Minneapolis Marketing and Advertising Graduate Programs

Marketing and advertising graduate programs offer students the opportunity to expand their skills and knowledge of public relations, sales, communications, merchandising, digital marketing, consumer behavior and promotional campaigns.

Marketing and Advertising Graduate Programs

Some programs offer the technical and analytic approach to marketing research, while others offer an integrated perspective that combines different forms of communication and advertising with sound marketing strategy.

With the rise of digital media, and Internet marketing, employment in some of these sectors is expected to grow over the next decade, and those who can navigate the new media and technology are expected to have the best prospects.[i] Whether you are returning to university to boost your credentials or to learn how to use the newer mediums to enhance media campaigns, earning a graduate level marketing and advertising degree is worth considering.

Types of Marketing & Advertising Programs

Marketing and advertising graduate programs may be offered as graduate certificates, masters and doctorate degrees in several different concentration areas. Commonly, most masters in marketing and advertising degree programs require students to have earned a Bachelor’s degree in a related field and submit GMAT or GRE scores along with any school-specific admission requirements as these vary.

Doctorate marketing and advertising degree programs may require prospective candidates to have earned a Master’s degree in a related field and to have completed a thesis, and/or to have work-related experience; these criteria may be variable.

DID YOU KNOW?

Public relations specialists were among the occupations in which workers with a master’s degree had higher wages than those with a bachelor’s degree[ii].

Marketing and Advertising Masters Programs

Master’s degrees in marketing and advertising may be available as Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS) and Master of Business Administration (MBA). These may range in duration with some programs taking from 1 to 2 years of full time study. These programs may train students in leadership skills for potential occupations such as market research analysts[iii], advertising managers and marketing managers[iv].

Marketing and Advertising Doctorate Programs

Marketing and Advertising Doctorate degrees may take between 4 to 5 years of full time study and could be offered as Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) tracks. Students who choose this level of education may be interested in consulting, or research and academia[v], especially since doctoral degrees can entail a research project or dissertation based on original findings.

Marketing and Advertising Graduate Certificates

Marketing and advertising graduate certificates can be a great format for learning fundamentals or specific industry skills. As with the masters and doctorate programs, a bachelor’s degree is a common prerequisite. Students who are considering pursuing a marketing and advertising master’s degree at a later date should consider pursuing an accredited certificate program with for-credit courses that can be applied to the advanced degree.

Advertising vs. Marketing Degree

Today’s graduate student can choose from a variety of advertising and marketing graduate programs, as you can apply the various theories and practices to specific interests. This is especially useful to students who are looking to potentially excel in a specific niche such as branding, copywriting, or marketing analytics. Choose from our subject selection to find

  • Advertising and Public Relations Graduate Programs
  • Fashion Merchandising Graduate Programs
  • Marketing Graduate Programs
  • Sales Graduate Programs

Advertising Graduate Degrees

Typically, advertising is an audio or visual form of marketing communications designed to persuade consumers to purchase goods and services[vi] through targeted ad campaigns. Advertising graduate program course topics could include:

  • Strategic branding
  • Creativity
  • Advertising strategy
  • Public relations
  • Event promotion

Marketing Graduate Degrees

Marketing graduate degrees encompass advertising, and is defined by the American Marketing Association as “the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large”[vii]. Course topics might include:

  • Budgeting
  • Supply chain management
  • Consumer Behavior
  • Market research

One may be more inclined to be an advertising major or a marketing major, some programs combine the two related fields in programs that are sometimes called ‘integrated marketing communications’.

Integrated Marketing Communications

Integrated Marketing Communication focuses on the importance of a consistent, seamless, multi-dimensional brand experience for consumers using comprehensive marketing campaigns. Some strategies use traditional and contemporary approaches that seek to incorporate an understanding of what clients want and taking their feedback into marketing and advertising strategies[viii]. These integrated marketing programs could cover topics such as:

  • Visual arts
  • Psychology
  • Digital marketing
  • Social media
  • Outreach
  • Relationship Building

Campus or Online Programs

Are you someone who wants to study in an interactive and in person learning environment or do you need the scheduling flexibility of an online learning environment.

Search Marketing & Advertising Graduate Programs

Use the ‘request info’ tab to contact prospective schools, find out about their unique courses and faculty and above all, to stay abreast of admission deadlines and procedures.

sources[i] bls.gov/ooh/management/advertising-promotions-and-marketing-managers.htm |[ii] bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/should-i-get-a-masters-degree.htm#Education |[iii] bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/market-research-analysts.htm |[iv] bls.gov/ooh/management/advertising-promotions-and-marketing-managers.htm |[v] bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers.htm |[vi] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising#Advertising_education |[vii] ama.org/AboutAMA/Pages/Definition-of-Marketing.aspx |[viii] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_marketing_communications |

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Master of Science: Digital Marketing
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