Marketing

About the marketing major

In this major, you'll study all activities related to the promotion, sales, and distribution of good and services from producers to consumers. You'll learn about product development, pricing policies, advertising, and researching to identify the ideal buyer(s) for your company’s products or services. You'll also learn how to figure out what customers want, what their needs are, and how your company can meet that demand.

Skills and abilities this major develops: written and oral communication, creativity, persuasion, and critical thinking.

Engaged learning experiences

Regardless of your major or future career, engaged learning is vital to your present and future. It makes you more marketable for jobs and professional schools upon graduation, it enables you to build deeper connections with faculty and staff in your field of study, and it makes your learning personal by connecting your interests and values with the curriculum from your classes. Check out the three ideas below for places to get started, or learn more at IU Indianapolis’s Institute for Engaged Learning website.

Student organizations

Connect with other students and future employers, build leadership and teamwork skills, and have a great time doing it!

Professional work experience

Grow your skills through internships, part-time jobs, or co-op programs. Connect with the Kelley career services team to make an appointment.

Study abroad

“Business without Borders”—Kelley Indianapolis has programs available in London, Paris, Vienna, Prague, and Italy. Opportunities are also available through Kelley Bloomington’s study abroad program.

Opportunities after graduation

Employment of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers is projected to grow 6% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the average for all occupations. About 34,000 openings for advertising, promotions, and marketing managers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as retirement (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2023).

According to the IUPUI (now called IU Indianapolis) First Destination Survey in 2023, the average starting salary reported for Marketing B.S.B. graduates was $51,058, and the median salary was $50,000.

The national mean starting salary for marketing majors for the class of 2020 was $48,610, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

(This section is intended for informational purposes, not prediction of actual salary.)

Marketing majors often pursue advanced degrees in the following areas:

Business administration (MBA)
Human resource management
Industrial/labor relations
Law

Quick facts

Sample coursework

Advertising and promotion management
Buyer behavior
Economics
International marketing
Marketing management
Marketing research
Marketing strategy and policy
Sales management

Possible careers

Advertising executive*
Brand manager or specialist
Market researcher
Media specialist*
Public relations specialist

*These careers require additional education or training.

Where could I work?

Advertising firms
Corporate sales office
Gilchrist & Soames
Marketing research firms
Pharmaceutical sales

Complementing interests

EEnterprising

SSocial

RRealistic

Get your interest code

Where to get more information

Kelley School of Business

American Marketing Association

Kelley Indianapolis Career Services

Enterprise, Policy, and Planning Cluster

This major is part of the Enterprise, Policy, and Planning (EPP) cluster. The EPP cluster is the academic home of University College students pursuing or interested in business; economics; labor studies; organizational leadership; public and environmental affairs; sport management; and tourism, conventions, and event management.

Learn about the EPP cluster

Learn about other clusters

Meet with an advisor or career consultant

Schedule an appointment