Marketing

Introduction
Strengths of the Program
Admission to the Program
PhD Courses
Program Structure and Requirements
Current Students
Faculty and Research Interests
Graduates

Introduction

Admission to the Program 

PhD Courses

Program Structure and Requirements

Program Structure Prior to Entering Program -Students complete pre-qualifying requirements. First Year - Students complete qualifying courses and required courses in their minor fields. - Students demonstrate outstanding performance in their required courses. - Students begin writing their Pre-Comp Research Paper, a final version of which will be submitted and presented prior to the Comprehensive Exam. Second Year - Students complete required course work in Marketing and minor fields. - Students present their Pre-Comp Research Paper in a Marketing Area workshop. - Students successfully complete their Pre-Comp Research Paper and submit it for evaluation - Students successfully complete their Comprehensive Exam in marketing. Third Year - Students take specialized courses, as needed, such as electives in marketing and their minor fields. - Students constitute a thesis committee consisting of a supervisor and two other members of the graduate faculty to oversee their dissertation. - Students get their thesis topic approved by their committee and the Ph.D. coordinator. - Students begin their dissertation work, aiming to complete a thesis proposal and present it in a workshop for the faculty and their supervisory committee by the end of the academic year. Fourth Year and Onwards - Students present their job market paper in the Marketing Area workshop. - Students take specialized courses, as needed. - Students complete their dissertation. Required Courses     As a prerequisite to starting the Ph.D. program (which may, with permission, be completed upon matriculation), we require:   Familiarity and comfort with mathematics and statistics for economics and marketing applications. This familiarity will be demonstrated by successful completion of the Mathematics and Statistics Review (ECO 1011) offered in the economics department of the University of Toronto in the summer prior to entering the program or equivalent background. This course is required as Pre-Qualifying requirement of the Rotman Ph.D. in Marketing. A breadth of knowledge in disciplines related to marketing. This can be demonstrated by successful completion of a master’s level course (MA or MBA) in business, psychology or economics in a program recognized by the Marketing Area Ph.D. coordinator. a. Most successful applicants will have completed, or be in the process of completing, a master’s program when admitted to the program, which can demonstrate sufficient breadth of knowledge. b. For students without this background, the breadth requirement may be satisfied by taking a summer course prior to entering the program. The students may be subject to additional requirements such as additional master’s courses in Marketing at the Rotman School of Management.  Qualifying Courses and Minor Field Requirements  Marketing is an advanced field that requires mastery of psychology or economics and, to a lesser extent, related fields in business administration. The Qualifying courses are generally taken during the first year of the Ph.D. program and students are required to pass these courses with a minimum grade of B-, with an A- expectation to maintain full financial support. Second year students are also required to take the cross-area “Research Methods” course (RSM 3080). It consists of an introduction into research methods and the philosophy of science, followed by a series of area seminars spread out over the academic year.      Major Field Requirements  Marketing Ph.D. students are required to complete one master’s level course in business or economics, three Marketing Area required Ph.D. courses, and two Marketing Area elective Ph.D. courses (excluding RSM 3057 Workshop in Marketing) to satisfy their major field requirement. These courses ensure that students have a mastery of the body of knowledge and that students will have class contact with a variety of faculty that can serve on thesis committees. Marketing Area Required Ph.D. Courses RSM 3051 Marketing Theory I: Consumer Behaviour RSM 3052 Marketing Theory II: Strategy Marketing Area Elective Ph.D. Courses RSM 3053 Behavioural Research Methods RSM 3054 Current Topics in Consumer Behaviour RSM 3055 Econometric Methods in Marketing RSM 3056 Current Topics in Marketing Strategy RSM 3057 Workshop in Marketing RSM 3058 Psychology of Judgment and Decision Making Cross-Area Required Ph.D. Course RSM 3080 Research Methods             Other Requirements The main components for the successful completion of the program are: Required Courses Research Project Comprehensive Examination Dissertation Each of these components, as well as the annual performance review procedure, is described in more detail below. A typical program of studies takes four to five years. The bulk of the course requirements, as well as the research project are completed during the first two years. The comprehensive examination is taken in the summer of the second year. The last two to three years of the program are focused on the thesis research.  Marketing Area Pre-Comp Research Paper Requirement The demonstration of original and innovative research work is central to success in the Ph.D. Program. To encourage this work, each student is required to submit a paper demonstrating original research on a marketing-related topic by the end of the second year.  Students should start working on the research project before the summer of first year. Substantial progress is expected by the end of summer.  Prior to January 31 of the winter semester in the student’s second year, the student must submit a “Pre-Comp Research Paper Topic Approval” form to the Ph.D. office that is signed by a faculty member who agrees to supervise the work. The topic approval form must identify the topic, research hypotheses, the approach (theoretical and/or empirical), data collection procedures or details of the proposed data set, modeling approach or data analysis plan, and the expected contributions to the literature.  The paper may be an extension of a paper completed as a course requirement. However, the extension must be substantial, and the original paper must be submitted with the research paper.  The paper must be presented in the marketing workshop before the end of the second year. It is recommended that the student make every effort to present the paper prior to submitting the paper for evaluation. In that way, the student can incorporate feedback from the presentation into the final draft.  Students must submit the completed paper by July 31st of the summer in the student’s second year.     Comprehensive Examination Students are required to successfully complete the Marketing Area Comprehensive Exam. This exam is to be taken after successful completion of the required courses that make up the marketing major requirement and the research paper. It is expected that this Comprehensive Exam will take place before the end of the students’ second year i.e. prior to the start of the third year which is August 1 (23 months following admission to the program). The exam is only offered once a year. This exam is designed to ensure that students have sufficient breadth and depth of knowledge in marketing. The Format of the Ph.D. in Marketing Comprehensive Exam The exam consists of i) a written section which lasts 1.5 days starting and ii) a take-home section which students work on at home. Breadth Section: This consists of having students answer two questions (over which there will be a degree of choice). 1. The first will be a • behavioural question for quantitative students • quantitative question for behavioural students The objective here is to evaluate the comfort and familiarity of the Ph.D. student with both major streams of research that exist within marketing 2. The second will be a • BDT question for behavioural students who are specializing in social psychology • A social psychology question for behavioural students who are specializing in BDT • An econometric (or data driven) question for quantitative students who are specializing in analytical work • A game theoretic question for quantitative students who are specializing in econometric or empirical work The objective here is to force the student to answer a question in the stream they have chosen to specialize in (quantitative or behavioural) but about research using methodologies that are unlikely to figure in his/her dissertation. Field and Methodological Specialization Section This section of the exam consists of a mix of questions that evaluate the student’s knowledge of the findings, theories, debates and methodologies in a subject area that they have chosen. The questions will be tailored to the students based on the specific areas they have chosen to specialize in: BDT, social psychology, econometric (empirical work), empirical IO and/or game theory. Criticism and Creativity Section (take home) This section will consist of a set of questions related to a recent research paper in marketing. The paper will be chosen as a function of the student’s area of specialization. This part of the exam will evaluate the student’s ability to critique scholarly work and think creatively about problems that emanate from the paper.            Dissertation    During the third year in the program each Ph.D. student is required to select a supervisor and to constitute a thesis committee consisting of the supervisor and two other members of the graduate faculty. The student is required to meet with the committee at least once a year, and more often if the committee so requires. At the end of the third year of their program, students are required to submit a thesis proposal document to a committee composed of the student’s thesis advisor, the Ph.D. coordinator and one other Marketing Area faculty member for approval. The proposal should be in the form of a journal style paper that includes: 1) An introduction outlining the key contributions of the paper and positioning the research against the backdrop of appropriate literature 2) A literature review and theoretical development 3) Details of data collection / analysis / modeling already conducted 4) Specific details of what remains to be done to complete the thesis. The student must be specific with respect to what needs to be done to complete the dissertation and how it will be done. For example, a student in the behavioural track must provide a detailed explanation of the studies and data analyses remaining to be conducted. A student in the quantitative track must explain how data will be collected and estimated. As an input into preparing the thesis proposal, each student is encouraged to complete the template provided in Appendix 1 and discuss it with their supervisory committee. This will provide the student with an additional point of feedback prior to starting work on the proposal document. In assessing the proposal, the thesis committee will consider (among other things) the academic rigour of the proposed research, the assessed likelihood that the research will make a significant academic contribution to the relevant literature and the likelihood that it will get published in a high-quality marketing journal. Students are also required to present their thesis proposal to the faculty in a marketing workshop. The written thesis proposal document should be submitted to the thesis committee and Ph.D. coordinator at least one month before the presentation. Final Thesis Exam Based on the feedback received during the thesis proposal and in ongoing discussions with the supervisory committee, the student should proceed with research needed to complete the thesis. It is expected that students will have their thesis completed by the end of the fourth year in the program. Once approved the student must then meet SGS requirements in terms of successful completion of the thesis. These include the completion and submission of the thesis document, an evaluation by an external examiner (a relevant expert from outside the University of Toronto), and a successful oral thesis examination.   Program Timeline For students in the quantitative track Pre-qualifying requirements     Math/ Stat review     Year 1     Fall Spring Summer Ph.D. Micro I Ph.D. Micro II Substantial Progress on Pre-Comp Paper Ph.D. Econometrics I Ph.D. Econometrics II   Required Marketing Ph.D. Course Required Marketing Ph.D. Course   Marketing workshop Marketing workshop         Year 2     Fall Spring Summer/early Fall Industrial organization I Industrial organization II   Marketing Ph.D. Elective Marketing Ph.D. Elective   Minor field requirement Minor field requirement   Make progress on Pre-Comp paper Submit formal plan for Pre-Comp Paper by January 31st plus prepare first draft before the end of April Present Pre-Comp Paper in marketing seminar or brownbag series and submit final paper not later than July 31 Marketing workshop Marketing workshop  Marketing Comp Exam Research Methods Course Research Methods Course   Year 3     Fall Spring Summer Marketing workshop Marketing workshop Thesis proposal <present 2nd year paper internally>   <present paper externally>       Year 4     Fall Spring Summer Marketing workshop Marketing workshop   <present paper externally and/or present job market paper> <present paper externally and/or job market>           For students in the behavioural track Pre-qualifying requirements     Math/ Stat review     Year 1     Fall Spring Summer Marketing Theory I Marketing Theory II Substantial Progress on Pre-Comp Paper Research Methods Current Topics in CB or Psychology of Judgment and Decision Making*   Psychology Graduate Level Elective Psychology Graduate Level Elective   Statistics Graduate Level Elective Statistics Graduate Level Elective   Marketing Workshop Marketing Workshop   Year 2     Fall Spring Summer/early Fall 2 electives in consultation with supervisory committee. Rotman Courses or elsewhere (e.g. Psychology, Statistics, Economics)  One elective in consultation with supervisory committee   Current Topics in CB or Psychology of Judgment and Decision Making*   Marketing Theory Marketing Theory   Make progress on Pre-Comp paper Submit formal plan for Pre-Comp Paper by January 31st plus prepare first draft before the end of April Present Pre-Comp Paper in marketing seminar or brownbag series and submit final paper not later than July 31 Marketing workshop Marketing workshop Marketing Comp Exam Research Methods Course Research Methods Course   Year 3     Fall Spring Summer Marketing workshop Marketing workshop Thesis proposal <present 2nd year paper internally>   <present paper externally>       Year 4     Fall Spring Summer Marketing workshop Marketing workshop   <present paper externally and/or present job market paper> <present paper externally and/or job market>   Student Performance Reviews The performance review of all active doctoral students is conducted annually by the Rotman School. In order to remain eligible for funding, the student must maintain the ‘good academic standing’ classification. The key guidelines for the student evaluation in each year of study are listed below:   First Year Review: primarily based on performance in the required courses and the research project · Students receiving a grade of B or below in required courses will automatically be classified as ‘not in good standing’. · Students who fail to show any evidence of progress in the research project will be classified as ‘not in good standing’.   Second Year Review: primarily based on the successful completion of the comprehensive examination, course requirements and the research project. · Students receiving a mark of ‘Fail Without Invitation to Retake’ will automatically be classified as ‘not in good standing’.   Third Year Review: primarily based on the progress the student has made in identifying the thesis research topic and supervisor. · Students who are retaking the comprehensive exam and fail to achieve ‘Unconditional Pass’ or ‘Conditional Pass’ will automatically be classified as ‘not in good standing’. · Students showing no evidence of progress in their thesis research will be classified as ‘not in good standing’.   Fourth and Fifth Year Reviews: primarily based on the progress students are making towards completing their thesis.

Current Students 

Q&A with a Current Student

Kelly Kiyeon Lee: A fifth-year Marketing PhD student specializing in consumer behaviour 
Nicole Robitaille: A fourth-year Marketing PhD student specializing in consumer behaviour

Faculty and Research Interests