present guest lectures in hospitality and foodservice management, and speak at graduate and undergraduate colloquia.

The School of Hospitality Management The Pennsylvania State University 201 Mateer Building University Park, PA 16802

[email protected] 814-865-1853

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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.

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Marketing, PhD

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.

For more information: https://marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/program-requirements/

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

View the University’s Academic Rules for PhD Programs .

Required Courses 

The Ph.D. program in Marketing is based on the completion of the dissertation as well as a minimum of 15 graduate level course units.

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2023 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

Sample Sequence Quantitative Track*

The exact sequence can vary from student to student. For example, students may select different economics and statistics sequences to best meet their personal needs. 

MKTG 9550 and MKTG 9570 are offered every other year. Students should take them when offered.

Sample Sequence Consumer Behavior Track*

The exact sequence can vary from student to student. For example, students may select different economics and statistics sequences to best meet their personal needs.

MKTG 9510 and MKTG 9530 are offered every other year. Students should take them when offered.  

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PhD Program Faculty Interests

Research in marketing focuses on three core areas:  consumer behavior, marketing management and strategy, and marketing models and quantitative methods (known colloquially as “behavioral”, “managerial” and “quant”). Below is a brief description of each of the areas, plus a list of our Marketing faculty who primarily conduct research in these areas. You can learn more about the specific research interests of faculty by visiting their web pages.

Consumer Behavior: This area focuses on developing theories to understand consumer behavior, drawing upon the literature in marketing as well as concepts and methods in psychology (including cognitive and social psychology). Topics include: How do consumers process information to make purchasing decisions? How does emotion affect the decision-making process? How do marketing tactics (such as advertising and pricing) affect consumer preference? What are the consequences for customer satisfaction? What are the implications for marketers and for public policy?

Faculty Members: Hans Baumgartner , Lisa E. Bolton , Sara Dommer ,   Meg Meloy , and Karen Winterich

Marketing Management and Strategy: This area focuses on developing theories to understand firms and markets, with an emphasis on managerial and strategic issues, and draws upon theories and methods from industrial economics, strategic management, political science, and organizational behavior. Topics include: How do managers turn marketing information into marketing strategy? How do companies develop relationships with distributors? What organizational structures contribute to the success of a sales force?

Faculty Members: Gary Lilien , J. Andrew Petersen , Sotires Pagiavlas ,  Arvind Rangaswamy , and Stefan Wuyts

Marketing Models and Quantitative Methods : This area uses techniques from statistics, economics, computer science, management science, and operations research to develop quantitative models to solve marketing problems. Topics include: How can we mathematically calibrate the impact of marketing actions on consumer choice? How can we use audio and visual data to help managers optimize marketing decisions such as advertisement, product design, branding, retailing, customer management? How can we represent competitive positions of brands? How can a company optimally structure its new product pipeline? What is the optimal pricing strategy for a new product, and how should a company react to a competitor's price change?

Faculty Members: Min Ding , Duncan Fong , John Liechty , Gary Lilien , Sean Melessa ,  Arvind Rangaswamy , and Ning Zhong

The topics noted here are relatively broad and used for illustrative purposes. To better understand the research interests of our faculty, please visit individual faculty webpages on the Marketing Department website.

The marketing department works closely with the  Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM)  research center at Smeal. 

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Ph.D. in Marketing Concentration

Ph.d. in business administration - marketing concentration.

The Ph.D. in Marketing provides you with an in-depth understanding of the theories and research methods used to study interactions between firms and consumers. Students can focus their research in Consumer Behavior or Marketing Strategy. The coursework provides a foundation in these three areas as well as training in theory development, research design, and analytical methods. Students apply this knowledge to a series of research mentorship projects and ultimately to their dissertation in one of the three specializations. 

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• EILEEN BRIDGES, PH.D. Marketing Coordinator 330-672-1260 [email protected]

Ph.D. in Marketing

Courses in the marketing concentration focus on important topics in the field including marketing strategies and theories, buyer behavior, consumer psychology and more.

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MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

In the research mentorship program, students are paired with one or two faculty members. Working jointly with the mentor(s) as a research team, they develop a research project, which the student presents in the department research forum to receive feedback from faculty and students. The faculty mentor(s) will be heavily involved in developing the theory, designing the research methodology, guiding the analysis, and crafting the research paper. Successful projects often go on to become conference presentations and published journal articles.

An important goal of the mentorship program is that students should be exposed to a variety of research perspectives. Students will be involved with different faculty mentors, with each mentor providing a different perspective on research, as well as differing individual strengths (and weaknesses). A new faculty/student assignment typically will be made during each year until the student reaches candidacy (i.e., passes comprehensive examinations). In most cases by the third year, students are working on research related to their dissertation.

Regardless of whether the project results in a publication, the student learns a great deal about the process of research from these experiences. The department research forum presentations further give the students the opportunity to develop and refine their research ideas and methodology as well as their presentation skills. These skills will help to prepare the student to present at research conferences and job interviews.

Graduates of our marketing doctoral program have accepted faculty positions at The State University of New York (SUNY), North Dakota State University, The University of Northern Colorado, Saint Bonaventure University, Midwestern University and The University of Tampa. 

RESEARCH FACULTY

LEI JIA, Ph.D. [email protected] 330-672-1262

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