15 BEST MASTER'S DEGREES IN MARKETING

Texas A&M University offers a Master of Science in Marketing through its College Station campus. This program does not require any minimum GRE or GMAT scores or a minimum GPA, but they do have recommendations that applicants should review before submitting their applications. Most students complete the 36 unit curriculum within 16 months. The courses included in the curriculum include Marketing Consulting, Services Marketing, and Product Innovation. The average class size is about 35 students.

TAMU concerns itself with providing its MSM students with positive exposure to employers and experiences in the business world. One of those programs that foster these relationships is the corporate mentor program. Each student enrolled in the MS program is paired with one of the 23 members who serve as corporate mentors to the students. TAMU also provides real-world business projects which students research and present solutions as they would in their careers. The skills obtained in this program are not just for the classroom; they are prepared for the professional world.

Columbia University in the City of New York offers a Master of Science in Marketing Science. MSM Students take a minimum of 30 units to complete the program. Columbia's MSM Science program is a two-term STEM eligible curriculum. Graduate students in this program take courses such as Marketing Models, Strategic Consumer Insights, and Pricing Strategies. Students can either write a thesis or complete a Ph.D. course as the final component of this curriculum.

A class profile of Columbia's 2018 MSM students shows just how competitive this program is. Of 338 applications received, only 20 were accepted into the program. The average GPA is 3.85. Eleven percent of students have an industrial engineering degree, while another 11 percent already have a degree in psychology. Only five percent of MSMS students apply with an academic background in marketing.

The University of Maryland offers a Master of Science in Marketing Analytics through its Robert H. Smith School of Business. This program requires 22 credits and can be completed in 10 to 16 months. Some of the courses students complete include Statistical Programming, Market Forecasting, and Data Science. Those willing to invest in themselves for the improvement of their career options and put themselves on track for their desired salary and position. Students in the MSMA program are willing to sacrifice over the short-term to set themselves up for long-term gains in their careers. The payoff comes in the form of employment opportunities at companies that already employ UMD's MSMA graduates. Those companies include LinkedIn, Salesforce, and Under Armor.

The University of Texas at Dallas offers a Master of Science in Marketing degree program. This flexible degree program requires the completion of 36 semester credit hours and can be completed within one to two years. Students take courses in a curriculum that includes Competitive Marketing Strategy, Interactive and Digital Marketing, and Web Analytics. To qualify for the MS degree, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in both core courses and aggregate courses.

UT Dallas students enrolled in the MS degree program also have the option of choosing a specialty track within the degree. Those tracks include Advertising and Branding, Business Development and Sales, Digital Advertising and Marketing, Marketing Analytics and Consumer Insights, Product Management, and Marketing Management. All of these options lead to a higher career trajectory and greater salary demand.

Michigan State University offers a Master of Science in Marketing Research degree program. This comprehensive marketing research program requires 34 credits to complete and takes one year in the on-campus, cohort format. Students also have the option to finish their degree online, and that takes 20 months to complete. All faculty members in the MSMR program hold doctorates in marketing and have consulting experience.

The emphasis of the MSMR program at Michigan State is to leverage and technological and analytical revolution within modern day marketing. Students in this program participate in real projects with real clients. Students earn credits while working on real-life problems and use their tools of research to find real-world solutions.

Johns Hopkins University offers a Master of Science in Marketing. The program is 36 units and takes one year to complete if enrolled full-time. Part-time enrollees complete the program in two years. The MS program is designed for student success at every level of any industry whether a global corporation or a startup environment. Students complete courses in Business Law, Decision Models, and Customer Analytics. This curriculum teaches students the power of research and data analysis.

Graduates of the MSM degree program can confidently build customer datasets, assess brand equity, and use qualitative and quantitative research to gain customer insight. This full breadth of specialized knowledge creates employable graduates. Some of the companies that already employ Johns Hopkins alumni include Cisco Systems, NBC, Amazon, and Verizon Wireless.

Georgia State University offers a Master of Science in Marketing. The program requires 30 hours of credit for completion. The curriculum includes International Marketing, Buyer Behavior, and Data-Driven Marketing among its courses. Students use the skills they develop within the classroom setting to maximize their employability. GSU emphasizes professional skill building with exercises such as solving an organization's problem through a project-based curriculum.

GSU's MS in Marketing is hyper-focused on sending their graduates on to a career immediately after graduation. They encourage students to continue their profession while attending the program and are proud of the fact that their graduates receive an average of a 50 percent salary hike upon completing the program. Most alumni stay within the area upon graduation as well with over 40,000 alumni working in the Atlanta metro area.

The University of Houston provides a Master of Science in Marketing Program. This program requires 36 credit-hours and can be completed in 12 months with full-time enrollment or 24 months with the part-time program. The admission requirements for students include submission of an application, an updated resume, transcripts, GRE or GMAT test scores, two letters of recommendation, and a goal statement. UH is proud of its cutting-edge curriculum that includes the latest classes in digital marketing, social media marketing, and customer relationship management. Students from UH's Bauer School of Business have been consistent winners in the Google Online Marketing Challenge. Bauer credits the evolving curriculum for its success in the competition where they were named Champion for The Americas (North and South America) in 2013.

The University of Southern California offers a Master of Science in Marketing degree program. This MS program requires 30 units of credit for completion. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 must be earned for all loans to be applied to the degree. The program takes around two years to complete, but students have developed an in-depth knowledge of marketing strategies, innovative marketing skills, and research concepts by the end. These skills are honed-in the fields of entertainment, sports entertainment, luxury and lifestyle, technology, healthcare, and marketing start-ups.

USC's MS in Marketing program is an excellent fit for those looking to immerse themselves in the universe of marketing. Students have one-on-ones scheduled with the MSM Social Director to discuss goals and areas of interest. The program even offers two academic tracks: Analytics and Consumer Behavior. The program finds its strengths in providing personalization and depth of subject matter.

Clemson University offers a Master of Science in Marketing program. This degree program requires 30 credit hours to complete. For admission requirements, the university prefers it if prospective applicants would reach out to the department for information. The curriculum offers both a full-time program and a part-time program. Along with regular coursework, students also participate in a master's research project that revolves around the application of research to solve a business problem and requires both a written and oral report and presentation.

Clemson prefers that incoming students possess some professional experience associated with the marketing industry, but welcomes newcomers as well. The MSM degree provides its graduates with all the skills needed to carve out a career in marketing or to move on to a doctoral program.