levo990 Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Hi guys... I am interested in applying for business phd in marketing (CB) in future and just hoped to see if I can get some advice on choosing a masters program to apply for. I have relevant research experience in CB but to boost my profile (low undergraduate gpa), I'm considering doing masters first. I'm looking at LSE's MSc programs and am wondering which MSc program will be most beneficial... It seems MSc in Social Research Methods, MSc in Social and Cultural Psychology, MSc in Organizational and Social Psychology (and mayyyyyybe Msc in Health, Community, and Development) are potential matches.... And I'm leaning towards Social Research Methods because 1) I really feel like I've had good exposure to social and cultural psychology already and 2) I haven't learned these data analysis techniques, etc. that I'll learn through the Social Research Methods program. Alternatively, I'm also considering Organizational and Social Psychology since I don't know anything about org psych and think it'll be interesting... I think I'm pretty sure that I want to do Consumer Behavior rather than Organizational Behavior though, so I'm not sure if doing this program will be helpful. Curriculum wise, w/ Social Research Methods, students take 3 courses on research methods (quantitative analysis, qualitative research methods, fundamentals of social science research design) plus one elective (in psychology, etc) + dissertation, and w/ the other psychology MSc, students take two psychology classes plus one research methods class + dissertation... Would really appreciate your advice.... thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejoymovement Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Hey, I'm not sure if this helps, but I think if you really want to do a PHD in CB, you might be better off doing RA for 1- 2 years in a school that is known for their CB research. This way you can get excellent LORs and even some publications, and these will help alot (plus you get positive instead of negative income during this period of time). Perhaps you can study really hard to get a good GMAT score too, and i think a high GMAT score will greatly offset the damage done by your undergrad grades. hope this helps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eventualprof Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 ^ Good suggestions, Yoda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XanthusARES Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I've taken some time to think about this. Honestly I don't think that any of the programs would be a bad fit for a future PhD in Marketing. On the surface I would say Social and Cultural psych might look a little better, but a big part of it is what you are looking to research during the PhD. CB runs the gamut of psych disciplines, so any of these programs will prepare you pretty well for most programs (some programs really prefer a psych background in fact CU-Boulder and VT come to the top of my mind). The biggest challenge for you will be to get some research out. You say you already have relevant experience, which is great. Continue down that path. Try to get something published. The issue I have with European master's programs, although they are extremely research intensive, is that they are only 1 year programs. So if we assume you start in September of this year, your applications will be due by December. That only gives you 3 months to complete your applications. Not to mention that it also means you won't have any grades from the school by the time you submit. That's something to think about if you are hoping to alleviate some concern about your undergrad GPA. All the PhD programs will have to work off of will be your undergraduate grades because you won't have any grad grades in yet. Assuming you've thought about all these variables and are still going to go for one of the programs as LSE, then my best advice would be to go for whichever program you think will fit you best. They all seem reasonable, and will all be a boost in your application. Plus London is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
levo990 Posted March 26, 2014 Author Share Posted March 26, 2014 (edited) Guys, thank you so much. Really appreciate it. Thought about LSE more, think I'll go with Social Research Methods if I attend (Btw I plan on applying for PhD after completing masters if I do masters). But as thejoymovement has mentioned.... if I can do RA at a great place, that'll be ideal particularly considering $ situation. However, realistically speaking, I was a little concerned about how likely it is that I can secure an RA-ship at a good place since I'm an international student. For example, I applied to a research associate position at a well-known school, and while the recruiting manager wanted to continue the conversation, I also learned that they don't sponsor work visas. I'm going to look into this further, but if anyone has any insight into RA-ship/work visa issues, it'd be great to hear from you (have you ever seen this happening, for example?) p s also.. I took the GRE already and scored 91% verbal 96% quant. I think I can do better next time, and am not worried about the test part. I have B+ undergrad GPA though (from a good school, but frankly, I don't know if this matters). After looking at successful applicants profiles, am feeling more insecure about my GPA. Do you guys still think that I'll have a shot (assuming I get great RA-ship experience) w/o pursuing masters (so I can show them I can get good grades)? Edited March 26, 2014 by levo990 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.