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What draws in consumers? How can brands capture and hold their interest? Marketing professionals form the link between marketplace demand and a company’s services or product, examining behaviors and utilizing this data to drive growth. In this role, you have to be crafty and strategic, understand theories and the latest tools and be prepared to routinely and rapidly adapt in order to connect with your audience and increase profits. The University of Missouri-St. Louis considered these factors when developing the fully online bachelor of science in business administration degree, marketing emphasis. Through input from local industry leaders, we’ve created a dynamic program to help you land a career in and keep pace with the world of marketing communication.
UMSL’s College of Business Administration is committed to student success. Getting you closer to your goals, we base all undergraduate business degree programs on research and practical skills, so you can enter the workforce with experience, be it locally or on a global level. We strive to introduce the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs and anticipate the needs of our corporate and civic partners in doing so.
We realize you have dreams. You envision yourself orchestrating successful marketing campaigns, assisting a company grow its presence and influencing the development of new services or products. Our empowering, inclusive community of problem-solvers embraces your determination. The accessible, affordable and innovative education we provide guides you along this journey through a curriculum incorporating the latest skills, entrepreneurship and instructional technology. In the classroom, our faculty members don’t simply teach: selected from all over the world, they’re fully immersed in marketing, often involved in research or consulting and infusing this knowledge into the curriculum.
Attesting to our approach, the College of Business Administration continues to rank as one of the nation’s top-rated online bachelor’s programs.
Quick facts
Official name
Bachelor of science in business administration with an emphasis in marketingCampus
Program type
Bachelor's degreeAcademic home
College of Business Administration | Department of Marketing and EntrepreneurshipDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning Commission, Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Credit hours
120Estimated cost
$64,920.00Transfer credit hours
60Transfer estimated cost
$32,460.00*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
Career prospects
Research sits at the core of every marketing strategy. This data allows an organization to learn about its customer base, from habits and interests to frequency, before they develop and launch new offers, products, services or experiences. Within an organization’s structure, the marketing department’s efforts directly drive financial growth, increasing profits and visibility and helping an organization achieve its goals.
To help you conceive campaigns and pioneer new services in your career, our online bachelor’s in marketing program starts with the four Ps — product, price, place and promotion — and acknowledges the increasingly prominent role digital technology plays. Prepared to become a marketing department’s asset or pursue entrepreneurship, our students become well-versed in content creation, e-commerce, search optimization and marketing, paid advertising and social media. Our digital and social media marketing track serves to support your knowledge in this area.
In preparing you for the workforce, the core courses show where marketing intersects with accounting, supply chain operations, finance, management and analytics. This format ensures you can:
- Tackle and present solutions for common marketing problems using quantitative and qualitative methods;
- Devise creative campaign concepts and marketing communication plans, including for advertising and social media;
- Understand the impact and applications of artificial intelligence, mobile usage and technology in marketing and analyzing consumer behavior; and
- Design a complete marketing plan and execute your strategy through traditional and digital forms.
Potential job titles for graduates
As consumer behavior evolves and digital and analytics technologies further influence the field of marketing, demand for eager professionals exists across a multitude of fields and organizations. These range from small businesses wanting to grow their online presence to large corporations seeking to better engage with consumers.
Reflecting this change, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has identified strong demand for marketing professionals through 2029, including 6% more positions for advertising, promotions and marketing managers and 18% more roles for market research analysts.
Program structure
All students matriculating through this online program earn up to 120 credit hours, of which your major constitutes 48. This online bachelor’s in marketing degree requires no campus attendance and the typical student finishes in two to three years by taking one or two courses per semester.
You’ll begin with 30 credit hours of business core courses. Prepare to understand all areas of an organization once you’re out in the working world, from accounting, statistics and analytics to supply chain operations, finance and management — your future career will likely intersect with these areas.
Once you complete your core courses, you will then develop a specialization in marketing, taking a minimum of 18 credit hours of electives. Subject matters encompass traditional theories to the latest digital strategies. Should you opt for the digital and social media marketing track, you’ll discover emerging technologies and how platforms can boost a business’s presence.
In prioritizing the success of all students, the College of Business Administration guides your journey here through our interactive advising process. Select classes in line with your career objectives, get pointed toward meaningful hands-on opportunities and routinely assess your academic progress.
Course work includes
Once you dive into the marketing emphasis, you’ll:
- Uncover the acquisition, presentation and application of marketing information;
- See how statistical methods and modes assist with forecasting, delineation, determining buyer motivation, assessing store location and tracking performance;
- Learn about marketing level, mix, allocation and strategy in relation to market determination, pricing, distribution, product policy, promotion, channel management and buyer behavior;
- Become familiar with advertising techniques for conceiving creative messages and campaigns to reach your target audience and monitoring progress;
- Receive a holistic perspective of digital marketing strategies, including channels, consumer and brand behaviors, the latest trends and key techniques for creating and improving the visibility of a website;
- Gain a stronger understanding of social media marketing, from tools, creating content and working with influencers to the differences between earned and paid forms; and
- Start to examine consumer behavior in relation to decision making, perception, learning, market segmentation, preferences and developing brand loyalty.
Review the program’s full structure and all course descriptions.
Delivery
100% onlineCalendar system
SemesterTypical program length
3 yearsTypical course load
1-2 classes per semesterAccreditation
The University of Missouri-St. Louis is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.
The College of Business is accredited by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
Faculty spotlight
Dr. Michael T. Elliott has directed the College of Business Administration's undergraduate program since 2008. Dr. Elliott joined the marketing faculty in 1990 and has published several articles in academic journals such as Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research and Journal of Consumer Psychology and is a member of the editorial board of Psychology and Marketing and Advancements in Marketing Education. Dr. Elliott's current research interests include consumer information search and consumer responses to retail web sites. In addition, Dr. Elliott is involved in consulting activities with the electrical contracting industry and conducts employee and customer surveys for local firms. Lastly, he is a board member of the non-profit organization, St. Louis Transitional Hope House.