What Is a Marketing Degree?

Marketing degrees include business, management, and marketing courses to prepare you to implement effective marketing strategies for your organization. While a marketing degree may only sometimes be necessary to get a marketing job, having one may broaden your career opportunities. 

Skilled marketing professionals are increasingly in demand. By majoring in marketing and pursuing a career in this field, you can engage your creativity and strategic thinking, learn marketing foundations and principles, and explore new technologies and platforms while taking on the ever-evolving business world.

Learn more about a marketing degree and what you can do with it.

What is a marketing degree? 

A marketing degree is an academic course of study—at either the undergraduate or graduate level—that focuses on promoting products and services to a target audience.

When you earn a marketing degree, you’ll learn how to find out what people want, understand the needs of different customer segments, communicate how a product or service fills those needs, and guide potential customers to take action. Marketing degree coursework combines theory and practice so that graduates can enter careers equipped to help companies increase their profitability and brand recognition. 

Marketing degrees are similar to business administration, advertising, and public relations. Consider these essential differences before majoring in marketing:

• Business administration has a broader scope than marketing. It covers management, accounting, corporate leadership, and marketing.

• Advertising is part of marketing but is more narrow in scope. Advertising focuses on promoting a brand and its products through paid channels.

• While marketing focuses on generating leads and promoting products to a target audience, public relations focuses on maintaining a company's positive reputation.

Types of marketing degrees

You may earn a marketing degree at different levels of education, each with its own requirements and areas of emphasis. Understanding these types may help you make the best decision for your education and career.

Marketing management diploma 

Typical required course credits: 60

This diploma may provide a path to earning a bachelor’s degree or higher and qualify you for an entry-level position in marketing. In this program, you’ll learn about the foundations of market research, how to select a target market, consumer behavior, and product promotion. 

This type of marketing diploma might be the best path for you if you want to enroll in a post-secondary program and gain a firm understanding of this field but aren’t sure that a four-year degree is your goal.

Bachelor’s degree in marketing

Typical required course credits: 120

A bachelor’s degree, also called a four-year or undergraduate degree, prepares marketing majors for entry-level positions and for those with more responsibilities and advancement opportunities. 

A bachelor’s degree in marketing may be the best path for you if you want to obtain the level of education that many employers require of marketing job applicants. 

With a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc) in marketing, you'll typically learn the foundations of market research and strategies. The main focus of this four-year program is:

• A degree in marketing entails a broad study of the marketing industry. Some bachelor’s in marketing programs may focus more on the humanities components of this major, such as communications and brand management, and allow you to choose your courses and electives more flexibly. This path would be ideal for you if the creative aspects of marketing appeal to you.

Master’s degree in marketing 

Typical required course credits: 45 

A master’s degree in marketing is a graduate course of study. This might be a good path for you if you have a bachelor’s degree in marketing or a related field and want to pursue more advanced or managerial job opportunities. 

Two types of master’s degrees exist in marketing: a Master of Science in Marketing (MSM) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a marketing concentration. In both programs, you’ll build upon the concepts, theories, and strategies you’d learn in a four-year program, and you’ll likely complete a capstone project, such as a thesis or a comprehensive marketing plan, that could apply to today’s business world.

Some core differences between these two programs include the following: 

• The MSM is considered the “traditional” graduate degree track and focuses specifically on advanced marketing topics, theories, and strategies rather than business management or leadership. This degree path would be a good option for you if you want to study a specific marketing area, such as analytics or digital media, and focus your career on marketing.

• An MBA with a marketing concentration offers a broader business education than the MSM. It might include topics such as leadership, economics, and finance while offering marketing coursework. An MBA is a good option if you want to pursue marketing positions and other leadership positions while applying your advanced skills to a variety of areas in the business world.

• Generally, MBA candidates enter degree programs with several years of professional experience. 

If you’re ready to begin a graduate business program, consider an online option, like the Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois. You can gain leadership skills in innovation, globalization, or digitalization and earn a degree in two to three years.

Doctoral degree in marketing

A doctorate in marketing is the most advanced degree you can get in this field and represents the highest level of academic achievement. Two types of doctorate degrees exist in marketing: a PhD and a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA). Both programs build on concepts, theories, and strategies you’d learn in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program, though they have some core differences:

• A PhD in marketing is a course of study that develops the skills to conduct original research on topics in marketing. As an academic degree, the coursework intersects with research methods in psychology, economics, statistics, and management science. This degree path might be a good fit if you want to teach at a college or university and publish scholarly research.

• A DBA, like an MBA, focuses more on real-world business applications than on theory. A DBA in marketing could lead to a marketing leadership role within a company. 

What jobs can you get with a marketing degree?

As you’re considering getting a degree in marketing, consider the career opportunities that may be available, from entry-level to managerial positions, as well as average salaries and job outlooks. The great news is that marketing professionals, especially those with strong digital marketing skills, will continue to be in demand as companies and their consumers shift online. 

Other in-demand marketing jobs and their median salaries include:

• Social media manager: $53.33 CAD per hour [1]

• Content marketing specialist: $33.24 CAD per hour [2]

• Search engine optimization specialist: $38.46 CAD per hour [3]

How to get a marketing degree 

Every degree program, from a diploma to a doctorate, is an investment of time and money. Take time to consider how a program might fit your professional and personal goals. For each degree program you’re considering, look at its flexibility, location, cost, application process, requirements, coursework, and graduate job placement information. 

To get an associate or bachelor’s degree in marketing, you’ll typically need:

• High school diploma or equivalent

• GPA of 3.0 or higher

Graduate degree programs may require:

• Completion of a bachelor’s degree

• GRE or GMAT test scores

For all programs, you’ll likely need to gather:

• Transcripts from previous schools you’ve attended

• Letters of recommendation from former teachers, mentors, or professors

Some programs may ask for:

• Resume or CV

• Personal essay

• Samples of your work or writing

Get started with a marketing degree 

If you want to pursue a marketing career, consider exploring your marketing degree options. You may get a higher education diploma or pursue your PhD in marketing.

An online course is a great way to build job-ready marketing skills and decide if a degree path is right for you. Check out the Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate to learn how to create ad campaigns and navigate Facebook’s Ads Manager, or the Meta Marketing Analytics Professional Certificate to explore marketing analytics methods and how to evaluate the effectiveness of ads. 

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