pieisthebest

I am in a BS/MS program for Electrical Engineering at a prestigious university and am interested in pursuing a PhD in Business. Would it be possible to get to one if I had the necessary GMAT scores but not having any other formal education in business?

openedskittles

PhDs in business are basically just for people who want to be a professor at a business school, if you're looking to break into the business side of your field, get an MBA.

pieisthebest

I understand that, I don't want to shell out all that cash for an MBA. I want a PhD. So please just tell me if it is possible, not alternate routes to take.

tbradford

Yes it's possible. But, a PhD in business is really only relevent if you want to teach at a college level. If that's what you're looking for your undergraduate major shouldn't hold you back.

G.P.Burdell

Depending on the field of business, most PhD holders have degrees in engineering, and very few have a business education (BBA or MBA) before pursuing a PhD. In fact, if you're applying for areas like Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Finance, or IT, not having an engineering (or Econ or Math) degree decreases your chances for admission.

I'm not sure the basis for the comments about the utility of a PhD in business, but the posters are basically correct: a PhD in business is designed as a research-oriented position. Do PhD holders end up going into industry? Sure. But if that is your end goal, you are better of in an MBA program. MBA programs are much easier in terms of admissions (PhD programs in business usually admit between 0 and 2 students a year, so competition is incredibly fierce - even compared to engineering programs, which might admit 10-30 students each year). In addition, the PhD curriculum is probably only about 30% not relevant to industry.

C-Revs

With your background you may also want to consider a MFE degree.

G.P.Burdell

Why do people keep listing different degrees with different career paths? Someone interested in an MFE would not be interested in an MBA would not be interested in a PhD.