Doctoral Program FAQs
Find answers below to common questions about the Ph.D. program through the Department of Marketing.
Scroll down the page or use the list below to jump directly to specific questions:
Do I need a degree in a business to succeed in this program?
Many successful applicants do not have an undergraduate or master's degree in business. Accepted applicants come with a variety of backgrounds: psychology, sociology, engineering, humanities, just to name a few. Many of the required courses do not have business course prerequisites.
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Do I need strong quantitative skills for this program?
The program requires that, at minimum, students demonstrate math proficiency by taking college calculus plus introductory probability and descriptive statistics before entering the program. Many students use basic to advanced statistical methods to conduct research for their projects and all students must take doctoral level courses in statistics.
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What are the minimum qualifications of the typical applicant accepted into this program?
Usually a 3.0 GPA or higher (average about 3.5) and 85% or higher on all subtests of the GMAT test.
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Do I have to take the GMAT, or can I take the GRE?
Valid GMAT scores are necessary to complete your application; the GRE is no longer accepted. The Doctoral Committee does not review incomplete applications.
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Do I have to take the TOEFL exam if I am from an non-English speaking country?
Yes, unless you have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from an institution in an English speaking country.
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What is the average time to complete a Ph.D.?
We guarantee funding for up to five years with satisfactory progress. However, some students meet requirements within 4 years but elect for a 5th year to strengthen their research record to improve job opportunities.
Program length is an individual decision based on the student's progress and personal considerations.
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What jobs/positions have previous grads of the program taken?
The vast majority of our students accept research/teaching positions as university professors. Students have been placed in universities such as:
- City University of Hong Kong
- Carnegie Mellon University
- City University of Hong Kong
- Indiana University
- Texas A&M University
- University of Maryland
- University of Delaware
- University of South Carolina
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Will credits from master’- level or Ph.D.- level courses transfer?
Transfer credits are approved on a case-by-case basis. Generally courses taken in a professional program (such as an MBA program) will not transfer. Courses at a Ph.D.-level related to required courses may transfer (usually, 1-2 such courses transfer, but the student still takes the full 4-5 years to complete the degree).
Regardless of transfer credits, a minimum of 30 UA units must be completed.
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Can I take this program part-time while working in a full-time job or business?
No. Realistically, this is a minimum 40 hour per week job that will take 4-5 years to complete.
As with many Ph.D. programs in Research 1 institutions, our students are expected to be apprentices to learn the "research trade," which requires many activities beyond simply taking required courses and completing a doctoral dissertation.
Students are expected to spend time working on research projects in addition to their dissertation. Those with Marketing Department-funded assistantships are expected to work 20 hours per week in addition to their coursework and other research responsibilities.
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What is the stipend/support package offered?
Please visit our section on funding for information about financial support for admitted students.
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What work is required to maintain the student stipend?
Students funded by the Marketing Department are required to spend 20 hours per week during the academic year assisting a Marketing faculty member in research projects or as a teaching assistant. Often, students work on projects with the faculty member that they would have completed in the normal course of their Ph.D. program.
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Is this financial support enough to live on in Tucson?
The cost of living in Tucson is close to the national average, which is considerably lower than most major U.S. cities. See the following website for additional information for students living off-campus: www.union.arizona.edu/csil/csa/offcampus.
In addition, there are many cost of living calculators that will compare your salary at your current location with that required to live in Tucson. For example: http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html.
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What is it like to live in Tucson?
The University of Arizona is located in Tucson in Southwestern Arizona in the unique environment of the Sonoran Desert. Tucson is surrounded by four mountain ranges and is only an hour drive north of Sonora, Mexico and an hour and a half drive south of Phoenix. Tucson offers a wide range of outdoor activities: golfing, biking, hiking, horseback riding, etc. Since the winters are very mild, Tucson is also a winter resort location. It is rare to see a cloudy day in Tucson, it boasts more days of sunshine than anywhere else in the United States.
For more information on Tucson, please visit the Student Life section of the Eller College site.
For more information, please contact us.
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