Marketing
As our global marketplace expands, businesses and economies continue to evolve. You will, too. With a Marketing degree from SAU, you'll learn how to catch the eye of consumers, spark sales, and establish a brand.
Our graduates work at Bush Construction, Augeo Affinity Marketing, Bradley University, Central Petroleum Equipment, and many others.
Ambrose Advantages
- Committed, Dedicated College of Business Faculty
- Create a Real Marketing Campaign
- Make Professional Connections
Our marketing faculty are experts with deep business connections, and you reap all of the benefits. Be taught, and mentored, by professors who are intent on making sure you get practical, real-world marketing experience before you graduate. At SAU, your drive is as strong as our dedication to your education.
More Information on the Marketing Program
You will need a base of business knowledge, so you'll take core classes in accounting, macro- and microeconomics, finance, management principles, business ethics, and statistics. You'll also dive into consumer behavior, international marketing, research, and strategy. Electives include sales strategies, social media marketing, and sports marketing.
Best of all is how you will learn. At SAU, it is rare to sit in a classroom with more than 25 students which means our professors have time to focus on your goals. They support your ambition by creating opportunities for you to jump in, practice, and contribute to the success of local businesses and organizations. And, they believe in the value of team-based project learning.
For example, five students in a Marketing Strategies course helped one of the most well-established road races in the Midwest tap into new marketing.
Read this story to learn more.
- We know you want to ace your craft, so the SAU College of Business created a comprehensive internship program. You'll get quality, hands-on, marketable experience when you intern at local, regional, and national corporations, including MidAmerican Energy and Deere & Company. We encourage you to complete multiple internships – consider going overseas – to broaden your skills and perspective and give you a head start in your career. Click here to search Study Abroad programs.
- Join the SAU Marketing Club, the largest American Marketing Association chapter in Iowa. This student-led club (check them out on Facebook) takes trips to Chicago, Minneapolis, and St. Louis to meet face-to-face with top marketing executives from organizations such as Chicago Bears, Best Buy, Nielsen Media Research, St. Louis Cardinals, and BBDO, a worldwide advertising agency network.
- Our alumni hold executive, middle management, and entry-level positions in Fortune 100 companies, nonprofits, and small businesses. Ask the department chair to get you connected with an alumni mentor or use BeeConnection, a resource provided by the SAU Career Center.
- Consider a second major, or minor, in Business or Healthcare Sales, which will enhance your marketing skills.
You've heard people say it before: "College will be the greatest time of your life!" With Study Abroad, you can add even more to your college years.
You can study in another country in a semester-long or short-term study abroad program (with a few offered during spring and winterim breaks). No matter the duration, these trips deepen your professional education while earning credit toward graduation.
There are also opportunities through an exchange program, an overseas internship, or volunteering. The limits for Study Abroad are only ones you set for yourself! SAU students have studied in Italy, Costa Rica, Australia, Korea, United Kingdom, Spain, Ecuador, Japan, Germany, Peru, Cyprus, Croatia, Belize, Canada, Chile, and more.
SAU students returning from their Study Abroad locations talk about their time away as life-changing – personally, emotionally, culturally, and academically.
Click here to search our Study Abroad programs, and for general information click here.
Marketing majors commonly work in advertising, market research, professional sales, filling roles such as marketing strategist, account executive, social media marketer, media consultant, customer relations manager, and consumer behavior specialist.
A marketing major also can lead to careers in product management, industrial marketing management, sales, retailing, or consulting.
- Shelby Boock '12 is an Account Executive with Two Rivers Marketing in Des Moines.
- Joseph Tigges '16 works at Cobham Mission Systems in Davenport as an Engineering Project Administrator.
- Nick Scobee '17 double-majored in Management and Marketing – a popular choice – and works at Allsteel in Muscatine as a Sales Account Specialist.
Liang Zhao, PhD, Assoc. Professor
Degree Requirements
Required Core Courses:
ACCT 201 Accounting Principles I
ACCT 202 Accounting Principles II
ECON 201 Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON 202 Principles of Microeconomics
FNCE 300 Principles of Finance
MATH 191 Calculus and Analytical Geometry OR STBE 137 Qualitative Reasoning in Business
MGMT 210 Principles of Management
MGMT 449 Strategic Management and Policy
MKTG 209 Principles of Marketing
INTL 400 International Experiential Portfolio
PHIL 305 Business Ethics
STBE 237 Statistics for Business and Economics
Beyond the business core courses, students must complete additional requirements:
MKTG 319 Consumer Behavior
MKTG 349 International Marketing
MKTG 369 Marketing Research
MKTG 399 Internship
MKTG 499 Marketing Strategy
Plus one elective:
MKTG 329 Integrative Marketing Communications
MKTG 339/SLS 235 Professional Sales Strategies
MKTG 359 Social Media Marketing
MKTG 379 Services & Event Marketing
MKTG 389 Special Topics
See Marketing courses and descriptions in the online course catalog
This is the suggested plan of study to graduate in four years with a degree in Marketing. This plan assumes the student has not taken three years of foreign language in high school.
Year One
| Fall Courses | Credits | Spring Courses | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| +ENGL 101 Composition | 3 | MGMT 210 Principles of Management | 3 |
| STBE 137 Qualitative Reasoning in Business | 3 | +ECON 202 Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| +THEO 100/200 course | 3 | +PHIL 100/200 course | 3 |
| MKTG 209 Principles of Marketing | 3 | +COMM 203 Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| +Humanities - 1st Course | 3 | +Foreign Language 101 | 3 |
| NSS 101 New Student Seminar | 1 | +IL 101 Info Lit | 1 |
| Total | 16 | Total | 16 |
Year Two
| Fall Semester | Credits | Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKTG Elective 1 | 3 | ACCT 202 Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT 201 Financial Accounting | 3 | FNCE 300 Principles of Finance | 3 |
| ECON 201 Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 | BUS 201 Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| +Foreign Language 102 | 3 | STBE 237 Statistics for Business and Economics | 3 |
| MKTG 319 Consumer Behavior | 3 | MKTG 349 Int'l Marketing | 3 |
| BUS 200 Life Design | 1 | +KIN 149 Wellness Concepts | 1 |
| Total | 16 | Total | 16 |
Year Three
| Fall Semester | Credits | Spring Semester/Study Abroad | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKTG 369 Marketing Research | 3 | Study Abroad | |
| INTL 400 Int'l Experience Portfolio | 1 | +Humanities - 2nd Course | 3 |
| +Social Science | 3 | +THEO/PHIL elective | 3 |
| +Natural Science Gen Ed | 3 | MKTG elective 2 | 3 |
| +Creative Arts | 3 | Elective 2 | 3 |
| Elective 1 | 3 | ||
| Total | 16 | Total | 12 |
Year Four
| Fall Semester | Credits | Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| +PHIL 305 Business Ethics | 3 | WI-MGMT 449 Strategic Mgmt and Policy | 3 |
| MKTG 499 Marketing Strategy | 3 | Electives 6, 7 & 8 | 9 |
| Electives 4 & 5 | 6 | +KIN Activity | 1 |
| WI Elective 3 | 3 | *MKTG 399 Internship | |
| Total | 15 | Total | 13 |
WI writing intensive
+ satisfies General Education requirement
*can be taken junior or senior year
MKTG electives: 329, 339, or SLS 235, 359, 379, 389
Required:
MKTG 209 Principles in Marketing
Plus four of the following:
MKTG 319 Consumer Behavior
MKTG 329 Integrated Marketing Communications
MKTG 339 Professional Sales Strategies
MKTG 349 International Marketing
MKTG 359 Social Media Marketing
MKTG 369 Marketing Research
MKTG 379 Services & Event Marketing
MKTG 389 Special Topics
Meet One of Our Alumni
Our alumni and students are blazing trails for themselves, something that has become a hallmark of the Marketing program at St. Ambrose. Learn more about one member of our community:
Matt Thole
Bachelor of Arts degrees in Business Sales, Marketing, and Finance,Account Executive at Kunkel and Assoc., Employee Benefits and Commercial Property and Casualty Division,Class of 2019
At SAU, Matt discovered an educational environment that encouraged innovation and tenacity. He jumped into sales competitions, served as a Resident Advisor, led retreats, and competed in intermural sports. His relentless commitment to excellence paid off: three degrees – earned in just 3.5 years – and a job waiting for him after graduation.
Contact
College of Business
McMullen Hall
518 W. Locust St.
Davenport, IA 52803
563-333-5723
COB@sau.edu