MarketingIcon: Lighbulb.

Shot of a group of business colleagues meeting in an office

Application Deadline

  • Spring: December 8
  • Summer: April 12 (early sessions)
  • Fall: July 19

Class Begins

  • Spring: January 8, 2024
  • Summer: May 6, 2024 (early sessions)
  • Fall: August 19, 2024

Degree Awarded

Bachelor of Arts
in Business Administration

WSU College

Carson College of Business

Enter a Dynamic Career Field

Today’s global business landscape is fast-paced, with a wide variety of competitive markets and highly diverse and specialized consumers. In this dynamic environment, skilled marketing professionals with the expertise necessary to acquire and maintain a satisfied customer base are highly sought after. 

Why Major in Marketing?

Marketers monitor and investigate the changing needs of commerce and promotion and create products and services designed to meet those needs. Marketing is a diverse and flexible field of business that can involve sales, advertising, promotion, branding, market research, retail management, pricing, distribution, new product introduction, international business, and e-commerce. All types of businesses and organizations, as well as many government agencies, have marketing needs. Job availability for marketers is strong compared to many other business fields. A marketing career can take you around the world or even allow you to work from home.

Find out more from a Marketing Outstanding Senior!

What You’ll Learn

Besides developing a strong foundation in business fundamentals, WSU marketing majors take courses in consumer behavior, marketing research, promotion management, marketing management, international marketing and elective business courses. You will learn both valuable knowledge and practical skills designed to prepare you for exciting careers in the dynamic field of marketing. Career opportunities in marketing include positions as sales representative, consultant, marketing associate, retail manager, or advertising specialist. Experienced marketers can hold senior positions such as director of marketing, market research manager or brand manager.

WSU Marketing Program Strengths

  • WSU’s Carson College of Business is among only 2% of business programs worldwide whose programs are fully accredited by AACSB International (the world’s foremost business accreditation) at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.
  • Learn from renowned faculty who care about you as an individual and as a student.
  • Get career advice and acquire valuable, practical skills and from experienced professors armed with cutting-edge marketing research.

Infographic: Marketing degree.
Note: All career statistics come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook

Photo:  Closeup of marketers' hands with projects.

Courses Designed for Flexibility

The Carson College of Business offers its upper division courses in a 7-week format. Several required upper division courses are offered only once per year. Students will be required to take some courses during the summer.

The 7-week sessions allow students to complete two or four 7-week courses during a traditional 16-week semester and can be taken concurrently with 16-week non-business courses. The 7-week courses are accelerated and require about 15-20 hours of work per week but allow for a more flexible schedule suited for working students. The current 7-week marketing major course rotation schedule is provided below in the Program of Study under Marketing Core Requirements and Course Rotation Schedule.  


Program of Study

All courses are available online

All WSU undergraduates must complete a minimum of 120 semester credits of which 40 credits must be at the 300 – 400 level. Students must also complete the University Common Requirements (UCORE). These can generally be satisfied with a direct transfer degree. For a list of direct-transfer agreements, visit WSU’s Transferring an Associate Degree page.

Admission to the Major

To be eligible to be admitted to a WSU Carson College of Business major, students must meet the following minimum requirements:

  • Complete ECONS 101 or 102, MATH 201 or 202, B_A 100, B_A 102 and HBM 101 with a C or higher
  • Complete the applicable portion of the Carson Career Amplifier Program (Tier 1 or Crimson Pathway 1)
  • Have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 and not be on academic probation
  • Complete at least 27 credit hours

Students Must Complete the Courses Below as Required by the Carson College of Business

FULL SEMESTER COURSES: Offered Each TermSpring Semester
(Jan. – May)
Summer Session
(May – July)
Fall
Semester
(Aug. – Dec.)
ECONS 101 [SSCI] – Fundamentals of Microeconomics YesYesYes
ECONS 102 [SSCI] – Fundamentals of MacroeconomicsYesYesYes
MATH 201 – Finite Math for Business
YesYesYes
MATH 202 [QUAN] – Business CalculusYesYesYes
7-WEEK COURSES: Offered on a Rotation ScheduleSpring Session 1
(Jan. – Feb.)
Spring Session 2
(March – May)
Summer Session 1
(May – June)
Summer Session 2
(June – Aug.)
Fall Session 1
(Aug. – Oct.)
Fall Session 2
(Oct. – Dec.)
B_A 100 – Introduction to Business
(may be waived for qualifying transfer students)
NoYesNoYesNoYes
B_A 102 – Exploring Careers in Business
(may be waived for qualifying transfer students)
NoYesNoYesNoYes
HBM 101 – Professional and Career Development for the Business World (may be waived for qualifying transfer students)YesNoYesNoYesNo
ACCTG 230 – Financial AccountingNoYesNoYesNoYes
*ACCTG 231 – Managerial AccountingYesNoYesNoYesNo
B_LAW 210 – Business LawYesNoYesNoYesNo
B_A 212 – Decision Analysis, Spreadsheets and Data Visualization YesNoYesNoYesNo
MGTOP 215 – Business StatisticsYesNoYesNoYesNo
MIS 250 – Managing Information TechnologyNoYesNoYesNoYes
B_A 211 - Business Ethics, Teams, and InnovationNoYesNoYesNoYes
FIN 325 - Introduction to Financial ManagementYesNoYesNoYesNo
MGTOP 340 - Operations ManagementNoYesNoYesNoYes
MKTG 360 - Marketing YesNoYesNoYesNo
I_BUS 380 - International Business (requires admission to major)NoYesNoYesNoYes
MGMT 491 [CAPS] - Strategic Management (requires admission to major)YesNoYesNoYesNo

The course rotation schedules are provided for planning purposes. New students should refer to their personal planning worksheet created by their Global Campus academic advisor for initial planning. Once admitted to the major, students should refer to their Academic Progress Report in myWSU to track their academic progress.

The Carson Career Amplifier Program is a co-curricular program that complements what students are learning in the classroom. Students will develop professional skills through engaging, hands-on experiences.

For more information, visit the College of Business Carson Career Amplifier Program and watch a brief overview on YouTube: Career Amplifier Program Overview.

7-WEEK COURSES: Offered on a Rotation Schedule, and Require that Students are Admitted to the MajorSpring Session 1
(Jan. – Feb.)
Spring Session 2
(March – May)
Summer Session 1
(May – June)
Summer Session 2
(June – Aug.)
Fall Session 1
(Aug. – Oct.)
Fall Session 2
(Oct. – Dec.)
IBUS 482 [M] – International MarketingNoYesNoNoNoNo
MKTG 368 – Marketing ResearchYesNoNoNoNoNo
MKTG 407 – Consumer BehaviorNoNoYesNoNoNo
MKTG 477 – Promotion ManagementNoNoNoNoNoYes
MKTG 495 [M] – Marketing ManagementNoNoNoYesNoNo

The course rotation schedule is provided for planning purposes. New students should refer to their personal planning worksheet created by their Global Campus Academic Advisor for initial planning. Once admitted to the major, students should refer to their Academic Progress Report in myWSU to track their academic progress.

The Courses Below Require Students are Admitted to the Major

6 semester credits. All upper division business courses are 7-weeks.

  • Any 300 or 400 level ACCTG, B_LAW, ENTRP, FIN, I_BUS, MGMT, MGTOP, MIS or MKTG course

Students must complete the University Writing Portfolio, and two Writing in the Major [M] courses. For online Marketing majors, the Writing in the Major requirement will be fulfilled with IBUS 482 and MKTG 495.

  • *6 credits of additional social sciences or humanities coursework: [SSCI], [HUM], or ANTH, ASIA, CES, CRM_J, DTC, ECONS, ENGLISH, FINE_ART, HISTORY, HUMANITY, PHIL, PSYCH, SOC, H_D, POL_S, or WGSS
  • One of the following Communication courses:
    • COM 102 [COMM] – Public Speaking in the Digital Age
    • H_D 205 [COMM] – Developing Effective Communication and Life Skills
  • 3 credits Written Communications: ENGLISH 402 [WRTG] [M] – Technical and Professional Writing OR ENGLISH 403
  • 2.5 cumulative grade point average in all business courses
  • Nine upper division (300- and 400-level) courses must be taken at WSU
  • 6 credits International Experience Requirement: A variety of options exist to fulfill this requirement, including study abroad, international internships, and approved coursework.

*Cannot be used for any other requirement

Note: Students who have already completed a business degree through WSU may not return to complete a second business major.

Please review the online WSU Catalog for additional information about specific degree requirements.