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Ph.D. students

PH.D. IN BUSINESS

SPECIALIZATION IN MARKETING

Ph.D. students

Are you considering an academic career in marketing? Join our stimulating and supportive environment where you will grow as a serious scholar and contribute to knowledge in the field of marketing. If accepted, you’ll receive a competitive stipend, tuition remission and access to basic coverage under the university’s student health insurance plan.

August Start
Application is Open September 1 - February 1
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Review Admission Requirements
Review Admission Process

Admission Requirements

Deadlines

All application materials must be received by February 1. We admit a handful of new students each year. We do not admit Ph.D. candidates to start course week at mid-academic year (January).

Since the university’s Office of Graduate Studies has to verify and approve all application materials before forwarding to us, it’s important to apply as early as possible. We take a great deal of care in reviewing applications to identify those who are a good match and who we believe have the potential to make meaningful contributions to knowledge and the discipline of marketing. When your file is complete in all respects, it will be circulated to our faculty for a decision. Applicants for whom the faculty shows substantial interest are invited to spend a day with us on campus, if possible. Final decisions are normally made by April 15.

Admission Requirements

  • A master’s degree in business or a related field from an accredited university.
  • Academic transcripts showcasing excellent grades. Transcript instructions for both domestic and international students can be found in the “Review Admission Process” tab above.
  • GMAT score of at least 650.
  • Professional résumé.
  • Statement of purpose.
  • Three letters of recommendation.
  • TOEFL iBT score (for international students only): writing score above 25 and total score above 100.

Though we have made exceptions for exceptional students with GMAT scores below 650, we do not waive the GMAT exam requirement. You will need to include statement of purpose discussing your area of interest in marketing, why you want to earn a Ph.D. and what you hope to accomplish with it. It should be submitted through the graduate application.

Tips on applying to Ph.D. programs.

GMAT – Graduate Management Admission Test

  • You must register to take the GMAT (preferred) or GRE and have the results forwarded to Nebraska (use institution code S40-HW-48). You must also submit your scores through the graduate application.
  • We will consider GRE scores, but GMAT scores are strongly preferred. Your GRE score must be convertible to a minimum 650 GMAT equivalent.

TOEFL - Test of Spoken English

  • International students must include a TOEFL score (use institution code 6877).
  • You will need a minimum writing score of 25 and total score above 100.

Finance Resource Certification Form

Any applicant who is recommended for admission and expects to hold an F1 (student) or J1 (exchange visitor) visa should submit the Financial Resource Certification (FRC) form.

Note to International Students

We recommend starting your application process at least one year prior to the date you would like to be admitted. You must also be aware of the additional requirements that you need to meet in order to be admitted to the College of Business. The International Student and Scholar Office provides orientation, counseling and advising, and serves as the official liaison between your sponsoring agency and the United States government. Staff members are also available to help you make contacts on campus and in the Lincoln community.

Guidelines for International Students

Admissions Process

Apply

Apply online and submit the $50 application fee.

Apply Online Now


Upload Supporting Documents

All Supporting Documents including unofficial transcripts and test scores are uploaded directly via the graduate application.

You are required to submit an unofficial transcript from each post-secondary institution you have attended during the application review process.


Submit Official Transcripts

If you are admitted, you will be required to submit an official transcript sent directly from each institution you have attended to The Office of Graduate Studies. We recommend that you complete this task before your admitted term begins. A hold will be placed on your account if they do not receive your official transcripts by October 1 for the fall term, February 1 for the spring term and July 1 for the summer term. Students will have until that day to submit official transcripts or your admission will be rescinded.

Transcripts can be sent electronically to graduate@unl.edu or by mail to

University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Graduate Admissions
1100 Seaton Hall
Lincoln, NE 68588-0619

International Student Transcript Submission

If you are an international student, please refer to the Nebraska Office of Graduate Studies for transcript and document information.

International Transcript Information

Additional information on Application Requirements can be found at Graduate Studies website.

Customized Attention

At Nebraska, you’ll benefit from a program tailored to meet your needs, objectives and prior coursework. By working closely with faculty and fellow students, you’ll gain valuable research and teaching skills and cultivate a network of mentors dedicated to your success. With scholarly events held throughout the year, such as the Mittelstaedt & Gentry Doctoral Symposium, you’ll have numerous opportunities to discuss research and interact outside of the office.

Current Students Faculty Staff Emeritus Mittelstaedt & Gentry Doctoral Symposium

Program Requirements

We require students to have earned a master’s degree or completed at least 36 hours of graduate coursework before starting the Ph.D. program. The master’s degree or graduate coursework can be in any area relevant to the student’s research interests in the program.

The University of Nebraska requires at least 90 credit hours of graduate classes to complete the Ph.D. degree. Between 30-36 of these credit hours can be transferred from the master’s degree or prior graduate-level coursework. The remaining hours are comprised of seminars in marketing, methodology and other courses that provide the tools necessary to do research, courses in an external minor area and dissertation hours. The program typically takes four years to complete, with two to two-and-a-half years of coursework and the remainder devoted to dissertation research and writing.

As a student in our program, you will have the opportunity to take several doctoral seminars offered by our department, such as Behavioral Research in Marketing, Marketing Channels, Marketing Management, Marketing Models and Sales Management. You will also take coursework from other departments and colleges in the university, including several research methods courses (e.g., research design, causal modeling, field research, etc.) to provide you the necessary tools to do research. Additionally, you will choose an outside area relevant to your interests (e.g., psychology, economics, sociology, etc.) and complete at least four courses in the chosen field. If your master’s level background in business and marketing is not strong, some additional coursework may be necessary.

We assign all students as graduate assistants to our faculty members. Through this assistantship, you will learn how to do research. You will also work closely with faculty members to develop first-year and second-year papers, which are expected to culminate in submission to scholarly journals. Upon successfully completing the coursework, the papers and the comprehensive exam requirements, you will be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. and begin working on the dissertation.

In addition to becoming researchers, we also train our students to be good teachers. Over the duration of the program, we will give you the opportunity to teach a class during four academic semesters. We will also try and provide additional opportunities for teaching in the summer, depending on funding availability.

Ph.D. Program Plan

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Academic Support

Our highly-accomplished faculty members have published in nationally and internationally prominent journals. They take a great deal of personal interest in each student and give high priority to their advisory role, treating our students as junior colleagues in every way.

Advising

From the start, you’ll be assigned a first-year advisor to guide you through coursework and academic life. A senior Ph.D. student will also serve as a mentor as you settle into the program. By the end of your first year, you will choose a program committee to advise on coursework. After you’re admitted to Candidacy, you’ll assemble a dissertation committee to help advise on dissertation research and writing.

Support

We work diligently to provide you with the resources useful to a graduate education. At present, you’ll receive a personal computer at your desk with office software and access to the university servers, offering statistical packages, library access and email. We encourage you to submit articles co-authored with faculty to journals and academic conferences. A portion of the costs for conference travel are covered by our department.

Equally important is a scholarly environment. We hold “Brown Bag Seminars” several times each semester, where we discuss interesting articles in our field. Faculty and students present research at Friday afternoon research seminars several times during the semester as well. Throughout the academic year, we host our “Visiting Scholars Series,” inviting wellknown scholars in the field of marketing to visit and present current research. In the spring, our department sponsors the Mittelstaedt & Gentry Doctoral Symposium, attracting doctoral candidates and faculty from the Big Ten and research universities west of the Mississippi River. Finally, we host informal gatherings and parties throughout the year, providing opportunities to interact outside of the office.

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Benefits

All students accepted into our program receive a four-year graduate assistantship (contingent upon continued progress). The assistantship is composed of a $30,000 stipend, tuition remission covering up to 12 credit hours for each academic semester and 12 hours for the entire summer, health insurance, travel support, and teaching and research opportunities. However, registration fees are not waived. The work requirement involves 20 hours per week, and no other outside employment is allowed during the assistantship commitment. In addition, we try to provide additional opportunities for teaching in the summer, depending on funding availability.
Fellowships

Health Insurance

All graduate assistants with appointments qualifying for full tuition remission receive an additional benefit of basic coverage under the university’s student health insurance plan. Dependent plans are available on an optional basis. Students and the university will share in the cost of the premium, with approximately 79 percent covered by the university. As an international student, you are required to have student health insurance coverage, unless proof of insurance from an outside source is provided.

For more information, visit the Student Health Insurance page.

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Ph.D. Program Plan

Year One

  • Take foundational and research tool courses.
  • Work as a research assistant (with two professors). During your research assistantship, you’ll gain exposure to the research process and develop mentoring relationships with faculty.
  • Summer of year one:
    * Continue working on in-process research projects
    * Complete first-year research paper

Objective: By the end of year one, you should be acclimated to the research environment and have a basic understanding of marketing theories and research methodologies. This is the time to start thinking about areas of specialization as you begin to identify the areas you like or do not like.

Year Two

  • Complete foundational, elective and research tool courses.
  • Continue working as a research assistant (with one or two professors).
  • Summer of year two:
    * Complete a second year/comprehensive exam paper

Objective: By the end of year two, you’ll gain competence as a researcher and acquire a deeper understanding of marketing theories and research methodologies. At this point, you should choose a general area of specialization.

Year Three

  • Form a dissertation committee and begin developing your dissertation proposal.
  • Continue as a research/teaching assistant.
  • Defends dissertation proposal in the spring.
  • Summer of year three:
    * Prepare your job search materials.
    * Start your job search.

Objective: By the end of year three, you’ll defend your dissertation proposal and begin to establish a research program. With your teaching and research experience, you’ll be ready for the job market.

Year Four

  • Collect and analyze dissertation data in the fall.
  • Interviews for jobs in fall.
  • Defends dissertation for spring or summer graduation.

Objective: By the end of year four, you’ll complete your dissertation and accept a position as an assistant professor where you’ll gain more teaching experience. You’ll have a solid pipeline of papers to take into your first job as a tenure-track faculty.

Year Five (Optional)

  • Complete dissertation.
  • Interview for jobs.
  • Further develop research program.

This option will be offered only with faculty approval.

Why Nebraska?

Home to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the city of Lincoln consistently ranks among the highest U.S. cities for livability thanks to a low cost of living, great schools and friendly, community-minded residents. Set amidst a big sky and open landscape, the city is simple to navigate with a nationally noted low crime rate, a wide range of housing choices and a reliable public transit system. As one of the fastest growing metro areas in the Midwest, Lincoln boasts a growing technology sector, more parkland per capita than all but a few U.S. cities, an extensive bike trail network and numerous options for recreational and personal interest activities. It’s easy to feel at home here.

Points of Pride About Lincoln Local Events Life in Lincoln Connect With Us

Alumni Placements

Ph.D. Placements

Year Alumn Affiliation Chair / Co-Chair
2024 Durgesh Pattanayak University of Mary Washington Amit Saini
2024 Plavini Punyatoya New Jersey Institute of Technology Ravi Sohi
2023 Carissa Kim James Madison University Ravi Sohi
2023 Ravi Agarwal San Jose State University Alok Kumar
2022 Shilpa V. (Gupta) Rao Virginia Tech Alok Kumar
2020 Abigail Nappier Cherup California State University, San Marcos Les Carlson/
Andre Maciel
2020 Matthew Hall Oregon State University Les Carlson/
Jamie Hyodo
2019 Aditya Gupta Illinois State University Jim Gentry
2019 Argha Sen Salisbury University Alok Kumar
2018 Arvind Agrawal University of Nebraska at Omaha Jim Gentry
2018 Andrea (Lynn) Matthews Wichita State University Jim Gentry
2016 Jenifer Skiba Missouri State University Amit Saini
2015 Elise Johansen Harvey University of South Carolina Upstate Les Carlson
2014 Joseph Matthes Marquette University Amit Saini
2014 Jessica (Mikeska) Zeiss Ball State University Les Carlson
2014 Timothy M. Reilly Sacred Heart University Jim Gentry
2013 Shipra Gupta University of Illinois Springfield Jim Gentry
2013 Jeff Johnson University of Missouri-Kansas City Ravi Sohi
2012 Shannon Cummins University of Nebraska at Omaha Ravi Sohi
2012 Jie G. Fowler Valdosta State University Les Carlson
2012 Justine Rapp University of San Diego Jim Gentry
2009 Rob Harrison Western Michigan University Jim Gentry
2009 Mike Krush Kansas State University Ravi Sohi
2009 Eddie Nowlin Kansas State University Ravi Sohi
2009 Julie Pennington University of Tampa (retired) A. Dwayne Ball
2008 Amber Epp University of Wisconsin-Madison Jim Gentry/
Linda Price
2008 Aubrey Fowler III Valdosta State University Jim Gentry
2008 Clinton Lanier University of St. Thomas Ron Hampton
2007 Maia Beruchashvili California State University, Northridge Jim Gentry
2007 Risto Moisio California State University, Long Beach Jim Gentry/
Eric Arnould
2007 Daniel Shen SUNY New Paltz Dwayne Ball/
Jim Gentry
2006 Seungwoo Chun Dongguk University Jim Gentry
2006 Susie Pryor Buena Vista University Sandy Grossbart
2005 Avinash Malshe University of St. Thomas Ravi Sohi
2004 Fleura Bardhi City University London Eric J. Arnould
2003 Matt Bunker University of Northern Iowa A. Dwayne Ball
2003 Athinodoros Chronis California State University, Stanislaus Ron Hampton
2002 Ahmet Ekici Bilkent University Linda Price
2002 Lee McGinnis Stonehill College Jim Gentry
2001 Suraj Commuri University at Albany, State University of New York Jim Gentry
2001 Lynn Samsel (deceased) Ray Marquardt/
A. Dwayne Ball
2000 Preeti Sharma A. Dwayne Ball
1999 Marko Grunhagen Eastern Illinois University Robert Mittelstaedt
1999 Lufumbi Mwaipopo University of Dar es Salaam Pat Kennedy
1999 Cara Okleshen Peters Winthrop University Sanford Grossbart
1999 Mike Tippins University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Ravi Sohi
1998 Heidi Hu McKinsey and Company A. Dwayne Ball/
Jim Gentry
1997 Carl Witte Roosevelt University (retired) Robert Mittelstaedt
1997 Ju-Young Park Soongsil University Jim Gentry
1997 Tim Burkink University of Nebraska at Kearney Ray Marquardt/
Jim Gentry
1996 Stacey Baker Creighton University Jim Gentry/
Robert Mittelstaedt
1996 Deb Dahab Enquire Research Jim Gentry
1996 Jonna Holland University of Nebraska at Omaha (retired) Jim Gentry
1995 Ken Anselmi East Carolina University (retired) Ray Marquardt
1995 Mary Martin Fort Hays State University Jim Gentry
1995 Darinah Ahmad Universiti Malaysia Perlis Robert Mittelstaedt
1995 Madhavan Parthasarathy University of Colorado at Denver Robert Mittelstaedt
1995 Carol Meyer Hastings College (retired) Ray Marquardt
1994 Diane Hambley YWCA - Silicon Valley James Gentry/
Ray Marquardt
1993 Steve Schulz University of Nebraska at Omaha Ray Marquardt
1993 Sunkyu Jun Sung Kyun Kwan University James Gentry
1993 Alka Subramanian Power of Love Foundation Ray Marquardt/
Robert Mittelstaedt
1993 Kevin Coulson Emporia State University (retired) Robert Mittelstaedt
1993 Greg Broekemier University of Nebraska at Kearney Ray Marquardt
1993 Cecelia Wittmayer Dakota State University (retired) Robert Mittelstaedt
1992 Gerrard Macintosh North Dakota State University (retired) James Gentry
1992 Suresh Subramanian Power of Love Foundation Robert Mittelstaedt
1992 Terrence Kroeten William Curtis
1991 Ann Walsh Western Illinois University - Quad Cities (retired) Sanford Grossbart
1991 James Roberts Baylor University Ray Marquardt
1991 Rich Lapidus Fitchburg State University Robert Mittelstaedt
1991 Gary Ko (deceased) James Gentry
1990 Linda Anglin Minnesota State University, Mankato (retired) Sanford Grossbart
1990 Ken Anglin Minnesota State University, Mankato (retired) James Gentry
1990 Laurie Smith Robert Mittelstaedt
1989 Harold Koenig Oregon State University Robert Mittelstaedt
1989 Robert Stassen University of Arkansas (retired) Robert Mittelstaedt
1988 Jean Johnson Washington State University (retired) Robert Mittelstaedt
1988 Young Lim Kwangwoon University William Curtis
1988 Bonnie Guy Applachian State University William Curtis
1988 Terri Rittenburg University of Wyoming (retired) Robert Mittelstaedt
1987 Russell Laczniak Iowa State University (retired) Sanford Grossbart
1987 Thomas Parker William Curtis
1987 Steven W. Pharr William Curtis
1985 Les Carlson University of Nebraska-Lincoln (retired) Sanford Grossbart
1985 Darrel D. Muehling Washington State University (retired) Sanford Grossbart
1984 Balusu Rammohan Aurora Sanford Grossbart
1982 James Gill Sanford Grossbart
1982 Charles Madden Baylor University Robert Mittelstaedt
1981 Eldon Little Indiana University SE (retired) Robert Mittelstaedt/
Sanford Grossbart
1981 Anne Stommes-Ralston Robert Mittelstaedt
1979 Gene Murdock (deceased) Sanford Grossbart
1979 Bob Rogers University of Texas at Arlington William Curtis/
Sanford Grossbart
1979 Warren Schwendig Phillip McVey
1979 J. Samuel Wagle Northern Illinois University Phillip McVey
1978 Joseph Bellizzi Arizona State University-West Campus(retired) Phillip McVey
1978 Stephen DeVere Robert Mittelstaedt
1978 Carl Tong Radford University John Brasch
1978 Davar Venoos University of Tehran John Brasch
1978 Regie Wintle-Bradford John Brasch
1977 Nils-Erik Aaby ELOPAK Inc. Robert Mittelstaedt
1977 Joseph Belonax Western Michigan University Robert Cole
1977 Petr Chadraba DePaul University John Brasch
1977 Woo-Young Lee Segan University John Brasch
1976 Steven Cox John Brasch
1976 Ralph Weller (deceased) John Brasch
1974 Richard Holquist Phillip McVey
1973 Ronald Wright Robert Cole
1972 George Crawford Robert Cole
1972 James West Phillip McVey
1970 Askari H. Kizilbash John Brasch
1970 Larry Redinbaugh Robert Cole
1966 Arthur Norris Robert Cole
1964 Massoud Khan Ahari Phillip McVey
1964 Rodney Peterson Phillip McVey
1964 Jagjit Singh Institute of Marketing Management Phillip McVey
1962 Charles Bull (deceased)
1962 H. Nicholas Windeshausen California State University - Sacramento (retired) Phillip McVey

Contact

Sajeesh, S.
Nathan J Gold Distinguished Professor of Marketing and Associate Professor of Marketing
HLH 335 P
P.O. Box 880492
Lincoln, NE 68588-0492
402-472-2316