Bachelor of Science in Marketing
In today’s hyper-competitive global business environment, it is becoming very clear that for any organization to prosper, it must adopt a market orientation as its guiding business philosophy. Being market oriented simply means that an organization considers the needs and wants of its customers as crucial input in every decision that it makes. To successfully accomplish this goal, the organization must develop and nurture close relationships with its customers. Marketers are literally the interface between the organization and its customers. A career in marketing, no matter which of the dozens of different career paths you choose to follow, is at its heart a career in strategically creating and managing these relationships.
A Very Important Notice
The requirements listed on this web page for the BS in Marketing are those contained in the current University catalog. You are responsible for meeting program requirements in your catalog of record—the catalog in effect when you entered NKU as a degree-seeking student. You can find an archive of previous catalogs here. You may change your catalog of record to take advantage of program improvements in subsequent years. Consult with the College of Business Advising Center for guidance in catalog changes.
Graduate in Four Years!
If you successfully complete an average of only 15 credit hours each Fall and Spring semester, you can finish your Marketing degree with its required minor in Business Administration in four years (eight semesters). See a detailed four year graduation plan in a downloadable pdf file here.
Like all business degree programs, the Marketing program is tightly structured. You should give careful attention to course prerequisites, as they are strictly enforced. If you choose to earn your degree over a period longer than four years, the basic sequence of courses shown in the four year plan will still apply in most cases. If you decide to deviate from the recommended sequence, you should consult with the College of Business Advising Center for assistance in developing an alternative graduation plan.
Selective Admission and Certification in the Major
You must meet selective admission requirements for the Haile/US Bank College of Business in order to be fully admitted (known as certification) into the Marketing major. Prior to certification, you will be enrolled as a Marketing pre-major. Some of the selective admissions courses can be used to satisfy university General Education requirements and some satisfy partial requirements for the required minor in Business Administration. You must complete the ten-course group (shown below) with a minimum grade of C- in each course, and a minimum GPA of 2.50 across the group.
Selective Admission (Certification) Course Group
1. CMST 101 Principles of Speech Communication
2. ENG 101 College Writing
3. MAT 114 Finite Mathematics
Prerequisite: C- or better in MAT 109 Algebra for College Students or ACT ≥ 23
4. ACC 200 Principles of Accounting I-Financial
Prerequisites: INF 101, college-level mathematics course (MAT or STA), ≥ 30 credit hours
5. ACC 201 Principles of Accounting II-Managerial
Prerequisites: C or better in ACC 200, ≥ 30 credit hours
6. BUS 230 Legal Environment
Prerequisite: ≥ 30 credit hours
7. ECO 200 Principles of Macroeconomics
Prerequisites: college-level mathematics course (MAT or STA), ≥ 30 credit hours
8. ECO 201 Principles of Microeconomics
Prerequisites: college-level mathematics course (MAT or STA), ≥ 30 credit hours
9. ENG 291 Advanced Writing
Prerequisites: ENG 101, ≥ 30 credit hours
10. STA 212 Statistics for Business Applications I
The College of Business Core
Students in all business majors complete a group of eight core courses designed to provide a comprehensive overview of business.
College Core Course Group
1. BIS 300 Management Information Systems
Prerequisites: STA 212, INF 101, ≥ 60 credit hours
2. BUS 330 Ethics in Managerial Decision-Making
Prerequisites: BUS 230, ≥ 60 credit hours
3. ECO 305 International Context for Business
Prerequisite: business major certification or declared major in economics
4. FIN 305 Principles of Finance
Prerequisites: ACC 200, ACC 201, STA 212, ≥ 60 credit hours
5. MGT 300 Behavior in Organizations
Prerequisite: ≥ 60 credit hours
6. MGT 305 Operations Management in Business
Prerequisites: MAT 114, STA 212, ≥ 60 credit hours
7. MKT 305 Principles of Marketing
Prerequisite: ≥ 60 credit hours
8. MGT 490 Business Policy
Prerequisites: FIN 305, MGT 300, MGT 305, MKT 305, ≥ 90 credit hours
The Marketing Program Core
Students in all Marketing specialization tracks complete a common marketing knowledge core of eight courses (24 credit hours). Each of the specialization tracks requires an additional 21 credit hours of coursework. A grade of C or better in all core and specialization program courses in the marketing major is required to earn the BS degree in Marketing.
Marketing Core Course Group
1. PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology
2. SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
3. STA 213 Statistics for Business Applications II
Prerequisite: C- or better in STA 212
4. ENG 340 Business Writing
Prerequisite: ENG 291
5. MKT 320 Consumer Behavior
Prerequisite: C or better in MKT 305
6. MKT 392 Consumer Insights
Prerequisites: C or better in MKT 305, STA 212
7. MKT 333 Global and Cultural Issues in Marketing
Prerequisite: C or better in MKT 305
8. MKT 480 Strategic Decision Making in Marketing
Prerequisites: MKT 320, MKT 392, ≥ 90 credit hours
The Specializations
All Marketing majors must choose a specialization track at the time of completing the selective admission certification course group for admission into the Marketing major (usually no later than your fifth semester). Using a four year graduation plan, the program of study for all specialization tracks is the same for the first three years (six semesters) of study, so specialization tracks can easily be changed prior to the beginning of the seventh semester. Specialization tracks are:
• Comprehensive Marketing;
• Marketing Research;
• Marketing Communications; and
• Consumer and Product Marketing.
The Comprehensive Marketing specialization offers the most flexibility in elective course choice, while the other three specialization tracks have course requirements focused on the broad career path targeted by each. This can be a great advantage if you are interested in a career position in that area. You are strongly encouraged to discuss your career goals with marketing faculty for guidance in choosing the appropriate specialization.
Consider using an internship (link coming soon!) to fulfill an elective requirement in your marketing program. The internship option allows you to gain practical work experience and real-world networking exposure at the local, regional, national, or international level while under the guidance and supervision of an expert professional.
Comprehensive Marketing Specialization Course Group
• Five (5) MKT 300-400 level elective courses
o Prerequisites: all require C or better in MKT 305; others may apply–consult catalog
• One (1) Quantitative/Electronic group elective
o Choose one from: BIS 330, BIS 380, ECO 310, INF 282, MGT 306, STA 360, or other as approved by department
o Prerequisites differ–consult catalog
• One (1) General group elective
o Choose one from: CMST 303, CMST 340, CMST 355, EMB 313, ENTP 300, PSY 340, or other as approved by department
o Prerequisites differ–consult catalog
Marketing Research Specialization Course Group
• MKT 492 Advanced Marketing Research
o Prerequisites: ENG 340, MKT 320, MKT 392, STA 213
• BIS 330 IT Project Management
o Prerequisite: ≥ 60 credit hours
• Two (2) MKT 300-400 level elective courses
o Prerequisites: all require C or better in MKT 305; others may apply–consult catalog
• Two (2) Quantitative/Electronic group electives
o Choose two from: INF 282, BIS 380, STA 360, ECO 310, or other as approved by department
o Prerequisites differ–consult catalog
• One (1) General group elective
o Choose one from: CMST 303, SOC 320, PSY 340, or other as approved by department
o Prerequisites differ–consult catalog
Marketing Communications Specialization Course Group
• MKT 308 Integrated Marketing Communications
o Prerequisite: C or better in MKT 305
• MKT 310 Principles of Professional Selling
o Prerequisite: C or better in MKT 305
• Three (3) MKT 300-400 level elective courses
o Prerequisites: all require C or better in MKT 305; others may apply–consult catalog
• One (1) Quantitative/Electronic group elective
o Choose one from: BIS 330, BIS 380, ECO 310, INF 282, MGT 306, STA 360, or other as approved by department
o Prerequisites differ–consult catalog
• One (1) General group elective
o Choose one from: CMST 303, CMST 340, CMST 355, CMST 430, CMST 440, EMB 313, PSY 340, or other as approved by department
o Prerequisites differ–consult catalog
Consumer and Product Marketing Specialization Course Group
• MKT 350 Creating Value Through Product and Price
o Prerequisite: MKT 333
• MKT 307 Delivering and Communicating Value
o Prerequisite: MKT 333
• Three (3) MKT 300-400 level elective courses
o Prerequisite: all require C or better in MKT 305; others may apply–consult catalog
• One (1) Quantitative/Electronic group elective
o Choose one from: BIS 330, BIS 380, ECO 310, INF 282, MGT 306, STA 360, or other as approved by department
o Prerequisites differ–consult catalog
• One (1) General group elective
o Choose one from: CMST 303, CMST 340, CMST 355, EMB 313, ENTP 300, PSY 340, WGS 383, or other as approved by department
o Prerequisites differ–consult catalog
If you have additional questions about our academic programs, please drop us an email at markets@nku.edu or phone the department office at 859-572-6582.