Marketing

Use consumer behavior, integrated marketing communications, global marketing, and other insights to build strong successful brands

Available in CorvallisAvailable onlineAvailable as a minorAvailable as a majorAvailable as an option

Overview

Marketing

Think about the most impressive marketing campaign you’ve ever seen. It might have come from brands like Nike, Apple or Coca-Cola. These brands have achieved greatness with the help of a strong marketing strategy, building consumer insights across mass media channels. This is what you'll study — the science of consumers, product, and communication to build strong, successful brands.

The heart of marketing is creating value in a complex, advanced economy. Marketing consists of a sequence of activities: identifying customer needs, developing goods and services to satisfy those needs, communicating information about products to potential customers, and distributing the products to customers.

Through the degree program, you'll choose classes following along one of four tracks: marketing management, marketing and digital communications, consumer insights, or professional sales. This aligns you as a profession-ready marketer at graduation.

With your marketing degree, you're ready for all types of businesses as all need marketing strategies and techniques to be successful in the marketplace. Career opportunities, including advertising, retailing, brand management, logistics management, market research, purchasing management, sales and many more options.

Marketing is a major program of study offered in Corvallis. Marketing also is an option for business administration majors offered in Corvallis or online through Ecampus. Marketing is offered as a minor.

Find out more about the marketing option through ecampus >

Specializations:

Through the degree program, you'll choose classes following along one of four tracks:

Marketing management studies the broad application of marketing, giving an overview of how to define product and service, pricing, distribution, and promotion. This specialization prepares you for careers in general marketing and brand management.

All businesses require a marketing strategy that positions them well against their competition in attracting new customers and retaining current customers.

The marketing management specialization is one of three areas of focus you can choose from while earning 14 credits of your 180-credit marketing degree. You'll take at least three electives on a range of subjects including global marketing, search marketing, retail management and professional sales.

Marketing and digital communications prepares you with knowledge of the “promotions” part of marketing, specifically marketing communications using digital platforms. This marketing specialization prepares you for careers in digital, online and social media marketing.

Marketing and digital communications are the leading-edge platforms for a business's marketing and communications strategy.

The marketing and digital communications specialization is one of three areas of focus you can choose from while earning 14 credits of your 180-credit marketing degree. You'll take three electives on digital marketing platforms, search marketing and integrated marketing communications.

Consumer insights focuses on collecting and analyzing data to provide answers that help business leaders make better, more informed marketing decisions. This marketing specialization prepares you for careers in market research.

Consumer insights and market research are critical components of business decision-making.

The consumer insights specialization is one of three areas of focus you can choose from while earning 14 credits of your 180-credit marketing degree. You'll take at least three electives on subjects including business analytics, customer relationship management, qualitative research methods and marketing research.

The professional sales specialization focuses on sales skills and techniques, with an emphasis on business-to-business sales; prepares students for careers in sales.

Professional sales skills are critical to business success, and also are a dynamic and multifunctional personal resource.

The professional sales specialization is one of three areas of focus you can choose from while earning 14 credits of your 180-credit marketing degree. You'll take three electives on influence and negotiation, customer relationship management, and professional sales.

Options:

Once you enroll in the marketing program, you can select an area of focus from the following options:

The Dean’s Academy is an academic forum for high-achieving first-year students, transfer students, and current undergraduate students who wish to maximize the educational and experiential aspects of their college experience. Invitation to this option is restricted to those who meet eligibility requirements.

Learn more

This area of study prepares you for management positions and exciting international careers at multinational firms, global financial service organizations and international centers of trade.

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Associated Program:

The option in marketing is available to students enrolled in the business administration program.

Our business administration degree provides you with broad business skills in accounting and quantitative methods, an understanding of the legal and social environment of business, and a background in management and organizational behavior, marketing, finance, and operations management.

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28+

degrees and areas of focus

85% Job placement rate

of classes have fewer than 50 students

#3

nationally for online education
US News and World Report

Marketing Opportunities

Study Abroad

Study Abroad

Sydney, Australia: University of Technology Sydney

Vienna, Austria: Vienna University of Economics & Business

Santiago, Chile: Universidad de Chile, Facultad Economia y Negocios

Explore study abroad opportunities >

Student organizations and clubs

Associated Clubs

Marketing Club

Sales Club

See all clubs >

Scholarship

Scholarships

FoodGuys Values Scholarship

Marketing Department Scholarship

See all scholarship opportunities >

Careers

Possible Careers

Sales Rep

Media Planner/ Buyer

Marketing Manager

Center for Marketing and Consumer Insights

Put yourself onto a highly respected, results-driven marketing research and consulting team, conducting research in the field, listening to focus groups on location, and analyzing data in the lab, and do it while you're a student.

The Center for Marketing and Consumer Insights put its student consultants right in the middle of the action — designing campaigns, project managing, and presenting creative concepts to clients.

For example six students helped test a major outdoor advertising campaign for healthcare provider, The Corvallis Clinic, and creative agency, Funk/Levis & Associates. Three teams of students researched into a new brand identity for The Corvallis Club, one of the oldest membership-based social clubs in Oregon. And several students even got to contribute to OSU's brand refinement and update, one of a number of projects that the university has turned to the Center for Marketing and Consumer Insights for expert strategy.

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Marketing students vet public perceptions for outdoor campaign

You know it’s a pretty good day within the College of Business when your day-job takes you to the shopping mall. Especially if you are a marketing major, and you get to conduct live interviews with the unsuspecting public and get their feedback on advertising campaigns.

That’s how it worked for six students affiliated with the College of Business Center for Marketing and Consumer Insights who tested a major outdoor advertising campaign for healthcare provider, The Corvallis Clinic, and creative agency, Funk/Levis & Associates.

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"

To me, success means being able to support myself financially doing something that I’m passionate about, like waking up in the morning and looking forward to work.

Hallie Exall ‘14
Marketing, Management and International Business

Where our graduates work

Graduates from the college's marketing program have become sales reps, media planners, digital managers, chief marketing managers and more.

  • AbbVie Incorporated
  • Cambia Health Solutions
  • Compucom
  • Dell
  • Huron Health Care
  • Intel
  • InsightsNow Inc
  • Jive Software
  • Locker Properties
  • Nike
  • Odom
  • Portland General Electric
  • Providence Health Services
  • Puppet Labs
  • RevZilla
  • Salesforce
  • The Standard
  • USA Today Network

Here's why you should be a College of Business student

A success plan for life

Professional, personal and leadership skills form the backbone of successful careers. Blueprint, our award-winning series of classes, is focused on professional and leadership development and financial literacy. With Blueprint, you’re on track to graduate on time, with the skills and network to choose your career, and the savvy to make the big decisions at the right time.

We're not just business; we're family

Our first-year students live in one of our business-themed residence halls. This learning-focused, student-first, open-door culture makes the big Oregon State campus feel like the supportive place it is – and feel a lot smaller and easier to navigate than you might think.

We’re the only college at OSU that has a dedicated Career Success Center for our students. We help you find an internship, write a resume and find a job.

Ranked and accredited

Oregon State is ranked in the top five for online education with U.S. News & World Report. The College of Business overall, as well as our accounting program, is accredited by AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB International is the premier accrediting agency for degree programs in business and accounting.

Discover the OSU difference