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Online MBA in Marketing Degrees

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People with an MBA in marketing combine their know-how and business-savvy skills with a love of design, math, and communication. A master's degree in marketing provides stable career opportunities and gives employers a sense of trust when they hire somebody with a high education level. A career in marketing is perfect for a creative professional with a keen business sense and attention to detail.

Most people aren't sure what a business degree in marketing means -- they think it has something to do with numbers or something creative or something having to do with business sense. And in a way, they are right. If you combine a love of math, the arts and business, that's what an MBA in marketing entails. Marketing professionals must be creative and be able to communicate their ideas. They must be able to think outside of the box and come up with unique ideas to help businesses grow and flourish. They also must have solid math skills, and being able to work within Excel to build spreadsheets and chart income, data, and company growth is a must. A solid, logical business sense is important, as marketing professionals often work with CEOs and various clients. Because of the high level of skill and detail required to be in marketing, typically a bachelor's degree is a minimum requirement for this field, but the most successful marketers have an MBA in marketing.
  • All
  • Master's
  • Certification

What are some of the specializations within this degree program?

  • Advertising: A career in advertising focuses on the visual and creative forms of marketing. Advertising executives understand marketing techniques and how to visually sell their business.
  • Public Relations: A career in public relations sells a company to the public and the media typically through writing. Public relations professionals write press releases, newsletters and website copy. They work very closely with advertising professionals and marketing professionals.

What degree levels are available?

  • Master's Degree: 2-3 years to complete

What are the educational and certification requirements?

There are degrees for marketing professionals at every educational level; each degree opens up new career possibilities and job opportunities. When considering a degree program, think about your career goals. The higher the degree you obtain in marketing, the more you will get paid in the marketing field. The associate degree in marketing takes around one to two years to complete and is offered at junior colleges, online universities and traditional universities. These degrees introduce students to marketing basics, business basics, computer skills, creative classes and they provide an overall foundation for learning about marketing practices.

The bachelor's degree in marketing takes around four to five years to complete and is offered at online universities and traditional universities. These degrees focus on more in-depth marketing practices, internships, real-life scenarios, an introduction to advertising, public relations skills, math skills, computer skills, business practices, and customer service skills. The master's degree in marketing takes about six to seven years to complete and is offered at online universities and traditional universities. A master's degree expands on the skills learned in a bachelor's degree program. A master's degree program typically delves into deeper detail on different marketing practices, real-life scenarios, computer classes, and creative assignments.

The PhD in marketing takes about eight to ten years to complete and is offered at online and traditional universities. A PhD in marketing is designed for people who want to teach marketing and business classes at the university level. A PhD in marketing is useful if you want to start your own company or become the CEO of a company.

What kinds of classes will I be expected to take?

Marketing students are expected to take a variety of business classes that will help prepare them for their role in the greater corporate world. For example, all students of marketing will take classes in finance. Finance is the bread and butter of business, as the entire goal of business is to make money. Students of finance will learn how to create and maintain effective budgets and will develop an understanding of the financial system. Similarly, most marketing students will have to take an accounting course. Accounting is similar to finance, in that it explores money management, but accounting students will focus more on budgeting and on narrower financial principles, including filing taxes. 

Marketing students also need to have exceptionally strong communication skills. A communications course for marketing students will include an exploration of the press, and how it can be manipulated and navigated to suit the needs of a company. Students who are studying communications will practice writing and public speaking. 

A common course in marketing program curriculums is consumer demographics. In order to sell a product or idea to the public, the marketing executive needs to be able to understand their target audience. Therefore, a course in demographics will teach students how to define an audience and tailor a campaign to that audience. Another common marketing course is advertising design. One of the most important jobs of a marketing professional is to create advertising campaigns.

Is on-site training required if I pursue this degree online?

There are many marketing programs that can be completed in an entirely online format, without the need for any on-site training. Some schools do insist on requiring that online students participate in internships or related work while they are enrolled in the program, but this is relatively rare.

What are some other degrees that are related to this program?

Marketing is an interdisciplinary job that combines a number of careers and skills. A degree in marketing is related to a degree in public relations. A public relations professional works with the media to publicize a company or product. Most of their work is done in writing; they also communicate with customers via newsletters and websites such as Twitter and Facebook. A degree in management is also related to a degree in marketing. As a management professional, you would manage a department of employees and use business and finance skills to keep an organization running smoothly and profitably.

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