Marketing facilitates exchanges between organizations and customers and is a critical, dynamic, and multi-faceted area of business. The marketing function is found throughout organizations and businesses from global enterprises to start-ups; for services such as healthcare and banking; for nonprofits and municipalities. Students may pursue a variety of careers in marketing including: Advertising/PR/Communication, Digital Marketing, General Marketing, Marketing Research/Analyst, Merchandising/Buyer/Planner, Product/Brand Management, Business-to-Business (B2B), Sales/Business Development, Sports Marketing & Communication and Supply Chain Management.
In the marketing major, students learn the foundations of marketing—product, place, price, promotion—and how these concepts impact business strategy and execution in different industries and contexts, as well as the importance of relationships with customers and channel partners. Marketing professionals possess and develop a variety of skills including qualitative and quantitative analysis, critical thinking, creativity, communications, and problem solving. The marketing major provides a robust foundation in the marketing discipline, coupled with the flexibility to pursue several areas of interest in the discipline.
Recognition
The Marketing Department at the School of Business was ranked 9th in the United States by U.S. News & World Report for 2023-2024.
Related Student Organizations
American Marketing Association (AMA)
Madison Marketing
MKT Honorary Marketing Society
Professional Sales Association
How to Get in
Current UW–Madison Students
| Requirements | Details |
|---|---|
| How to get in | Application required. Meeting the requirements listed below does not guarantee admission. (https://admissions.wsb.wisc.edu/BbaPreBusiness) |
| Courses required to get in | Students are required to complete each of the 4 requirements below. Requirements can be completed via coursework, test credit, transfer work, or placement exam (if applicable). Communication A Quantitative Reasoning A Economics Human Behavior |
| GPA requirements to get in | Minimum 3.0 UW-Madison GPA. |
| Credits required to get in |
|
| Other |
|
| Semester | Deadline to apply | Decision notification timeline |
|---|---|---|
| To apply for a fall start | Mid March | On or before July 1st. |
| To apply for a spring start | This program does not accept applications to start in the spring. | |
| To apply for a summer start | This program does not accept applications to start in the summer. |
Prospective First-Year Applicants
All prospective UW–Madison students must apply through the central Office of Admissions and Recruitment. Prospective high school students may be considered for direct admission to Business based on their application to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Simply list a Business interest as your top academic area of interest on the University application.
Prospective Transfer Applicants
Transfer students at University of Wisconsin System campuses or Wisconsin Technical Colleges may apply separately for admission to both the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the School of Business during the spring term for fall enrollment. Information for prospective transfer students can be found here: https://business.wisc.edu/undergraduate/admissions/transfer-students/.
Additional Information
Students declared in Business: Marketing cannot earn the Summer Certificate in Business Fundamentals, Certificate in Business, or the Certificate in Entrepreneurship due to curriculum overlap.
University General Education Requirements
All undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are required to fulfill a minimum set of common university general education requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of an undergraduate education. This core establishes a foundation for living a productive life, being a citizen of the world, appreciating aesthetic values, and engaging in lifelong learning in a continually changing world. Various schools and colleges will have requirements in addition to the requirements listed below. Consult your advisor for assistance, as needed. For additional information, see the university Undergraduate General Education Requirements section of the Guide.
| General Education |
* The mortarboard symbol appears before the title of any course that fulfills one of the Communication Part A or Part B, Ethnic Studies, or Quantitative Reasoning Part A or Part B requirements. |
School of Business Requirements
The Wisconsin Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program combines UW–Madison’s general liberal education requirements, broad coverage of core business disciplines, and cutting-edge signature courses to create a strong academic foundation upon which students delve deeply into their majors.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| School of Business BBA Requirements | ||
| Complete requirements: | ||
School of Business Liberal Studies Requirements | ||
Business Fundamentals Requirement | ||
Business Core Requirement | ||
Business Signature Requirement | ||
Business: Marketing Major Requirements
All marketing majors must take MARKETNG 300 Marketing Management, which is a business core course and a prerequisite for most of the undergraduate marketing courses. In addition to MARKETNG 300, the major consists of three required marketing courses and a minimum of nine additional MARKETNG credits. These required and elective courses can be taken in any order, with the exception of MARKETNG 460 Marketing Strategy. MARKETNG 460 should be taken after completing MARKETNG 305 Consumer Behavior and MARKETNG 310 Marketing Research and preferably in the final year of the major.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MARKETNG 305 | Consumer Behavior | 3 |
| MARKETNG 310 | Marketing Research | 3 |
| MARKETNG 460 | Marketing Strategy | 3 |
| Elective Coursework 1 | ||
| Select a minimum of 9 additional MARKETNG credits. | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
- 1
Elective coursework may follow a specific "career path" if students choose.
Potential Marketing Career Guidance and Career Paths
For further information on recommended electives and career paths, see the Department of Marketing website linked within the Contact Information box.
University Degree Requirements
| Total Degree | To receive a bachelor's degree from UW–Madison, students must earn a minimum of 120 degree credits. The requirements for some programs may exceed 120 degree credits. Students should consult with their college or department advisor for information on specific credit requirements. |
| Residency | Degree candidates are required to earn a minimum of 30 credits in residence at UW–Madison. "In residence" means on the UW–Madison campus with an undergraduate degree classification. “In residence” credit also includes UW–Madison courses offered in distance or online formats and credits earned in UW–Madison Study Abroad/Study Away programs. |
| Quality of Work | Undergraduate students must maintain the minimum grade point average specified by the school, college, or academic program to remain in good academic standing. Students whose academic performance drops below these minimum thresholds will be placed on academic probation. |
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate the ability to formulate and implement marketing strategies related to product, place/distribution, price, promotion.
- Demonstrate the ability to evaluate and analyze appropriate market segments and generate effective marketing plans.
- Locate, evaluate, and leverage relevant sources to determine and support their marketing actions.
- Apply analytical rigor to marketing decisions.
Four-Year Plan
This is a sample four-year plan for students directly admitted into the School of Business from high school. We encourage all students to consult with their academic advisor to develop an individualized plan that meets their specific needs.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Communications A | 3 | MARKETNG 300 | 3 |
| ECON 101 or 111 | 4 | MATH 211 or 221 | 4-5 |
| Ethnic Studies | 3 | Humanities | 3 |
| Science | 3 | ECON 102 or 111 | 4 |
| GEN BUS 110 | 1 | ||
| GEN BUS 106 | 1 | ||
| 15 | 14-15 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ACCT I S 100 | 3 | ACCT I S 211 | 3 |
| GEN BUS 306 | 3 | GEN BUS 307 | 3 |
| PSYCH 202, SOC 211, ANTHRO 104, GEN&WS 102, or HDFS 263 (Human Behavior) | 3-4 | MARKETNG 305 | 3 |
| GEN BUS/DS 240, 250, or 308 (Take One) | 2 | OTM 300 | 3 |
| Elective | 4 | GEN BUS 360 | 3 |
| 15-16 | 15 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Marketing Elective | 3 | Marketing Elective | 3 |
| MARKETNG 310 | 3 | PHILOS 241, 243, 341, or 441 (Ethics) | 3-4 |
| M H R 300 | 3 | Literature | 3 |
| GEN BUS 250, 240, or 308 (Take One) | 2 | FINANCE/ECON 300 | 3 |
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15-16 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| GEN BUS 400 | 3 | GEN BUS 301 | 3 |
| MARKETNG 460 | 3 | Marketing Elective | 3 |
| R M I 300, REAL EST 306, INTL BUS 200, or INFO SYS 322 (Take One) | 3 | Science | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits 120-123 | |||
Advising and Careers
Advising
Advising is an integral part of any student’s educational journey in the School of Business Undergraduate Program. Starting at Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR), we encourage all students to connect with academic advisors. Business academic advisors have a wealth of knowledge about courses on campus, as well as policies and procedures.
Business career coaches help students with career exploration, internships, resumes, job search, interviewing, and more. We encourage students to connect with their career coach once they arrive on campus.
Business academic advisors and career coaches are passionate about student success. Students experiencing academic difficulty or personal struggles are encouraged to talk to their advisor about how their individual situation may affect their academic performance.
Assigned Academic and Career Coaches
Admitted business students will have one assigned academic advisor. Career coaches are assigned by academic major to be able to provide industry-specific career guidance. If a student has more than one major, they may have more than one assigned career coach. Students can find their assigned advisor and coach by logging into the Starfish portal through MyUW.
For students not yet admitted to the School of Business, there is a team of pre-business advisors available.
Accessing Advising
Drop-in advising and scheduled appointments are available for admitted business students. Pre-business students may also schedule an appointment with a pre-business academic advisor or utilize drop-in academic advising.
For more information on accessing academic advising, please see our Academic Advising page.
For more information on accessing career coaching, please see our Career Coaching page.
Careers
The marketing function is found throughout all organizations and businesses from global enterprises to start-ups; for services such as health and insurance, colleges/universities, commercial banking, pharmaceuticals and software companies; for non-profits and municipalities. Students may pursue a variety of careers in: advertising/public relations/communication, digital marketing, general marketing, marketing research/analyst, merchandising/buyer/planner, product/brand management, business-to-business (B2B), sales/business development, sports marketing & communication and supply chain management.
More information on Career Pathways.
People
For more information about the faculty and their research interests, please visit the directory.
Accreditation
AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
Accreditation status: Accredited. Next accreditation review: 2026–2027.