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Are admission requirements for PhD programs similar to MBA?

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Are admission requirements for PhD programs similar to MBA?

by reed1rw » Tue Jul 15, 2008 5:12 pm
I am currently preparing for the GMAT and find this website to be extremely helpful. My situation appears to be quite different from most of those posting threads but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.

I have already completed an MBA and intend to start a PhD program in Management next fall. The problem, though, is that I haven't found much information regarding admissions requirements and how they relate to MBA programs. The GMAT is still very important, but I do not know if the score needs to within the same ranges listed for MBA programs, or if it must be even higher.

If you know of any good websites covering PhD admissions, or if you have any information at all that might help me, it would be greatly appreciated. Information regarding school rankings would also be great because I've been told a good MBA program does not guarantee a quality PhD program, too.

Thank you in advance.

Reed
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by Lisa Anderson » Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:22 am
Dear Reed,

The ranking of a school's MBA program has no real correlation to the quality of its PhD program. There are definitely some schools that have both strong PhD and MBA programs, but I would not use the MBA reputation as an indication of the PhD. With regards to the GMAT score, it is hard to say as PhD programs do not always release the same statistics. Generally speaking, PhD admissions tend to weight transcripts and standardized test scores heavier than work experience but also scrutinize why you want to study your discipline and what your research interests are. Most faculty (not all, but most) tend to want PhD students with interests similar to their's, so if you know there are senior faculty at the school with similar interests to yours then you will be more attractive to that program.

US News & World Report does a PhD ranking each year and you might find it useful for information. The best way to tell the strength of a PhD program is look at where the recent PhD graduates placed--are they offered jobs at top tier undergraduate universities? second tier? If you do not want to teach/research at a university, then this might not be as important to you. If you want to work post-PhD, then you can evaluate industry placements to see if the school has ties to the industry you want to be in upon graduation.

That's about all I know on the PhD front. Best of luck to you!
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