I would like to study in PhD in marketing field. However, the Business School prefers to the candidate whom has a strong background in social psychology, judgment decision making / behavioral economics, cognitive science, neuroscience, and also statistics. Therefore, I decide to learn those knowledge and techniques by myself. So, my questions are as follows:
Thank you very much!
Psychology, I recommend books on behaviorism, such as 'Behavioral Economics' by Edward Cartwright. For statistics, I recommend 'How to Write a Valuable research Paper on new discoveries on Kobo.
If you get stuck on stats I would consider getting a tutor (shouldnt be to hard to find around a uni) or visiting youtube. Particularly, if you get stuck using software like statistica or SPSS. I have also found websites like laerd statistics to be helpful. For basic stats you could consider Khan acadamy.
Have you thought of MOOCs - free online courses. Different platforms depending on where you live. In UK Coursera is a good start. There is a basic stats course from Stanford University. In some cases you may have to pay to receive a certificate proving that you have passed the course.
Without knowing what your qualifications are, and compared to that what the actual requirements are of that PhD placement, it is difficult to answer your question. My reply will be more on the strategy of getting there than directly recommending books or training courses.
I assume you have at least a bachelors degree or a masters degree from a university. If you think you are close to the PhD requirements, it could be a question of the right language. Someone could help you with your cv: “translate” your degree and studied courses into language closer to the requirements.
It looks to me like the required subjects you mention are not all and-and-and requirements but and/or requirement. Can you check with that university what your cv is lacking? Are you close to the requirements or far away, like a degree in music, or Latin or ancient Greek? If the distance between what you have actually studied and what is required, you will need extra education in those fields.
Most probably the PhD university will need proof of your studies and self-study will not be good enough.
Is it possible to go back to the university you have attended and study those specific subjects there? That, added to the degree you already have, may look better than loose certificates.
After all, to do PhD research in Marketing, and to succeed, you will need to use those theories as they are the basis of marketing. Those requirements are not just for decoration only.
Another approach if you want to do PhD research and write a thesis is to find a PhD position close to your present area of expertise, your studies and your degree. Then you can be confident you are “good enough”.
Hello Michelle! I'm from Ukraine. I am engaged in the development of socio-psychological technologies in the field of management. If you are interested in my approaches, we can discuss this in more detail: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anatoliy-Ovcharov/research