Getting doctored: a proposed model of marketing doctoral student socialization

Addresses the socialization process among marketing doctoral students. Four modes of doctoral student socialization are provided from depth interviews conducted with 28 purposively selected individuals. These four modes are based upon two characteristics: degree of program structure, or formal socialization; and degree of student-faculty interaction, or informal socialization. Reveals five factors that informants identified as contributors toward the professional success of a marketing doctoral student: inner desire, communitas, practicality in research, networking, and brand equity. Every year, between 100 and 150 individuals earn their doctoral degrees from US marketing programs (Celec and Lutz, 1994). Some go on to lead successful academic careers, earning respect as effective teachers, capable researchers, and gracious colleagues, while others struggle in pursuit of those same goals. A study conducted by the AMA Task Force on The Development of Marketing Thought (1988) identified weak doctoral training as the primary source of scholars' apparent failure to meet their career goals. The AMA task force also attributed individuals' lack of success to more personal factors, such as: . starting job hunting too soon; . taking a job before completing the dissertation; . taking on heavy teaching responsibilities immediately; and . doing too much consulting, text writing, and administrative work. Thus, it is apparent that determinants of one's career success are due to some combination of the academician's doctoral program training as well as to his or her personal characteristics and responsibilities. The purpose of this exploratory study is to gain insight into the process of socializing marketing doctoral students into the academic community. In doing so, we attempt to reveal the manner in which student characteristics and program attributes interact as the PhD student progresses through his or her doctoral program. We also seek to find how these characteristics and attributes contribute toward a student's attainment of his or her career goals. We believe that this research is important because both the doctoralgranting institution and the student assume risks in their commitments to one another. The student often commits by leaving a high-paying job to accept Marketing student socialization 747 reduced pay for an extended period of time. The doctoral institution commits by agreeing to pay the student's tuition and other expenses while attending school. Beyond this financial commitment, the institution's reputation depends on its ability to produce quality students in order to attract incoming scholars. However, these risks are offset by potential rewards. The graduating student is often rewarded with a higher salary, more flexible lifestyle, and intrinsic rewards such as a sense of accomplishment. The doctoral institution acquires a relatively inexpensive source of labor to assist with teaching and research. And, if the faculty produces successful academics, its reputation is enhanced. To date, no study has investigated the socialization process among marketing doctoral students. Two research questions that address this issue are listed below.