MBA or PhD in Business

Hi Praveen,

About the stipend thing...if you surf the web sites , you will find that they range from $12000 to $27000( that's the max I could find). This apart from tuition waver. Basic sustenance id possible!

Normally in the US , Ph.D. is only for Research and Teaching!

Welcome to GMAT Club. its nice to see a good discussion in the phd forum.

Most profs do consulting, author books and have an important thing called job security when they get a tenured position. You can take sabbaticals , teach at other universities etc. Most guys like the life because you can do things at your own pace ( most of the times) , unlike a regular full time job, which can often get tougher and tougher as you move up the management chain. Sure, Most might like that 150K+ salary or would love to be a partner in Mckinsey any given day.

The absolute best thing you can do is find a prof. who is working in your area of interest. Then have a discussion with him .... he might be working on a project or he might be interested in your idea.

I wouldnt go in for a Ph.D if i had too much of a financial concern. the process of getting a Ph.D might be so difficult that the last thing we want on our minds are financial problems.

Hi Praveen

Praet has set the ball rolling. Thanks Praet.

Yes, contact profs and search university websites. Not only in US but also in Europe. Innovation research and allied areas of dynamics of strategy related research is at its peak at the following institutes, although it is Prof dependent and you will have a lot of choice once you start surfing and contacting profs

1. MIT - Sloan school
2. London Business School
3. University of Eindhoven, Netherlands

The area of operations that is coming close to what you are talking about is the area called "System Dynamics". Search MIT Sloan website and System Dynamics department there for more. Related reasearch is also in the area of entrepreneurship, going on at London Business School, Insead, MIT and Cornell. These are only some names that come top of the mind.

For living during the Phd :
Well, first, it is a long term commitment. Four-Five years.
Second, a PhD in Biz is ALWAYS funded. Mostly the stipends are generous.
Third, The tution fees is ALWAYS waived - at least at tier I institutes.

See more in previous posts by Praet and myself. Also see the page link that I have provided in another post of Dr. Pranab Majumder (who is a Asst Prof at Duke) for more info. Pranab's page details Simon School, Rochester but advice is applicable for any school.

Write back !

Thanks Praet, Anupag for providing very useful information!

Your posts are useful, informative and relevant. Thumbs up for you!

Continuing the discussion, i have few more Qs

When is the ideal time to start communicating with the Profs
or does it matter?

Apart from providing information, can the Profs influence anything
else for the application?

What are the typical factors(apart from GMAT, GPA) adcoms look for
in a PhD candidate, we all know that for MBA its leadership, management
expereince, leadership outside work etc

Does it make sense to prepare for a MBA application as a backup, in case
we dont get a call from the place we want for the PhD addmissions?
Can a MBA be logically continued for a PhD, the way it happens for
MS and PhD in engineering disciplines?


Praveen

It doesnt matter. the ideal time depends on you. I would suggest taking all the time you can because it will help you to talk to professors at many other universities. four years is a long time to spend with your advisor. you better get to know him/her well. you can find info. about a prof. indirectly be contacting students from universities. Most of the students will be helpful and will give you the inside story.



The idea is that your application packet should speak for itself. They cant influence decisions based on what they know about you. Decisions are usually made a committee.

Talk about influencing decision, Letters of Recommendations can do a great difference. if your prof is well-known, its a good thing to have a recommendation from him.



Strong Math Background, Great Undergraduate and Graduate GPA, atleast 90 percentile on the quant and a similar percentile on your verbal, Relevance of your Undergrad and grad major to your Ph.D program, Fit of your Research Interests with the schools overall research emphasis.

If the undergrad major or grad major is closely related to the field you want to do your PhD in, its a plus.



Good question. maybe anupag can answer it better. all i can say is..MS and MBA are vastly different programmes. in your MS, you might take some research oriented coursework or do a masters thesis. that is why MS-PHD is very common model. MS is great preparation for a Ph.D. MBA courses are hardly research based. Plus, MS can get you some research experience, MBA cannot.

If you do a Ph.D in business without an MBA , the only difference is you might have to take some extra courses. at Bauer, i think its 5 extra courses. I like that actually. you are going to teach B- School students someday. you better know what you are talking about.

sorry i was not able to help here

Finally, your greatest asset is your industry experience. as a prof, you will have more to say to your students about real world experiences, team work , leadership than i would. you will be able to choose an area for your dissertation based on the problems you observed in your industry. my masters thesis was based on a supply chain problem in my industy. finally, most profs. consult for many industries. Success in consulting wont be as difficult for you as it would be for someone like me, who has only 15 months work experience.

hope this helps

I think that what is crucial in deciding whether to commence in studying a PHD or an MBA are the objectives you hope to achieve.

Research the area you wish to specialise in, as previously suggested it is always good to contact the relevant schools/professors regarding the subject area.

I can't give advice on a PHD, but having done extensive research on the Benefits of taking an MBA, i believe that in terms of career progression an MBA can make an individual stand out to prospective employers. Attending a top business school such as Havard, London Business School or Stanford, will certainly increase the chances of climbing the career ladder.