what is the difference between majoring in business and majoring in marketing?

Marketing is a subset of the topic of business. When you major in marketing you'll be able to learn more nuanced details of topic like Marketing Reswarch, Digital Marketing, New Product development, Advertising and Sales, etc. Below is a link to what USC offers in regards to undergraduate marketing opportunites.

http://classic.marshall.usc.edu/marketing/curriculum/undergraduate-concentrations.htm

When majoring in business you'll not only learn about Marketing, probably just an overview class, but you'll also learn about accounting, finance, strategy, economics. Below is a link to USC's undergraduate business program.

http://classic.marshall.usc.edu/assets/164/26435.pdf

Now keep in mind I've only used USC as an example because that's where I did my undergraduate studies. Think of a school and do a quick google search like "undergraduate business (or marketing) at __" and you'll be able to see what they have to offer!

A degree in business administration touches on all of the aspects of what it takes to make a business function. Marketing is just one part of the process. Here is a link that will enable you to see all of the aspects of a functioning business:

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/explore-careers/college-majors/business-majors-the-basics

Happy exploring! Let me know if I can help further!

"Business" is a much broader term than "marketing". Business has many functional areas, including marketing, finance, accounting, operations, advertising, etc. Marketing describes the commercial functions of business but there are many others as the above list highlights.

If you're not quite sure which functional area you'd like to specialize in, then it probably makes sense to choose a "business" major. It will give you a broad grounding in the key subjects you'll need to succeed. You'll certainly be exposed to marketing, as well as the other functional disciplines, and then you can make a better informed decision as to where to specialize.

Hope that helps, and best of luck in your major whatever you choose!

There are a lot of good answers here that focus on the difference in the classes you might take so I'm going to answer from a different perspective.

When I was in college I had decided to go for a Business degree but wasn't sure what to focus on. I was contemplating a Marketing focus along with Management, and even Healthcare Administration. I ended up choosing to focus on Business Management which gave me a good general background on Business and left the door open for my career to go in any direction. As I entered the workforce I ended up really liking marketing and focused my career there but I could have just as easily went into Finance, Operations, and even Healthcare Administration. What I learned is that your undergraduate degree doesn't need to be so specific and you end up learning the details of the job as you enter the workforce and you will just as easily be considered for an opportunity with a broader degree focus as you will with a more narrow focus.

Hi Ayren,

When I was in business school, the following majors were offered: Accounting, Finance, Management, Information Systems, International Business, Supply Chain Management, Marketing, Operations Management & Business Analytics. General Business isn't so much a degree but it encompasses an introduction to all these classes. You will more than likely have to choose one of these to invest time in. Luckily, your major really only matters for your four years of college and you can still penetrate a number of jobs and industries with any of the majors listed. Hope this helps!

Hi Ayren-
Marketing is a concentration within the broader Major of Business. From my own experience, after my undergrad I went back to school to get my Masters In Business and concentrated in Marketing. My marketing focus required me to take classes on psychology of consumers, economics, advertising, and what we call the 5 P's of Marketing (Product, Price, Promotion and Place).
I hope this was helpful and good luck to you in your future! Keep asking great questions and learning:-)