What do you do with a marketing degree?

Marketers do all kinds of work to help drive customers to their product, and there are many career paths within the marketing field. These can include a focus on many of the areas within digital marketing including—paid advertisements, content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), website development and analysis, social media campaigns, and email marketing. Other areas of marketing can focus on maintaining customer relationships with career paths in sales, business development, account management, and sales management. Marketers can also have career paths in public relations, event planning, sales promotions and advertising, market research, and brand management. Marketers can focus on business-to-consumer or business-to-business relationships.

Is it better to major in marketing or management?

There is not one major that is better than another—it all depends on what you want! There are many different skills you will learn in a marketing degree program versus a management degree program. A marketing degree program focuses on the activities to drive demand for products and services. These activities include understanding the customer and how marketing strategies are used to create brands and customer relationships. In a management degree you’ll focus on the administration of the organization through its people, process, and leadership. While marketing and management apply to many types of industries, for-profit, non-profit, and government, marketing focuses on creating customer value, and management focuses on the internal organizational activities.

What kind of degree do you need for marketing?

If you’re looking to pursue a career in marketing, a bachelor’s degree in marketing is a great option. A bachelor’s degree in marketing will help you learn about business fundamentals, traditional and digital marketing, marketing strategy, social media, brand management, sales management, problem-solving, sales forecasting, and service marketing.

How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree in marketing?

For a traditional bachelor's degree program you should expect it will take you 4 years to complete. However, some online colleges like WGU will allow you to move faster. At WGU, most students finish their marketing degree within 36 months.

What type of degree is marketing?

A marketing degree will typically fall under a business college. Because marketing is a critical function of every business that aligns directly with the sales techniques and overall budgets of an organization, most marketing degrees are part of a business program.

What can you do with a bachelor's degree in marketing?

If you have a marketing degree you can likely get a job in any industry. All kinds of businesses and organizations rely on marketing professionals to help them reach their audience. There are many career paths for professionals who have a marketing degree, including: Marketing specialist Marketing manager Advertising manager Public relations manager

What micro-credentials can I earn with a WGU marketing degree?

You have the potential to earn four micro-credentials as you complete the marketing degree. Micro-credentials are a group of courses related to a set of knowledge that are awarded when competency is demonstrated. Within the marketing degree, and in addition to earning a bachelor’s degree, you’ll earn two business fundamental micro-credentials with Business Essentials and Applied Business Skills. These two micro-credentials will demonstrate your knowledge of the functional areas of business, how they work together, and how decision-making and business practices are integrated across functions for business success. Two additional micro-credentials within the marketing degree can be earned in management and human resource management. These micro-credentials provide a group of courses that will complement your marketing career with an understanding of management functions and people management. Micro-credentials can be marketed to employers when they are earned and enhance professional reputation and marketability, providing you a competitive advantage within the job market.

Can you get a marketing degree online?

Yes! There are many options available that allow students to pursue a marketing degree online. Research business programs to find the right option as far as program length, courses, and career outcomes. Your program should prepare you with a variety of skills such as digital marketing, sales management, brand strategy, and more.

Is a marketing degree worth it?

Absolutely. A traditional or online marketing degree can help you gain key skills and credentials that will ensure you're ready for your career. A good traditional or online program will teach you about traditional marketing techniques, email marketing, digital marketing, social media, brand strategy, content, sales, and more. A degree can help you boost your earning potential and be qualified for jobs.

How fast can I get a marketing degree?

A traditional bachelor's degree in marketing will take 4 years to complete. However, there are many online marketing degree options that may allow you to accelerate and finish your degree much faster. For example, at WGU you may be able to finish your degree in just 3 years.

Why a WGU marketing degree?

WGU’s marketing degree is a complete program that prepares students for a career in marketing. You will gain knowledge in traditional marketing concepts, along with knowledge in digital marketing, data literacy, and customer-focused strategies. Throughout the marketing degree you will have the opportunity to develop a professional portfolio to show employers your marketing skills. You will write a marketing plan, create a consumer persona, write a brand strategy and a brand crisis management plan, create a content asset by writing a blog post, and prepare presentations that include making marketing campaign recommendations. You will gain real-world application throughout your marketing courses that is directly applicable to a career in marketing. You will get to “do” marketing throughout the WGU marketing degree to enhance your own marketability!

Master of Science, Marketing

Online Master's in Marketing Analytics

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OVERVIEW

An Online Marketing Analytics Master’s Program Focused on Career Success

The science of marketing is always evolving. Staying on top of it takes the right skills and education. If you’re looking to advance in your current role or explore the technical aspects of marketing, an M.S. in Marketing Analytics could be a great next step.

This marketing master’s degree program teaches you how to:

Utilize powerful research to drive strategy
Understand analytics tools
Implement a data-driven approach to marketing
Helps companies better understand their consumers and grow their bottom line

The marketing analytics master’s degree also includes an experiential-learning capstone course that culminates with an application in communication, collaboration, critical-thinking, and problem-solving where you’ll put your marketing analytics skills to work on an actual client project.

61% of graduate students finish master's programs within

18 Months*

WGU lets you move more quickly through material you already know and advance as soon as you're ready. The result: You may finish faster.

*WGU Internal Data

Flexible Schedule

Tuition per six-month term is

$4,530

Tuition charged per term—rather than per credit—helps students control the ultimate cost of their business management degree. Finish faster, pay less!

Cost & Time

Average salary increase

$11,813*

School of Business graduate students report an average salary increase of $11,813 after completing their WGU degree.

*WGU Internal Data

Career Outlook

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COURSES

Marketing Analytics Courses

Program consists of 11 courses

At WGU, we design our curriculum to be timely, relevant, and practical—all to ensure your degree is proof you really know your stuff. Our programs are designed for industry-relevance so everything you learn can be directly applied to your career. Industry-experts help create our curriculum to ensure you are learning critical components of your chosen area.

Program Guide

The online marketing master’s degree program is composed of industry-relevant courses. Courses are generally completed one at a time instead of simultaneously, and you’ll work with your Program Mentor to build a personalized Degree Plan that keeps you on track.

WGU courses are competency-based, which means that once you demonstrate mastery in a specific area, you can move on. This allows you to use your existing knowledge to move through your degree program more quickly.

The Master of Science in Marketing Analytics program is an all-online degree program. You’ll complete program requirements independently, with instruction and support from WGU faculty. You’ll be expected to complete at least 8 competency units for each six-month term. Each course is typically three or four units. There’s no limit on the number of units you can complete each term, so the more courses you complete, the quicker you can finish your program.

Marketing

Management

11 Courses

Program consists of 11 courses

Program Guide

Capstone Project

Special requirements for this program

This capstone provides you with real-world applications to prepare you for the marketing industry. In this course, you’ll integrate and apply marketing skills gained throughout the program by working with an organization on a marketing project. Marketers must effectively manage many relationships throughout their career with clients and team members in an organization, an agency, or their own marketing firm. This course allows you to apply your technical knowledge while also developing competencies in effective communication, collaboration, conflict management, project management, and time management skills. You'll explore your professional goals and develop a personal branding strategy to enhance your marketability and strategically plan for your marketing career.

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Skills For Your Résumé

As part of this program, you will develop a range of valuable skills that employers are looking for.

Management: Successfully identified the needs of others to coach, mentor, or help improve their knowledge or skills, fostering a supportive and growth-oriented environment.
Strategic Planning: Developed a streamlined process to collect appropriate data for strategic planning activities, enabling data-driven decision-making and improved organizational performance.
Digital Marketing Analytics: Optimized the business's marketing performance through digital marketing analytics, leveraging data insights to enhance marketing strategies and drive measurable results.

Presentations: Created compelling textual, statistical, and graphical presentations using presentation software, effectively conveying complex information and ideas to diverse audiences.
Market Research: Skillfully developed buyer personas for market research purposes, providing valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences to inform marketing strategies.
Communications: Articulated complex ideas, opinions, and information while pointing out connections and relationships, facilitating clear and effective communication in professional settings.

“The Master in Marketing with Digital Marketing Specialization from Western Governors University flawlessly prepared me for the OMCA exam. After receiving my certification, I was encouraged to share it on my digital platforms. On LinkedIn, fellow OMCP members connected with me, providing new networking opportunities. The OMCP community consists of inspiring and hardworking marketing professionals who motivate me to complete my master's degree."

—Shelby Davis
M.S. Digital Marketing

Why WGU?

Earning Potential

A degree can dramatically impact your earning potential. According to a 2023 Harris Poll, two years after graduation, WGU students report earning $22,200 more per year.

PAYING FOR SCHOOL

On Your Schedule

Competency-based education means you can move as quickly through your degree as you can master the material. You don't have to log in to classes at a certain time—you are truly in the driver's seat of your education

A FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE

Entirely Online

The marketing master's degree at WGU is 100% online, which means it works wherever you are. You can do your coursework at night after working at your full-time job, on weekends, while you're traveling the world or on vacation—it's entirely up to you.

ADMISSIONS INFO

Accredited, Respected,
Recognized™

One important measure of a degree’s value is the reputation of the university where it was earned. When employers, industry leaders, and academic experts hold your alma mater in high esteem, you reap the benefits of that respect. WGU is a pioneer in reinventing higher education for the 21st century, and our quality has been recognized.

COST & TIME

An Online Marketing Degree That's Affordable

By charging per term rather than per credit—and empowering students to accelerate through material they know well or learn quickly—WGU helps students control the ultimate cost of their degrees. The faster you complete your program, the less you pay for your degree.

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TOTAL COST:

YEARS

A Marketing Degree Within Reach

There is help available to make paying for school possible for you:

The average student loan debt of WGU graduates in 2022 (among those who borrowed) was less than half* the national average.

Responsible Borrowing Initiative

Most WGU students qualify for financial aid, and WGU is approved for federal financial aid and U.S. veterans benefits.

Financial Aid

Many scholarship opportunities are available. Find out what you might be eligible for.

Scholarships

**WGU undergraduate students have approximately half the debt at graduation compared to the national average, according to the Institute for College Access and Success (2022).*

INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS

Top Industry Certifications Students Can Earn

Students in the online marketing analytics master's program will be prepared to take the following certification exams during their program to demonstrate their expertise in the marketing field. The cost of most of these exams are free to WGU students as part of their tuition. These industry certifications are not required for students, but the coursework in their program will prepare them for these exams which can be critical as they work to excel within the marketing space.

Be prepared to earn the following industry certifications:

Google Digital Marketing & E-Commerce (Google Career Certificate)
Google Ads Search

HubSpot Inbound Marketing
HubSpot Marketing Software
HubSpot Email Marketing
HubSpot Social Media Marketing

OMCP Online Marketing Certified Associate

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE

A Different Way to Learn: Degree Programs Designed to Fit Your Life—and All the Demands on Your Time

Professional responsibilities. Family obligations. Personal commitments. At WGU, we understand schedules are tight and often unpredictable for adult students. That’s why we offer a flexible, personalized approach to how education should be. No rigid class schedules. Just a solid, career-focused teaching program that meshes with your current lifestyle. You'll be challenged. You'll work hard. But if you commit yourself and put in the hours needed, WGU makes it possible for you to earn a highly respected degree as a busy working adult.

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"The classes are challenging and apply well to the pursuit of professional advancement. As a recent graduate I feel that I have accomplished something substantial and I have a degree that I am proud of."

—Jonathan Ogilvie
B.S. Marketing

CAREER OUTLOOK

Success in Business Starts With a College Degree in Marketing

This marketing master's degree program will help you build your technical skills and marketing perception, preparing you for a wide variety of valuable careers in any of the following areas:

E-commerce
Data analytics
SEO.

A successful career in marketing analytics requires a solid understanding of how to position a product or service to consumers using consumer research and data. WGU’s online Master of Science in Marketing Analytics is designed to teach you how to strategically position a brand that stands out in a crowded marketplace.

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Return on Your Investment

On average, WGU graduates see an increase in income post-graduation

Average income increase from all degrees in annual salary vs. pre-enrollment salary. Source: 2023 Harris Poll Survey of 1,655 WGU graduates.

Survey was sent to a representative sample of WGU graduates from all colleges. Respondents received at least one WGU degree since 2017.

10%

Overall employment of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers is projected to grow 10% from 2021 to 2031, faster than the average for all occupations.

—U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics