What Can You Do With a Marketing Degree? 10 Potential Options

Aside from what you may have seen watching Mad Men, jobs in marketing are not limited to making commercials, copywriting or even advertising for that matter. While those are all in the field’s orbit, the marketing field today encompasses professionals responsible for a huge variety of tasks and the skillsets to match.

As you might expect, this means employers are often looking for candidates with a strong foundation of marketing and business skills to build upon. A Marketing degree can certainly build that foundation—but it’s still a big decision. Before you commit to this career option, you want to know what you can do with a marketing degree and the type of work that comes with these roles.

To help you get a better idea of the marketing degree jobs landscape, we’ve analyzed over 344,000 job postings seeking candidates with a marketing degree to identify some of the top options out there.¹

What can you do with a marketing degree? 10 Roles to consider

A marketing degree can help set you up for success in a variety of roles. With that said, keep in mind that the list of marketing jobs below reflects all levels of experience and expertise—you obviously shouldn’t expect to walk into a management role with zero experience after earning a degree.

1. Marketing manager

Marketing managers are responsible for creating entire strategies based on business objectives and overall market trends. They also oversee the day-to-day marketing operations often completed by the marketing specialists they oversee.

Marketing managers need to be business-savvy in order to ensure their strategies and tactics are in line with a company’s overall profitability. For example, they may need be in charge of devising a strategy for how and where a company spends its advertising dollars for the year and then adjust those plans as sales numbers come in. As you can probably guess, these management roles are typically reserved for those with substantial experience. Check out our article "What Does a Marketing Manager Do and How Do You Become One?".

2. Sales representative

Sales representatives engage with existing and prospective customers to share product information and solicit orders. They’re usually the kind of person who enjoys interacting with others and recommending products or services to them based on their unique needs or interests.

They usually develop long-term relationships with their clients. A background in customer service and strong interpersonal skills can help. While not all sales representative roles will require a degree, this requirement is more common for sales roles that focus on highly technical products or services.

3. Market research analyst

Charting a strategic course is always a challenge for organizations—and doubly so if they don’t have a strong handle on market trends and other key information. That’s where market research analysts come into play. These marketing professionals are tasked with gathering relevant information and preparing reports for business leaders who are looking to determine the best direction of their marketing efforts.

Their work may be focused on a specific set of competitors, the market at large or the internal tactics and strategies of the organization they work for. No matter the focus, the role requires an investigative mindset and the ability to interpret often complex sets of data in order to provide a clearer picture for other stakeholders.

4. Sales manager

Sales managers work directly with sales staff and customers to facilitate strong business relationships and close sales. In addition to managing sales representatives, sales managers review operational records and evaluate profitability. Depending on the organizational structure, they may have the discretion to offer promotional pricing and incentives to help secure new clients.

Sales managers need strong analytical skills to interpret complex market data and great interpersonal skills to both maintain and develop the sales pipeline, as well as keep the team of sales representatives under their supervision motivated. This is a role often reserved for high-performing sales representatives with an aptitude for organization and leadership.

5. Public relations specialist

Public relations specialists are experts in dealing with the media and communicating in a way that reflects the values of the organization. In addition to responding to requests for statements, the public relations specialists develop strategies to create and maintain a favorable public image for an individual or organization.

Public relations specialists generally have strong interpersonal skills and can problem solve quickly when dealing with a pressing PR matter. In a highly connected digital world where news travels fast, PR professionals need to keep tabs and be prepared to respond to both expected and unexpected issues.

6. Advertising or promotions manager

Advertising and promotions professionals plan, direct and coordinate advertising policies and programs to create interest in a product or a service to meet campaign goals.

Some may specialize in a certain aspect of digital or traditional marketing—for example, advertising on social media versus advertising on television or billboards—and oversee the teams responsible for the execution and placement. Advertising or promotions managers have analytical skills that allow them pick apart industry trends and determine the best strategies for their business.

7. Marketing specialist

This broad ranging job category covers any specialized role with marketing. That could be anything from paid media, SEO and video content specialists within digital marketing to more “traditional” roles like event coordinators and media buyers. No matter the specialized focus, these professionals are typically responsible for the direct execution of marketing tactics and strategies.

8. Social media marketing specialist

A type of digital marketing specialist, social media marketing specialists plan, develop and coordinate the materials and messaging shared by an organization’s social media accounts. This can come in the form of organic posts on Facebook®, paid advertisements and more. These marketing professionals are highly in tune with online trends and strive to build a positive brand presence for the organization they serve.

This role requires creativity, organization, customer service skills and a good sense of judgment as they’re often directly interacting with the public at large—we’ve all seen when a corporate social media post goes awry.

9. Copywriter

Punchy taglines, eye-catching headlines and concise, informative wording are the domain of copywriters. These marketing professionals are hired to develop and refine written content in order to promote goods and services. This covers practically anything promotional that relies on the written word—including scripts, web page copy, packaging, billboards and more.

Copywriters need to be strong, creative communicators who are able to capture the public’s attention even when the medium they’re writing for may be highly confined. The education requirements for this role will vary, but typically these professionals have a background in writing, journalism or marketing.

10. Product marketing manager

Product marketing managers own the messaging and branding of a given product. They focus on figuring out how to get word out about the benefits of their product or service and how to position it compared to competitors. For example, is this product the high-end, luxury option? Or the practical, everyday solution? Additionally, they may be tasked with finding ways to emphasize unique product features or capabilities in order to differentiate from competitors. They work with product developers, marketing and creative teams to find the best ways to showcase a product and drive sales.

Is a marketing career in your future

If you’re in the market for an education that can help equip you to fill a variety of rewarding roles in business, earning a marketing degree may be the perfect next step. The dynamic knowledge and training you’ll acquire throughout your marketing coursework can prepare you for several satisfying careers in marketing. Check out our article "B2B vs. B2C: Which Type of Marketer Are You Meant to Be?"

Start on the path to pursuing your dream job by learning more about the Rasmussen University Marketing program today!

¹Burning-Glass.com (analysis of 344,650 job postings, Oct. 01, 2020 – Sep. 30, 2021).
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published in June 2013. It has since been updated to include information relevant to 2021.