Sheryl Grey is a freelance writer who specializes in creating content related to education, aging and senior living, and real estate. She is also a copywriter who helps businesses grow through expert website copywriting, branding and content creation.
Sheryl Grey Education WriterSheryl Grey is a freelance writer who specializes in creating content related to education, aging and senior living, and real estate. She is also a copywriter who helps businesses grow through expert website copywriting, branding and content creation.
Written By Sheryl Grey Education WriterSheryl Grey is a freelance writer who specializes in creating content related to education, aging and senior living, and real estate. She is also a copywriter who helps businesses grow through expert website copywriting, branding and content creation.
Sheryl Grey Education WriterSheryl Grey is a freelance writer who specializes in creating content related to education, aging and senior living, and real estate. She is also a copywriter who helps businesses grow through expert website copywriting, branding and content creation.
Education Writer Veronica Beagle Managing EditorVeronica Beagle is the managing editor for Education at Forbes Advisor. She completed her master’s in English at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Before coming to Forbes Advisor she worked on education related content at HigherEducation.com and Re.
Veronica Beagle Managing EditorVeronica Beagle is the managing editor for Education at Forbes Advisor. She completed her master’s in English at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Before coming to Forbes Advisor she worked on education related content at HigherEducation.com and Re.
Veronica Beagle Managing EditorVeronica Beagle is the managing editor for Education at Forbes Advisor. She completed her master’s in English at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Before coming to Forbes Advisor she worked on education related content at HigherEducation.com and Re.
Veronica Beagle Managing EditorVeronica Beagle is the managing editor for Education at Forbes Advisor. She completed her master’s in English at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Before coming to Forbes Advisor she worked on education related content at HigherEducation.com and Re.
Updated: Apr 2, 2024, 4:06pm
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Earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing helps learners grasp the essential concepts needed to build a career in marketing or a related field. If you’re thinking about earning a marketing degree, there are a few key factors to consider. It’s important to research and compare different universities and their marketing programs so you can make an educated decision.
This article discusses typical admission requirements, concentration offerings and potential marketing careers for students pursuing this degree.
Forbes Advisor’s education editors are committed to producing unbiased rankings and informative articles covering online colleges, tech bootcamps and career paths. Our ranking methodologies use data from the National Center for Education Statistics, education providers, and reputable educational and professional organizations. An advisory board of educators and other subject matter experts reviews and verifies our content to bring you trustworthy, up-to-date information. Advertisers do not influence our rankings or editorial content.
A bachelor’s in marketing is an undergraduate marketing degree that teaches the analytical and marketing skills needed for a career in marketing or related fields like sales and public relations. In this degree program, students learn strategies to help businesses reach consumers so they can increase sales and boost their brand identities.
Businesses provide products or services that solve consumers’ problems or offer solutions to meet consumers’ needs. As such, businesses rely on marketing to let consumers know about the products or services they offer.
Marketers use specific strategies to study consumer purchasing behavior, establish pricing structures, create marketing plans and find new ways to meet buyers’ needs. These are all skills learned with a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in marketing.
But is marketing a good major? Read on to decide for yourself.
Each marketing program sets its own criteria for admission, but certain requirements are common among most bachelor’s in marketing degrees. Below we list some typical admission requirements for an undergraduate degree in marketing.
Your university may request that you provide your SAT or ACT scores as a prerequisite to admission.
Your transcripts should demonstrate a GPA that meets the university’s minimum requirements.
Some educational institutions require high school class ranking information.
You must provide transcripts from any previous coursework, including high school and other higher education.
Some educational institutions require resumes, personal essays or letters of recommendation for admission.
Many marketing majors choose a concentration for their studies. Some universities refer to a concentration as an emphasis or a specialization, and others encourage students to use electives to explore areas of interest but do not offer formal concentration tracks. Concentrations help learners hone their skills for specific career paths by developing extensive knowledge in a specialized area rather than just a general overview.
Available concentrations vary by school, so prospective students should make sure to read each program’s concentration offerings carefully to ensure they choose the best program for their goals. Below are some common concentration options for marketing majors.
This concentration teaches learners how to use analytical tools and processes to address marketing problems and provide solutions for social media and traditional media strategies.
A concentration in product and brand management prepares students to develop branding strategies for products and services.
A general marketing concentration provides learners with broad marketing knowledge that can apply to many types of marketing careers.
This concentration focuses on how to build brand loyalty and increase revenue through content creation and social media campaigns.
A digital marketing and promotions concentration teaches essential skills in computer-based marketing, including branding and social media marketing strategies.
A concentration in marketing technology helps learners develop a strong knowledge base in the technology and strategies they can use to develop website solutions.
A value chain management concentration teaches students the fundamentals of the value chain process, including digital sales and marketing strategies, sustainable supply chains and sourcing materials on a global level.
Marketing is a versatile major that can benefit a variety of career paths. Below we list just a few potential roles that may suit bachelor’s in marketing graduates. We sourced the below career data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Payscale.
Median Annual Salary: $140,040
Projected Job Growth (2022-2032): +7%
Job Description: Marketing managers handle various aspects of marketing and promotions for organizations. Along with advertising and promotions managers, these professionals develop and implement ad campaigns, product pricing strategies, marketing plans and other promotional activities. For management positions, employers may prefer candidates with graduate degrees such as marketing master’s degrees or M.B.A.s in marketing.
Median Annual Salary: $68,230
Projected Job Growth (2022–32): +13%
Job Description: These professionals gather and analyze information about consumer buying habits and demographics, sales trends and company competitors. They then share their findings with their organizations to help them develop better products or services for customers.
Median Annual Salary: $130,600
Projected Job Growth (2022-2032): +4%
Job Description: Sales managers are responsible for managing their organizations’ sales teams. These professionals set goals for sales, train sales staff, address customer complaints, create sales projections, develop pricing strategies and analyze sales data.
Average Annual Salary: Around $79,000
Job Description: Brand managers usually work with specific brands owned by their companies. These professionals handle everything related to publicity strategies, public perception and the promotion of these brands.
Median Annual Salary: $67,440
Projected Job Growth (2022–32): +6%
Job Description: Public relations specialists create and implement strategies to manage the public image and improve the public perception of businesses and organizations. This includes representing these organizations in the media by writing press releases, communicating with news outlets and writing speeches.
A B.A. in marketing usually involves at least 120 credits and takes four years of full-time study to complete. This degree may take you longer if you study part time, or you may earn it more quickly if you transfer credits or enroll in an accelerated program.
A Bachelor of Arts in marketing focuses on humanities courses, and a Bachelor of Science in marketing emphasizes math, science and technology courses as they relate to the major. This difference applies to all bachelor’s degrees, not just marketing degrees.
The best degree for you is the one that helps you effectively move forward on your career path. A bachelor’s degree in marketing provides a strong foundation for you to build a career in marketing or a related field. If you prefer to focus on business with some marketing, you might instead consider earning a business administration bachelor’s with a marketing concentration.
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Education WriterSheryl Grey is a freelance writer who specializes in creating content related to education, aging and senior living, and real estate. She is also a copywriter who helps businesses grow through expert website copywriting, branding and content creation. Sheryl holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Indiana University South Bend, and she received her teacher certification training through Bethel University’s Transition to Teaching program.
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