Marketing Degree Overview

The American Marketing Association defines marketing as "the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives." Marketing is one of the most vital areas of a business, as it involves understanding the consumer world and what makes products or services sell. As more and more advertisers compete for consumers' attention, effective marketing is becoming even more important and advertisers continue to find new and improved ways of breaking through the advertising clutter. In an increasingly competitive business environment, the demand for good marketing professionals who hold advanced degrees is growing. In fact, nearly all jobs in the marketing and sales fields require a minimum of a bachelor's degree, though the focus of the degree may vary depending on the particular job. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, careers within the advertising, marketing, public relations and sales fields are on the rise, and positions are expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations throughout the current decade.

Marketing Degree Coursework

Marketing has become an interdisciplinary field that draws on business, psychology, graphic design, statistics, science, and technology. Degree programs cover a variety of business-related courses, providing students with the skills and knowledge they need to take their first steps into the complex world of business. Students gain a solid understanding of all the processes involved with bringing products to consumers-- from product conception and development to the packaging, advertising, distribution, and pricing stages. The program provides a detailed analysis of customer attitudes, market trends, profit-and-loss margins and best-practices in marketing, as well as how to use this knowledge to develop sophisticated products and promotional campaigns. Areas of specialization include, but are not limited to, business-to-business marketing, developing new products and services, advertising, public relations, marketing strategy, international marketing, consumer behavior, sales management and control, retail management and marketing consulting. Typical marketing courses include marketing methods, advertising methods, psychology, economics, finance, research and strategy, non-profit marketing, consumer behavior, market research, demand analysis, pricing theory, management, entrepreneurial marketing, logistics and physical distribution, multinational management, economics, accounting, marketing campaign and strategic planning, market segments, sales operations and management, consumer relations, retailing and applications to specific products and markets.

Career Opportunities in Marketing

With a degree in marketing, graduates have access to a wide variety of career options, each requiring different tasks and skills. A lot of marketing degree graduates pursue jobs in advertising or marketing firms or as part of a company's internal marketing and advertising department. Some graduates pursue job opportunities in other fields, such as communications, public relations, customer service management, sales management, marketing research, retail merchandising, promotional strategy, general marketing management and new market development. The specific area students choose to pursue depends on their particular interests and the ways in which they hope to spend their professional life. Some popular career options include marketing managers, market research analyst, product manager, marketing manager, sales/territory manager, PR manager and strategic planner. The amount of money you can earn in a career in marketing depends not only on what degree you attain, but also on what aspect of the field you choose to specialize in.

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