The Best Online Bachelor’s in Marketing
| TBS Staff
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An online marketing degree can lead to jobs in diverse fields, like marketing, advertising, and digital media.
The minimum education requirement for most marketing jobs, a bachelor's in marketing provides skills in management, finance, and economics. Additionally, bachelor's in marketing students gain soft skills in areas like communication, creativity, and leadership, which help professionals in nearly every field succeed.
| #1 | University of Minnesota–Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN |
| #2 | University of Massachusetts–Amherst Amherst, MA |
| #3 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA |
| #4 | Oregon State University Corvallis, OR |
| #5 | Washington State University Pullman, WA |
| #6 | Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO |
| #7 | Florida International University Miami, FL |
| #8 | Houghton College Houghton, NY |
| #9 | University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL |
| #10 | University of Memphis Memphis, TN |
Featured Online Schools
The Best Online Bachelor's in Marketing Programs
The University of Minnesota is a public institution dating back to 1851. UMN offers online degrees through the University of Minnesota Online, including a fully online bachelor of science in marketing. Students learn how to identify customer needs, conduct marketing research in a global business environment, and apply critical thinking skills to marketing problems. Graduates possess strong communication skills and know how to establish and maintain business relationships.
The online marketing degree requires 120 credits. Marketing majors complete 62 business and marketing credits, including classes on business writing, management information systems, and managerial finance. Learners also study personal selling, sales promotion, internet marketing, and marketing research. Additionally, the program incorporates an internship to build professional skills.
In addition to marketing courses, students must take general education courses, including composition, economics, public speaking, and statistics. Transfer students can apply credits from other colleges and universities toward the requirement.
UMN admits first-time freshmen and transfer students to the marketing program. Prospective students must submit an application and answers to short essay questions. First-time college students must submit transcripts showing a high school diploma or the equivalent, one letter of recommendation, and optional ACT or SAT scores. Transfer students must submit transcripts from all prior colleges with the option to send letters of recommendation.
The flagship campus of the state's public university system, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst dates back to 1863 and enrolls over 30,000 students annually. Students interested in marketing can earn an online bachelor of business administration with a concentration in marketing. The degree-completion program helps students with prior college credit earn a bachelor's degree in marketing.
Offered by the Isenberg School of Management, the online marketing degree prepares students to conduct research into consumer demand, communicate to potential buyers, and price products. Marketing students complete 12 general education courses and 12 business core classes.
The business curriculum covers topics like operations management, corporate finance, and management communications, preparing graduates for career advancement. Marketing courses include social media marketing and marketing research. Students can customize the degree by choosing from business electives in areas like information management and finance.
In courses like social media and marketing analytics, students learn how to incorporate technology into their marketing practices and analyze data to make effective decisions. In an internet marketing course, learners study the internet's impact on marketing strategy and consumer behavior.
UMass Amherst recommends that applicants hold at least 27 transferable credits with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Prospective students must submit a resume, personal statement, and transcripts. UMass Amherst considers work and military experience in evaluating applications.
A public research institution founded in 1884, Temple University offers online degrees through the Fox School of Business. Temple students can earn an online bachelor of business administration in marketing with a full-time or part-time schedule. Online students can choose from 15-week or accelerated seven-week sessions.
Marketing majors study effective marketing strategies and new product development. The curriculum also emphasizes how to design promotional programs and create pricing strategies. Students build applied quantitative skills to make data-driven decisions. Temple's faculty incorporate experiential and active learning through simulations, projects, and cases to help students apply their training to real-life scenarios.
Marketing students can minor in digital marketing, taking coursework in customer relationship management, information architecture, e-commerce, and search engine optimization. The minor also trains students in demographic and sales analytics.
Online BBA classes at Temple use asynchronous videos and lectures and scheduled live interactions. Temple charges a flat tuition rate for online learners regardless of residency. Nearly half of new Temple students apply as transfer students with more than 15 college credits. Applicants with few transfer credits must submit SAT or ACT scores. All applicants must submit an essay.
Founded in 1868, Oregon State University is the flagship institution in the state's public university system. Oregon State offers online degrees through its Ecampus program, including an online business administration degree with focus areas in marketing and digital marketing. Oregon State ranks as one of the best online marketing programs for its flexible curriculum that prioritizes innovation, entrepreneurship, and experiential learning.
The fully online marketing degree trains students in marketing fundamentals, including market research, segmentation and targeting, consumer behavior, and marketing strategy. The digital marketing focus prepares students to create data-driven strategies for social media campaigns, with courses in analytics and business intelligence. Digital marketing students also take courses in search engine marketing and digital media and marketing integration.
Applicants must submit transcripts. Oregon State prefers a first-year cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, and high school seniors must submit SAT or ACT scores. Online students gain access to success coaching, library services, and free online tutoring. Oregon State also offers career guidance to online learners. All online students pay a flat tuition rate regardless of residency.
A public research university founded in 1890, Washington State University grants online degrees through the WSU Global Campus. Offered through the Carson College of Business, the online bachelor's degree in marketing includes coursework in marketing research, international marketing, and consumer behavior. Marketing majors build practical skills through a curriculum focused on marketing strategy and management.
Students must complete business administration certification before earning their marketing degree. The certification curriculum covers fundamental business topics like financial accounting, business statistics, and managing information technology. Students then take marketing courses on topics like marketing research and promotion management. Students can choose from two upper-division marketing electives to customize the degree around their interests and professional goals.
The Carson College of Business requires a six-credit international experience to prepare graduates for a global marketplace. Online learners can fulfill the requirement through an internship, coursework, or a study abroad experience. The 120-credit online marketing degree also includes general education requirements, which transfer students can meet through prior college credits. Prospective students must submit transcripts.
A public institution founded in 1870, Colorado State University grants online degrees through CSU Global. Students can earn a bachelor's degree in marketing from CSU's fully online program. CSU ranks as one of the best marketing schools for its focus on cutting-edge marketing theory, which trains students to define target markets, understand buyer behavior, and evaluate market segments.
The online marketing degree comprises 120 credits, including general education courses that build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Transfer students can fulfill CSU's general education requirements through prior college credits. Marketing majors take courses on consumer behavior, product and brand management, digital marketing, and market research. Students can build hands-on experience through an optional internship. The program culminates in a marketing capstone project.
Online students can pursue a degree specialization to complement their major, choosing from options like business administration, digital marketing, and data analysis. CSU's online courses do not require set meeting times and offer monthly start dates. Online learners can also choose accelerated courses to expedite graduation.
One of the country's largest universities, Florida International University is a public institution that enrolls over 55,000 students. FIU offers online degrees, including an online bachelor of business administration with a concentration in marketing. The online marketing degree prepares graduates for careers in e-marketing, social media marketing, marketing research, and related fields. The curriculum emphasizes marketing principles and strategies, with training in consumer behavior, presentation skills, and product marketing.
The 120-credit degree includes general education requirements and core business classes, such as financial management, information systems management, and applied business statistics. The program also incorporates business professional development courses, like career management and speech and writing for business communications.
Marketing courses cover topics like market research, personal selling, and marketing strategy. Students can customize the degree with electives on topics like marketing of small business enterprises, export marketing, and retail marketing.
First-time freshmen applicants must submit official high school transcripts and ACT or SAT scores. Transfer applicants must provide official college transcripts. Transfer applicants with fewer than 60 college credits must also provide high school transcripts and SAT or ACT scores.
A private college affiliated with the Wesleyan Church, Houghton College dates back to 1883. Houghton College's online programs include a bachelor's degree in integrated marketing communication. Students can complete the degree as a bachelor of business administration or a bachelor of science in marketing.
The program emphasizes the communication side of marketing, focusing on advertising, public relations, and marketing events. Graduates can manage and implement marketing plans in marketing and promotions roles.
Online learners must complete 124 credits to earn the degree. The BBA requires 31 liberal arts credits, while the BS requires 62 liberal arts credits. Marketing classes cover topics like social media marketing, advertising principles, and marketing research. Marketing majors also study business principles and public relations.
Classes follow eight-week terms and Houghton College does not require set login times, giving students the flexibility to balance their studies with personal and professional responsibilities. Applicants must provide a personal statement, a recommendation letter, transcripts, and standardized test scores, with the option to waive the test score requirement.
A public research university dating back to 1936, the University of Alabama at Birmingham offers online business degrees through the Collat School of Business. Students can earn a fully online marketing bachelor's degree that emphasizes sales techniques, marketing communications, and multinational business practices, preparing for careers in sales, marketing management, public relations, advertising, and promotions.
Marketing majors complete upper-division business classes on topics like information systems, operations management, and business communications. Core marketing classes include training in retail marketing, distribution management, and professional selling.
Learners can gain hands-on training through an optional internship. Additionally, the online marketing degree incorporates a strategic marketing capstone course, allowing students to demonstrate their skills. Applicants must submit official transcripts. Admitted online marketing students qualify for scholarship opportunities.
Founded in 1912, the University of Memphis is a public research institution with a historic, tree-lined campus in a residential neighborhood. UofM offers online programs that prioritize flexibility, including an online bachelor's degree in marketing management. Offered through the Fogelman College of Business and Economics, the marketing management degree covers fundamental business principles and marketing skills, preparing graduates for a variety of marketing jobs.
Marketing majors take courses in consumer research, product development, marketing strategy, and customer relationship management. The program's management focus provides training in overseeing marketing strategies and managing marketing campaigns. The business curriculum offers classes like business analytics, financial management, and operations management. Marketing students can choose from electives, like retail marketing and social media marketing, to customize the degree around their career goals.
Online learners must also complete general education courses to meet the 120-credit requirement for the bachelor's degree. Students can complete these requirements online through UofM Global or through transfer credits.
Prospective transfer students need a minimum 2.0 GPA. Applicants must submit official transcripts. Prospective students with fewer than 15 credits must submit high school transcripts and ACT or SAT scores.
Online Bachelor's in Marketing Programs Ranking Guidelines
We selected these online bachelor's in marketing programs based on quality, curricula, faculty, rankings, awards, and reputation, including the school's reputation for effectively providing online degree programs.
The motto of TheBestSchools.org is Finding the best school for you. Here is how we do it:
The value of any ranking list of schools and/or degree programs depends on having a methodologically sound assessment of each school’s/program’s characteristics, especially insofar as these can be objectively measured. A college or university is a complex entity, with numerous factors to consider, and distilling these down to the place where meaningful comparisons can be made to form a defensible ranking list becomes part science and part art.
To meet this challenge—and thereby provide you with the most useful and insightful educational rankings on the Internet — TheBestSchools.org formulates our rankings based on five informational categories (six, when considering online schools). The major metrics and qualities for which we rank are these (with expanded, detailed considerations and weights listed):
1. Academic excellence based on a school’s curriculum generally or within the selected discipline [weight = 25%]
- Weighs school against known leading schools in that discipline
- Weighs number of core curricula listed as advanced courses within that discipline and compares against introductory courses
- Weighs school’s curriculum against known knowledge needs of major employers in that discipline
- Considers number and types of specializations offered within that discipline
- Considers faculty expertise in that discipline
- Considers range of electives within that discipline
- Considers quality of online environment offered to students (if applicable), particularly within that discipline
2. Strength of faculty scholarship [weight = 25%]
- Considers education background of the faculty
- Considers years of faculty experience both inside and outside of academia.
- Considers faculty membership and leadership within relevant, prominent associations
- Considers academic papers published by faculty in relevant, prominent periodicals
- Considers awards and recognitions given to faculty members from prominent organizations and from other sources
3. Reputation [weight = 20%]
- Considers a school’s reputation among academic peers and employers regarding the following:
- Faculty
- Curriculum
- “Freshness” of academic knowledge
- Adaptability to changes in employment sectors
- Suitability of graduates for the workplace
4. Financial aid [weight = 10%]
- Mandatory: Requires full accreditation from an agency endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and listed on the federal register to accept student federal financial aid
- Considers range of school-sponsored financial aid such as scholarships and grants
5. Range of degree programs [weight = 20%]
- Considers range of degree levels: associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral and professional
- Considers range of degree subjects offered, such as art & design, computers & technology, education & teaching, criminal justice, and business
6. Strength of online instruction methodology (if applicable) [weight = 25%; subtract 5% from each of the above for online schools/programs]
-
Considers the following of the online classes:
- Types of online technology used to deliver content
- Pedagogy style: asynchronous, synchronous, or both (depending on the degree)
- Extent and quality of the online, community learning environment, including options for communication, interactivity, and collaboration between students and also between students and instructors
- Variety, breadth, and depth of coursework, and its support, including project options and online tutoring
-
Considers the following of instructors:
- Extent of training for teaching within an online learning environment
- Amount of timely, consistent feedback to students
- Extent of collaboration with prospective employers to ensure suitability of instructional materials for achieving desired skills
- Ratio to number of students in a class
- Number and quality of internships in a student’s geographical area for applicable degrees
Because students tend to review a variety of information when choosing a school, the weight a student gives any one criterion will vary. For instance, it’s not enough to offer a carefully constructed ranking of great schools if many are too expensive or too difficult to get into.
To better serve the needs of prospective students, we are therefore increasingly offering filters that help you better use our rankings to find the schools that match your specific needs. These supplement our ranking criteria and include:
- Accreditation
- Public or private status
- Acceptance rate
- Retention rate
- Graduation rate
- ACT/SAT requirements
- Cost in-state / out of state
- Undergrad, grad, or both offered
- Region
- State
- City
Get the best rankings here AND get them to suit your personal needs. That’s TheBestSchools.org advantage!
If you have any questions about our ranking methodology, please contact us.
Citations: For a broader account of our ranking methodology, especially as it relates to TheBestSchools.org's underlying educational philosophy and, in other ranking articles, looks beyond academic excellence (as here) to such factors as return on investment or incidental benefit, see our article "Ranking Methodology: How We Rank Schools at TBS." Reputation of schools and degree programs can at least in part be gauged through the school or department's publishing activity, citations, and desirability. At TheBestSchools.org, we keep track of such social and peer validation: "Making Sense of College Rankings." For nuts-and-bolts information about colleges and universities, we look to the National Center for Education Statistics and especially its College Navigator. Insofar as salary and inflation data are relevant to a ranking, we look to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Finally, nothing beats contacting schools and degree programs directly, which our researchers often do, with the result that all the entries in this article should be considered as belonging to this citation!
What Is a Bachelor's in Marketing Degree?
Nearly every industry needs qualified marketing managers, especially professionals with retail, business, and digital media experience. Graduates with an online marketing degree can pursue careers in fields like advertising, communications, and promotions. They also qualify for positions in nonprofit organizations and sports management as well as marketing research and analytics.
Career Fields for Marketing Graduates
- Advertising
- Brand Management
- Business Marketing
- Distribution Management
- Franchise Management
- Integrated Marketing Communications
- Marketing Research and Analytics
- Nonprofit Marketing
- Product/Brand Management
- Professional Selling and Sales Management
- Retail
- Sales Promotions
- Social Media/Digital Marketing
- Sports Marketing
Bachelor in Marketing Degree Jobs
Graduates with a bachelor's in marketing can work in diverse fields like customer service, public relations, and social media. The following list covers popular jobs for graduates with a bachelor's degree in marketing.
- Account Manager
- Advertising Sales Agent
- Brand Manager
- Communications Specialist
- Consumer Representative
- Customer Relationship Manager
- Email Marketing Manager
- Event Planner
- Green Marketer
- Market Analysis/Strategic Research
- Marketing Coordinator
- Marketing Manager
- Market Research Analyst
- Product Manager
- Promotions Manager
- Public Relations Manager
- Public Relations Specialist
- Retail Manager
- Sales Manager
- Sales Representative
- Social Media Marketer
- Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representative
What Can You Do With a Bachelor's in Marketing Degree?
Graduates with a bachelor's degree in marketing can earn above-average salaries. For instance, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that advertising, marketing, and promotions managers earn an average annual salary of $132,620. Many factors affect earning potential, however, including location, experience, and industry. In 2018, top-earning marketing managers worked in professional, scientific, and technical services.
| Position | Yearly Salary | Forecasted Job Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing Manager | $134,290 | 8% |
| Advertising and Promotions Manager | $117,130 | 3% |
| Market Research Analyst | $63,120 | 20% |
Professional Organizations
With a focus on networking for marketing professionals and market research scholars, the AMA publishes world-renowned scholarly journals and award-winning magazines. The organization hosts 70 local chapters in the U.S. and Canada. Members gain access to benefits including special interest groups, speaking engagements, and digital and print publications.
Established in 1973, SMPS offers networking and continuing education resources for marketing and business leaders in industries like architecture, engineering, construction, and interior design. The organization represents more than 7,000 members in North America and offers benefits, including learning labs and discounts on trade publication subscriptions.
Among the oldest professional organizations of its kind, the ANA began in 1910. ANA members include client-side marketers, marketing solutions providers, and nonprofit marketers and fundraisers. Members gain exclusive access to national industry conferences, ANA's content library, and webinars and training workshops.
With one of the largest memberships in the industry, IMA serves professionals in marketing, sales, creative development, entrepreneurship, and programming. The organization remains true to the four foundational principles envisioned by its founder in 2001, embodying communication, integrity, education, and professionalism. Members enjoy access to the IMA content library, the IMA directory, and all IMA events.
Formed in 2019, the EMA focuses on promoting best digital marketing practices. The association offers full membership to eMarketers, by invitation only, with plans to offer three membership tiers and local chapters in the future. The EMA represents a team of experienced advisors who offer mentorship to new members. The association plans to offer career networking services and industry events as membership grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some schools offer a standalone bachelor's in marketing degree, while others offer a bachelor's in business administration with a concentration in marketing or digital marketing.
Students can pursue either a BA in marketing, rooted in the humanities, or a BS, focused on the science of marketing and its technological aspects.
Most traditional and online bachelor's in marketing degrees comprise 120 credits and take roughly four years to complete.
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