Eliza
What college courses should I take if I plan to major in marketing?
I will be attending college in the fall and intend to major in marketing. I am unsure of what other courses would be helpful. I’d like to become a marketing manager at some point in my career. What courses would help me to achieve this goal? #management #marketing #manager #courses #marketing-manager
9 answers
Rebecca Schmierer
Rebecca’s Answer
Two important things to do:
1) Take marketing classes but also statistics, finance, accounting, and management classes (negotiations, organizational behavior, etc). Understanding business broadly will go a long way because marketing means so many things now, and it will help you decide if you might want to do something else instead of marketing.
2) Take classes in topics you're interested in. If you like the subject and are having fun doing the assignments, you're more likely to do well in the class which is great for your GPA but will also give you a class to look forward to during the week. Most importantly, a lot of these "fun" classes actually really help expand the way you think and help you meet people you might not have otherwise. Some of my favorites were Ancient Egyptian Religion, Food and Culture of Italy, and Nutrition - but see what your school offers.
I've already taken some of the classes you suggested and plan to continue finding new ones that interest me. Thank you for your suggestions
Eliza
There are some many different areas that you can focus on within marketing, I recommend completing the basic courses and then once you identify a more specific area in marketing, frame your coursework around those interests. I would also look for companies that offer internships, this could help you identify a marketing specialty. Another great way to learn more about specific focus areas in marketing is LinkedIn groups. Marketing spans every industry and product with endless opportunities,
Lisa Matzdorff
Noelle Langston
Noelle’s Answer
I think you always want to start with the foundational courses that your school offers (e.g. Intro to Marketing, Marketing 101). Learning the basics will help you confirm whether Marketing is really for you. Your coursework will give you a framework but if you want to have a fulfilling career, it's up to you to figure out what it is specifically about Marketing that you enjoy and also what you don't enjoy. Talk to professors about your ideas, apply for interesting internships, and start looking at job descriptions to see what Marketing professionals are doing. Marketing is rapidly changing, with lots of different types of jobs in all sorts of different industries. Enjoy searching for the work that speaks to you and gets you excited and most importantly, don't settle until you find it.
Thank you for the advise!
Eliza
Solange Deschatres
Solange’s Answer
It really depends on what kind of marketing you want to do, but it's a good idea to have a grasp of basic marketing, and economics. Beyond that, there are a lot of marketers out there who have a variety of skills. For instance, I come from a journalism background and I do content marketing strategy. My skills as a writer and editor were able to be carried over into the world of marketing. Marketing is everything people do, so the more you can explore what you enjoy, the more you will be able to find a niche within the marketing world. It's also helpful to learn a bit about data and how to analyze it. A lot of marketing is about numbers and how to optimize your strategy to reach your goals. Good luck!
Brittney Johnson, MBA
Brittney’s Answer
Simeon Snow
Simeon’s Answer
Lou Tamposi
Lou’s Answer
This really depends on where you're going to school. Many colleges have dedicated Marketing focuses - generally within the Business program, but at others you'll need to be more creative. Some broad classes that might be useful are psychology and economics, and then any dedicated "marketing" classes your school offers.
Marketing is also getting more and more data driven. A basic data analytics class (one that includes the basics of a statistical software package), if not already part of your core curriculum, would be a great tool to establish a base set of skills for real world marketing. This type of skill is also very attractive for employment.
John Dean
Taking psychology or sociology classes will help develop your critical thinking skills and teach you more about the scientific principles underlying a lot of marketing techniques. Depending on what you want to do in the future it could also be helpful to take classes in computer science or web design and Photoshop .
Lauren Fragoza
Thank you to all. I appreciate your input.
Eliza
James Constantine Frangos
James Constantine’s Answer
I'm thrilled to assist you with your question. If you're setting your sights on a marketing major with dreams of becoming a marketing manager, there's a bunch of college courses that can give you a leg up. Here are some key courses that I suggest you consider. They're fundamental for a marketing major and will give you a strong base in the field:
1. Introduction to Marketing (a must!)
This course gives you a bird's eye view of the marketing world, diving into the tactics and techniques used to promote and sell goods or services. It'll cover the marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotion), how to pinpoint your target market, and the art of crafting a marketing strategy.
2. Marketing Research and Analysis
Here, you'll learn the ropes of gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data to get a handle on consumer behavior and tastes. Plus, you'll get to grips with statistical tools to gauge the success of marketing campaigns and spot market trends.
3. Consumer Behavior
This course delves into the psychological and social elements that steer consumer decision-making. You'll study different consumer behaviors, such as buying behavior, brand loyalty, and the power of word-of-mouth marketing.
4. Digital Marketing
With tech advancing at lightning speed, digital marketing has become a must-know for businesses. In this course, you'll explore various digital marketing channels, like social media, email marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO).
5. Advertising and Promotion
In this course, you'll discover the various advertising and promotion methods used in marketing, spanning print, television, radio, and online ads. You'll also learn about the significance of inventive messaging and branding.
6. Marketing Strategy and Planning
This course allows you to put the theories you've learned into practice by developing a full-blown marketing strategy for a real company. You'll learn how to analyze market trends, identify target audiences, and devise a marketing plan.
7. Sales Management
This course equips you with the skills to manage sales teams effectively and inspire sales reps. You'll learn about sales techniques, sales forecasting, and how to measure sales performance.
8. Marketing Analytics and Data Science
This hands-on course lets you get your hands dirty with marketing data analysis using statistical software like R or Python. You'll learn how to assess the success of marketing campaigns and spot areas for improvement.
Beyond these, I suggest taking courses in statistics, business law, and business ethics for a well-rounded marketing education.
To back up my suggestions, here are three respected reference books:
1. “Marketing Management” by Kotler & Keller (2019) - A comprehensive guide to the marketing world, covering the principles and methods used to promote and sell goods or services.
2. “Marketing Research: An Applied Approach” by Hill & Jones (2018) - This book lays out the basics of marketing research, including how to gather, analyze, and interpret data to understand consumer behavior and tastes.
3. “Digital Marketing: A Practical Approach” by Waller & Roper (2019) - This book offers an overview of the various digital marketing channels, including social media, email marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO).
I hope this gives you a good start, Eliza! Always remember to pick courses that resonate with your interests and career aspirations. Best of luck with your studies!
May your efforts be richly rewarded!
James.
Christopher jebaraj
Christopher’s Answer
You can select Marketing as your stream in a maters degree
Jill Finlayson
Jill’s Answer
I would suggest three focus areas:
1. Budgeting and forecasting - Marketing budgets hinge on return on investment, so you need to feel comfortable estimating impact of your campaigns and predicted conversion based on available historical and industry data.
2. Entrepreneurship - Sure, you want to do marketing now, but you may want to start your own company later. Marketing folks are often great communicators and visionaries so can make great leaders, but you also need to be decisive, risk taking, and able to pivot. Start-ups are a great way to get an understanding of the different drivers and functions in a company. Maybe work on a student start-up as the marketing wing of an engineering project?
3. Product development, web design, and usability - Marketing is the avenue for customers to provide feedback on the site and products. If you understand product development, you will be better able to communicate and prioritize your engineering needs. You need to know what is possible so you can best deliver your campaigns (landing pages, SEO, reducing friction, increasing velocity, simplifying call to action, tracking conversion, A-B testing, etc).
And I agree with John who advocated for data analytics and Lauren regarding psychology and especially Rebecca who advised taking courses you like - Try to engineer serendipity into your schedule by trying new and eclectic things through coursework, volunteering, clubs, etc. To market authentically, you have to find out what you care about and actually want to market because you believe in the value of the product or service you are marketing.
Thank you for your very detailed suggestions. I'm sure I'll come back to reference them frequently.
Eliza