Lynn Metcalf, Area Chair Norinne Morris, Administrative Coordinator Phone: (805)756-1543 Fax: (805)756-6347 Hours: M-F 8:30-4:30 Room: 03-407

What is marketing?

Marketing is about understanding customer wants and needs, which is accomplished by building strong customer relationships. Marketers must have the ability to understand customers so they can accurately communicate customer needs to their own companies. Ultimately, marketing focuses on building value for customers and communicating and delivering that value.

What kinds of careers could I pursue with a marketing concentration?

There are many different types of career paths you could pursue with a marketing concentration, with new paths emerging every day. Potential marketing careers include:
1. Brand management
2. New product development
3. Marketing research
4. Advertising planning and design
5. Retail management
6. Marketing consulting
7. Sales
8. Event planning 

Take a look at career profiles of recent graduates.

What is the marketing concentration like?

Marketing classes generate a lively and predictable learning environment, where you learn from your peers, as well as your professors. Marketing professors have diverse backgrounds, expertise, and personalities that create an innovative and energetic atmosphere. These diverse characteristics help create a dynamic, team-focused environment.

Perhaps the best thing about marketing is that it is flexible and accommodating for all types of people. Whether you are the social butterfly that brings people together, the take-charge leader, or the reflective and analytical type, marketing provides a home for you. 

To get a sense of what the marketing field is all about, the American Marketing Association (AMA) is an excellent resource.  AMA is a student-run club that enables you to network and to become familiar with the various job and career opportunities available. You can find out more at http://www.amacalpoly.com/

What will I learn as a marketing student in the Orfalea College of Business?

The marketing curriculum focuses on 3 pillars of learning:

1. Information Competency: The ability to gather and use data to make decisions.
2. Innovation: Generating creative solutions to consumer and business challenges.
3. Application: Taking knowledge and using it to solve real problems in real life situations.

Through these 3 pillars, you will begin to develop a personal brand—a distinctive identity for yourself that conveys your qualities and differentiates you from others. The unique set of skills, abilities, and experiences you develop will allow you to compete at the highest levels of the industry. 

Where should I start?

Freshman Year

1. Read business publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Advertising Age, both of which are available free on campus.
2. Join the American Marketing Association.
3. Network with professionals in the marketing industry to uncover job opportunities.
4. Register for BUS 100: Student Orientation and College Success. Develop a plan of study that incorporates multiple scheduling options. Students that develop a long-term plan of study are able to graduate when they want to. We encourage you to include a study abroad experience before your senior year.

Sophomore Year

1. Continue with activities listed above in 1-3.
2. Register for BUS 346: Introduction to Marketing. This will help you get an idea of what the classes and the concentration are all about.

Junior Year

Take BUS 418: Listening to the Customer and BUS 419: Strategic Marketing Measurement. These are the first steps in completing the semi-lock-step marketing concentration.

Talk with your marketing advisor about senior project opportunities. Many of our senior projects are multi-quarter experiences, which you’ll commit to during spring quarter of your junior year. Check http://www.cob.calpoly.edu/undergradPrograms/marketing/seniorProj.htm

Pursue a marketing internship between your junior and senior year. Attend the Marketing Career Conference in January. Consult Amy Swanson in the Orfalea College of Business Advising Center and Jane Johnson in Career Services for help. You have to be proactive in seeking an internship out. Leverage the contacts you’ve made through networking, and sell yourself and your unique talents to prospective employers.

Senior Year

1. Complete the remaining marketing curriculum during your senior year, and grab a few free electives that complement your intended specialty. If you take BUS 418 and BUS 419 in your junior year, you only have to take 4 other courses to complete the marketing concentration (BUS 451: Product Development & Launch, BUS 452: Product Management, BUS 454: Developing & Presenting Marketing Projects, and BUS 455: Marketing Strategy). Leave room in your schedule to take some electives. Some good examples include: JOUR 312: Intro to Public Relations and JOUR 331: Contemporary Advertising, IT 330: Fundamentals of Packaging, and/or STATS 330: Statistical Computing.
2. Build a portfolio of course and project work. Keep copies of the work you do in your marketing classes— case studies, data analysis, research reports, ad campaigns, etc. You can show this portfolio to prospective employers as evidence of your abilities.
3. Pursue an entry-level position that will provide the experience and learning you need to achieve your long- term career goals. The process is similar to obtaining an internship outlined above. Also, check into the opportunities available through the AfterCollege™ Marketing Job Board.

Useful links

Class Information:

• Marketing New Curriculum
• Substitutions
• Marketing Classes Descriptions
• Marketing Senior Project Options
• Courses Outside Marketing to Consider for GE or free electives

Campus Clubs Information

• AMA - American Marketing Association

Client Projects

If you are interested in submitting a marketing project for students to work on please complete this application

Alumni Insights

• Noami Fukuda