<p>Hi everyone, I am stuck in a rather confusing place and I was hoping for some help.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>So my main questions are:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>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...</p></li>
<li><p>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 (<a href="http://www.gsb.stanf...ting/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.gsb.stanf...ting/index.html</a>) 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.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Any advice or suggestions that anyone could give would be IMMENSELY appreciated. Thank you so much!!</p>
<p>Lol, you sound VERY much like me. I have a BA in psychology (though my interest area was social psychology), and I am looking at PhD programs in marketing for consumer behavior. I did not take a single business class. Yes, your background is very useful for this area. After all, researching consumer <em>behavior</em> is very psychologically based. </p>
<p>Many MBA programs do offer concentrations in marketing. They are easier to find than plain MA/MS programs from my experience. And there are lots of PhD marketing programs that offer consumer behavior - you’ll just be looking at business schools within universities instead of the liberal arts.</p>
<p>Also, if you want applied/practical and not research-centered, then a masters degree/MBA would be a better route than a PhD, as the latter prepares you for academia, but may also involve some consulting.</p>
<p>Oh, and I should also add that most credible MBA programs require at least 2 years of professional work experience. MA/MS programs typically do not, and your research experience will only help you.</p>
<p>But it seems that, in regards to grad programs in the U.S., this line of work falls more under marketing than psychology.</p>
<p>It falls in both. At my university (Columbia), the business school and the psychology department are closely aligned. There are cognitive psychologists doing very business oriented work, and there are marketing and advertising professors who are doing that too. Often, they collaborate. And many of the marketing professors have PhDs in psychology.</p>
<p>* Is it even feasible/realistic to pursue an MBA/MS in marketing with my background?*</p>
<p>Yes. For an MBA, you will need some work experience first. For an MS with a focus in research, you may or may not need the work experience depending on the program. A psychology BA is a very desirable background for study in marketing because so much of marketing (and business in general) is just applied psychology.</p>
<p>You could work for a few years and take some economics courses at night.</p>