Marketing MBA/MS from a Psychology background?

[ChristianMB]

Hi everyone, I am stuck in a rather confusing place and I was hoping for some help.

I just graduated with a BS in psychology. I had planned to get my PhD in cognitive psych but I started to despise basic research. I now crave a more applied/practical line of research.

I am really interested in advertising and consumer psychology. I would love to run experiments to test the effectiveness of marketing campaigns or to explore consumer decision making and behavior...etc. But it seems that, in regards to grad programs in the U.S., this line of work falls more under marketing than psychology.

So my main questions are:

1. Is it even feasible/realistic to pursue an MBA/MS in marketing with my background? For what its worth I minored in computational sciences (so ya, just about nothing) and had a 3.97 GPA and a strong research/stats background that includes participation in 2 research experience for undergraduates (REU) programs and a 2yr research assistant position. But I didn't take a single business class...

2. If #1 is at all feasible/realistic, does anyone know of any U.S. MA/MS/MBA or even PhD programs that would fit best with my background? That is, ones that focus on consumer/marketing behavior or offer concentrations heavier on psych? The Stanford Graduate School of Business's "Behavioral Marketing" PhD concentration (http://www.gsb.stanf...ting/index.html) sounds absolutely incredible but I think that there is still an econ prereq despite the heavy psych focus... plus I wont pretend that I could get accepted regardless.

Any advice or suggestions that anyone could give would be IMMENSELY appreciated. Thank you so much!!

[ILuvPsych2013]

Hi there! I notice that your post is a couple of months old but I wanted to comment since no one else has. . I am a senior psychology major and I am going to be applying to a number of Industrial-Organizational Psychology PhD programs (check out I-O too if you are interested in mixing psych with business) and I am also applying to a couple of consumer behavior programs. These are mostly housed in marketing departments; for example, one program at the University of Texas at Austin offers a PhD in marketing with a specialization in consumer behavior. UTA has many faculty members that received undergraduate (and some graduate) training in psychology who are now doing research in consumer behavior. Northwestern University also offers a PhD in marketing with an emphasis on consumer behavior. Purdue has a specific M.S. and PhD in consumer behavior, though it is more interdisciplinary (sociology, econ, etc.). I hope this helps!

[Behavioral]

To be more explicit, just about every PhD program in marketing has a CB track--some are more theoretical than others (Kellogg, Wharton, Stanford, etc.) and others more practical (those who look at CB through a strategy lens).

[Helpplease123]

Can't give too much advice on your profile and potential schools but I applied on a whim to a top 30 ranked MBA program last year and was accepted (with my psychology BS) so don't think that will let you know down - most class profiles will tell you undergrad degree of the current years and they are usually pretty varied!

Edit: Sorry I just read you're only graduating now...I would definitely recommend getting some work experience first...

Edited January 27, 2012 by Helpplease123

[Madison Miller]

I think that you should get some work experience before you start as well. However, I don't see any reason why a psychology background would limit you in marketing. Most MBA programs require 2 years of work experience before you apply.

[Vanessa H]

I received an MBA from a T15 school with an undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology. I had about 4 years of work experience prior to applying. MBA programs are trying to move away from the typical finance / economics MBA candidate. I highly doubt you will have a problem getting into a good MBA program.