In today’s business world, marketing is a hot commodity for nearly all entities, as it directly affects brand recognition and level of profitability. Earning an MBA in marketing can provide students with a solid understanding of the behavior of consumers and trends and practices in the field. Students interested in pursuing this type of degree typically ask a variety of questions regarding the field and practices. A common question may be what is covered in the curriculum for an MBA in marketing? While specific course requirements vary by school and program, most curricula require certain courses for completion of the degree.
MBA Core Courses
MBA programs strive to provide students with a keen business and leadership sense to prepare them for advanced and managerial positions in the industry. The core courses are typically designed to provide students with in-depth instruction of business disciplines. The core MBA courses commonly make up at least 40 percent of the program and most schools require the completion of the courses in the first and second year. The courses commonly build upon each other. The core courses often involve collaborative learning, practical experiences, and case studies. Examples of required core courses include business strategy, business analytics, financial accounting, financial reporting, operations management, microeconomics, macroeconomics, strategic leadership, business ethics, and marketing management.
Marketing Core Courses
Marketing core courses strive to provide students with a solid foundation of the role of marketing in companies and organizations. Students commonly explore the connection between marketing and other functions and demonstrate how effective marketing practices improve overall success. Examples of marketing core courses include marketing strategy, marketing research, and marketing analytics. Marketing strategy courses provide students with the understanding and skills needed to create and implement effective marketing strategies. Students learn about basic marketing paradigms, such as customer decisions, how customers decide if they need a product or service, and the life cycle of products. Marketing research courses provide students with an overview of current and past research methodologies and how to use it to their advantage in their companies. Marketing analytics courses provide instruction on advanced quantitative methods in marketing research and how to obtain helpful information from marketing data for creating marketing strategies.
Marketing Elective Courses
The marketing elective courses enable students to study particular topics of interest in marketing to help meet their academic and career goals. Elective courses are commonly more flexible to match different learning styles, objectives, and interests. Many elective courses have practical components and some programs offer internship or externship aspects in particular areas. Examples of marketing elective courses include consumer behavior, advertising and promotion, brand management, international marketing, digital marketing, pharmaceutical marketing research, product management, marketing intelligence, interactive marketing, retail management, and services marketing.
An MBA in marketing is a great starting point for a lucrative career in business. Graduates are prepared to make sound marketing decisions and control the various elements of marketing to contribute to the success of their organization. The first step to finding an MBA in marketing program, that best suits the specific needs of a particular student, is to research options that are accredited by authoritative organizations, such as the AACSB. Choosing an accredited institution will ensure that students receive the best education possible to lead them on their way to a successful career.
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