Marketing Concentration



The Concentration in Marketing is designed for students who plan a career in which marketing plays a central role and therefore seek an in-depth understanding of the concepts, tools, and practice of modern marketing. A career in marketing may be developed in different settings, such as consumer goods, services, high-technology, business-to-business, health care and consulting, leading to distinct career paths. The 6 courses in the concentration are intended to prepare students with the knowledge and skills for these career paths.

The fundamental role of marketing is stewardship of the customer asset and managing the firm's brand equity, requiring the mastery of 3 key skills:

  1. Identify where value can be created by capturing and understanding the voice of the customer.
  2. Deliver value to customers and thus manage the firm's brand equity via the tools available to a marketing manager (e.g., the traditional 4 P’s of product, price, place, and promotion.)
  3. Manage the customer and brand asset by choosing and managing the firm's relationships with its customers, channel members, suppliers, and competitors.

Capturing and Understanding the Voice of the Customer: The marketing faculty recommends that first-year students begin with skill 1 above, taking 1 or both of the 300-level electives aimed at capturing and understanding the voice of the customer: Market Intelligence (MARKETNG 361), a required course for the marketing concentration, considers how to plan, collect, and interpret market research. Consumer Behavior (MARKETNG 362) will provide the tools and frameworks for capturing the current and future needs of current and potential customers.

Delivering Value: Most of our marketing electives are aimed at skill 2 — delivering value to the customers by managing the "4 P’s" of product, price, place, and promotion. There are 2 ways we offer this material. First, we have courses that develop all 4 of these skills in specific contexts: Product Management (MARKETNG 460) and Marketing of Innovations (MARKETNG 463) and Health Care Marketing (HLTMGMT 368). We advise taking at least 1 of these courses early in your program. Second, we offer courses that concentrate on 1 of the 4 P's. For example, The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing (MARKETNG 469) focuses on "price," and Marketing Communications Management (MARKETNG 461) focuses specifically on "promotion."

Choosing and Managing Relationships of the Firm with Customers, Channel Members, Suppliers, and Competitors: Second year students should learn skill 3 above — choosing and managing relationships of the firm with its customers, channel members, suppliers, and competitors — via courses in Customer Relationship Management (MARKETNG 464) and Marketing Strategy (MARKETNG 468). Both courses are integrative in their orientation. Hence, students should come to these courses with at least 1 course in skills 1 and 2.

The Marketing Practicum (MARKETNG 490) is an integrative, capstone experience that draws on all 3 sets of skills and is offered to 2nd year students.

Coursework Requirements:

Concentration Option 1: Product Management
This concentration is designed for students pursuing careers in product management in packaged goods, consumer durables, business-to-business settings, high tech markets, pharmaceuticals, and services.

Required Courses:
MARKETNG 361 — Market Intelligence
MARKETNG 460 — Product Management

Select 2 of the following marketing electives:
HLTHMGMT 368 — Health Care Marketing
MARKETNG 362 — Consumer Behavior
MARKETNG 461 — Marketing Communications Management
MARKETNG 463 — Marketing of Innovations
MARKETNG 464 — Customer Relationship Management
MARKETNG 468 — Marketing Strategy
MARKETNG 469 — Strategy and Tactics of Pricing
MARKETNG 490 — Marketing Practicum

Select 2 of the following non-marketing electives:
ACCOUNTG 341 — Managerial Accounting
DECISION 312 — Decision Models
DECISION 411 — Forecasting
FINANCE 351 — Corporate Finance
MANAGEMT 421 — Negotiation
MANAGEMT 422 — Power and Politics
MANAGEMT 423 — Leadership
MANAGEMT 491 — Corporate Social Impact Management
MGRECON 431 — Competitive Analysis
OPERATNS 471 — Operations Strategy
OPERATNS 476 — Distribution/Supply Chain Management

Concentration Option 2: Market Analysis and Strategy
This concentration is designed for students pursuing careers in marketing strategy, consulting, corporate
strategy, general management, and sales.

Required Courses:
MARKETNG 361 — Market Intelligence
MARKETNG 468 — Marketing Strategy

Select 2 of the following marketing electives:
HLTHMGMT 368 — Health Care Marketing
MARKETNG 362 — Consumer Behavior
MARKETNG 460 — Product Management
MARKETNG 461 — Marketing Communications Management
MARKETNG 463 — Marketing of Innovations
MARKETNG 464 — Customer Relationship Management
MARKETNG 469 — Strategy and Tactics of Pricing
MARKETNG 490 — Marketing Practicum

Select 2 of the following non-marketing electives:
ACCOUNTG 341 — Managerial Accounting
ACCOUNTG 442 — Valuation and Fundamental Analysis
DECISION 312 — Decision Models
DECISION 410 — Strategic Modeling and Business Dynamics
DECISION 411 — Forecasting
FINANCE 351 — Corporate Finance
FINANCE 455 — Corporate Restructuring
MANAGEMT 491 — Corporate Social Impact Management
MGRECON 431 — Competitive Analysis
MGRECON 491 — Data Mining
OPERATNS 471 — Operations Strategy
OPERATNS 472 — Service Operations Management
OPERATNS 476 — Supply Chain Management

Students wishing to obtain a dual concentration in Marketing are required to complete a total of 10 courses which are broken down as follows:

  • 3 required courses for the 2 different Marketing concentrations (MARKETNG 361, 460 and 468)
  • 4 marketing electives from the approved list of courses from the 2 different Marketing concentrations
  • 3 non-marketing electives from the approved list of courses from the 2 different Marketing concentrations

NOTE: Courses from the required list (Marketing 361, 460, 468) cannot be counted towards 4 marketing electives in second bullet.