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Marketing Degrees

Marketing is all about strategies and tactics businesses employ to promote products or services. It's also how companies build brands, brand relationships, and more with their target audiences. It involves understanding consumer behavior, identifying market opportunities, making campaigns, and delivering them through various channels to achieve specific business objectives.

Key Areas within Marketing
  • Market Research and Analysis: Marketers conduct research on consumer preferences, market trends, and the competition. They analyze this information to identify target markets, develop effective marketing strategies, and make informed business decisions.
  • Branding and Product Development: Marketers work with or for teams to create products or services. They develop brand strategies, positioning, and messaging to differentiate their offerings in the marketplace.
  • Advertising and Promotion: Marketers create and execute advertising campaigns across various media, including television, radio, print, online, and social media. They develop promotional materials, such as brochures, flyers, and websites, to generate interest and drive sales.
  • Digital Marketing: Marketers use online platforms to engage with consumers, and use search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, email marketing, and content marketing to do so.
  • Public Relations (PR): PR professionals manage the company's reputation and relationships with stakeholders, including the media, investors, and the general public. They develop and implement PR strategies to build positive brand image and manage any crises that may arise.
  • Sales and Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Marketers can generate leads, nurture customer relationships, and drive conversions. They utilize CRM tools to track customer interactions, and analyze sales data.
According to the American Marketing Association (AMA), “Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”

Marketing has changed over the years, with digital marketing being a main part of marketing today. There are many ways to use marketing in business, and the subject will only grow in the coming years. If you are creative, like to be on social media and talk with others, and love to use strategy to figure out what works best in a business setting, marketing can be a great direction to go in.

Marketing is also perfect for those who want to work online, remotely, or in an office. It can easily be done from anywhere in the world and can make for a great self-employed career as well. There are many options for those getting a degree in marketing.

Associate’s Degree in Marketing

An associate’s degree in marketing will take you around two years. With an associate’s degree, you can find an entry-level job as a marketing assistant, media assistant, or set out on your own. Getting an associate’s degree in marketing will also prepare you for going on to get your bachelor’s degree in marketing.

In an associate’s of marketing program, you might take classes such as international marketing, public relations, and advertising and sales promotion. Community colleges can be a great option for going to get an associate’s degree in marketing.

Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing

Getting your bachelor’s degree in marketing will take around four years, depending on if you already have your associate’s degree or if you are going full or part-time. Marketing is a good major for going to school online and can work well if you can’t attend in person. You will learn more about the business landscape, core marketing principles, and more in a bachelor’s of marketing program.

Some of the classes you could take might be principles of marketing, consumer behavior, and sales management. Within the realm of marketing, you can find different types of marketing degrees. Digital marketing, public relations, marketing research and analytics, marketing management, and social media marketing are some of the most popular types of marketing degrees.

When looking for programs, The University of Michigan, The University of Pennsylvania, and Indiana University at Bloomington are all highly rated. For online programs, Florida International University, The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and New Mexico State University are all highly rated.

Jobs you can get with a bachelor’s degree in marketing

  • Graphic Designers, who create visual concepts using software or possibility by hand for brands, companies, or other organizations, have an average salary of $47,032, according to Payscale.
  • Public Relations Specialists, who help PR managers work to maintain a good image for a company or individual, have an average salary of $51,009, according to Payscale.
  • Advertising Sales Agents, who work to sell space for advertisements in both print and online publications, have an average salary of $38,904, according to Payscale.

Master’s Degree in Marketing

If you want to go further along the marketing career path, you should go on to get your master’s degree in marketing. Most programs will take around two years and you should be able to find either an in-person or online program. You can go for an MBA with a concentration in marketing, which would train you on business skills that you can apply to all areas of business, or you can get a marketing master’s degree which would be more focused on marketing directly.

In a master’s of marketing program, you might take classes such as market research, global marketing, or internet marketing.

When looking for programs, Columbia University, Texas A&M University, and The University of Maryland are all highly rated. For online programs, Florida University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Walsh University are all highly rated.

Jobs you can get with a master’s degree in marketing

  • Brand Managers, who help customers identify a service or product above all the others on the market and increase brand awareness, have an average salary of $71,714, according to Payscale.
  • Social Media Specialists, who run social media campaigns, monitor social channels, and engage with customers, have an average salary of $46,250 according to Payscale.
  • Market Research Analysts, who research and report on market conditions for marketing strategies and campaigns, have an average salary of $55,391 according to Payscale.

Doctorate in Marketing

If you have an interest in research or teaching academia within the world of marketing, you will need to go on to get your doctorate in marketing. Doctorate or Ph.D. programs in marketing train students to think about problems faced in marketing. They will learn to recognize marketing-related problems, turn them into research questions, and look at them in a scholarly way.

Trident University International, California Miramar University, and Westcliff University all have highly rated programs.

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