phdmanagement Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Hello, I was just wondering what my chances would be for a PhD in Management. I would like to specialize in Organizational Behavior. Stats: GPA: 3.2 GMAT: 720 I majored in History and minored in Economics at a non-elite state flagship university. I'm a recent graduate with no formal work experience. Just some standardized test tutoring and health care volunteering. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm_associate Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Can't discount anything completely, but I would venture to say that acceptance into a T30 or perhaps even T50 would have a less than ideal probability. If you are truely set on this career path, would you consider spending the next two years in a research oriented master's program in related field and get involved with research? This may help bolster your application package. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phdmanagement Posted August 16, 2014 Author Share Posted August 16, 2014 Thank you very much for your quick response. Yes, I would consider getting a master's degree if that is what I needed to do to get into a credible program. What would you recommend getting one in? I haven't really seen a trend in what master programs are popular with the PhD students I've looked up. I've seen everything from sociology to economics to engineering to many having their MBA. Also, do you think I need to attend a T30 or T50 to have a good chance at getting a job in academia or could I possibly get into a lower ranked school now without a master's and still be fine career wise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb29 Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 You may also consider working as a full time RA to some research active professor. That will go a long way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm_associate Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Thank you very much for your quick response. Yes, I would consider getting a master's degree if that is what I needed to do to get into a credible program. What would you recommend getting one in? I haven't really seen a trend in what master programs are popular with the PhD students I've looked up. I've seen everything from sociology to economics to engineering to many having their MBA. Also, do you think I need to attend a T30 or T50 to have a good chance at getting a job in academia or could I possibly get into a lower ranked school now without a master's and still be fine career wise? Well, this is highly subjective, but what do you believe is "fine career wise"? If you just want to get a job in academia? Well, it all depends on how well you do in your program. If your decision is to simply get into academics and teach, why go for a phd? a master's degree will qualify you to teach at collegiate level. Simply said... It may easier to start at a higher ranking institution to get a job at any level. You should ask yourself why did you decide that an academic career is for you. Unless you are serious about getting involved in research, a phd will be difficult to get through if that is not your interest. The reason you may want to consider a master's degree first is to have a degree with a high GPA (assumption), show that you have a business-ish academic background/training, gain some stats coursework to display on your application, and perhaps gain some research experience to show that you are serious about a doctoral program. Hope that helps in your considerations/deliberations on pursuing a doctorate. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phdmanagement Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Well, this is highly subjective, but what do you believe is "fine career wise"? If you just want to get a job in academia? Well, it all depends on how well you do in your program. If your decision is to simply get into academics and teach, why go for a phd? a master's degree will qualify you to teach at collegiate level. Simply said... It may easier to start at a higher ranking institution to get a job at any level. You should ask yourself why did you decide that an academic career is for you. Unless you are serious about getting involved in research, a phd will be difficult to get through if that is not your interest. The reason you may want to consider a master's degree first is to have a degree with a high GPA (assumption), show that you have a business-ish academic background/training, gain some stats coursework to display on your application, and perhaps gain some research experience to show that you are serious about a doctoral program. Hope that helps in your considerations/deliberations on pursuing a doctorate. Best of luck. Thank you very much for all of your information. It is extremely useful and definitely helps. What kind of master's degree would you recommend? Should I target a Master in Management or MBA or something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm_associate Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Thank you very much for all of your information. It is extremely useful and definitely helps. What kind of master's degree would you recommend? Should I target a Master in Management or MBA or something else? I suppose this is all based on your specific research interests... this is debatable, but I personally feel that an MBA would not be as cost effective as other potential degrees; usually they're more expensive since they're considered a 'professional' degree, and also the rigor in statistics training and type of coursework to prepare you for doctoral level work is not as rigorous as one may get, compared to other degrees. Depending on your where your areas of improvement may be (you have a good GMAT, but off the brief profile you posted, namely the history degree, I would wonder about your quant training). Your GMAT score is competitive, so it's not to say that you don't have the ability to learn what would be needed, but convincing adcoms that you are serious, have taken the adequate steps to prepare and that you have thought seriously about your steps, and that you know what you are getting yourself into (research experience may help). Don't get me wrong, students get into programs with out all the things I have highlight above, but in a perfect world (based on your background), my two cents is that these are things that would make you stand out. In terms of what type of degrees... any social science degree that may offer a stronger quant component. Particularly, since you are interested in org behavior, perhaps an IO psychology master's with a specialized quant concentration? There may be a few programs that offer a masters of science (opposed to 'arts') in some business field... if you have interest in HR, there are some HR master's out there that may be geared towards research... All things being said, perhaps contacting each prospective program and the faculty there to get an idea of what their graduate training consists of, and if you would have the opportunity to get more involved in helping with related research... I apologize that there's no black or white answer, but as you will find out on your journey that everyone has their own path to getting where they are. There is no single formula to ensure success, but only very divergent paths that people have taken to be successful. If you haven't already, there may be some useful information on the introduction post to the forum, found here: http://www.www.urch.com/forums/phd-business/152661-welcome-forum-please-start-here-important-past-threads.html I am sure there are many others who can chime in and offer their perspectives on this. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsaylors Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 What's the Q/V split on that 720? (percentile wise) What's are your career goals? Are you able to work with someone between here and there on some sort of research project, such that they can speak to your research abilities? Most importantly what in OB are you interested in? I would likely not waste time on the top 10 schools, but after that I would go with the other 70 and work through which faculty I have a research fit with and apply to 20 or so where I've got 3-5 people I can say "I can see myself working with X, Y, & Z". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phdmanagement Posted August 24, 2014 Author Share Posted August 24, 2014 Thank you for your responses. I really appreciate it. My breakdown for the GMAT was 80% Q and 92% V and my career goal is to become a tenure track assistant professor. I have been looking at the placements for programs that are outside of the UT-Dallas top 100 and would be fine getting a position at the placements that I've seen from these schools. Obviously I would like to go to a better ranked school that still would be a good fit for me, but I'm not super concerned with prestige as long as I can achieve my professional goals. I am currently trying to find research opportunities at the university that is close to me, but I have not had much response from the professors I have contacted. I have the most interest in researching social networks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsaylors Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Thank you for your responses. I really appreciate it. My breakdown for the GMAT was 80% Q and 92% V and my career goal is to become a tenure track assistant professor. I have been looking at the placements for programs that are outside of the UT-Dallas top 100 and would be fine getting a position at the placements that I've seen from these schools. Obviously I would like to go to a better ranked school that still would be a good fit for me, but I'm not super concerned with prestige as long as I can achieve my professional goals. I am currently trying to find research opportunities at the university that is close to me, but I have not had much response from the professors I have contacted. I have the most interest in researching social networks. Social networks is hot: Go ahead and apply widely but don't be suppressed if you end up at a reasonably well-placing school (like Ohio State). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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