What are the Types of Marketing Degrees?

The title “marketing degree” is a little too all-encompassing. Numerous academic paths either heavily or lightly emphasize marketing. Your current educational background will determine the level of degree that is offered, but the particular course will be up to your personal preference.

Associate, Bachelor’s, or Master’s?

According to recent data, 74% of US marketing professionals are bachelor’s degree holders. 9% of people hold an associate’s degree, and 8% hold a master’s. Here is a brief summary of the variations.

Associate degrees are two-year programs that provide a more fundamental introduction to marketing and business than bachelor’s degrees provide. They are made to equip students with the fundamental abilities required to apply for entry-level marketing employment.

Bachelor’s degrees entail three and a half years of business and economics coursework. Numerous bachelor’s degree programs have marketing as their central focus, but you’ll also learn about more general business concepts like management, communication, and administration.

Master’s degrees are two-year programs that are often only open to those with a bachelor’s degree. The goal of an MA or MBA program is to foster a thorough understanding of challenging business concepts. They include topics like strategic marketing or marketing analytics, and they are very specific.

Marketing Specific or Business General? 

It all comes down to preference. Both conventional business degrees and degrees devoted solely to marketing provide marketing as a module. Additionally, there are numerous offline and online colleges and universities that offer a variety of course delivery methods.

Find out which degree type is most appropriate if you’re considering a specific work role or career path. Keep in mind that if you want to advance to management positions in the future, you will need to expand your marketing knowledge.

What Jobs Look for a Marketing Degree?

What jobs should you be looking for once you have your marketing qualification? Here are some job descriptions and industries to be aware of, along with the prerequisites for each.

low level
Take a look at these positions if you have a degree but no experience or work experience but no degree.

• Roles in sales and customer service are related to marketing, and most employers do not require prior experience for these positions. This is a good place to start if you don’t have a degree.
• If you don’t have a degree or are still in school, another option is to intern in marketing or public relations.
• Associate in digital or content marketing – These positions nearly always call for an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. To succeed, one needs to have a solid understanding of contemporary digital and social marketing strategies.
• For individuals with training in literature or journalism, becoming a copywriter or bid writer is an excellent entry point into the marketing field. These positions blend writing skills from the fields of persuasive, creative, and marketing.
• SEO specialist – A more focused form of marketing centered on SEO content optimization. If you know how to optimize a blog post for search engine rankings, this role is for you. Bachelor’s or associate qualifications will be a minimum requirement. 
• Social media/community manager – Since these are relatively new roles, we tend to see a mix of degree-qualified marketers and people who’ve had success fostering communities or online brands but don’t have on-paper credentials.  

Career Progression

• Digital Marketing Manager – A role for experienced marketers that involves running campaigns and coordinating marketing associates. 
• Senior Marketing Coordinator – A department management level role. Responsible for overall marketing strategy and departmental performance.  
• Content Strategist – A specialist role that focuses on content strategy. Designing content plans based on demographic and keyword research are a core aspect of this role. 
• Marketing Analyst – This role involves analyzing customer behaviors and market trends. If you want to move into analysis from a more direct marketing role, you’ll likely need specific data analysis qualifications. 
• Public Relations Specialist – The public voice of a large organization’s PR team. Managing a brand’s public perception and setting brand-level communication policies like tone of voice.   
• Experiential Marketing Specialist – This area of marketing is focused on optimizing the customer experience. Experiential specialists have a deep understanding of customer psychology and behaviors. 
• Corporate Communications Manager – Communications managers are responsible for company-wide communications policies. This is an executive-level role that a marketing coordinator or public relations manager might move up to.