Requirements

In addition to the courses in marketing, students are expected to choose a sequence of courses that enables them to master the fundamental principles of economics and the quantitative tools required for basic and applied research. A series of core courses provides these fundamentals.

Students are urged to take these core courses unless they have mastered some portion of this material before coming to the Tepper School of Business. In addition to the core courses, many students benefit from taking courses to strengthen their knowledge of probability, statistics, mathematics, psychology, and decision science.

Students should consult with their advisor about whether to take these or other courses as part of their program of study.

Students also must fulfill the minor area requirements. Because the doctoral program emphasizes mastery of fundamental principles and quantitative tools necessary for continuing professional growth, a requirement in a minor area is included to prevent narrow specialization.

Competence in the minor area is demonstrated by completing at least 18 units on course work with a grade of B+ or better.

The minor area may include courses in a functional area different from the one in which the student is admitted, or courses offered by departments outside of the Tepper School of Business (either at Carnegie Mellon or other local universities) that have been approved by the faculty in the student's area of specialization. The minor area requirement must be fulfilled by the end of the student's third semester of study.

Qualifying exams test the student's competence in their chosen field of study. These exams are taken at the end of the third semester. Marketing students must pass the qualifying exams in Marketing, and a subset of the Economics qualifying exams focusing on either micro-economics and information economics theory, or micro-economics and econometrics. The Marketing qualifying exams are in the respective students' area of specialization (a breadth exam in marketing, and a depth exam in one area of marketing, chosen by the student).   Students with appropriate preparation prior to their entry to the program may take the qualifying exams prior to the 3rd semester point if they choose, but they must take the entire set of qualifiers as outlined above. For further information, visit the Qualifying Examinations page.