MBA to PhD

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Hello,

Has anyone ever heard of the case where people get an MBA then jump into a PhD?

Thanks!

[desimba]

I know I am planning on being one of those. I would say that a decent fraction of folks at a PhD program have an MBA on their resume. However the percentage varies quite a bit based on the discipline. In disciplines such as Strategy, the fraction could be quite high. In some others like Economics or Quantitative Methods, the fraction tends to be quite low. The candidates there have a background in that particular discipline and usually a graduate degree in that field. The best way to find out more is to actually go to the school websites & look at the section which has profiles of admitted candidates.

[chartreuse]

I know some schools actively try to recruit MBAs into their Business PhD programs in their second year. Obviously, from an economic perspective, these MBA students already spent loads of money on b-chool, so providing them with stipends over the 4-5 years still breaks even.

Having said this, I know one person who jumped into a NYU PhD Finance program in his second year of an MBA at Stern. Is this an easier entrance into a PhD (for those who are coming from the private sector) than applying directly?

Thanks for sharing your perspectives!