Bachelor of Science in Marketing

Overview 

Marketing is a dominant force in today’s competitive and dynamic business environment and is a prominent part of business education in the United States and globally. The Bachelor of Science in Marketing (BSM) degree program at the GW School of Business (GWSB) provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to specialize in marketing and offers a career advantage to business students. The BSM degree trains students to work as brand and product managers, advertising and sales promotion specialists, salespeople, marketing researchers and analysts, database and customer relationship managers, experts in digital marketing, and senior managers shaping the competitive strategy and future of companies.

The BSM degree exposes students to current theories and research in consumer behavior, research methodology and analytics, advertising and sales promotion, digital technologies, and the emerging technologies of artificial intelligence and automated marketing. Marketing department courses emphasize an experiential learning pedagogy so that students develop strong problem solving and integration skills. The courses integrate theory, method and applications. They emphasize the collection, organization and processing of consumer and marketing data, new analytic methodologies, and the impact of social media and new product and service technologies. Marketing is an exciting and dynamic field, and the BSM degree reflects this.

STEM Approval Pending

The BSM degree has a digital marketing orientation and a STEM orientation. Its courses fall under the STEM CIP codes 09.0702 - Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia. This degree program has not yet been approved as a STEM major. When approved, foreign students graduating with a BSM degree may stay in the United States for three years after graduation instead of the normal one year.

Learning Objectives

  • Analyze and apply marketing knowledge of consumer preferences, theory and technology to meet the needs of consumers and marketing managers
  • Understand the digital market space, social media, digital analytic techniques, and develop the knowledge and skills for effective strategies for marketing on the web
  • Understand the global market place and global marketing strategy
  • Understand social responsibility and ethics, and weigh the impact of marketing decisions on society and the physical environment
  • Develop leadership and people skills, and learn to:
    • Think creatively
    • Communicate clearly and effectively in both writing and oral presentations
    • Think critically, analyze the facts, and create intelligent solutions
    • Work effectively as a team leader as well as a team member

Marketing Major Requirements

The following requirements must be fulfilled: 120 credits, including 77 credits in required courses and 43 credits in elective courses. 

General education and pre-business
UW 1020University Writing
One critical analysis in the humanities course. 1
One scientific reasoning with lab course. 1
Pre-business courses
One of the following two-course sequences in mathematics: 2
MATH 1051
& MATH 1252		Finite Mathematics for the Social and Management Sciences
and Calculus for the Social and Management Sciences
or MATH 1231
& MATH 1232		 Single-Variable Calculus I
and Single-Variable Calculus II
BADM 1001
& BADM 1002		First-Year Development Course I
and First-Year Development Course II 3
or BADM 1003 Transfer Student Development Course
BADM 3001Career Management Strategy 4
BADM 4001Leadership and Career Launch 5
ECON 1011Principles of Economics I
ECON 1012Principles of Economics II
DNSC 1001Business Analytics I: Statistics for Descriptive and Predictive Analytics
or APSC 3115 Engineering Analysis III
or STAT 1051 Introduction to Business and Economic Statistics
or STAT 1053 Introduction to Statistics in Social Science
or STAT 1111 Business and Economic Statistics I
DNSC 2001Business Analytics II: Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics
or ECON 2123 Introduction to Econometrics
or STAT 2112 Business and Economic Statistics II
or STAT 2118 Regression Analysis
or STAT 2123 Introduction to Econometrics
Required
Business core courses
BADM 3401Contemporary Marketing Management
or BADM 3401W Contemporary Marketing Management
Four courses selected from the following:
ACCY 2001Introduction to Financial Accounting
BADM 2001WMarkets and Politics
or BADM 2001 Markets and Politics
BADM 3103Human Capital in Organizations
BADM 3501Financial Management and Markets
BADM 3601Operations Management
BADM 4101Business Ethics and the Legal Environment
or BADM 4101W Business Ethics and the Legal Environment
BADM 4801Strategy Formulation and Implementation
IBUS 3001Introduction to International Business
Marketing courses
MKTG 3142Consumer Behavior
or MKTG 3142W Consumer Behavior
MKTG 3143Marketing Research
MKTG 4148Advertising and Marketing Communications
or MKTG 4156 Integrated Marketing Communications
MKTG 4154Digital Marketing
MKTG 4162Digital Marketing Analytics
Five courses selected from the following:
MKTG 4149Advanced Advertising Campaigns
MKTG 4150Salesmanship and Sales Management
MKTG 4159Marketing Strategy
MKTG 4161Pricing Strategy: Competitive and Dynamic Pricing
MKTG 4163Applied Marketing Decision Analytics
MKTG 4164Artificial Intelligence and Automated Marketing
MKTG 4165Customer Relationship Management and Relational Databases
Electives
In general, students complete 43 credits in electives courses, or the minimum necessary to reach 120 credits for the degree. 18 of those credits must be taken outside of GWSB. Elective courses may be numbered 1000 to 4999. Electives may not include LSPA (Lifestyle, Sport, and Physical Activity) courses and may include a maximum of one HLWL (Health and Wellness) course. Students may use electives for an additional concentration, a second GWSB or non-GWSB major, or a minor.

1See University General Education Requirement for a list of approved courses.

2Students should meet with a GWSB academic advisor to discuss other options for fulfilling the mathematics requirement.

3Freshmen are required to take BADM 1001 and BADM 1002; transfer students are required to take BADM 1003.

4BADM 3001 is offered with subject-specific sections and should be completed during the sophomore year, following successful completion of BADM 1001 and BADM 1002, or BADM 1003. 

5BADM 4001 is offered with experiential-specific sections and should be completed in the senior year. 

Marketing as a Second Major Requirements

Review Marketing as a Second Major document to see the requirements. 

Career Opportunities 

There are many career tracks in marketing including field sales, brand management, advertising, digital and social media marketing. Marketing skills are among the most portable. The fundamental theories and skills apply equally to marketing products and services across all industries and arenas — nonprofit organizations, government, social causes, art, sports, tourism, nations, people, politics and so on. Marketing is social and collaborative, requiring interaction with large audiences and collaboration with colleagues across organizational departments from R&D to finance. The field is supported by a strong marketing community led by the American Marketing Association and its many chapters. There is a vast volume of research and literature in the field and there are extensive opportunities for lifelong learning.

Career Paths

  • Chief Marketing Officer
  • Product/Brand Manager
  • Consulting firms
  • Market Research Analyst
  • Media Planner
  • Public Relations Representative
  • Sales Representative
  • Distribution and logistics
  • Social Media Manager
  • Advertising specialists
  • Copywriters
  • Graphic designers
  • Social marketer
  • Event Planner

GW Student Organizations

Below are some suggested student organizations that marketing majors should consider. For a full list of GWSB affiliated organizations, please visit the GWSB Student Organizations website. 

  • Alpha Kappa Psi
  • Ascend at GW
  • Capitol Advertising
  • Delta Sigma Pi (DSP)
  • GW DATA
  • GW Women in Business (GWWIB)
  • International Business Association (IBA)
  • Launch Pad
  • Lemonade Day DC
  • Multicultural Business Student Association (MBSA)
  • Undergraduate Consulting Group (UCG)

Studying Outside of GWSB

The Department of Marketing encourages students to consider a cross-disciplinary second major or a minor in one of the following fields of study: 

  • Communications (only available as a minor)
  • Economics
  • Film or Theatre
  • Finance
  • Foreign language
  • Graphics Arts
  • International Affairs
  • Journalism and Mass Communication (only available as a minor)
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology