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Department of Marketing

The College of Business (COB) at California State University, Long Beach is committed to creating and disseminating knowledge through impactful research and promoting social mobility of our diverse student population by providing an affordable, relevant, and high-quality education.

Consistent with the mission of the college, the talented marketing faculty are committed to excellence in teaching and research that advances business practices and scientific understanding. Serving around 700 program majors, more than 375 pre-business majors, more than 110 marketing minors, and about 700 graduate students in MBA and Master of Science programs, the Department provides a wide range of courses to prepare students for today’s dynamic global business environment.

Our students, both at graduate and undergraduate levels, fully engage with business communities and nonprofits, through which they develop their knowledge and skills via experiential learning, while exerting positive impact on the local, regional, and national economies.

We have been able to achieve this through our involvement in (1) the Marketing Business Center (MBC); (2) the Inclusive Marketing Initiative (IMI); and (3) the Google Nonprofit Marketing Immersion (NMI) program.

The Department of Marketing offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate courses. Whether talking about the more traditional areas (e.g., advertising, new product development, marketing research) or more recent phenomena (e.g., Internet & digital marketing), faculty aim to provide a current approach that reflects the constantly changing international business environment.

 

For Non-Business Students only. The Catalog is the most reliable source of requirements and course descriptions. Review current courses and requirements for the minor:

COB Minor Center

(NOTE: the IS 301 prerequisite requirement is waived for the minor).

The Master of Science in Marketing Analytics (MSMA) is designed to provide students with advanced and highly demanded training in current marketing tools, marketing research, forecasting, statistical and analytical skills, and other relevant skills that will advance their career prospects in the field of marketing analytics. The MSMA Program is a STEM designated program.

The Fast Track Master of Science in Marketing Analytics (MSMA) Program is now available to current CSULB undergraduate students seeking a career in Marketing. With this program, CSU Long Beach students now have the fastest possible path to a career in digital marketing and marketing analytics while earning both BS Marketing and MSMA degrees in five years.

The program’s main foci are Marketing Analytics and Digital Marketing. Marketing Analytics is an application of data science to marketing decision problems. In the age of “Big Data”, marketing analytics increasingly plays a fundamental role in business decision-making. MSMA students learn techniques in business data analyses and acquire analytic skills that are highly applicable to real world marketing problems. In addition, MSMA students learn how to optimize social media and digital marketing to fulfill the needs of marketers and consumers, as well as gaining a deep appreciation of evolving digital marketing strategies.

Our rigorous curriculum equips graduates with advanced knowledge and skills needed to identify, analyze, and resolve complex marketing challenges faced by companies in a global environment. This is accomplished through the mastering of a unique combination of quantitative, analytical, technical, and strategic skills.

Students enrolled in MKTG 300 in the fall and spring semesters receive course credit for participating in the Department of Marketing Subject Pool (DOMSP). Students in MKTG 300 classes should register at the start of the semester to ensure that they receive all notifications, including new study postings.

For details, please click the Instructions for Students and Researchers link on the right.

REGISTER FOR SUBJECT POOL

MBC offers Long Beach regional small-and-medium-sized businesses professional marketing services managed by College of Business (COB) students and supervised by faculty. Two important missions of MBC are to help students to succeed in their business careers and to provide support for small businesses and nonprofits in the local area. 

The COB's engage, excel, and execute visionary approach is reflective in MBC's activities:

  • Ongoing Marketing Services for Businesses and Nonprofits  Working with the MBC, local businesses and nonprofits receive essential ongoing marketing support services that they may not be able to afford or have the time or expertise to complete.
  • Real-World Practical Experience for Students  COB students working with the MBC gain real-world practical experience working directly with business clients on actual marketing projects under the supervision of COB faculty.
  • Help Support COB Student Services  Local businesses make a small donation to the CSULB Foundation based on the project type and size of the business, which goes to support COB student services.
  • Community Outreach  Small business seminars are periodically held on campus. In these one day seminars, faculty and small business community leaders teach courses to small business owners on a wide range of topics including web site design, social media marketing, and customer relationship management.

MBC Information

The College of Business at California State University Long Beach is working to elevate minority-owned businesses within the greater Long Beach community by offering free digital marketing services.  Services garnered are provided through the CSULB upper-division marketing courses, MKTG 437 (Digital Marketing & Social Media) and MKTG 487 (Digital Marketing II). 

The opportunity to provide digital marketing services to minority businesses through student-driven, semester-long projects started in June 2020 when Dean Solt partnered with the Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center (SBDC) of Long Beach to start the Black Business Strategy (BBS).  This initiative was geared at assisting Black-owned businesses in the Long Beach community to overcome social disparities through economic development and support. 

The first cohort of seven BBS clients launched in fall 2020 with three sections of MKTG 437 (Digital Marketing & Social Media). MKTG 437 instructors oversaw student teams throughout the semester as they provided marketing services for BBS clients, including website development, email campaigns, and social media ads. Additionally, an advisory committee (including the Department Chair and MBC faculty) provided support. As part of the semester-long class projects, students directly worked with clients to improve their digital presence by creating detailed competitor research reports, developing digital marketing strategies, identifying best practices for fundraising, compiling social media strategies, creating content samples, and identifying technology options to enhance digital marketing practices.   

The BBS initiative has now grown into the Inclusive Marketing Initiative to expand our reach and provide digital marketing services for any minority-owned business in the greater Long Beach area.

 IMI Information

Nonprofit Marketing Immersion (NMI) is a unique opportunity for students to get real-world experience creating and executing online marketing campaigns for real nonprofits using a $10,000 USD monthly budget of in-kind Google Ads advertising credit through the Google Ad Grants program. This global academic program brings two worlds together, partnering with students and nonprofits, to support digital skill development and drive positive change around the world. Our graduate students taking MKTG 663 (designed for MSMA and EMBA students) have engaged in Ad Grants for Nonprofit Marketing Immersion (NMI)in the last five years.

Students form teams of 2-5 members and register under the professor teaching MKTG 663. Google partners student teams with select nonprofits that are a part of the Ad Grants program and have opted in to participate in the Challenge.

  • Gain valuable business, marketing, analytical and consulting skills through practical experience
  • Contribute to a meaningful cause while learning from real organizations
  • Collaborate effectively in a professional group setting
  • Build a true relationship with a client and make a real-life impact
  • Gain exposure to the digital marketing landscape using real money on a live advertising platform
  • Build tactical skills that are in high demand on the job market

Marketing Career Paths

  • An advertising agency is a professional service firm hired by other businesses, corporations, non-profits, and government agencies to create, plan, and produce various forms of promotions 
  • Potential job positions Account manager or coordinator
    • Strategic planner
    • Consumer insights specialist
    • Project manager
    • Media planner or buyer

  • The process of developing, maintaining, and increasing the perceived value of a product or service
  • Potential job positions 
    • Brand manager or specialist 
    • Brand marketing specialist 
    • Product development officer 
    • Product analyst

  • Business development professionals devise growth strategies and action plans to enhance the firm’s markets and create new ones
  • Potential job positions
    • Business development manager
    • Marketing development analyst
    • Business sustainability manager
    • Sales manager
    • Sales Rep / Agent

  • Activities and processes related to collecting, cleaning, and analyzing data to generate actionable managerial insights
  • Potential job positions
    • Business/Marketing data analyst
    • Digital analytics and insights coordinator
    • Data scientist
    • Database manager
    • Database marketing analyst
    • Data entry specialist

  • Digital marketing offers vast opportunities to reach various audiences and consumers and connect with them; it allows marketing activities to become more quantifiable and measurable
  • Potential job positions
    • Digital media buyer
    • Digital marketing manager / specialist
    • Digital marketing / web analyst
    • Ecommerce specialist
    • Web content manager / developer / creator
    • Mobile marketing specialist
    • CRM manager
    • Search engine marketer
    • Social media manager / analyst
    • Influencer marketing specialist

  •  Marketing research provides information about the consumers, competitors and industry to support informed decision making 
  • Potential job positions
    • Marketing research manager 
    • Marketing research analyst 
    • Customer insight analyst

  • Retail covers all the activities, institutions and strategies related to bringing goods and services to retail consumers (i.e., individuals and households) 
  • Potential job positions 
    • Retail / store manager 
    • Retail account manager 
    • Retail / field merchandiser 
    • Online retailing