The Master of Arts (M.A.) in Business (Marketing Concentration) has three options.
Two are for those who intend to pursue a Ph.D., and the other is for those who intend
to pursue a business career in marketing.
Option I is for those who intend to go forward for a Ph.D. in marketing. It requires
completion of 20-24 semester hours of graduate course credit (normally, seven to
eight courses), and a thesis equivalent to six to 10 semester hours of credit, for
a total of at least 30 hours. At least 15 of the total hours must be in business,
primarily marketing. Students may take an entirely marketing curriculum, or may
take courses outside the department. A minor area outside Business of at least nine
hours is possible. At least eight semester hours out of the 30 must be in more advanced
graduate courses not open to undergraduates. The thesis should demonstrate the student's
ability to carry out independent research, and is done under the advice and supervision
of a committee of marketing faculty and other faculty who help the student develop
his or her research skills.
We are not accepting applications for Fall 2012.
Option II is recommended for those who have extensive experience in marketing and
desire more specialized training and want to go on to a business career in marketing.
This option consists of 36 hours of graduate course work (normally 12 courses),
with no thesis. The student must complete at least 18 hours in Business, (primarily
marketing), and at least one minor area outside of business, consisting of at least
nine hours. If the student elects to have two minor areas, then the total hours
in business must be at least 15 hours, with at least nine hours in each minor.
Option III, like Option I, is for those who wish to pursue a Ph.D. in marketing.
It consists of 36 semester hours of course work, at least 18 of which must be in
business (primarily marketing). Instead of the thesis required in Option I, the
student substitutes a greater fraction of the more advanced graduate-level courses;
at least 18 of the 36 hours must be in courses open exclusively to graduate students.
To qualify for admission, students must normally have graduated from an accredited
institution with a degree in business administration. Students applying to the program
who are not graduate of an American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business accredited
college or school of business administration will be required to complete the Common
Body of Knowledge (CBK) courses.
The CBK consists of Legal Environment, Principles of Accounting, Principles of Economics,
Statistics, Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management and Operations Management.
In addition, students are expected to have completed a course in calculus and show
computer proficiency and oral and written communication skills.
As one can see from this discussion, the M.A. program is a flexible way to concentrate
in the marketing discipline for either academic or business career goals. It should
be clear, though, that an M.A. is not normally thought of by employers or graduate
schools as a general business degree. It is designed for people who wish to specialize
in a business area such as the marketing discipline for the bulk of their business
or academic careers. Students who take the M.A. concentrating in Marketing normally
have worked for several years in commercial marketing (advertising, direct marketing,
marketing research, etc.), and have a strong feeling, based in real-world experience,
that marketing is their chosen career.
The Master of Arts in Business with a Specialization in Marketing, Advertising,
and Mass Communications is an inter-disciplinary program in cooperation with the
College of Journalism and Mass Communications and the Communication Studies department
of the College of Arts and Sciences. This program is intended to produce practical
specialists who will most likely work in advertising, promotion, integrated marketing,
or some other field of applied Marketing communications. Career opportunities exist
in advertising agencies and marketing communications firms, direct marketers, and
large and small businesses and organizations of all types which manage relationships
with customers and the public.
Thirty-six semester hours of coursework are required. Graduate-level classes in
Managerial Marketing (GRBA 813) and Strategic Issues in Marketing Communication
(MRKT 830) are required, as well as four more graduate-level Marketing classes.
Three graduate-level Communications courses are required: Communication and Culture,
Organizational Communication, and an elective. From the College of Journalism and
Mass Communications, graduate courses in Advertising and Public Relations Research
and Advertising Management are required, along with one elective. A comprehensive
oral examination is also required.
For admission into CBA, students must normally have graduated from an accredited
institution with a degree in business administration. Students applying to the MA
program who are not graduates of an American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business
accredited college or school of business administration will be required to complete
the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) courses.
The Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) consists of the following classes: BLAW 371 (Legal
Environment); ACCT 201 and 202 (Principles) or 306; ECON 211 and 212 (Principles)
or 210; 215 (Statistics); FINA 361 (Finance); MRKT 341 (Marketing); MNGT 360 (Managing
Behavior in Organizations); MNGT 245 (Elementary Quantitative Methods); and MNGT
331 (Operations and Resource Management). Also required are calculus, speech, and
computer proficiency. In addition to CBK courses, if you have not completed a business
policy course, you will need to take GRBA 853, Strategic Management and Business
Policy.
As with the MA in Business with a Marketing Specialization, this degree should be
recognized by employers as a specialist degree rather than a general business degree,
and should be considered seriously by students who wish to specialize in the area
of marketing communications for a large part of their careers.
Please see the MCA program brochure
for more information.
|
Program
|
MBA Marketing Specialization
|
MA – Marketing
|
MA – MCA
|
|
Likely Career Path
|
Begin in a marketing area and move to general management
|
Specialize in a chosen marketing area, move into general or marketing management
|
Specialize in advertising or marketing communication, move into advertising or communications
management
|
|
Required Semester Hours
|
48
|
30-36
|
36
|
|
Hours of Required Courses
|
30
|
0
|
18
|
|
Hours of Electives required from certain areas
|
9
|
21-27
|
18
|
|
Hours of Unconstrained Electives
|
9
|
9-15
|
0
|
|
Prerequisites
|
statistics and calculus
|
Common Body of Knowledge
|
Common Body of Knowledge
|
|
Knowledge of General Business
|
excellent
|
good
|
limited
|
|
Knowledge of Marketing Specialty
|
adequate
|
excellent
|
excellent
|
We offer a number of Marketing courses at the Masters level:
- Marketing Management which is required in
the M.B.A. program but also available in the M.A. program, and emphasizes the development
of marketing plans and controlling the marketing mix for the firm. (GRBA 813)
- Applied Marketing Research covers the use
of exploratory research, surveys, and experiments in marketing management decisions.
(MRKT 821)
- Survey of Buyer Behavior which examines
the economic, psychological and sociocultural bases of buying behavior as the basis
for marketing strategy and public policy. (MRKT 822)
- Advanced Quantitative Analysis in Marketing
covers state-of-the-art methodological issues in multivariate analysis of marketing
research data. (MRKT 824)
- Services Marketing and the services marketing
process. Enabling communication with other professional marketers and analysis of
services marketing situations and recommendations for managerial action. (MRKT 826*)
- Sports Marketing covers concepts and theories
unique to sports marketing, review of the basic principles of marketing in the context
of sports. (MRKT 828*)
- Strategic Issues in Marketing Communication
covers the analysis and application of current concepts in the formulation and evaluation
of promotional strategy in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. (MRKT
830)
- Marketing Channels and Distribution emphasizes
the marketing management issues relating to the selection of intermediaries, channel
control, marketing institutions, channel power, and pricing. (MRKT 835)
- Marketing and Electronic Commerce covers
strategies to deal with opportunities and challenges of evolving technology and
marketing in digital networks of customers, suppliers, and employees. (MRKT 841*)
- Strategic Database Marketing covers concepts
of customer relationship management, integration with electronic commerce systems,
analytical techniques, ethics and practices of customer data privacy. (MRKT 850*)
- Marketing and Globalization puts emphasis
on access to new consumers, new supplies, and the effect on consumer choices. Marketing
strategies developed for Nebraska firms and organizations such as value-added food
marketers. (MRKT 855)
*(400-level counterpart)
Beyond the marketing courses they choose to take, Masters students are encouraged
to take courses in other departments which fit their needs and goals. For example,
a student interested in database marketing might take Database Organization from
the Management Department, and an applied statistics course or two from the Sociology
or Educational Psychology departments. A student interested in advertising might
take a course or two in Mass Media from the Journalism and Mass Communications Department.
A student interested in Marketing Research might take courses in statistics or research
methodology from any one of several social science departments. Each student's program
is tailored to him or her as an individual. We take a strong personal interest in
each student, and do not put anyone in a preconceived mold.
** Please note: All application materials (except transcripts and finance resource
certification) must be submitted electronically. Do not send paper recommendation
forms or resume.
As part of the admission process, you are required to submit an unofficial transcript
from each post-secondary institution you have attended which lists courses completed,
grades earned, as well as degrees conferred.
To submit your transcript you will upload an electronic or scanned copy of them
to MyRed.
MyRed Upload
Instructions
Please do not send paper transcripts to any university office as it may delay the
timely processing of your application.
Once admitted, you will be required to submit an official transcript that is sent
directly from each institution you have attended either electronically or on paper
to the Office of Graduate Studies.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Graduate Admissions
1100 Seaton Hall
Lincoln, NE 68588-0619
Tel: (402) 472-2875
For more
information, please visit the Office of Graduate Studies website.
Three letters of reference are required and should be submitted through
GAMES.
Your resume should be submitted through GAMES.
You should register to take the GMAT and
have the results forwarded to UNL. You should also submit your scores through GAMES.
International Students should also include:
The Office of International Affairs provides orientation, counseling and advising
to international students, and serves as the official liaison between your sponsoring
agency and the United States government. Staff members are also available to help
you make contacts on campus and in the Lincoln community.
Guidelines for International Students can be found at
www.unl.edu/gradstudies/
Your completed application materials must be received by:
- March 15 - for admission to Fall semester
- October 15 - for admission to Spring semester
- October 15 - for admission to Summer term
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