Kellogg Doctoral Program

• PhD Overview
• Programs
• Admissions
• Research
• Student Life
• Community Resources and Housing

Students enjoy the Evanston lakefront

Students at the annual PhD barbeque participate in a game of volleyball

On average Kellogg doctoral students complete their PhD degrees in five years of study. During that time, they become integrated into the fabric of the Kellogg and Northwestern communities, and the Evanston and Chicago communities as a whole.

It is the academic community that provides the foundation for their chosen vocation as a scholar. Within this community of scholars, doctoral students forge research partnerships with their fellow students and faculty that will last throughout their careers. Students are housed within the academic departments, so that they regularly interact with colleagues within their program, but they are also close to those in related fields within Kellogg or outside, such as the Departments of Economics, Sociology, Psychology, and Political Science through the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences or the Engineering Departments at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.  Weekly seminars and “brown bag” lunch seminars provide other opportunities to exchange ideas and socialize.

There is another community, a community of friends, spouses, partners, and children. It is within this supportive environment that doctoral students find solace and form friendships. Each fall we welcome our new doctoral students with several orientation programs so they can become familiar with life at Kellogg and Northwestern and the various resources available to them and their families. Kellogg’s Dean concludes orientation week with a luncheon for all new and continuing doctoral students to celebrate the start of the new academic year. To encourage interaction among our doctoral students across programs, Kellogg’s PhD Program Office hosts quarterly PhD pizza parties where students feast on pizza and desserts and catch up with friends. Around the holidays, Kellogg’s Dean hosts a Thanksgiving Day dinner for all faculty, students (MBA and PhD), staff, and their families, and a holiday party in December. June is a busy month with graduation ceremonies, receptions, and year-end barbecues for the Kellogg community and their families.

At Northwestern, there are student organizations, clubs, and support services for international students, student parents, women, and students with disabilities. The Multicultural Affairs Office promotes diversity in Northwestern's student population and provides support services and networking opportunities.

There is also a support network of Kellogg professors and Kellogg alumni located at academic institutions throughout the world that helps launch our doctoral students on the job market. During their years at Kellogg, our doctoral students have transitioned from students to colleagues due to the professional development and mentoring they received from our faculty – they emerge as researchers and teachers in their own right. When our students enter the job market, they have a solid research portfolio; research papers that have been rigorously tested through seminar presentations, conferences, and discussions with faculty. The years spent at Kellogg have set the research agenda for our doctoral graduates for the coming years. As professors our doctoral graduates will contribute their hard work and research capital to the research institution that hires them and the academic community as a whole.

At the Kellogg School of Management and Northwestern University there are many support groups, academic alliances, family resources, services, and social events available to our doctoral students; all they need to do is jump in!