Degree Requirements

Overview

Degree requirements for the PhD in Marketing were updated May 19, 2008.

View the Marketing PhD Sample Schedule. (PDF)

The Marketing Department requires satisfactory completion of courses in four areas:

• Marketing
• Research Methods/Tools
• One supporting field, and
• Required background courses (which should have been completed as part of your MBA).

Marketing: Conceptual Foundations (15 credits)

Required

• MKTG 601, Marketing Management Seminar (3 credits)
• MKTG 670, Marketing Theory Seminar (3 credits)

Typically the remaining conceptual foundations include three of the following:

• MKTG 620, Marketing Models Seminar (3 credits)
• MKTG 625, Consumer Behavior Seminar (3 credits)
• MKTG 690, Special Topics Seminar (3 credits)
• MKTG 698, Directed Individual Study (3 credits)

Marketing Research Methods/Tools (21 credits minimum)

Courses will include the following. Remaining hours to be determined in consultation with faculty advisor.

• ESTAT 505, Statistical Inference I (4 credits)
• ESTAT 506, Statistical Inference II (3 credits)
• ESTAT 507, Advanced Regression (3 credits)
• MKTG 610, Marketing and the Scientific Method Seminar (3 credits)
• MKTG 630, Multivariate Analysis Seminar (3 credits)
• MKTG 640, Measurement & Structural Equation Modeling Seminar (3 credits)

Supporting Field

• 12 graduate credits approved by the program committee.

Background Courses

Courses from an MBA degree:

• Managerial Accounting
• Operations Management
• Organization Theory
• Financial Management
• Marketing Management
• Managerial Economics

Plan of Study and Qualifying Exam

After admission to the graduate program, doctoral students establish a program committee and develop a plan of study. The proposed program of study is then presented to the committee for approval. This process is known as the qualifying exam. The student’s major advisor or committee chair will schedule the exam, which is administered by the marketing department. The purpose of the exam is to explore areas of strengths and/or weakness in the student’s curriculum and to assist in the development of the student’s course of study. The qualifying exam is generally conducted at the end of the first semester or the beginning of the second semester.

Doctoral Committee

Contact the Marketing Ph.D. Program Coordinator, Dr. Michael Hyman (mhyman@nmsu.edu; 575.646.5238) when you first arrive in the program. He will provide you with assistance for registration the first semester and assist in developing your program committee.

Comprehensive Examination

Before admission to candidacy for a doctoral degree, you must pass a comprehensive examination intended to test your knowledge in the conceptual and research method areas of study. This exam is taken after completion of all course work. You are advanced to candidacy upon the successful completion of all portions of the comprehensive examination, the recommendation of the committee, and the approval of the Graduate School dean.

Doctoral Dissertation

You must complete 18 hours of doctoral dissertation hours for the doctoral degree. Every student submits a dissertation embodying the results of original research. The dissertation shows your ability to conduct an independent investigation that contributes to human knowledge. The dissertation displays mastery of literature in the subject field; presents a well organized, coherent development of ideas with a clear exposition of results; and provides a critical discussion of the limits and validity of your conclusions. The Graduate School provides further information about dissertation content. The Graduate Catalog provides an overview of doctoral degree requirements.

The progress and conduct of the dissertation is supervised by the doctoral committee.  Although the structure of the process is determined by the committee (assuming adherence to the guidelines set forth in the Graduate Catalog), each student must undergo an examination of the dissertation proposal. Each student has 5 years from completion of the comprehensive examinations to finish the dissertation.

Residency Requirements

The requirements for the doctor’s degree ordinarily cannot be met in less than 4 years (3 years of course work, 1 year of dissertation). Graduate credit earned at other approved institutions may be counted toward requirements for the higher degree if accepted by the majority of the marketing department and the graduate dean.

Contacts

If you have any additional questions regarding the graduate program at NMSU or the doctoral program in marketing, the following contacts may be useful in answering your questions.