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Is it wise to Double major on marketing and advertising?

I am currently a first-year college student but finished my basic college courses while attending an early college high school. I could graduate in a year and a half or pursue an additional major and graduate in 3 to 4 years. #college #college-major #college-advice #major

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Tom’s Answer

Yes, if you can. These fields go hand in hand, but the 'marketing' skill is a broader in scope and offers more career options. Marketing breaks into two parts: product marketing and marketing communications; career potential in both. Product marketing is what happens to manage a product other than direct advertising. So product marketing identities target audiences and their needs, then crafts a new product to fill that need. Marketing communications on the other hand includes advertising, but again also a lot of other means to promote: retail displays, trade shows, giveaways, coupons, signage, social media, etc.

The more knowledge you can acquire the better so , as best you can, I'd suggest majoring in both, in lieu, major in marketing with a minor or specialty in advertising. Good luck and best wishes.

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Jacob’s Answer

Hi, Sebastian,

The short answer is yes, it is a good idea to double major. All things equal, exposing yourself to different subject matter and broadening your scope of study gives you more flexibility in choosing a career (i.e. offers you more career options) and makes you a more attractive candidate for employers.

With that said, there are some other factors to take into consideration:

  • Will staying at college the extra time to obtain the second major be an undue financial burden?
  • Is it possible to obtain the double major faster by "double dipping"? I double majored in accounting and finance in college. Some of my accounting classes counted toward elective requirements for the finance major and vice versa. Discussing with your college's counselors/examining the curriculum for each major would help answer this question.
  • Is there a particular career(s) that interest you related to each major? Make a list for each to see what potential careers those majors could lead to.
  • Make a second list of careers that interest you without taking your major(s) into consideration. If the two lists you make don't align, perhaps you should consider adding a second major that fits more closely with your career aspirations other than marketing/advertising.

Selecting majors is a big decision. However, even after college, you will probably find that your interests will change. Strive to build flexibility as much as you can and keep the end goal (a fulfilling career) in mind when you are making the decision.

I hope this helps. Don't hesitate to reach out if more questions come to mind. Good luck!

Thank you comment icon Thank you! Sebastian
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Joseph’s Answer

Definitely! Advertising is a specific form of marketing, so the 2 fields are very similar. The marketing classes would likely cover multiple marketing tactics and provide a stronger foundation for you to build up your advertising skills. If you want to have a career in advertising, the 2nd major would give you more hands on training and knowledge that is more impressive to recruiters.

If you're worried about having to stay in school for a few more years, I would advise that instead of double majoring, you major in 1 and minor in the other. Typically, these classes cover overlapping topics and credits may be applied to both courses. I would double check with your school requirements and see which classes can count towards both fields.

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Rob’s Answer

That's a great question.  I don't know that there really is a right answer as it depends on the individual.  From a purely educational stand-point it would absolutely make sense to double major in marketing and advertising as these fields can be very much related in the working world.  That says, it sort of depends on your ability to manage the course load and the extra cost (assuming there would be some) of being a double major.

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Brian’s Answer

I would agree with many of the previous replies. One point worth considering is that while the two majors are related, they may actually be a bit too closely correlated in that there may be a far amount of overlap in the curriculum. It might be beneficial to think about what your end goal is in terms of career path and perhaps replace one of these majors with something like a business management or administration option or graphic design for example, depending on your intended path. Good luck.
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Simeon’s Answer

The sooner you can get out into the job market the better. Since the fields are so similar, I would imagine that you'd be applying to the same internships/jobs regardless of whether you get one or two majors. Focus on trying to land a good internship and make professional connections that might be able to help you land a job someday.
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