The NUS Marketing PhD programme comprises coursework, summer paper, qualifying examination (QE), dissertation proposal, and dissertation defense. Students typically take courses in the first two years to prepare them well for independent research.

In their first summer, they are required to work on their summer paper, which they have to present before the end of their second year. Subsequently, they will take their QE in their second summer. If they pass the QE, they will proceed to work on their dissertation. Students should propose their dissertation before the end of their fourth year and submit their dissertation for defense before the end of their fifth year. Marketing PhD students are expected to complete the programme in five years.

During their first two years of study, PhD students do not have formal supervisors. Upon entering the programme, they are assigned a mentor or choose their own mentors. It is advised / encouraged  that they rotate their mentors on a semester or yearly basis so that they can get to know more faculty members and find a better match between their research interest and the research interests of faculty members.

During the second year of study, the faculty member supervising a student’s summer paper is assigned the provisional role of “supervisor”.

By the end of the third year of study, each student should have identified a faculty member to serve as his or her dissertation supervisor. At any point in time, students and faculty members can request a change in their roles within supervisory relationships—a student can request a change in supervisor, and a faculty member may choose not to serve as a given student’s supervisor. Administrative changes of this sort are straightforward, with forms are available through the PhD programmes office.