Marketing Major: What It Includes, Classes and Careers

A Marketing major studies how organizations understand customers and promote products and services. Marketing majors learn consumer behavior, market research, branding, advertising, digital and social media marketing, and sales.

A Marketing major includes coursework in principles of marketing, consumer behavior, market research, digital and social media marketing, and advertising and promotion and more. You build skills such as market research, content and campaign planning, digital marketing tools, and data analysis. Typical degrees: associate and bachelor's degrees.

Typical courses include principles of marketing, consumer behavior, market research, digital and social media marketing, advertising and promotion, and marketing analytics. Exact course names and requirements vary by college, and most degrees also include general education courses.

It depends on the level. Marketing is offered as certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards at U.S. colleges; certificates take from a few months to about two years, an associate degree usually takes about two years of full-time study, a bachelor’s degree usually takes about four years of full-time study, a master’s degree usually takes one to two years after a bachelor’s, and a doctoral or professional degree takes several more years beyond that. Part-time study takes longer.

Associate and bachelor's degrees. In the latest federal data, 253 colleges reported certificate awards, 180 colleges reported associate awards, 782 colleges reported bachelor’s awards, 126 colleges reported master’s awards, and 9 colleges reported doctoral awards.

Career paths connected to marketing include marketing manager, digital marketing specialist, public relations specialist, advertising sales agent, survey researcher, account executive, sales manager, and visual merchandiser. Some roles need additional training, experience, certification or a license.

Examples include marketing manager (typical training: 4 years plus 5+ years of experience), digital marketing specialist (typical training: 6 months to 4 years), public relations specialist (typical training: 4 years), advertising sales agent (typical training: 1–6 months), survey researcher (typical training: 2 years after a bachelor’s), and account executive (typical training: 1–6 months).

Marketing majors build skills such as market research, content and campaign planning, digital marketing tools, data analysis, and persuasive communication.

Good pairings include Communications (strengthens writing and messaging for campaigns), Psychology (explains why people buy and how they make decisions), Business (adds a broader view of finance and operations), and Graphic Design (lets you create the visuals behind campaigns).

It can be a good fit if you are interested in the work it leads to, such as marketing manager, digital marketing specialist, and public relations specialist, and enjoy subjects like principles of marketing and consumer behavior. No major guarantees a job, so compare the coursework, the careers and the education each career requires before deciding.

How hard it feels depends on your strengths. Core coursework includes principles of marketing, consumer behavior, and market research; if those subjects interest you, the major is likely to feel more manageable. Reviewing a college’s course list and talking to current students helps you judge.

1,036 U.S. colleges reported awarding degrees or certificates in this field in the latest federal (IPEDS) data. Programs can have different names at different schools.

Texas (63), New York (62), Pennsylvania (61), Ohio (55), and Illinois (48), based on the colleges that reported awards in this field.

961 of the colleges that offer marketing also report offering at least one program entirely online, though not necessarily this one. Use the college search with this major and “Offers fully online programs”, then confirm with the school.

Marketing studies how organizations understand customers and promote products and services. Business Administration is a broad business major that covers management, finance, marketing and operations. Marketing leads to careers such as marketing manager and digital marketing specialist, while Business Administration leads to careers such as general and operations manager and administrative services manager.

Marketing studies how organizations understand customers and promote products and services. Accounting teaches you to record, analyze, report and audit financial information. Marketing leads to careers such as marketing manager and digital marketing specialist, while Accounting leads to careers such as accountant and bookkeeper.

Yes. Short online career training can help you understand a specific job and build practical knowledge alongside your classes. It does not replace your degree or any required license.

No. Career Education Institute is not a college and does not award degrees. It offers short, non-credit online trainings about jobs connected to marketing, such as Marketing Manager Training.