Career Paths with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing

A degree may open the door to a variety of opportunities and diverse career paths. The degree programs offered at AIU will not necessarily lead to the featured careers. This collection of articles is intended to help inform and guide you through the process of determining which level of degree and types of certifications align with your desired career path.

It typically takes four years to obtain a bachelor’s degree in marketing from a university program. Accelerated programs may allow students to finish within three years, while part-time classes can take several years longer. A bachelor’s degree in marketing has the potential to help students prepare to pursue opportunities with more challenge and responsibility. Despite what many people believe, marketing is not entirely related to advertising. Marketing is also associated with creating a brand and finding the best way to get goods and services in front of customers. The marketing field includes the entire process of creating an impression of products and brands.¹

What Will I Study in Marketing Classes?

University courses on the marketing track often include business, statistics, business math, advertising, economics and survey design. Research is a valuable skills taught in marketing courses, especially as some marketers produce, distribute and study surveys and their results. Marketing students must also be able to identify customer needs and the stages of product development. Students become acquainted with different communication strategies involved in planning, developing and selling a good or service. Fast thinking and quick responses are also important elements of working in the business world.¹

Marketing jobs may require skill and knowledge of different aspects of business and management, including finances and advertising. Nearly every type of business requires the use of marketing professionals in some way. Some marketers might work in advertising, brand management and public relations. Some marketing graduates go on to work in fields that are not directly related to marketing but require similar business skills.¹

What are Some Marketing Career Paths?

Marketers work in many different roles and can be found in many different types of organizations. Here are some common careers for people with a bachelor’s degree in marketing or bachelors in business administration specializing in marketing:

• Advertising Managers: Advertising managers work primarily to generate interest for an organization’s services or products. The scale can vary, from handling the efforts of an entire company to working on reaching potential buyers of individual products. They typically work closely with sales staff and ultimately oversee teams that create advertising campaigns.¹
  Advertising managers can also include the following roles:
  • Media Directors: A media director’s job is similar to that of an advertising manager, though media directors are primarily responsible for determining how to reach potential customers with an advertising campaign. For example, they may determine whether a campaign’s primary delivery method is via the internet or television — or by way of any combination of media outlets.¹
  • Account Executives: Account Executives don’t work on creating advertising campaigns — rather, they serve as a liaison between a client and an organization’s marketing or advertising team, managing the details of the account in the process.¹
• Promotions Managers: Promotions oversee initiatives that combine advertising campaigns with purchase incentives. These initiatives may take many forms — such as direct mail, internet advertisements, and special events — and may involve various incentives like discounts or contests.¹
• Marketing Managers: Marketing managers work to identify potential markets and determine the demand for an organizations products and services. They may create pricing strategies to help maximize profits while also engaging with customer to make sure they’re satisfied. Marketing managers work with many different parts of an organization, including public relations, sales and product development.¹

Earn an Online Marketing Degree with American InterContinental University

With employment opportunities for marketing professionals poised to grow by 10% through 2026,¹ now is a great time to start learning the tools of the trade. To get started, you can request information from AIU today.

1. “Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers.” Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics Retrieved from: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/advertising-promotions-and-marketing-managers.htm (Visited 10/17/18).
2. “Business and financial Occupations.” Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics Retrieved from: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/home.htm (Visited 10/17/18)

AIU cannot guarantee employment or salary. For important information about the educational debt, earnings and completion rates of students who attended these programs, go to www.aiuniv.edu/disclosures.
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