One of the best things about opting for a career in marketing is that there are many different options to choose from for those who want to excel in their work. While a college degree in marketing can be useful, it is certainly not the only way to get started with improving your marketing career. Marketing apprenticeships, online learning programs, and many other options are available for aspiring marketers who want to achieve success.
Many successful marketers start out by working with clients to develop their skills and many learn through the trial and error of figuring out what works and what doesn’t when taking on projects. Whether you are looking to start your own marketing agency or are hoping to run your own successful business and need marketing skills to help you achieve your goals, there is certainly no shortage of learning options to consider for those who want to stay up to date in this dynamic and constantly changing industry.
If you want to start your own marketing agency and help other business owners get the most from their marketing strategies and campaigns, it’s worth considering getting an advanced qualification that will set you apart from the competition and help you get noticed in the industry as a reputable expert.
Getting an MBA with a concentration in marketing can be one of the best ways to set your future marketing career up for success. The MBA is not only useful for improving your marketing skills and expertise but will also cover the main pillars of business and help you learn more about how marketing ties in with and impacts all the other areas of a company. If you aspire to start your own marketing agency in the future or are hoping for a lucrative career as a marketer, here are the options available for studying marketing at the MBA level.
Traditional MBA Degree Programs
The traditional MBA degree program involves taking a campus-based full-time program that will usually take between one and two years to complete. You will be required to commit full-time to studying and in many cases, this might require you to take some time off work while you study or put your business idea on hold until after you graduate, so that you can commit as much time as possible to getting your MBA.
Traditional MBA programs might be the ideal option for somebody who has the time to dedicate to studying for up to two years full-time and has the financial means to support themselves while making it happen. If you think that this type of marketing MBA might be the best option for you, it’s a good idea to spend some time researching the various business schools where the program is offered. You might want to consider attending a local business school so that your living situation can stay the same, or there is the option to relocate to attend a business school that would not be possible for you to commute to on a daily basis.
Speak to current and previous students of the MBA in marketing program at the business schools that you are considering, to get a better idea of what you might be able to expect and determine if the program sounds like the right fit for you.
Some of the main benefits of going down the traditional route when getting an MBA in marketing include face-to-face work with tutors and professors, the opportunity to meet and network with your peers in person, and access to campus facilities. MBA students who study traditionally on-campus will also be able to take advantage of business and recruiter visits to the campus.
Online-Only MBA Programs
If you’re not in a situation where you are able to take time off work for 1-2 years or have other commitments that you need to uphold while studying for your MBA, getting an online degree program could be the ideal choice for you.
Today, more and more MBA students are opting for an online degree program with many top online MBA programs from Suffolk University to choose from with various concentration options. There is absolutely no difference between the online and traditional MBA program when it comes to the worth of the qualification and the respect that it can earn from employers. Studying online gives students the additional flexibility that they may need when studying to choose where and when is preferable for them to learn, making it an ideal choice for students who need to continue working full-time or running their own business while getting their MBA.
There are several further benefits to opting for an online MBA program, including the opportunity to save money on getting your degree. While tuition fees for online programs tend to be priced similarly to traditional programs, online students are able to save money in several other ways, including access to online learning resources and the lack of commuting to and from classes. In addition, online MBA programs allow you to get a degree from a university that is located hundreds of miles away without the need to relocate, which can save students a great deal of money while still being able to get a qualification from their favored school. Also, the opportunity cost of getting an online MBA is often smaller. The opportunity cost refers to the money that students are likely to lose out on by giving up work for a couple of years or working fewer hours while getting their MBA, which is not always as necessary when studying for an online MBA since it offers more flexible options for students.
Part-Time MBA Programs
With an increasing number of people deciding to return to school when they already have full-time commitments like work, businesses, or a family to look after, part-time MBA programs are becoming increasingly popular. There are both classroom-based and online part-time MBA programs to consider, which will usually take around double the time of a full-time program from start to finish, but do not require as many hours per week to be committed to studying. While studying for a part-time MBA will take you a longer amount of time to complete compared to a full-time MBA, it can be the ideal choice for students who do not have a huge amount of time to dedicate to studying.
If you want to get the benefits of attending in-person classes for your MBA program but do not have the time to commit to traditional full-time study, a part-time MBA program could be the right choice for you. They are often more flexible compared to full-time traditional MBA programs and many are designed for people who are working or running their own businesses with evening and weekend classes available which are usually easier to attend. Students might be able to choose which class times that they would prefer based on their schedules, allowing more flexibility compared to full-time, traditional MBA programs.
Although part-time MBA study is not quite as flexible as an online-only program, it is often more flexible compared to the traditional full-time study options. Studying part-time also gives you more time to complete your degree and work it around your full-time career or running your own business at the same time. This gives you the chance to put what you learn in classes into practice as you go while running your business. In addition, students will have more opportunity to network with their peers in person when attending part-time MBA classes on campus.
Blended MBA Programs
If you are struggling to decide between getting your MBA in the traditional manner on-campus or enrolling on an online MBA degree program, you may want to consider a new type of program that is designed to blend the two together and enable students to access the best of both worlds. Blended programs are designed to allow students to access both classroom and online resources, offering a greater degree of flexibility for full-time professionals and business owners, meaning that you can decide whether to study online or study on-campus depending on your schedule and needs at the time.
If you are looking to continue running your marketing business as you study for your MBA and want a flexible option that is designed to help you put what you learn into practice as you go along, a blended MBA program could be ideal for you. You will have the option to study online when you are unable to get to in-person classes, while still taking advantage of the ability to go onto campus and work with your professors and tutors in-person while networking with fellow students in classes. If you’re particularly busy one week, you will have the option to reduce stress by studying online, while the campus is always available for you on those days where you have enough time to go in. This can be a useful option for students who feel that they would benefit from being able to use campus facilities from time to time or worry that they might struggle to stay motivated when studying solely online without the option to get in-person support from tutors or in-person networking opportunities.
Skills You’ll Learn From a Marketing MBA
Whatever route you decide to take with a marketing MBA, it will teach you a wide range of important skills that will help you achieve success whether you are pursuing a professional marketing career or want to start your own marketing agency in the future. Some of the key skills that you will be able to develop and fine-tune when getting your MBA in marketing include:
Analytical Skills
Marketing today will require you to be skilled in data analysis, using the data that the business gathers to determine the best business decisions to make in terms of what the audience needs and wants. Marketers today need to be very analytically-minded, with the ability to strategize carefully around the analysis to ensure that any marketing campaigns are designed with the needs, requirements, and habits of the target audience in mind.
Communication Skills
Since marketing is crucial for communicating information about a brand, products, services, and more to the public, it’s definitely a form of professional communication – and good communication skills are absolutely required to succeed in any marketing profession. Whether you want to work for one business as a marketer or start your own marketing agency in the future, you will need to communicate the message in a wide range of different forms, in a way that is effective and impactful.
Creativity
Although marketing is becoming increasingly data-driven and analytical, it is also a very creative career option where people working in the field need to be ready to think on their feet and outside of the box. Successful marketing is often about using the data that you have available to you to come up with new and exciting ideas to help the company stand out from the competition. While studying for an MBA in marketing, you will be given plenty of chances to exercise your creativity and come up with unique ideas.
Public Speaking
Marketers will often have to become skilled at public speaking, whether you’re announcing a new product or service or educating people on a new marketing initiative or campaign. Pitching ideas to employers, clients, colleagues and customers is often essential for marketers. As part of the degree program, you will be able to develop and fine-tune your public speaking skills and become more confident speaking in front of an audience.
Team Work
Finally, any good marketer knows that they are going to have to work successfully with a team to get the desired results. Whether you are working with other marketing professionals in your place of work or running an agency where you’re working closely with your clients and their teams, being able to work successfully as part of a multi-disciplinary team is often required to get the best marketing results. With various group projects and assignments to complete, you will certainly have the chance to become a better team player with an MBA in marketing.
Whether you want a lucrative career in marketing or are thinking of starting your own marketing agency in the future, an MBA with a concentration in marketing could be the best way to reach your goals.