The core marketing course (BUAD 307: Marketing Fundamentals) is a requirement for entry to the Emphasis, as well as the best course to help students decide if this Emphasis is right for them. We encourage students interested in Marketing emphasis to enroll in BUAD 307 as early as possible.

In addition to the Marketing Emphasis faculty advisor, students can consult their BUAD 307 instructor, or an instructor of a marketing (MKT) elective they are enrolled in, to determine if the Marketing Emphasis would be a good fit. Given there are numerous sub-fields within marketing, we recommend students approach their instructor with some specific information about what they find most interesting (e.g., creative messages in advertising; product design; social media content creation; brand management; digital marketing) to guide the discussion.

We also recommend students consider joining organizations that provide hands-on experience with marketing (for example, campus-based organizations such as USC’s chapter of the American Marketing Association, the Association of Innovative Marketing, and Trojan Marketing Group), or completing a marketing internship for an organization of interest. Additionally, USC Marshall students can become members of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) with their USC credentials.  

Diverse qualities and skillsets contribute to strong marketing! Some marketers are very creative (e.g., art directors and copywrites) while others are very analytical (e.g., marketing researchers and data analysts). Some marketers are creative and analytical, and they find ways to leverage both perspectives in their work.

Students have the opportunity to gain a breadth of knowledge and skills (by taking their upper-division Marketing classes that are not closely related and cover different sub-fields of marketing); OR depth of knowledge and skills (by taking classes that are closely related and focused on a specific sub-field, such as sales or digital marketing).

The Marketing Emphasis prepares students for careers in brand management, advertising, public relations, digital marketing, sales, marketing research and analytics, and many other fields.  

Students who choose the Marketing Emphasis will graduate with the knowledge and skills required to contribute effectively to various organizations' marketing needs (including products, promotions, pricing, and placement or distribution). They will have gained either general insight into the evolving field of marketing, or specific expertise in a sub-field of interest (e.g., digital marketing; sales) that will make them especially strong candidates for specific roles. Students will also signal to employers that they recognize the importance of marketing to every organization’s success.

Students who participate in the Marshall International Exchange program (IEP) may fulfill up to 6 credits towards the Marketing emphasis while studying abroad. In order for the courses to be applied towards the Marketing emphasis, students must complete approved marketing classes while abroad (a list of approved Marketing class for each exchange location can be found on the IEP outgoing website. Students will work with the Marshall Exchange office to ensure that the approved classes they take abroad will be applied towards their emphasis.

This emphasis has been approved by the university to be STEM-eligible under the Department of Education CIP code of 52.1301 designation of Management Science. The degree stated on the I-20 refers to this designation. Students can find a memo of support from the department for the CIP code designation here.

Yes, all international students transferring to this emphasis will have a new I-20 issued with the STEM designation. The Marshall school will work directly with OIS to process the updated I-20 and once issued, the student will receive email notification from Marshall that the I-20 is available for pick-up.  Students applying in Fall semester should expect their new I-20 to be ready in Spring semester, and those applying in Spring should expect their new I-20 ready in Fall semester.

No, the I-20 with the STEM designation is not required if traveling prior to its issuance. Students can travel and re-enter the U.S. on their original I-20 once they receive a valid travel signature.