Ph.D. in Marketing program
Program length
- 5 years, on average
Application deadline
- January 1
Format
- Full-time
- In-person
University of Florida’s Ph.D. in Marketing
Over the past two decades, the Marketing Ph.D. program at the University of Florida has been consistently ranked as one of the best in the world. We produce researchers with innovative ideas and superior training. Our students are placed at some of the top universities, and have a profound impact on marketing and related disciplines. We achieve our success through our dedicated, knowledgeable faculty, our focus on developing conceptual and methodological skills, and our overriding commitment to producing the best researchers in the world.
Learn more
Aner Sela
Professor of Marketing
Ph.D. Coordinator
Email Aner
Ph.D. in Marketing facts and figures
100%
Placement among graduates in academic program faculty positions.
#7
In marketing research, based on faculty activity among Association of American Universities (AAU).
Academic Analytics
Choosing a Ph.D. program
Choosing a Ph.D. program is a difficult process. Prospective students need to determine the appropriate criteria for selecting a Ph.D. program and to gather the information about competing programs. We believe the most important criteria are:
- The performance of prior Ph.D. students
- The quality of the faculty
- The flexibility of the program
- Support for students
Performance of prior Ph.D. students
Our goal is to develop active researchers who can make a contribution to knowledge. One measure of our success is the placement record of our prior Ph.D. students. Our Ph.D. program has a placement record that ranks as one of the best in the world.
Two things stand out about these placements. First, we place all of our students in research-oriented academic positions. This is the objective of all Ph.D. programs, but only few achieve this objective. Second, we have a number of placements at prestigious institutions (e.g., Chicago, Columbia, MIT, NYU, Wharton, Oxford). Only a few prestigious institutions hire in any given year. A placement at one of these institutions means our student was one of the best candidates on the job market in that year.
The quality of the faculty
For several decades, our faculty has ranked as one of the most productive and influential in the discipline of Marketing. They have been ranked in the top ten in research productivity in every study that has been conducted since 1985. They have consistently ranked in the top five in editorial review board representation. Our faculty members have won awards for best article of the year in Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing Research, the Journal of Consumer Research, and the Journal of Marketing. You are encouraged to investigate the publications of the faculty who have research interests consistent with your own.
Flexibility of the program
The strong representation of our faculty as editors, associate editors, and editorial review board members has resulted in a breadth of knowledge among our faculty. They have been exposed to most topics in the field and can support a student that has diverse research interests. More importantly, they can help a student develop his/her ideas in a manner that increases the impact of their research on the discipline.
Students have the flexibility to get training in one of two areas, consumer behavior and quantitative methods. Within each area, there is a diversity of research topics and methodologies in which students can specialize.
A recommended series of courses can be accessed in our section on the program description. Students may alter their planned course of study to suit their research needs. For example, our students often supplement their marketing coursework with seminars in the departments of psychology, economics, management, education, and statistics.
Student support
Students need three types of support to be successful in a program. The first type of support is structural. Students are provided with a work area, a desktop computer, limited teaching responsibilities, and sufficient financial support. For students interested in consumer behavior, our department has one of the best-equipped and most productive laboratories for behavioral research in the nation. Our laboratory consists of 24 lab stations for face-to-face research, a network file server, and a web server and software for conducting on-line research. We also possess a unique web-based system for posting studies and awarding credits that makes these tasks simple and allows for complex relationships between studies.
The second type of support is research skill development. All of our faculty actively mentor students and involve them in research projects. Faculty at other schools may not always view it as productive to invest time in collaborative projects with Ph.D. students. We view it as the only means to achieve our goals of producing the best trained researchers in the discipline. View some of the papers resulting from faculty / student collaborations.
The third type of support is social. The most important people in a Ph.D. program are your colleagues in the program. Our Ph.D. students are supportive and emphasize the collective success of the group. All of our students make a conscientious effort to help students from different cultures acclimate to life in United States.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to our most frequent questions about the University of Florida’s Ph.D. in Marketing.
Our Ph.D. program is designed to train students to become influential researchers in consumer behavior or marketing science at top universities. Applicants typically have strong academic backgrounds and test scores, undergraduate degrees in marketing or a related field (e.g., psychology, economics, statistics), and some research experience. Students should desire a research career (typically an academic position at a top university), and possess the motivation and ability to attain this goal.
Most students complete the program in five years. Students who are particularly advanced may be able to complete the program in less time.
No. A quality Ph.D. education requires that you be in residence taking classes and conducting research.
Students are required to teach one section of an undergraduate class, typically in their third year of study.
Every student has unique goals and backgrounds, and we tailor the program to best suit each student’s individual needs and research interests. Students must complete 90 credit hours, many of which may accrue through research. Some sample curricula can be found on our courses and curriculum section.
The UF Graduate School determines on a case-by-case basis whether to accept a particular course for transfer. Typically, this is based on the applicability of the course to the Marketing Ph.D. program. No more than 30 credit hours may be transferred from a master’s program and no more than 45 total credits may be transferred from any program. Additionally, students must have received a B grade in any class they wish to transfer.
There are usually from 10-15 students in the program at any point in time.
Academic marketing research answers fundamental questions about the behavior of consumers, companies, managers, and markets. It is distinguished from applied research which tends to answer narrower questions in a particular domain or with limited generality. To get a sense of the kind of work you are likely to produce as a marketing academic, we recommend that you read recent issues of the following journals:
- Journal of Consumer Research
- Journal of Marketing Research
- Marketing Science
- Journal of Marketing
- Journal of Consumer Psychology
We also recommend that you visit the individual websites of our faculty members and review their areas of research expertise and collaborations with our current and recent Ph.D. students. Our behavioral faculty specialize in consumer behavior and judgment and decision-making, and our quant faculty specialize in marketing science, machine learning, and game theory.
Admissions
The Ph.D. program admits students for enrollment only in the fall semester. We typically enroll two or three students each year.
We have several admissions requirements:
- Applications are due for fall admission on January 1
- Academic achievement
- Standardized test scores
- Letters of recommendation
Academic achievement
The minimum acceptable GPA for graduate students is 3.0, but successful applicants typically have GPAs of 3.6 or higher. We will consider your undergraduate GPA as well as your GPA in any graduate degree programs.
A background in marketing is not required. Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree, but this degree may be in any discipline. It is beneficial to have some familiarity with marketing, but it is typically more important to have a background in the theory and methods relevant for your particular area of focus. Students interested in the behavioral track benefit from a background in cognitive or social psychology, sociology, and research methods for behavioral sciences. Students interested in the quantitative track benefit from a background in economics, statistics, computer science, applied math, and related areas.
An MBA or other advanced degree is not required. Graduate degrees may be useful if you can demonstrate that they are directly connected to your proposed area of study, but they are not necessary.
Standardized test scores
All applicants, regardless of academic background, work experience, or country of residence, must include an official GMAT or GRE score with their application. GMAT or GRE are both acceptable. Tests must have been taken within the last five years. Competitive applicants typically score in the top 10%. Students with lower test scores may occasionally be admitted, but only if they are outstanding on other admissions criteria such as research experience or a strong background in a relevant academic discipline.
International students must also submit an English proficiency test. Check the UF Admissions website for a list of acceptable test, minimum scores, and exemption criteria. TOEFL tests must have been taken within the last two years.
Letters of recommendation
The applicant must submit letters of recommendation from three faculty members or others familiar with the academic potential of the applicant. Letters should speak primarily to the academic prowess of the applicant.
Application process
To apply to the Ph.D. program, applicants must submit their materials to the UF Office of Admissions (Step 1 below). In some cases (see below), additional materials will need to be sent directly to the Department of Marketing (Step 2 below). Every submitted application is given full consideration by the admission committee, which consists of Marketing faculty members in the student’s chosen area of focus.
Foreign transcripts are evaluated by the UF Office of Admissions, which will also handle any technical questions related to your application.
Note: We understand that in certain countries, obtaining an official transcript may be costly or slow. In such cases, an applicant may submit an unofficial transcript in the first instance, for initial review by the department. If the applicant is shortlisted by the department for further consideration, the applicant will need to submit the official transcript at that time. Final admission decisions cannot be made before all the official documents, including transcripts and test scores, have reached the university.
Applying to the Ph.D. in Marketing
Follow the steps below to apply to our program and read answers to our frequently asked admissions questions.
You will need to provide:
- An Application for Admission, including personal information, residency classification, statement of conduct, and self-reported GPA.
- An application fee. The Marketing Department is unable to waive the application fee.
- Official GRE or GMAT scores. You should arrange to have ETS submit your test scores for either the GRE (institution code 5812) or GMAT (institution code J7Z5J59) to UF admissions.
- Official English Proficiency test score. If you are an international student who has not met the University’s exemption criteria, you must have an official English Proficiency test score transmitted to the University directly by the testing agency. Accepted tests include TOEFL (institution code 5812) and IELTS. Please address any technical questions directly to UF Admissions.
- Official transcripts. You should arrange to have official transcripts sent from each post-secondary institution you attended. International students must submit these documents in the original language, accompanied by an English translation and degree statement, if applicable (including course titles and any interpretative materials such as GPA translation tables). Electronic transmittal of transcripts and test scores is preferred. In case a hard copy must be mailed in, the address for UF Admissions is:
UF Office of Admissions
PO Box 114000 (201 Criser Hall)
Gainesville, FL 32611-4000 - Curriculum vita (or resume) containing information about your academic and research experience, relevant classes taken, honors and awards, and anything else that demonstrates your preparation for a research program. Pursuant to Florida Statute, your application requires inclusion of all post-high school education and employment, as well as information about ongoing international affiliations and research funding. Please ensure this information is also included on your curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.
- Statement of purpose. The goal of this document is to inform us (1) why you want a Ph.D. in marketing, (2) why you want to study at our marketing department, and (3) what qualities make you especially well-suited for our program. Make sure to clearly indicate if you are interested in the behavioral or the quantitative track. You should convey what skills you possess that will enable you to become a productive researcher in your chosen area. This may include prior research experience, relevant academic background, useful skills, and the like. Your statement of purpose must not exceed 500 words.
- Any other documents that would allow us to judge your prior research experience. This may include any research papers listed on your CV or resume. Depending on the number of supporting items you wish to upload, you may need to combine several of them into a single PDF file.
In some cases, applicants wish to include additional materials in their application, beyond the online system’s capacity or after the application deadline (e.g., a new research manuscript, CV updates, a recommendation letter, etc.). Such materials can be emailed directly to the Department of Marketing’s Ph.D. program or the Ph.D. Coordinator.
We will evaluate the pool of applicants starting in early January. Given the large number of applications, we ask that you do not contact us about your status – we will let you know as soon as we have made a decision. If you are selected as a potential candidate of interest, we will contact you to schedule an interview during February or March, to further assess your potential fit with the department. We typically ask admitted students to inform us of their decision by April 15.
Do I need to provide financial information?
Financial documents are not required for application.
Do you admit students in the spring?
No, we only admit students in the fall of each year.
What do you look for in an applicant?
We look for applicants who are smart, well-prepared, research-focused, hard-working, and motivated to contribute important insights to the field of marketing. Your academic history, test scores, transcripts, recommendation letters, and statement of purpose help us to judge your fit with our program.
When will I hear whether I have been shortlisted or accepted?
We typically reach out to shortlisted applicants during February and March, to conduct interviews. Admission decisions are typically made in March. There is no need to contact us about your status – we will let you know as soon as we have an update for you.
Key program milestones
The ultimate goal of any Ph.D. program is to produce skilled researchers who can make a valuable contribution to the discipline. To teach students these skills, we involve them in research from the earliest stages of the program, and require that they complete a series of research milestones that each develop a different skill. Much of the student’s coursework will also allow for the hands-on development of conceptual and methodological research skills.
Research skill development projects:
- First year field examination
- First and second year research papers
- Written qualifier paper
- Dissertation
First year field examination
A comprehensive examination must be passed at the end of the student’s first year in the program. The field exam measures the student’s comprehension of their chosen field’s methodology, theoretical construction, and empirical evidence, and the student’s preparedness to embark on a research program that will eventually lead to a successful dissertation.
First and second year research papers
Students are encouraged to engage in research projects as soon as they are capable of doing so. The nature of the research, in terms of both problem definition and methodological approach, is to be determined by the student in consultation with appropriate faculty.
At the end of their first and second summers in the program, students are required to submit a research manuscript reporting the outcomes of their research projects during the year (typically structured and formatted as a submission for possible publication to one of the field’s top journals). The intention of this requirement is to help the student build a research portfolio. In addition to submitting the written report, students are required to present their research at the department’s research workshop at least once a year.
Written qualifier paper
A qualifying examination must be passed before a student is admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree, typically during the student’s third or fourth year in the program. Consistent with University of Florida Graduate School requirements, the marketing qualifying examination consists of both written and oral components.
Dissertation
The doctoral dissertation is designed to demonstrate that the candidate is capable of conducting significant independent scholarly research. The dissertation is expected to be of such scope, magnitude, and originality as to indicate that the student has acquired a command of the marketing area being investigated and that s/he has the ability to contribute new knowledge or outlook to the field.
The dissertation represents the most important research endeavor of the student’s doctoral program. The dissertation project is expected to be of substantial magnitude; the final paper should be of sufficient originality and quality to merit publication, either in whole or in parts as professional journal articles. The dissertation thus serves as the primary “positioning” of the student in the marketing discipline; i.e., the dissertation allows others in the field to anticipate the content and quality of the student’s research during the early portion of his or her career.
Financial information
Students in our Ph.D. program routinely receive five years of financial assistance in the form of a graduate assistantship, conditional on maintaining a good standing in the program. Students are automatically considered for financial support as a part of their application to the Ph.D. program. There is no need to submit a separate application for graduate assistantship.
Graduate Assistantships provide financial support while students work on a part-time basis under the supervision of one or more faculty members in duties related to research, instruction, or professional service. Our Ph.D. support budgets are generous ($43,000 in 2025) and competitive with those of the other top doctoral programs in marketing. Students also receive a tuition waiver and an individual annual research support budget in the amount of $6,000.
The retention of assistantships, research support, and other forms of financial support is contingent on satisfactory academic progress as well as satisfactory performance of assigned tasks. Students holding at least quarter-time graduate assistantships or fellowships paying at least $3,150 per semester are eligible for a tuition waivers up to the minimum credits required for full-time enrollment.
Tuition waivers for each semester will be granted to qualifying assistants and fellows, provided they maintain a 3.0 GPA and are employed on or before the first day of classes through the end of final exams. Tuition waivers do not cover fees associated with registration (approximately $500 per semester).
Students may, at their discretion, apply for other fellowships, grants, loans, or any other form of financial support for which they are eligible. Visit the Student Financial Affairs website for applications and information concerning educational loans.
International students must have a F-1 or J-1 visa to receive an assistantship.
Health Insurance
Ph.D. students may enroll in GatorGradCare health insurance.
Courses and curriculum
Students typically select one of two areas of study. Students concentrating on consumer behavior will take seminars that provide a strong foundation in cognitive and social psychology, consumer behavior, and judgment and decision-making, plus methods courses that develop experimental design and analysis skills.
Students concentrating on quantitative modeling will take seminars that provide a background in economics, marketing science, and machine learning, and methods courses that develop skills in formulating analytical models or estimating statistical models.
Fall 1st Year
- STA 6166 Statistical Methods in Research I
- MAR 7636 Research Methods in Marketing
- MAR 7507 Perspectives in Consumer Behavior
Spring 1st Year
- STA 6167 Statistical Methods in Research II
- MAR 7788 Consumer Information Processing
- MAR7629 Experimental Design and Analysis
Summer 1st Year
- EDF 6436 Theory of Measurement
Fall 2nd Year
- MAR 7626 Multivariate Statistics in Marketing
- MAR 7666 Marketing Decision Models
- EDF 7412 Structural Equation Models or EDF 7932 Multivariate Analysis
Spring 2nd Year
- MAR 7589 Judgment and Decision Making
- MAR 7786 Marketing Literature (Strategy)
Fall 3rd Year
- EDF 7432 Advanced Psychometrics
- STA 4930 Multivariate Stat. Methods
Fall 1st Year
- MAR 7666 Marketing Decision Models
- AEB 6106 Microeconomic Principles or ECO 6805 Math Methods
- ECO 5415 Math Statistics or STA 4221 Math Statistics I
Spring 1st Year
- ECO 5424 Econometrics I*
- ECO 6406 Math Techniques II
Fall 2nd Year
- ECO 6426 Econometrics II*
- AEB 6571 Econometric Methods 1*
- STA 4212 Categorical Data Analysis or STA 6505 Categorical Data Analysis or EDF 7932 Multivariate Data Analysis
Spring 2nd Year
- ECO 6119 Information, Incentives,…
- MAR 7786 Marketing Literature (Strategy)
Fall 3rd Year
- MAR 7506 Perspectives in Consumer Behavior
*empirical
Review the Graduate Student Handbook for details on the requirements of the program.
Ph.D. students and alumni
Meet our current students, students who are available for hire and graduates of our program.
5th year
Guangzhi Chen
Email
Research areas: Data-driven Technology, Social Media Marketing, Online Marketplace, Consumer Privacy, Applied Game Theory, ML in Marketing
Yvonne Huang
Email
Research areas: Judgment and Decision Making
4th year
Sujin Park
Email
Research areas: Goals and Motivation, Consumer Decision Making, Consumer Well-being
3rd year
Hye Rin Kim
Email
Research areas: Online Consumer Behavior, E-Commerce, Promotion, Customer Retention,Keyword search
Tongmao Li
Email
Research areas: Prosocial Behavior, Consumer Privacy, Judgment and Decision Making
Yuhao Lu
Email
Research areas: Health Marketing, Digital Marketing, Ambivalence and Decision Making
Zhiyu Zhang
Email
Research areas: Data Driven Decision Making, ML in Marketing, E-Commerce, Financial Market
2nd year
Weiran Lin
Email
Research areas: Data-Driven Decision Making, E-Commerce, Casual inference, Machine learning in marketing
Su Hyun Lee
Email
Research areas: Persuasion, Social Influence, Prosocial Consumption, Judgment and Decision Makin
Joann Liu
Email
Research areas: ML in Marketing, AI-Generated Content, Social Media, Technology Adoption
1st year
Brian Gurges
Email
Yiheng An
Email
Jungjae Im
Email
Please check back for a list of our students on the job market.
| Graduation | Student | Placement |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Soo Yon Ryu | Washington and Lee University |
| 2023 | Xiang Wang | Lingnan University |
| 2023 | Felipe Affonso | Oklahoma State University |
| 2022 | Minzhe Xu | Iowa State University |
| 2021 | Eunyoung Camilla Song | City University of Hong Kong |
| 2021 | Man Xie | Arizona State University |
| 2021 | Sang Kyu Park | Hong Kong University of Science & Technology |
| 2021 | Xianglan Lana Nan | NEOMA Business School (France) |
| 2019 | Xiang Charis Li | Xiamen University |
| 2018 | Sungsik Park | University of South Carolina |
| 2018 | Jane Jeongin Park | City University of Hong Kong |
| 2017 | Ji Hwan Moon | UNSW Business School – Sydney |
| 2017 | Yanmei Zheng | University of Hawaii |
| 2016 | Cammy Crolic | University of Oxford, Saïd Business School |
| 2016 | Gia Nardini | University of Denver |
| 2016 | Huazhong Zhao | City University of Hong Kong |
| 2015 | Haibing Gao | Renmin University of China |
| 2014 | Chenxi Zhou | Xiamen University |
| 2012 | Josh Clarkson | University of Cincinnati |
| 2012 | Mary Steffel | University of Cincinnati |
| 2011 | Jeremy Lim | Walsh College |
| 2011 | Melissa Minor | University of Mississippi |
| 2010 | Xiaoqing Jing | Georgia Tech |
| 2010 | Dan King | National University of Singapore |
| 2009 | Andrew Kuo | Wheaton College |
| 2009 | Jesse Itzkowitz | Yeshiva University |
| 2009 | Julia Belyavsky Bayuk | University of Delaware |
| 2008 | Juliano Laran | University of Miami |
| 2008 | Dan Rice | LSU |
| 2008 | Jack Xu | Depaul University |
| 2007 | Baler Bilgin | University of California – Riverside |
| 2006 | Elise Chandon | Virginia Tech |
| 2006 | JoAndrea Hoegg | University of British Columbia |
| 2006 | Qiong Wang | Pennsylvania State University |
| 2005 | Wouter Vanhouche | University of Central Florida |
| 2005 | Qi Wang | SUNY – Binghamton |
| 2004 | Eduardo Andrade | University of California – Berkeley |
| 2004 | Tim Silk | University of South Carolina |
| 2004 | Yubo Chen | University of Arizona |
| 2003 | Marcus Cunha, Jr | University of Washington |
| 2003 | Els de Wilde | HEC Montreal |
| 2002 | Amitav Chakravarti | New York University |
| 2002 | Hayden Noel | Baruch University |
| 2001 | Tom Meyvis | New York University |
| 2001 | Velitchka Kaltcheva | University of Miami |
| 2000 | Lisa Bolton | University of Pennsylvania – Wharton School |
| 2000 | Americus Reed II | University of Pennsylvania – Wharton School |
| 1999 | Michael Guiry | SUNY at New Paltz |
| 1999 | Kevin Bradford | Notre Dame |
| 1998 | Stijn van Osselaer | University of Chicago |
| 1998 | Stacy Wood | University of South Carolina |
| 1998 | Norma Mendoza | University of Arkansas |
| 1998 | John Pracejus | University of Alberta |
| 1998 | Anne Stringfellow | Thunderbird |
| 1998 | Andre Menck | University of Sao Palo (Brazil) |
| 1997 | Frances Hollman | Pennsylvania State University |
| 1997 | Rita McMillan | Texas A&M University |
| 1997 | Hyongjae Rhee | Seoul National University (Korea) |
| 1996 | Sonja Radas | Washington University |
| 1996 | Prasad Naik | University of California – Davis |
Contact us
Department of Marketing
Warrington College of Business
University of Florida
Phone: 352-392-0161
Fax: 352-846-0457
Questions?
Dr. Aner Sela
Professor of Marketing
Ph.D. Coordinator
Email Aner