The Kellogg School’s PhD Program is designed for candidates with outstanding intellectual abilities and a strong commitment to a career in research. On average 30 doctoral students join Kellogg each year. Successful completion of the doctoral program typically requires five years of full-time study and intense dedication and self-discipline.
An applicant’s interest and desire to pursue doctoral study at a business school should be evident in his or her statement of purpose. Doctoral study at the Kellogg School is highly individualized and reflects each student’s unique background, qualifications and research interests.
We provide some general information on our desired applicant pool below and
admissions statistics on our incoming class online.
Degree Requirements
At a minimum, applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution before entering Kellogg’s doctoral program in the coming fall. A master’s degree and work experience are not required for PhD admission; however, we also admit students with advanced degrees and professional experience. Members of the current class have earned degrees in economics, engineering, the humanities, mathematics, the natural sciences, operations research, engineering, psychology and sociology.
Desired Skills
Because the doctoral program focuses heavily on individual research, we seek candidates with strong verbal and quantitative skills. We examine the relevant coursework taken and its suitability for the intended program of study. Applicants to our quantitative programs in Accounting Information and Management, Finance, Managerial Economics and Strategy, Quantitative Marketing, and Operations Management would do well to have studied calculus, linear algebra, probability and mathematical statistics. For those applying to our behavioral programs in Management and Organizations and Behavioral Marketing, statistics for social scientists is recommended.
Standardized Tests
Performance on the
GRE and GMAT will also be evaluated. Kellogg students will need the necessary quantitative skills to manage their research data and strong verbal skills to communicate their research through writing and research presentations. More information on average test scores for our incoming class is found under
admissions statistics.
Please note that test scores represent just part of the application, and they are viewed within the context of the whole application. We do not have minimum scores required for admission consideration; the average scores of our incoming class are provided. Transcripts (relevant courses taken and performance), recommendation letters, the statement of purpose, and writing sample (optional) are also reviewed to determine the candidate’s qualifications and research fit.
For those whose native language is not English, test scores on the TOEFL or IELTS would also be required, unless you qualify for a waiver and satisfy our English proficiency requirement.
Research Fit
Research fit is very important. Applicants should identify Kellogg professors who are doing research that interests them. Doctoral students are essentially joining the research community at Kellogg; therefore, they will draw from our faculty’s immense research expertise to support their training and personal research agenda.
Applicants should refer to Kellogg’s Faculty Experts Guide when researching faculty research specialties. Another useful resource is Kellogg Insight, an online monthly research magazine. Kellogg professors bring their latest research published in peer-reviewed journals to the public in this format, and it’s a great way to find out what is currently being studied. Subscriptions are also available.
Mentoring and collaboration are trademarks of Kellogg’s PhD Program. Kellogg professors actively engage our doctoral students on research projects. Our students learn first-hand how to approach a question and utilize the technical skills acquired through their training and the vast research resources available at Kellogg to solve problems – laying the groundwork for published research.
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