The field of marketing impacts all aspects of business in the global economy today. Success or failure of a product or service in today?s highly competitive marketplace depends on a well-executed marketing program. The successful graduate of the Marketing Program at Southwest Minnesota State University will find numerous opportunities within the business community to pursue a meaningful and financially rewarding career. Typical career paths encompass both the consumer and business-to-business markets. Entry-level positions would include sales, advertising and promotion, public relations, purchasing, distribution, product development, and marketing research. Positions would exist for both domestic and international assignments. A marketing graduate could advance to positions such as sales manager, distribution manager, product development director, director of marketing research, director of sales, director of public relations, vice-president of marketing or research, to name a few of the possibilities.

Marketing majors have the opportunity to be participate in the Southwest Marketing Advisory Center (SMAC), an organization that pursues actual marketing research projects for various local governmental and commercial organizations.The center has been a major force in Southwest Minnesota in promoting marketing principles and research by offering these services to commercial, governmental, and civic organizations.

The major in Marketing culminates in a Bachelor of Science in Marketing degree. A Bachelor of Applied Science in Marketing is also available for students transferring to SMSU with an Associate of Science degree, Associate of Applied Science degree, or a two-year technical diploma approved by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU).