Bachelor in Marketing

Marketing is the process of understanding and satisfying customer needs. Advertising, personal selling, determining customer groups to target, making products available in stores, and maintaining inventories are just a few activities that help organizations sell their products and services. A major in marketing at Northwest is an interdisciplinary program that provides students an opportunity to interact with surrounding businesses, complete projects that can be utilized in a portfolio, and prepare students for future interviews.

For transfer students completing a vocational or technical Associate of Applied Science or Associate of Science degree from a regionally accredited community college, a Bachelor of Applied Science with an emphasis in Marketing/Management is available. Please contact Chi Lo Lim (chilol@nwmissouri.edu or 660.562.1758) for more information.

Career Opportunities

More than 95% of students graduating with a degree in marketing either continued their education or found employment within six months after graduation.

The following is a listing of common positions for graduates with a marketing major:

• Retail Management
• Advertising
• Product Management
• Industrial Purchasing
• Sales Management
• Marketing Research
• Personal Selling
• Management Training

*Based on self-reported data in recent years.

Profession-Based Learning Experiences

Knacktive combines six disciplines (computer science, English, graphic design, marketing, mass communications and public relations) into a one-semester interactive and collaborative course. The student-led teams conduct market research, analyze data, write creative strategies, and developed an integrated, digital marketing communication campaign and promotional materials for a real-world client.

At the end of each course, the team makes a formal presentation or client pitch in an attempt to convince the client to use their project. This experience aligns with the digital marketing and advertising agencies competing for clients.

The following organizations have been clients of Knacktive:

• 2011 – Cincinnati-based LasikPlus Vision
• 2012 – Science City, located in Kansas City at the Union Station
• 2013 – Tri-State Ford
• 2014 – Horace Mann Laboratory School
• 2015 – DecisionFx, located in Kansas City

Study Abroad is an opportunity for students to apply hands-on international experience to their own academic development. Faculty members supervise short-term study abroad programs that prepare students before, during and after the program. Two types of study abroad programs are available – faculty-led and traditional study abroad.

The traditional program may be a semester, summer or year-long program and is taught by Northwest’s international partner institutions. Students from the business school have recently traveled and studied in China, Africa and Eastern Europe including Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

Internships

Although internships are not required in the marketing major, they are highly encouraged to gain real-world experiences.

Requirements

Students choosing a comprehensive major in Marketing must complete the Common Professional Component courses and earn a minimum grade of "C" in each of the following major requirements:

The Northwest Core (48-52 hours)

Established in 1905, Northwest Missouri State University is a state-assisted, comprehensive four-year regional university that also offers a broad range of undergraduate and selected graduate programs on its Maryville campus as well as its Northwest-Kansas City location at the Northland Innovation Center and through Northwest Online.

Northwest offers 127 undergraduate programs and 40 graduate programs. Career Services offers an "Exploring Majors" fair where students may learn about different majors and find a major that is the perfect fit for them. Northwest advocates for profession-based experience in every area of study. At Northwest's Horace Mann Laboratory School, students majoring in education begin observing and practicing in the teaching profession immediately. Other profession-based experiences include work at Northwest's R.T. Wright Farm, radio and television stations, and a variety of internships.