A:Well, it is not easy to apply for PH.D. program in Marketing in natural. Epecially for someone does not have a Master degree from an English speaking country. Unless you have very high GMAT and TOEFL scores with high GPA, and, you''ve published paper(s) in good academic journals!

My suggestion for you is applying for both PH.D. and MS programs. Maybe you''ll be accepted into Ph.D. program. If not, you come for MS first and transfer to Ph.D. program after showing your capability in an American university. Therefore, the MS, not MBA, programs you apply should be those have Ph.D. programs. You can take courses with Ph.D. students and outperform them. If so, when you have a chance to be transfered to Ph.D. program, your credits will be transfered also. In that case, you''ll have nothing to lose.

If you really have no chance to join the Ph.D. program before you get the second master degree, then take more quantitative couses when you are in the states. Solid methodology background will help you a lot in your academic career.

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Q：請問SCM科系相關問題：1. 請問SCM(supply chain management)是商學院或理工學院的科系 2. 我有利用網路搜尋，發現似乎有開SCM相關科系的學校不多，博士班的資料到目前是尚未找到，不知顧問能否給些建議 3. 一般準備相關的博士班入學手續是否和碩士班相同，又就讀博士班所需的時間多長 4. 在提出博士班申請的同時，是否也要提出博士論文的proposal或是提出欲研究之領域即可。 請指教，謝謝!!

A:1. As I know, SCM program is offered in School of Management. Some of them are combined with MKTing. You have a MS degree in Marketing, that would be very helpful.

2. You are right. Not many universities are offering SCM programs. As I know, Michigan state, Univeristy of Maryland, Arizona State, and so on, have SCM related programs. However, many Ph.D. students in OM, QM, MIS,...etc., are doing research related to SCM. For example, Purdue University, where I am visiting right now. Many professor in OM area are doing SCM related research. Therefore, you may find out the professors who are doing SCM related research by looking up the papers published in Operations Management, Management Science, Quanitative menthod, and so on, related journals. Journals such as Managment Science, European Journal of Operational Research, Decision Sciences, Computers and Industrial Engineer, IJPR,..... Or, you can simple find a database, use SCM as the key words to find out the papers. By looking at the authors, you should be able to find out some more information

3. I joined the PH.D. program in ''91. It''s been a long time. However, I would say there''s no big difference between applying MS and Ph.D. programs. You just have to follow the procedure and requirements by each individal university. Some universities may ask for research proposal or something else. Oh! If you have published any paper so far, that will do lots of help on your application!

4. Normally it takes 3 to 4 years to earn the degree. It highly depends on your research progree and your advisor. I don''t know if you''ve writen MS thesis or not. If not, you may need more time to learn the procedure and spend, say, four years.