Marketing, B.B.A.
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.
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 B.B.A. core requirements on time will delay enrollment in upper-level core and major courses.
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.
Optional Marketing Concentration Declaration Deadline
For students who plan to pursue an optional marketing concentration in either Professional Sales or Digital Marketing, students must declare it in MyMadison by October 1 (to register for spring classes) and March 1 (to register for fall classes).
Transfer Credit Policy
The marketing program will accept no more than two marketing courses for transfer credit toward the major. These courses must be from AACSB institutions. In addition to this general College of Business policy, there are restrictions on which courses will be accepted for transfer credit.
Students must take the following courses at JMU:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MKTG 482 | Marketing Analytics | 3 |
| MKTG 485 | Marketing Management | 3 |
Degree Requirements
| Degree Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| General Education requirements1 | 41 |
| B.B.A. lower-level core courses | 27-28 |
| B.B.A. upper-level core courses | 18 |
| Marketing major requirements | 27 |
| Electives | 7-13 |
| Total | 120 |
- 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
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 declare and complete an optional concentration in Professional Sales or Digital Marketing based on their selection of marketing electives.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing Curriculum Required Core Courses | ||
| MKTG 384 | Integrated Marketing Communications | 3 |
| MKTG 385 | Consumer Behavior | 3 |
| MKTG 430 | Professional Selling | 3 |
| MKTG 482 | Marketing Analytics | 3 |
| MKTG 485 | Marketing Management | 3 |
| Subtotal | 15 | |
| Concentration or Elective Courses | ||
| Beyond the 15 credit hours of core courses, students must take an additional 12 credits of MKTG electives. Concentration-focused MKTG electives may count toward both the Marketing Elective requirement and an optional concentration. | 12 | |
| Subtotal | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 27 | |
Marketing Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Choose a total of 12 credits from the following options: | 12 | |
| Creative Marketing Design: Digital Vector Techniques 1 | ||
| Creative Marketing Design: Visual Editing and Document Styling 1 | ||
| Services Marketing | ||
| Omnichannel Retailing | ||
| Social Media Marketing 1 | ||
| Business-to-Business (B2B) Marketing 2 | ||
| Sales Leadership 2 | ||
| Global Marketing | ||
| International Logistics | ||
| Customer Relationship Management 2 | ||
| Advanced Professional Selling 2 | ||
| Strategic Internet Marketing 1 | ||
| Digital Marketing Practicum 1 | ||
| Product Development and Management | ||
| Special Studies in Marketing | ||
| Marketing Internship | ||
| Special Topics in Marketing | ||
| Senior Honors Project | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
- 1
These digital marketing-focused electives may be applied toward the digital marketing concentration.
- 2
These sales-focused marketing electives may be applied toward the professional sales concentration.
Concentrations
The Department of Marketing offers two optional concentrations. Students are not required to select a concentration but may declare a concentration in MyMadison if desired by October 1 (to register for spring classes) and March 1 (to register for fall classes).
Digital Marketing Concentration
The digital marketing sector is for students interested in paid search, display advertising, 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.
Students must complete at least six credits of digital marketing-focused electives to complete the digital marketing concentration.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Marketing-Focused Electives | ||
| Choose six credits from the following: | 6 | |
| Creative Marketing Design: Digital Vector Techniques | ||
| Creative Marketing Design: Visual Editing and Document Styling | ||
| Social Media Marketing | ||
| Strategic Internet Marketing | ||
| Digital Marketing Practicum | ||
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.
Students must complete at least six credits of sales-focused marketing electives to complete the professional sales concentration.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Sales-Focused Marketing Electives | ||
| Choose six credits from the following: | 6 | |
| Business-to-Business (B2B) Marketing | ||
| Sales Leadership | ||
| Customer Relationship Management | ||
| Advanced Professional Selling (a required sales-focused marketing elective for students pursuing the professional sales concentration) | ||
| Total Credits | 6 | |
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.
| First Year | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| General Education courses and B.B.A. Core requirements | 30 | |
| Credits | 30 | |
| Second Year | ||
| General Education courses and B.B.A. Core requirements | 30 | |
| Credits | 30 | |
| Third Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| COB 300A | Integrative Business: Management | 3 |
| COB 300B | Integrative Business: Finance | 3 |
| COB 300C | Integrative Business: Operations | 3 |
| COB 300D | Integrative Business: Marketing | 3 |
| Electives | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| MKTG 384 | Integrated Marketing Communications | 3 |
| MKTG 430 | Professional Selling | 3 |
| COB 318 | Legal and Ethical Environment of Business | 3 |
| Electives | 6 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| MKTG 385 | Consumer Behavior | 3 |
| MKTG 482 | Marketing Analytics | 3 |
| MKTG electives and/or concentration courses | 6 | |
| Electives | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| COB 487 | Strategic Management | 3 |
| MKTG 485 | Marketing Management | 3 |
| MKTG electives, concentration courses and/or university electives | 9 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |