Oct 09, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Marketing, B.B.A.


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Program Description


Marketing majors conform to the general structure of the B.B.A. degree program. The B.B.A. degree in marketing requires a minimum of 120 credit hours of undergraduate course work.

Admission and Retention Requirements


College of Business Progression Standards

Any student admitted to JMU can declare any major offered by the College of Business. However, students must make satisfactory progress in order to be formally admitted into the College of Business. Requirements to continue pursuing a B.B.A. degree, often referred to as progression standards or formal admission, can be found on the College of Business  catalog page.

Degree and Major Requirements


Degree and Major Requirements Credit Hours 
General Education  requirements 1 41
B.B.A. lower-level core courses 2 27-28
B.B.A. upper-level core courses 18
Marketing major requirements 27
Electives

Total

7-13

120

Footnotes


1 The General Education  program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. The number of credit hours necessary to fulfill these requirements may vary.

Major Requirements


Students planning to major in marketing must complete the 27-28 hour, lower-level B.B.A. core requirements (see the College of Business  section for the list of courses) prior to enrolling in upper-level B.B.A. core and marketing courses. Upper-level courses normally begin in the first semester of the junior year. The lower-level core curriculum should be completed during the first two years of study along with most of the university General Education curriculum. Failing to complete all lower-level core requirements on time will delay enrollment in upper-level core and major courses. The following upper-level B.B.A. core courses are required: COB 300A , COB 300B , COB 300C , and COB 300D COB 318 ; and COB 487 .

Marketing Curriculum Required Core Courses: 15 Credit Hours


The marketing curriculum consists of 27 credit hours in marketing. The required courses equip students with the knowledge and skills all marketers should have. Elective courses allow students to pursue areas of special interest and prepare for specific career tracks in marketing. Students may choose to complete an optional concentration in Professional Sales or Digital Marketing.

Concentration and Elective Courses: 12 Credit Hours


Major Requirements Total: 27 Credit Hours


Footnotes


1 MKTG 455 MKTG 465 , and MKTG 466  are sales-focused marketing electives applied toward the professional sales concentration.
2 MKTG 410 MKTG 470  and MKTG 477  are digital marketing-focused marketing electives applied toward the digital marketing concentration.

B.B.A. Core Component


B.B.A. Lower-Level Core Component


B.B.A. majors must complete all of the B.B.A. core components as part of their degree program. The following courses comprise the B.B.A. Lower-Level Core Component:

B.B.A. Upper-Level Core Component


The following courses comprise the B.B.A. Upper-Level Core Component:

Footnotes


1 MATH 220  may be substituted for COB 191 .
2 COB 191  or equivalent and MATH 205  or equivalent are prerequisites for COB 291 .
3 Calculus is required but not used in calculating the B.B.A. core GPA. Students may substitute MATH 231 MATH 233  or ISAT 151  to fulfill the calculus requirement. MATH 235  is preferred for Economics and Finance majors.
4 COB 241  must be taken before COB 242 .
5 COB 242  is a prerequisite for COB 300 but is not used in calculating the B.B.A. core GPA.
6 All four COB 300 courses must be taken during the same semester.
7 COB 300 is a prerequisite or corequisite for COB 318 . COB 318  is a prerequisite for COB 487  and BLAW 497 .
8 COB 487  must be taken during the senior year.

Concentrations


The Department of Marketing offers two optional concentrations.  Students are not required to select a concentration but may declare a concentration if desired.

Digital Marketing Concentration


The digital marketing sector is students interested in paid search, display advertising, marketing analytics, search engine optimization, content marketing, email marketing and social media. Students will be prepared to complete industry-recognized certifications and will learn to use appropriate industry tools such as website builders, email service providers, content creation tools, social media planning dashboards and keyword planning tools. Students will learn the development process for digital marketing platforms and to connect the creation of materials to marketing strategies and measurable objectives. Courses in this optional concentration build on the content of MKTG 384  so students should complete this course as soon as possible after completing COB 300.

Required Marketing Courses: 15 Credit Hours

Digital Marketing-Focused Electives: 12 Credit Hours


Digital Marketing Path 1:

Nine credits of digital marketing-focused marketing electives and three other marketing elective credits.

Digital Marketing Path 2:

Six credits of digital marketing-focused marketing electives and six credits of other marketing electives.

Digital Marketing Concentration Total: 27 Credit Hours


Professional Sales Concentration


This concentration prepares students for careers in professional sales that focus on business customers and, in most cases, on the selling of relatively complex and technical products and services.

Courses in this concentration build on the content of MKTG 430 . Students should complete this course as soon as possible after completing COB 300.

Required Marketing Courses: 15 Credit Hours

Sales-Focused Marketing Electives: 12 Credit Hours


MKTG 466  (3.00 credits) is a required sales-focused marketing elective for students pursuing the professional sales concentration.

Professional Sales Path 1:

Professional Sales Path 2:

Professional Sales Concentration Total: 27 Credit Hours


Recommended Schedule for Majors


Marketing majors should follow the course schedule below to complete the final two years of their program. It is possible to deviate from this schedule but care must be taken to ensure that all course prerequisites are met.

Third Year - First Semester Total: 15 Credit Hours


Third Year - Second Semester


Third Year - Second Semester Total: 15 Credit Hours


Recommended Schedule for Marketing Majors (No Concentration)


Fourth Year - First Semester


  • Credits: 3.00
  • Required marketing courses not completed junior year Credits: 3.00

  • Marketing electives Credits: 9.00
  • Electives as needed Credits: 1.00-6.00
Fourth Year - First Semester Total:

Fourth Year - Second Semester


Fourth Year - Second Semester Total:

Recommended Schedule for the Digital Marketing Concentration


Marketing majors pursuing an optional concentration in Digital Marketing should follow the course schedule below to complete the final two years of their program. It is possible to deviate from this schedule, but care must be taken to ensure that all course prerequisites are met.  In order to meet the requirements of the Digital Marketing Concentration, students should complete MKTG 384  in the semester immediately following the successful completion of CoB 300.

The recommended schedule for the fourth-year below is based on Path 1 by completing nine credit hours of Digital Marketing-focused elective courses and three (3) credit hours of marketing elective credits. Students may pursue Path 2 to fulfill Digital Marketing concentration requirements by completing six credit hours of Digital Marketing-focused elective courses and six (6) credit hours of marketing electives.

Fourth Year - First Semester


Fourth Year - First Semester Total: 15 Credit Hours

Fourth Year - Second Semester


Fourth Year - Second Semester Total: 12-15 Hours

Recommended Schedule for the Professional Sales Concentration


Marketing majors pursuing an optional concentration in Professional Sales should follow the course schedule below to complete the final two years of their program. It is possible to deviate from this schedule but care must be taken to ensure that all course prerequisites are met.  In order to meet the requirements of the Professional Sales Concentration, students should complete MKTG 430  in the semester immediately following the successful completion of COB 300. With academic unit head permission, students may take MKTG 430  concurrently with COB 300.

The recommended schedule for the fourth-year below is based on Path 1. Students may pursue Path 2 to fulfill Professional Sales concentration requirements by replacing MKTG 455  or MKTG 465  with a Marketing elective. 

Fourth Year - First Semester


Fourth Year - First Semester Total: 15 Credit Hours

Fourth Year - Second Semester


Fourth Year - Second Semester Total: 15 Credit Hours

Program Total: 120 Credit Hours


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