What can I do with a major in marketing?


Marketing is a practical, career-oriented major that requires analytical skills, logic and creativity.

Typical marketing activities include:

  • Determining the wants and needs of consumers
  • Developing products to satisfy customer demands
  • Communicating information about these products and services to prospective buyers
  • Pricing products to reflect costs, competition and the customer’s ability to buy
  • Making products and services available at times and places that meet customers’ needs
  • Service and follow-up to ensure customer satisfaction

Common areas of employment for business marketing majors include:

  • Sales
  • Customer relations
  • Purchasing/procurement
  • Retail
  • Brand management
  • Market research
  • Advertising

Sales

Sales has more job opportunities than other specializations, especially entry-level positions in personal selling. Across a wide variety of industries, there is a strong and growing demand for sales professionals who can successfully uncover client needs and deliver customized solutions in a consultative manner. Another path is to become sales manager of a region or district, formulating the sales strategy and supervising sales representatives. Accordingly, the Certificate in Professional Selling is designed to equip students with the skill sets and mindsets required for a successful career in professional selling.

Marketing analytics

With the exploding availability of consumer and transactional data, marketing decisions are increasingly becoming data-driven and ROI responsive. Marketing analysts extract insights from data and employ these insights to enhance the ROI of marketing investments.

Advertising and marketing communications

All companies are actively engaged in communicating with their target segments and other stakeholders. Professionals in advertising and marketing communications create, manage and execute the communications function via advertising, public relations and the many newly emerging digital tools. Advertising has several entry-level positions, including media buyer, copywriter or assistant account executive. After a year or two in one of these positions, you may become a junior or assistant account executive doing analytical work and having moderate client contact. As you move to account executive, account supervisor, management supervisor and various agency principal positions, the responsibility increases and the workload involves strategic planning and implementation in a highly competitive, fast-paced environment.

Brand management

Brands are one of the most valuable assets that a company can own. Brand management is the marketing function that is responsible for monitoring, nurturing and growing these valuable assets. Brand management particularly is appropriate for students with specific interest in managing the product element of the marketing mix but with a holistic perspective.


Read about the marketing major at the School of Business.

View salary data for recent KU marketing graduates.


Tips for marketing students

  • Attend marketing-specific career events and the Business Career Fair each September.
  • Join the Marketing Club, Sales Club, PRSSA or other student organization to facilitate career exploration.
  • Develop skills including customer focus, problem solving, self-direction, team orientation, analysis and research.

Top recruiters of KU marketing students

  • Cerner

  • Intouch Solutions

  • ISNetworld

  • Hallmark

  • Insight Global

Typical positions/specialized areas

  • Account representative

  • Customer services representative/manager

  • Internet marketing specialist

  • Business development officer

  • Market manager

  • Brand/product manager

  • Market research specialist

  • Purchasing agent

  • Consumer affairs

  • Merchandising

  • Inside sales

  • Research analyst

  • Retail manager

  • Sales representative

  • Marketing assistant

Additional marketing resources

Sales-specific resources: