I have a mba-marketing. Would I be able to get a doctorate or phd with that degree?

Question

I want to know will I be able to transfer over my master degree in Marketing and work toward a doctorate in psychology?

Answer 1

You can definitely get a Ph.D., but a research-based program will almost certainly not give you any credit for that MBA. Many of my colleagues in my Ph.D. program (at a business school) have MBAs, and it didn't count towards anything. It won't shorten your time-to-degree.

The reason why it won't count towards anything is that the MBA program teaches you completely different skills than anything in the Ph.D. program. MBA programs are geared towards practitioners, giving them a broad range of knowledge, while Ph.D.s tend to be very research intensive and focused.

Here is where having the MBA will help you: If you do a Ph.D. that will land you teaching in a business school, having an MBA can be a plus, because you will know how the MBA classes work and will be a better teacher. Also, some of the topics that you studied in your MBA program may give you research ideas.

Answer 2

There is no reason why you can't go on for a PhD. Most PhDs only require a BS or BA for entry. There are a few courses that overlap between marketing and psychology -- but the fact is that most MBA classes are very applied while most classes needed for a PhD are very theoretical.

Your MBA is not likely to help or hurt you in getting a PhD.