The major in marketing gives students a broad working knowledge of contemporary marketing philosophy and practice. The concentration in product and brand management gives students a focus on product and service development, as well as branding strategy. Judicious selection of courses will also allow students to tailor their program of study to their individual backgrounds, interests and career aspirations. The courses in the major provide a mix of educational approaches, including lecture and discussion, case problems, and in-field experience. Graduates of this program will find career opportunities in marketing management, advertising, sales, marketing research, public relations, retailing and other areas of business.
Learning goals
The B.S. in Marketing program:
- Provides students with a broad knowledge of marketing concepts and practices needed in the increasingly diverse domestic and global marketplace
- Prepares students to apply analytical tools to creatively solve marketing problems
Learning outcomes
Upon completing this program, students will know and know how to do the following:
- Identify marketing problems and evaluate alternative solutions
- Demonstrate research design and analysis skills needed to conduct impactful marketing research
- Know and apply consumer behavior concepts and the factors that affect consumer decision-making
- Understand and apply fundamental marketing concepts and strategies in the international marketplace
Special requirements
The foundation program specifies course work required during the freshman and sophomore years. Students are eligible for admission into the advanced business program with a major in the School of Business upon meeting the minimum cumulative GPA requirement and successful completion of:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum of 54 credits in the foundation program | 54 | |
| ACCT 203 & ACCT 204 | Introduction to Accounting I and Introduction to Accounting II | 6 |
| BUSN 201 | Foundations of Business | 3 |
| BUSN 212 | Differential Calculus and Optimization for Business | 3-4 |
| or MATH 200 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | |
| BUSN 225 | Winning Presentations | 3 |
| ECON 210 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 211 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| INFO 160 | Digital Literacy: Computer Concepts, Internet, Digital Devices | 1 |
| INFO 161 | Digital Literacy: Word Processing Skills | 1 |
| INFO 162 | Digital Literacy: Spreadsheets Skills I | 1 |
| INFO 166 | Digital Literacy: Database Skills | 1 |
| UNIV 111 Play VideoPlay course video for Focused Inquiry I [View Image] | Focused Inquiry I | 3 |
| UNIV 112 Play VideoPlay course video for Focused Inquiry II [View Image] | Focused Inquiry II (with a minimum grade of C) | 3 |
| UNIV 200 | Inquiry and the Craft of Argument (with a minimum grade of C) | 3 |
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The admission requirements for the School of Business detail the deadlines for students to be admitted to the advanced business program with a major in the school. At least 30 hours of the required business courses for the Bachelor of Science must be taken at VCU.
All baccalaureate degree programs in the School of Business require successful completion of the business knowledge exam as administered in BUSN 499.
Students may need to take additional mathematics courses as prerequisites to BUSN 212 or MATH 200. These credits will count as electives in the foundation program. The sample curriculum outline provides an example in which BUSN 171 is used as a prerequisite for BUSN 212.
The INFO 160, INFO 161 and INFO 162 requirements may be waived upon successful completion of a Knowledge Equivalency Test administered by the Office of Undergraduate Studies. No more than two additional credits may be applied to the degree from the INFO 16x series.
No more than four credits in physical education courses may be applied to the degree.
INTL 493 may not be counted toward a business degree.
Credit for SPCH 121 or SPCH 321 will substitute for BUSN 225, and no more than three credits of these courses may be applied toward a business degree. Credit for STAT 210 or STAT 212 will substitute for SCMA 301. Students who earned a minimum grade of B in ECON 203 at VCU may substitute that credit for ECON 210. D
Degree requirements for Marketing, Bachelor of Science (B.S.) with a concentration in product and brand management
Business foundation (60 credits minimum)1
General Education requirements (34 credits minimum)2
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Core Education Curriculum | ||
| UNIV 111 Play VideoPlay course video for Focused Inquiry I [View Image] | Focused Inquiry I | 3 |
| UNIV 112 Play VideoPlay course video for Focused Inquiry II [View Image] | Focused Inquiry II | 3 |
| UNIV 200 | Inquiry and the Craft of Argument | 3 |
| Approved humanities/fine arts | 3 | |
| Approved natural/physical sciences | 3-4 | |
| Approved quantitative literacy: | 3-4 | |
| Differential Calculus and Optimization for Business | ||
or MATH 200 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | |
| Approved social/behavioral sciences | 3-4 | |
| Total Hours | 21-24 | |
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Business general education requirements | ||
| ECON 210 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 211 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| INFO 160 | Digital Literacy: Computer Concepts, Internet, Digital Devices | 1 |
| INFO 161 | Digital Literacy: Word Processing Skills | 1 |
| INFO 162 | Digital Literacy: Spreadsheets Skills I | 1 |
| INFO 166 | Digital Literacy: Database Skills | 1 |
| Business general education elective (Select credits from the approved list.) | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 13 | |
Additional Business Foundation requirements
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 203 & ACCT 204 | Introduction to Accounting I and Introduction to Accounting II | 6 |
| BUSN 201 | Foundations of Business | 3 |
| BUSN 225 | Winning Presentations | 3 |
| Open electives | 11-14 | |
| Total Hours | 23-26 | |
Students may complete additional course work (if needed) in electives to total 60 credit hours in business foundation.
Students who receive waivers to these required courses must complete additional business general education electives to reach the 34-credit minimum.
Advanced business program (60 credits minimum)
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced business core | ||
| BUSN 325 | Organizational Communication | 3 |
| BUSN 499 | Business Knowledge Exam | 0 |
| FIRE 311 | Financial Management | 3 |
| MGMT 303 | Creativity and Ideation | 3 |
| MGMT 310 | Managing People in Organizations | 3 |
| MGMT 434 | Strategic Management (capstone) | 3 |
| MKTG 301 | Marketing Principles | 3 |
| SCMA 301 | Business Statistics I | 3 |
| Major requirements | ||
| Advanced core (flexible by major) | ||
| BUSN 323 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| INFO 360 | Business Information Systems | 3 |
| MGMT 319 | Leadership | 3 |
| MKTG 310 | Marketing Research | 3 |
| SCMA 320 | Production/Operations Management | 3 |
| Major-specific courses | ||
| MKTG 302 | Marketing and Brand Strategy | 3 |
| MKTG 315 | Buyer Behavior | 3 |
| MKTG/INTL 320 | International Marketing | 3 |
| MKTG 450 | Product Development and Management | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Product Innovation: da Vinci Project | ||
| Integrated Marketing Communications | ||
| Experiential Marketing | ||
| Services Marketing | ||
| Approved marketing electives | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
The minimum total of credit hours required for this degree is 120.
Business general education electives
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Additional University Core Education Curriculum approved courses | ||
| Any AFAM, ANTH, ANTZ, ARTH, BIOL, BIOZ, CHEM, CHEZ, CRJS, DANC, ENGL, ENVS, FRSC, FRSZ, HIST, INNO, INSC, INTL (except INTL 493), MASC, MATH, PHIL, PHYS, PHYZ, POLI, PSYC (except PSYC 214), RELS, SOCS, SOCY, USRP or WRLD course | ||
| Any foreign language course | ||
| Any honors-designated course taught outside of the School of Business | ||
| Any of the following UNIV courses: | ||
| Food for Thought | ||
| The Truth About Lying | ||
| Finding Your Voice in Contemporary Society | ||
| Pseudoscience | ||
| What's the Big Idea? | ||
Marketing electives
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MKTG 325 | Business-to-business Marketing | 3 |
| MKTG 330 | Integrated Marketing Communications | 3 |
| MKTG 335 | Introduction to Personal Selling | 3 |
| MKTG 340 | Retail Management | 3 |
| MKTG 350 | Customer and Marketing Analytics | 3 |
| MKTG 430 | Experiential Marketing | 3 |
| MKTG 435 | Selling in the Business Marketplace | 3 |
| MKTG 442 | Services Marketing | 3 |
| MKTG 445 | Nonprofit Marketing | 3 |
| MKTG 448 | Digital Marketing | 3 |
| MKTG 450 | Product Development and Management | 3 |
| MKTG 470 | Field Project in Marketing | 3 |
| MKTG 475 | Honors Seminar in Marketing | 3 |
| MKTG 485 | Internship in Selling | 3 |
| MKTG 491 | Topics in Marketing (variable; no more than six credits) | 1-3 |
| MKTG 492 | Independent Study in Marketing | 1-3 |
| MKTG 493 | Internship in Marketing | 3 |
| Students may select up to six credits from the following (each course should be worth three credits): 1 | 6 | |
| Intermediate Accounting I | ||
| Introduction to Intercultural Communication | ||
| Principles of Consulting | ||
| International Consulting Practicum | ||
| Microeconomic Theory | ||
| Managerial Economics | ||
| Money and Banking | ||
| E-commerce and Markets for Information Goods | ||
| Merchandise Planning and Control | ||
| Retail Buying Simulation | ||
| Fashion Forecasting | ||
| Fashion Branding | ||
| Principles of Real Estate | ||
| Risk and Insurance | ||
| Real Property Management | ||
| Systems Analysis and Design | ||
| Database Systems | ||
| Product Innovation: da Vinci Project | ||
| Survey of Entrepreneurship | ||
| Managerial Skills Development | ||
| International Management | ||
| Doing Business in Europe | ||
| Topics in Management | ||
| Business Statistics II | ||
| Business Analytics | ||
| Introduction to Project Management | ||
| Global Supply Chain Management | ||
Students must complete prerequisites for these courses as specified in the course description.
What follows is a sample plan that meets the prescribed requirements within a four-year course of study at VCU. Please contact your adviser before beginning course work toward a degree.
| Freshman year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall semester | Hours | |
| BUSN 171 | Mathematical Applications for Business | 3 |
| INFO 160 | Digital Literacy: Computer Concepts, Internet, Digital Devices | 1 |
| INFO 162 | Digital Literacy: Spreadsheets Skills I | 1 |
| UNIV 101 | Introduction to the University ( (satisfies open elective)) | 1 |
| UNIV 111 Play VideoPlay course video for Focused Inquiry I [View Image] | Focused Inquiry I | 3 |
| University Core Education Curriculum approved courses | 6 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| BUSN 212 | Differential Calculus and Optimization for Business | 3 |
| BUSN 225 | Winning Presentations | 3 |
| INFO 161 | Digital Literacy: Word Processing Skills | 1 |
| INFO 166 | Digital Literacy: Database Skills | 1 |
| UNIV 112 Play VideoPlay course video for Focused Inquiry II [View Image] | Focused Inquiry II | 3 |
| Open elective | 1 | |
| University Core Education Curriculum approved course | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Sophomore year | ||
| Fall semester | ||
| ACCT 203 | Introduction to Accounting I | 3 |
| BUSN 201 | Foundations of Business | 3 |
| ECON 210 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| UNIV 200 | Inquiry and the Craft of Argument | 3 |
| Open elective | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| ACCT 204 | Introduction to Accounting II | 3 |
| ECON 211 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| MKTG 301 | Marketing Principles | 3 |
| SCMA 301 | Business Statistics I | 3 |
| Open elective | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Junior year | ||
| Fall semester | ||
| BUSN 325 | Organizational Communication | 3 |
| INFO 360 | Business Information Systems | 3 |
| MGMT 310 | Managing People in Organizations | 3 |
| MKTG 302 | Marketing and Brand Strategy | 3 |
| MKTG 310 | Marketing Research | 3 |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| FIRE 311 | Financial Management | 3 |
| MGMT 303 | Creativity and Ideation | 3 |
| MGMT 319 | Leadership | 3 |
| MKTG 315 | Buyer Behavior | 3 |
| MKTG 450 | Product Development and Management | 3 |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Senior year | ||
| Fall semester | ||
| BUSN 323 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| BUSN 499 | Business Knowledge Exam | 0 |
| INNO 460 | Product Innovation: da Vinci Project or Integrated Marketing Communications or Experiential Marketing or Services Marketing | 3 |
| MKTG/INTL 320 | International Marketing | 3 |
| SCMA 320 | Production/Operations Management | 3 |
| Open elective | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| INNO 460 | Product Innovation: da Vinci Project or Integrated Marketing Communications or Experiential Marketing or Services Marketing | 3 |
| MGMT 434 | Strategic Management | 3 |
| Approved marketing electives | 6 | |
| Open elective | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Total Hours: | 120 | |
The minimum total of credit hours required for this degree is 120.
MKTG 301. Marketing Principles. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course is restricted to students who have completed at least 26 credit hours (sophomore standing). An introduction to the activities, set of institutions and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society at large.
MKTG 302. Marketing and Brand Strategy. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MKTG 301. Enrollment is restricted to students who have completed at least 54 credit hours (junior standing). Students gain knowledge of and exposure to marketing managerial and brand strategy issues. Marketing majors should take this course in the semester immediately following the term in which they complete MKTG 301.
MKTG 310. Marketing Research. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: MKTG 301; and SCMA 301*, STAT 210 or STAT 212. Enrollment is restricted to students who have completed at least 54 credit hours (junior standing). Students receive an overview of the marketing research process. The course includes coverage of primary research, secondary data sources and marketing information systems. Students learn to apply research findings to marketing decisions. *Formerly MGMT 301.
MKTG 315. Buyer Behavior. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MKTG 301. This course is restricted to students who have completed at least 54 credit hours (junior standing). Study of the relevant psychological, sociological and anthropological variables that shape buyers' activities and motivations in household and organizational decision-making. Throughout the course, students consider the issue of why consumers behave as they do in the marketplace and the nature of their choices as individual, family and institutional buyers.
MKTG 320. International Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MKTG 301. This course is restricted to students who have completed at least 54 credit hours (junior standing). Designed to help students develop an understanding of international marketing policies and the differences among foreign marketing environments. Students compare and contrast domestic and international marketing and examine recent changes in the international marketing environment. Crosslisted as: INTL 320.
MKTG 325. Business-to-business Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: MKTG 301 and junior standing. This course focuses on strategy development for marketers whose customers include other businesses, the government and/or institutions. It explores the buying behavior of these organizations and highlights how the product development and management processes for such customers differ from the processes used for consumer marketing.
MKTG 330. Integrated Marketing Communications. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MKTG 301. This course is restricted to students who have completed at least 54 credit hours (junior standing). An overview of the steps required to develop an integrated marketing communications campaign. Topics include advertising, public relations, sales promotion, personal selling and direct marketing. Special emphasis is placed on the role of new technologies and interactive media.
MKTG 335. Introduction to Personal Selling. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Enrollment is restricted to students who have completed at least 26 credit hours (sophomore standing). Examines the fundamental nature of personal selling in the promotion mix, including the sales process and the techniques used in performing the selling function. Explains the diverse decisions and activities necessary to manage the outside sales force efficiently and effectively to achieve the organization's overall goals.
MKTG 340. Retail Management. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MKTG 301. This course is restricted to students who have completed at least 54 credit hours (junior standing). A comprehensive view of retailing and an application of marketing concepts in a practical retail managerial environment. Students learn to evaluate retail firms and to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
MKTG 350. Customer and Marketing Analytics. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MKTG 301 with a minimum grade of C. Introduces tools to gain insights into customer interactions with brands, advertising, digital or social media marketing, and shopping or purchase contexts. Reviews data structure, analysis, synthesis and presentation techniques that aid marketing decision-making.
MKTG 430. Experiential Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: MKTG 301, MKTG 330 and junior standing. This course will introduce the student to topics and strategies involving brand experiences and experiential marketing tactics. Students will explore experiential marketing, a marketing strategy designed to cultivate positive brand-consumer experience through products, communication and staged brand experiences. Additional concepts to be examined include brand strategy, marketing and the five senses, event marketing, mobile marketing, ambush marketing, guerilla marketing, venues and sponsorships, sampling, premiums, technology, social media, and data collection.
MKTG 435. Selling in the Business Marketplace. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: MKTG 301, MKTG 335 and junior standing. This course focuses on selling strategy and tactics for sales managers and field sales representatives whose customers include other businesses, government and/or institutions. Areas of concentration include preparing for, and conducting, effective business-to-business sales calls, including prospecting, scheduling customer sales meetings, needs identification, presentation and securing new business.
MKTG 442. Services Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MKTG 301. This course is restricted to students who have completed at least 54 credit hours (junior standing). Students develop both a theoretical and practical understanding of "the service product," including the role of customer service in retail and industrial settings. Students learn techniques for analyzing and improving service system design. Students develop an understanding of "quality" as it relates to service products, and they exercise a number of approaches for assessing and improving perceived service quality.
MKTG 445. Nonprofit Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MKTG 301. This course is restricted to students who have completed at least 54 credit hours (junior standing). Examines the relationship between marketing and organizational success in the nonprofit sector, as well as the impact of nonprofit organizations on local, national and global economies. Through real-world applications, students learn to combine marketing strategies and tactics with civic engagement, community service and corporate social responsibility. Students must complete a minimum of 20 service-learning hours with the nonprofit organization that is the focus of the course.
MKTG 448. Digital Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MKTG 301. This course is restricted to students who have completed at least 54 credit hours (junior standing). Examines Internet marketing as a necessary ingredient to successful worldwide marketing strategy. Students analyze markets using Web-based techniques for market evaluation, competitive analysis, market comparison and selection. Discussion includes comparison of e-business versus traditional business perspectives on marketing strategies and tactics. Crosslisted as: INTL 448.
MKTG 450. Product Development and Management. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MKTG 301. This course is restricted to students who have completed at least 54 credit hours (junior standing). Study of the role of marketing in developing and managing products. Essential concepts include the use of project teams for product development and the application of a new product development process. Topics include innovation, technology, listening to the voice of the customer, product design, branding, positioning and product life-cycle management.
MKTG 470. Field Project in Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 credits. Prerequisite: MKTG 301. This course is restricted to students who have completed at least 54 credit hours (junior standing). Students take part in a real-world project under faculty supervision, with the topic announced in advance. Examples include conducting a marketing research project, creating an advertising campaign, writing a marketing case study about an existing business and developing a marketing plan.
MKTG 475. Honors Seminar in Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: MKTG 301 and permission of department chair. This course is restricted to students who have completed at least 54 credit hours (junior standing). Students conduct research about major firms in the Richmond region. Chief marketing officers of these firms teach students about current marketing issues and evaluate the students' projects.
MKTG 485. Internship in Selling. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 field experience hours. 3 credits. Enrollment is restricted to School of Business degree-seeking students with a declared marketing major who have completed at least 54 credit hours (junior standing) while maintaining a minimum GPA of 2.5. The course provides the student an opportunity to work in a general selling capacity with a regionally based enterprise. This work experience contributes to the student’s development of knowledge, skills and abilities of selling.
MKTG 491. Topics in Marketing. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; variable hours. Variable credit, with a maximum total of 3 credits per course. For marketing majors, a maximum total of 6 credits for all topics courses. Prerequisite: MKTG 301. An in-depth study of a selected business topic, to be announced in advance.
MKTG 492. Independent Study in Marketing. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; 1-3 credits. For marketing majors, a maximum total of 3 credits for all MKTG 492 courses. Prerequisites: MKTG 301, junior standing and permission of adviser and department chair prior to course registration. Intensive study or research under supervision of a faculty member in an area not covered in depth or contained in the regular curriculum.
MKTG 493. Internship in Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 credits. Prerequisites: senior standing in the major offering the internship and permission of the department chair. Intention to enroll must be indicated to the instructor prior to or during advance registration for semester of credit. Involves students in a meaningful experience in a setting appropriate to the major. Graded as pass/fail at the option of the department.