What Can You Do With a Marketing Degree?

The marketing you encounter every day doesn’t happen by accident, it’s built with strategy and skill. From the online ads to the social media posts that spark conversation, learning what goes into marketing can provide insight into the skills and strategies behind these efforts.

With that foundation, marketing professionals can branch into many areas: Developing strategies, managing advertising campaigns, or analyzing market research. A marketing education also offers perspective on how brands connect with audiences and how marketing efforts shape the way we experience products, services, and messages in everyday life.

Job Opportunities and Roles

With a marketing degree, professionals may pursue roles¹ across digital marketing and sales management:

Digital Marketing

Roles may include¹ marketing manager, marketing research analyst, marketing specialist, marketing coordinator or assistant, digital content manager, media coordinator, and e-commerce specialist.

Responsibilities may involve¹ developing strategies, media plans, creating compelling campaigns, managing paid campaigns, analyzing data analytics, and tracking market trends to assess consumer opinions and increase future customer satisfaction.

Sales Management

Roles may include¹ sales manager, marketing research analyst, marketing manager, marketing specialist, marketing coordinator, event or catering coordinator, event or catering manager, product manager, and territory manager. These roles may involve¹ applying sales techniques, coordinating marketing efforts, and supporting strategies intended to help organizations pursue business goals.

Across both pathways,¹ marketing skills such as analytical skills, communication, project management, and understanding market trends are central to the work of marketing professionals.

Diverse Career Paths and Industries

Marketing is a broad and dynamic field, and a marketing degree may provide insights into the skills and strategies used across industries.

According to a 2024 survey² by the American Marketing Association^®:

• Approximately 2.5 million marketers work in the United States, rising to 6 million when including marketing-adjacent roles like sales, public relations, UX, and graphic design.
• Around 25% of Fortune 500 companies list a Chief Marketing Officer at the executive level, with 57% including marketing or related functions in other leadership roles.
• Roughly 60% of U.S. marketers are women, many in leadership positions.

Job titles are not a guarantee of employment. Employment outcomes will vary based on individual experience, location, and other factors.

Market Research and Analysis: A Key Function for Marketing Professionals

One of the most important areas of expertise for marketing professionals is market research and analysis. Understanding³ consumer behavior, target audiences, and market trends may help them⁴ to develop effective marketing strategies, design advertising campaigns, and guide marketing efforts across industries.

Personalization

• Many marketing professionals may use data⁴ to tailor marketing campaigns to individual preferences, which may help enhance customer engagement.
• Deloitte’s 2025 Marketing Trends report highlights⁵ that brands excelling in personalization outperform revenue goals due to increased loyalty and higher purchase frequency.
• Roles such as marketing specialists, digital content managers, and marketing coordinators rely on personalization⁵ to optimize social media campaigns and advertising campaigns for diverse audiences.

Omnichannel Marketing

• Marketing professionals apply omnichannel marketing strategies⁵ to connect consumers across both digital and physical channels.
• Many modern consumers may expect seamless⁵ experiences in-store, online, via mobile apps, or on social media. Understanding this may help professionals reduce friction, support customer satisfaction, and contribute to compelling campaigns.

By focusing on market research and analysis, marketing professionals contribute⁵ to marketing campaigns, social media management, and digital marketing strategies. These skills are central to the marketing process, from identifying potential customers to measuring the impact of advertising campaigns and supporting marketing managers in guiding marketing efforts.

What Marketing Skills May Transfer From Education To the Workplace?

Marketing graduates may use a range of practical skills⁶ that are applied across digital marketing, sales management, and advertising campaigns.

Digital Advertising

Digital Marketing Specialization: Students may learn to use digital advertising strategies to help organizations highlight unique strengths and value propositions.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Digital Marketing Specialization: Students may explore SEO marketing strategies and techniques that can support engagement and conversion.

Build Marketing Campaigns

Sales Management Specialization: Students may develop an understanding of marketing campaign execution, utilizing creative solutions that integrate both traditional marketing and digital marketing strategies.

Sales-Focused Communications

Sales Management Specialization: Students may apply knowledge of key concepts related to interpersonal, value-added customer communication in professional sales, focusing on relationships, products, customers, presentations, and ethics.

These skills support marketing professionals in managing advertising campaigns, social media campaigns, marketing efforts, and marketing processes, and they are central to roles such as marketing specialist, marketing coordinator, digital content manager, media coordinator, and marketing manager.

Emerging Trends and Technologies

The marketing landscape continues to evolve rapidly. Digital marketing strategies, social media campaigns, content marketing, and data analytics are central to marketing efforts.

Digital Engagement

According to consulting firm McKinsey & Company, a global leader in market analysis, consumers increasingly⁷ start their buying journeys online, and digital engagement is a key driver of purchase behavior. Many marketing professionals may use AI and marketing automation to analyze market trends, assess consumer opinions, optimize paid campaigns, and manage various social media campaigns. These tools help marketing professionals support customer engagement, streamline repetitive tasks, and improve advertising campaigns.

Generative AI

Emerging technologies such as generative AI (GenAI) may be transforming⁶ marketing by enabling hyper-personalized content and experiences for consumers.

Marketing specialists, digital content managers, and e-commerce specialists may leverage GenAI to:

• Automate content creation across email, social media, websites, and paid campaigns.
• Generate ideas for advertising campaigns and media plans aligned with market trends.
• Analyze and predict consumer behavior, informing marketing strategies and improving future customer satisfaction.
• Enhance personalization at scale, allowing marketing teams to deliver unique experiences efficiently.
• Support brand management and public relations by drafting press releases, content marketing, and various social media campaigns.

By incorporating these technologies, marketing professionals can focus on marketing management, strategy, and market research, while AI handles content creation, testing, and optimization for marketing campaigns.

Opportunities To Explore With a Marketing Degree

A marketing degree may prepare marketing graduates with marketing skills, knowledge of marketing strategies, and experience in digital marketing, traditional marketing, social media campaigns, and content marketing.

Potential job opportunities typically include roles like marketing manager, marketing research analyst, marketing specialist, marketing coordinator, digital content manager, media coordinator, e-commerce specialist, sales manager, event or catering coordinator, event or catering manager, product manager, and territory manager.

By applying analytical skills, understanding market trends, and engaging with the target audience, marketing professionals may find a fit contributing to customer engagement, campaign execution, and brand strategy.

American Marketing Association^® is a registered trademark of American Marketing Association.

¹Rasmussen University, "Marketing Degree Program," https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/business/marketing/ (accessed October 3, 2025).
²American Marketing Association, "Marketing Industry Stats and Information," https://www.ama.org/marketing-industry-stats-and-information/ (accessed October 3, 2025).
³U.S. Small Business Administration, "Market Research and Competitive Analysis," https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/plan-your-business/market-research-competitive-analysis (accessed October 3, 2025).
⁴Jyoti Gaikwad and Bhaskar Yadav, "The Significance of Market Research in the Business Decision," ResearchGate, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361343672_The_Significance_of_Market_Research_in_the_Business_Decision (accessed October 3, 2025).
⁵Deloitte Digital, "Marketing Trends 2025," https://www.deloittedigital.com/content/dam/digital/nl/pdfs/marketing-trends-2025-final.pdf (accessed October 3, 2025).
⁶Rasmussen University, "Bachelor's Degree in Marketing," https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/business/marketing/bachelors/ (accessed October 3, 2025).
⁷McKinsey & Company, "State of Consumer," https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/state-of-consumer (accessed October 3, 2025).