If you’re looking for a promising career that gives you flexibility and financial stability, then a marketing degree may be right for you. But what can you do with a marketing degree?
With so many degrees and career paths to choose from, marketing is a degree that offers students an avenue to express their creativity, with the ability to move up, pivot to other jobs, and continue studies long term.
What Is A Marketing Degree?
A marketing degree is a degree awarded to graduates of academic programs that complete the required coursework to demonstrate their understanding of marketing, or a certain aspect of marketing. There are various types of marketing degrees that you can earn, and at different levels, depending on how far you want to go. With a marketing degree, graduates have many options of potential careers they could go into.
Is Marketing The Same As Advertising?
While these two fields are certainly similar, they do have some key differences. Marketing has to do much more with researching, analyzing, and brainstorming ideas about how a company can best reach their target audience, whereas advertising is actually implementing those ideas into ads. In fact, sales and marketing go hand-in-hand more so than advertising and marketing.
Is Marketing Right For You / Are You Right for Marketing?
Choosing to major in marketing can be a great choice for people looking for a creative yet lucrative career. But, before making this decision, it’s important to ask yourself “Is marketing right for me?” or “Am I right for marketing?”
A good way to make this determination is to look at what your own interests are and whether or not you think you have the skills — or the ability to learn the skills — that are required for a career in marketing.
Wondering why you should pursue a career in marketing? A marketing job typically requires people to work in teams, so if you enjoy working with others, sharing your ideas, and turning those ideas into something you can actually see the results of, then marketing is a good choice.
Secondly, with a degree in marketing, there are so many different jobs you can go into. This is especially true nowadays, as there are many start-ups that are in need of marketing experts.
Best of all, if at some point you are not satisfied with your current marketing role, you can always transition to another role that’s quite different, but still within the realm of marketing. You can expect that with a career in marketing, your career will never be boring.
Lastly, a job in marketing can offer not only flexibility, but security and stability. Jobs in marketing tend to pay well and offer benefits. In some cases, you may also be able to work freelance and/or remotely, too.
What Kinds Of Marketing Degrees Are There?
If you know that a marketing degree is right for you, which one should you go for? Perhaps you have already earned a bachelor’s in marketing or you’ve taken some marketing courses. Or, perhaps you’re a high school student wondering if you should begin your marketing journey.
Now that you know what you can do with a marketing degree, check out University of the People to learn how you can start your journey with a degree in marketing or business. UoPeople is 100% online and tuition-free, and our three business degrees — an associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s (MBA) in business administration — cover all the marketing and business skills for a well-rounded education that will prepare you for a career in marketing.
1. Certificate In Marketing
If you want to get a taste of what a marketing career looks like, then consider a certificate in marketing. This is usually a course on a specific area of marketing, in which you will take several lessons and tests before earning your certificate. With a certificate, you can usually apply for an entry-level role.
2. Associate Degree In Marketing
An associate degree in marketing is a two-year program in marketing that can also lead to jobs in marketing. It can also be a good starting point if you think that later you’ll want to earn an undergraduate degree in marketing.
3. Bachelor’s In Marketing
A bachelor’s degree in marketing — otherwise known as an undergraduate degree in marketing — is a four-year program (though people can often achieve it at their own pace) that will give you the skills, knowledge, and experience to land a good marketing job. It can also be used as a requirement for a graduate degree in marketing if you decide to do further studies.
4. Master’s In Marketing
A master’s degree in marketing is a graduate degree in marketing. This is typically a two-year program that allows those who have a bachelor’s degree to pursue further studies, usually in a specialized area of marketing.
Some examples of areas of marketing you can specialize in are:
What Kind of Salary Can You Earn With a Marketing Degree?
When people choose a major, one of their biggest questions is whether or not it will lead to a well-paying, secure job.
With a marketing degree, you can earn $66,000 on average, according to Payscale. But many can make a lot more than this depending on their skills, experience, where they work, and how long they work there.
Major Marketing Skills
Because there are so many different career paths that fall under the marketing umbrella, you might be wondering what marketing skills are most desirable. By knowing which marketing skills are favored by HR specialists, you can know what you should be focusing on the most when you’re in school.
Skills For Your Marketing CV
When the time comes for you to start applying to marketing jobs, there are several skills you’ll want to highlight on your marketing CV or marketing resume:
Hard Skills:
Content curation and creation
SEO
UI/UX design
Social media strategy
Data analytics
Marketing technology
Soft Skills:
Communication skills including speaking, listening, and the ability to write effectively
The ability to work with others
Strategic thinking/brainstorming
Ability to research and analyze data
Self-starter/takes initiative
The ability to think creatively/out of the box
Relevant Work Experience
Whether you’re new to marketing, you’re looking to switch marketing careers, or you’re interested in pursuing further studies in marketing, you’ll need to have relevant work experience to land a good job.
Consider getting an internship, work placement, or a marketing role on a committee or club you’re in at school. This is not only valuable in terms of having something to add to your resume, but may actually be required by your program of study. You can also make important connections for when you enter the workforce.
Additional Marketing Study
Even though you can learn most marketing skills while on the job (practice makes perfect!), there are ways to supplement your studies on the side or academically. You can pursue your master’s in marketing after earning your bachelor’s degree, or take courses not just in marketing, but in writing, communication, design, and management to make yourself a more desirable and well-rounded candidate.
What Can You Do With a Marketing Degree?
A marketing degree can open up many doors for you. But, before choosing to major in marketing, it’s a good idea to know what job possibilities are out there and what to expect.
Because technology is progressing at such a rapid pace, the future of marketing jobs will offer even more career options for those with a degree. Some examples are:
Mobile Marketing Manager
Content Archivist
Community Management Executive
Transcultural Anthropologist
Professional Resources for Marketing Majors
For marketing majors who want to network, there are many professional resources for marketing majors available. Create a profile on LinkedIn, and talk to other marketing majors that you know. You can also visit a career services center to talk about your career options.
Like with any career, be sure to connect with people who are in the same major as you. And, if you get an internship, strive to make meaningful connections that may come in handy once you’re on the job hunt.
So, What Can You Do With a Marketing Degree?
In this day in age, there’s no limit as to what you can do with a marketing degree. If you set yourself up for gaining the right education, you can gain the skills and experience necessary to pursue a promising career in marketing. If this sounds like it might be the right fit for you, then learn more about UoPeople’s business degrees today!
At UoPeople, our blog writers are thinkers, researchers, and experts dedicated to curating articles relevant to our mission: making higher education accessible to everyone. Read More
