Find top-ranked online master’s in marketing and advertising degree programs for students wanting to qualify for leadership roles as marketing managers, promotions managers, chief executives, and sales engineers.
As consumer trends change and social media plays a more prevalent role in business, so does the need for marketing professionals who have an up-to-date understanding of the field. Earning a master’s degree in marketing and advertising is a great way to advance one’s career while also taking a closer look into the marketing strategies, principles, and theories that make for successful practices.
Students can typically complete this two-year, 30- to 45-credit degree either online or in person.
Courses cover topics such as branding, market research, and business statistics. Students are typically also required to complete a thesis or final project.
Graduates will qualify for leadership roles as marketing managers, promotions managers, chief executives, and sales engineers.
Learn more about what you can do with a master’s in marketing.
The following graph depicts the average salaries of similar occupations to Marketing Managers in the U.S.
Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
19%
Graduation
89%
Student body
32K
Median SAT/ACT
1405/32
Tuition + fees
$58K
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
82%
Student body
22K
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
73%
Student body
34K
Median SAT/ACT
1225/26
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
87%
Graduation
64%
Student body
40K
Median SAT/ACT
1220/25
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
58%
Graduation
83%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1320/29
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
72%
Student body
35K
Median SAT/ACT
1200/27
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
39%
Graduation
88%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/32
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
57%
Graduation
82%
Student body
18K
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
66%
Student body
22K
Median SAT/ACT
1215/25
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
70%
Student body
19K
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
63%
Student body
36K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/24
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
63%
Graduation
80%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1275/27
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
90%
Graduation
68%
Student body
19K
Median SAT/ACT
1120/26
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
67%
Student body
49K
Median SAT/ACT
1185/26
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
60%
Student body
36K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/23
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
40%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1015/22
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
84%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1265/28
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
72%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1230/27
Tuition + fees
$11K
Student body
2K
Tuition + fees
$29K
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
57%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1169/23
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
87%
Graduation
72%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1335/29
Tuition + fees
$21K
Acceptance
86%
Graduation
50%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1020/22
Tuition + fees
$16K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
69%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1230/26
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
39%
Student body
102K
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
91%
Graduation
48%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/23
If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require some adjustment. While you’ll generally learn the same content and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, the medium will likely require you to manage much of this experience independently. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, your ability to harness the technology at your fingertips, and your ability to focus on the lectures, lessons, and assignments at hand. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take it upon yourself to build relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.
No. The only part of online education that’s easier is actually getting there. Taking the commute out of the equation means getting to class should be a lot more manageable. But that’s where it ends. In general, your online courses will incorporate the very same materials, concepts, and testing methods as would a traditional classroom.
And in many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning or working with remote learning technology for the first time, online college may even be a little more challenging for you. For a few insights on how to manage this new experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.
Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable institutions and less-than-reputable for-profit schools. Accreditation gives you the power to differentiate between the two. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency which indicates that a college or university is meeting standards of quality, credibility, and currency. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.
Attending a college or university which is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. When seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that students opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree.
As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited, you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer. In many cases, you will be required to navigate a bureaucracy in which some of your credits will be transferred and others will be jettisoned. However, provided that you have attended an online school with the proper regional accreditation, you should have plenty of options for transfer.
In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript or resume differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.
While some employers may express concern about making the adjustment from online education to in-person workplace collaboration, many other employers will view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st Century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.
If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will require some adjustment.
While there is much that can be supplanted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing which can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual classroom setting. As you make the adjustment to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face is overcoming this difference in order to the get the most out of your classes. Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.
The advantages of online classes are many. First and foremost, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.
Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.