Best Program for Online Marketing Degrees

The Key Strengths of an Online Marketing Degree Program

A wide range of institutions offers online marketing programs, including junior and community colleges, private and public colleges and universities and for-profit online schools. In evaluating the strength of online marketing degrees, students should examine how well the college supports its online students, whether the program is accredited, and if delivers necessary academic resources through the online interface.

Accreditation of Marketing Schools and Programs

The prospective online marketing program and school should be accredited by one or more of the following organizations:

• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
• The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)
• One of the six regional accrediting agencies in the nation endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education.

According to the AACSB, less than five percent of the 13,000 business degree programs around the globe have earned its accreditation, making it the most highly sought accreditation for online marketing degree programs. The voluntary accreditation process means that the institution holds itself up to educational and financial assessment by an independent agency. Accreditation thereby protects the value of the student’s degree by measuring it against academic standards recognized by the business professions. Moreover, institutions that do not hold accreditation may not participate in federal student loans, grants, and scholarship programs.

Support for Marketing Students

Students should also evaluate how well their prospective schools support current and graduated marketing majors. Does the college offer a job counseling and career placement office and are its functions available online? Are there regularly supported job fairs or marketing recruiters’ visits to campus? What are the graduation rates and job placement rates for students in the online marketing degree program? Does the institution continue to provide job placement assistance to its past graduates?

Online Student Resources

Two factors contribute heavily to the quality of any online marketing degree program: online delivery system and support, and the accomplishments and qualifications of its faculty. First, does the college or university deliver its online marketing programs through a 24/7 format providing flexible access for distance learning? Is there continuous online support for the technology as well as access to course materials, digital libraries, college offices and departments? The second key factor is how prepared are faculty members to deliver marketing degree programs in an online format? Do professors and instructors have experience in the marketing field and have they been prepared to teach online? Students should inspect faculty biographies with care.

Marketing Degree Search Tool

Finding the right online marketing degree or certificate program takes work. It means sifting through hundreds of programs with a wide range of specialties and academic options to find the one that matches your requirements. Need help? The search tool below can quickly filter associate, bachelor, master’s and doctoral degree programs by cost, type of program, accreditation, and other information that marketing students need.

An Insider’s Guide to Online Marketing Degrees

Almost every sector of the economy calls on marketing professionals to establish and grow business. Marketers work across multiple sectors, serving corporations, service organizations, non-profits and the government. Highly trained marketing professionals assess the marketplace, analyze consumer behaviors and product trends, helping to build brands, establish pricing and assess completion. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), most marketing managers hold at least a bachelor’s degree with a concentration of studies in fields such as business law, consumer behavior, economics, finance management, mass communication, mathematics, and statistical computer science. Institutions offer online marketing degree programs at the associate and bachelor’s degree levels for those entering the marketing filed, and there are online master’s and doctoral degrees for experienced marketing professionals seeking advancement to roles in management or academic research. The timeline below looks at the full gamut of online marketing degrees, starting at the two-year level and working through the PhD.

Online Marketing Degree Timeline

Every marketing education is different. Some people need only an associate degree to get their desired career off the ground. Others need an advanced degree to move into a management or supervisory position, or to move into college-level research or teaching. Let’s walk through each online degree level in turn.

Online Associate Degree in Marketing – Two Years

Institutions offering associate online marketing degrees provide a general introduction to the field and business concepts while giving students the chance to complete general education requirements in the liberal arts and sciences. Typically, graduation requirements include 60 credits, with half the curriculum devoted to core education courses. Coursework can include introductory studies in basic accounting, business principles, marketing and advertising, sales techniques, customer service and B2B marketing between organizations. Accelerated associate online marketing degrees can be completed in two years or less. In order to apply to a program, prospective students must have completed a high school diploma or equivalent. The associate is a good choice for students who want to explore marketing while completing the first two years of college with credits that can be transferred to a four-year program.

Associate degree holders may take entry-level jobs with retailers and serve in customer service, product sales or promotions departments. Marketing education at the introductory level is general in nature and traditionally does not prepare graduates for specialized roles in marketing or advertising departments or organizations.

Online Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing – Four Years

The bachelor’s online degree in marketing is a four-year program requiring 120 credit hours divided between core education studies, business courses and a concentration in marketing. The marketing curriculum is usually devoted to multidisciplinary studies in promotions, general marketing, public relations and the relationships between marketing departments and the business enterprise. Curricula can include studies in:

• Accounting
• Business law
• Communications
• Consumer behavior
• Macroeconomics
• Marketing analytics and research
• Pricing
• Product development
• Public relations
• Statistics

Coursework also covers the range of business sectors (manufacturing, professional services, non-profits, consumer goods, retail sales, financial services, fashion, international business and tourism). Some online marketing degree programs require students to complete a marketing plan or promotions portfolio as a senior project prior to graduation. Admission requirements for bachelor’s-level online marketing programs include a high school diploma, submission of test scores from standardized college admission exams (SAT, ACT), and a sealed copy of student transcripts from high schools and all post-secondary courses.

Bachelor’s degree holders from online marketing programs typically enter the workplace assuming entry-level roles in marketing communications, promotions, account and public relations, eCommerce sales and consumer research. Professionals seeking advancement to leadership roles or senior marketing positions typically return to college to complete an advanced degree.

Online Marketing Doctorate – Eight Years +

According to the American Marketing Association, there are more than 100 institutions in the U.S. offering a doctoral degree program in marketing. Doctorate-granting online marketing programs lead to a range of degree options with end-degrees of a PhD in Marketing and a PhD in Business with a Marketing Concentration. Curricula may be comprised of four credits in general marketing studies, six credits in advanced marketing courses, and four credits of specialization classes. Coursework also includes studies in consumer behavior, quantitative modeling, organizational behavior, statistics and experimental design, brand management, social psychology, econometrics, communications research and information systems, and the teaching of marketing and business. Typically, doctoral students take qualifying examinations before undertaking dissertation research projects approved by faculty. The defense of the dissertation may include a short-term residency requirement.

The PhD offered by online marketing programs is designed for advanced professionals who wish to go into college teaching or institutional research. Most jobs are available at teaching or research universities, although some grads may find positions as consultants for businesses, associations, or governmental organizations. The application process and requirements are similar to those established for institutions offering master’s-level online marketing degrees.