What Kind of Accreditation Should My Degree Program Have?
Accreditation is also referred to as a stamp of approval by the accrediting agencies of the quality of education in a university.
This status means, as well, that the university or separate program or discipline matches to the standards and requirements set forth by the Department of Education.
Thus, your future employers will pay attention to the authority of educational institution you graduated from so that you need to choose meticulously.
What organizations have got the competence to give accreditation to colleges and universities?
They are accrediting agencies that were entitled by the Department of Education.
National and regional accrediting agencies both give accreditation to the universities, colleges or programs of study.
Therefore, only accredited colleges can get financial support from the Department of Education.
You also should know that there are two kinds of accreditation: institutional accreditation and program accreditation.
First one is a school-wide and is given to the whole university.
The second one is the accreditation given to the specific degree program.
For your better understanding, the institutional accrediting sector has two groups of agencies: regional and national accrediting agencies.
Typically, the approval of regional accrediting agencies is better for the university, as it confers credibility and merit.
There is a list of most well-known regional agencies for you to search colleges and universities with their approval:
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
- The Higher Learning Commission
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Marketing programs are not accredited by the national accrediting agencies, that’s why the approval of regional ones is sufficient.
So, if your college has the accreditation from one of the above-mentioned agencies, do not hesitate to enter.
How to define whether the university has the approval?
Contact the administration or search the database on the website of the Departure of Education.
What Kinds of Marketing Degrees Are There?
Associate Degree in Marketing
The association marketing degree will give you a basic understanding and introduction of marketing.
The topics you will get acquainted with during that study are advertising, marketing campaign, social media marketing strategies, client-orientating marketing strategies, the psychology of a consumer and so on.
The associate degree program, as a rule, takes two years to complete and requires 60 credits to get.
After you become an associate in marketing, you can immediately find a job as a market research assistant or a digital marketer, or work anywhere in a related field.
But to get the more prospective job you should keep studying and get at least the bachelor’s degree.
During the study you will take the courses mentioned below:
- Principles in Public Relations
- Digital Marketing
- Business Mathematics
- Integrated Marketing Communications
- Principles of Marketing
- Advertising and Promotions Development
Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing
Getting a bachelor’s degree in marketing will open you the world to prestigious jobs in marketing or any related field, as well as the opportunity to get a high salary.
Among the working places, you can get a position in promotions, public relations, advertising area, and sales.
The degree of bachelor in marketing takes 4 years to complete and requires 120 credits to earn.
During the bachelor degree course, you will learn not only the introducing material of the core marketing disciplines, but you will also get a profound understanding of such subjects as advertising, consumer behavior, business administration and management, strategic planning and the others.
Moreover, you will go through the real marketing practice and learn how to develop the marketing or advertising campaign.
After you reach the bachelor’s degree level, you will be able to work as a research analyst, manager or sales manager in the marketing field in any big company.
Furthermore, the degree of a bachelor will give you the grounds to continue your study to get a master’s degree in MBA or marketing.
As you are studying to get the bachelor’s degree you will take some courses, there are some of them to name:
- Applied Microeconomics for Business
- Ethical and Legal Business
- Applied Technology for Managers
- International Issues in Business
- Strategies in Marketing Management
- Consumer Behavior
- Advertising and Promotion
- Marketing Research
How to distinguish a BS in Marketing and a BBA with a Concentration in Marketing?
BBA or Bachelor of Business Administration course is orientated on the core business disciples.
During the BBA course, you will enhance your leadership and communicative skills.
Meanwhile, the BS or bachelor of science course is aimed at the maths and science – extensive studies, such as statistics and analysis.
Master’s Degree in Marketing
You have to study for two years to complete your master’s degree course.
The main advantage of the master’s degree is gaining deep knowledge on any issue within your professional field.
Most of the time during the master’s study you will spend on your individual research development.
Moreover, you will be able to choose the targets and areas to fix your researches on them.
Among the most common areas can be market analysis, campaign development, brand management or any other related field.
Furthermore, you can try to study social media management, global marketing, public relations, and advertising, to name but some of them.
What will be good for you is that you will do an internship and get some practical experience in marketing?
Getting of master’s degree is worth, as you will get much more well-paid opportunities and interesting offers from the employers.
During your master’s degree studying you will take really useful courses which are named underneath:
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Global Marketing
- Buyer Behavior Theory
- Business Statistics
- Marketing Strategy and Planning
- Marketing Information Management and Research
- Organizational Behavior
The Main Difference Between an MS in Marketing and an MBA in Marketing
Probably one of the FAQs about marketing.
On the one hand, MS or master’s of science in marketing is a program orientated on statistical and mathematical aspects of marketing, and also the development of marketing in the scientific destination.
On the other hand, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) is considered as a popular alternative to the master of science (MS) in Marketing.
MBA is orientated on business disciplines and will provide you with a food business experience.
Ph.D. in Marketing
Becoming a Ph.D. in marketing will be compulsory if you desire to hold the researches and be a scholar in the future.
Moreover, getting of Ph.D. requires permanent investigating of the marketing in general, its separate topics and issues.
The most common topics for research will be a marketing advertising campaign, the effectiveness of marketing campaign, consumer behavior and the success of a brand.
However, you should bring in mind that obtaining a Ph.D. degree in marketing requires from 4 to 7 years and writing of a dissertation to complete.
You will also have a chance to publish your works in scholarly journals and newspapers to get authority among the colleges and scientific society.
What Kind of Licensing or Certification Do You Need?
What is the Difference Between Licensing and Certification?
A non-governmental body or professional organization usually award certification in different fields to the graduates with or without a degree.
On the contrary, licenses are awarded by governmental licensing agencies only.
Also, by having obtained a license in this or that field, you will be a legally authorized employee.
To compare, the companies do not necessarily require certification due to the fact that asking for a certificate is not legal actually.
At the same time, if you want to have a license, be ready to meet the requirements like getting a degree or passing a state exam.
These are the main differences according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Do You Need to Be a Licensed Marketing Specialist?
As a matter of fact, employers do not commonly ask for a license or a certificate when you are applying for a job in this field.
Your skills and talents are more valuable than a certificate.
What is really important is that you must have one of the degrees from an accredited establishment to show your potential boss that you are a valuable and reliable employee.
Also, a certificate or license might be of great help when you will grow to the level where you want to start your marketing business and found a marketing company.
Some industries like food or advertising require specific licensed for this type of work.
If you want to know about the agencies offering certification programs, the Sales & Marketing Professional Association and the American Marketing Association are the most popular ones.
Popular Degree Programs
What Can You Do With This Degree?
In order to be a contender for a wide range of working opportunities in the marketing field, you need to get a marketing degree.
After you have a degree, you will have a chance to work in public and social media relations, sales, advertising and marketing analysis.
Below you can see a couple of jobs you can be in for:
- Advertising Sales Agents
- Market Research Analyst
- Sales Engineers
- Securities, Commodities and Financial Services Sales Agents
- Real Estate Brokers and Sales Agents
- Insurance Sales Agents
- Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives
How Much Can You Make With This Degree?
With a marketing degree, you have good chances to get profitable wages.
Thus, the Bureau of Labor Statistics proposes the next list of average earnings in marketing :
- Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing — $127,550
- Technical Writers — $73,170
- Commercial/Industrial Designers — $70,870
- Sales Managers — $117,950
- Market Research Analysts — $62,550
- Agents/Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes — $86,550
- Public Relations and Fundraising Managers — $123,350
- Marketing Managers — $144,150
What Professional Associations or Societies Should You Join?
In order to be a full-fledged member of your professional community, you would better join one or several marketing societies or associations.
Below you can look at a list of communities you can decide to join, to get new acquaintances and listen to lectures and seminars.
- Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS)
- Marketing Research Association (MRA)
- American Advertising Federation (AAF)
- American Marketing Association (AMA)
- Marketing Education Association (MEA)
Summary
To conclude, a degree in marketing is suitable for people who want to implement their knowledge and skills in advertising, marketing campaign strategies or public relations.
We hope that our article will help you to understand the importance of getting a marketing degree and the opportunities for you in the nearest future.
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