Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (Marketing)

Over the past two decades, the 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.
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). 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 minimum acceptable GPA for graduate students is 3.0. Most applicants 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 (e.g., cognitive/social psychology and research methods for behavioral research, economics or statistics for quantitative/analytical research).

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.
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. Competitive applicants typically have scores of 670+ on the GMAT, 1350+ on the old GRE, or 320+ on the new GRE. Students with lower test scores may occasionally be admitted, but only if they are outstanding on other admissions criteria. GRE or GMAT tests must have been taken within the last five 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.

For applicants from countries where English is not the ofcial language, a minimum score on one of these English Language Skills tests, IELTS - 6.0,TOEFL IBT- 80, PBT- 550.