A female instructor standing in front of a whiteboard, smiling at three grinning students

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
  • If you started at UW-Madison as a first-year student, 24 credits completed/in-progress at UW-Madison are required for application.
  • If you started at UW-Madison as a transfer student, 12 completed/in-progress at UW-Madison are required for application.
  • In-progress course credits towards this minimum must be completed at the end of the spring application term.

Other
  • Pre-Business 101 workshop required during the intended application year.
  • Pre-Business applicants may apply once within their first four terms (Fall/Spring) at UW-Madison, based on enrollment date. There is no credit maximum.
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
  • Breadth—Humanities/Literature/Arts: 6 credits
  • Breadth—Natural Science: 4 to 6 credits, consisting of one 4- or 5-credit course with a laboratory component; or two courses providing a total of 6 credits
  • Breadth—Social Studies: 3 credits
  • Communication Part A Part B *
  • Ethnic Studies *
  • Quantitative Reasoning Part A Part B *

* 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.

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. 

MARKETNG 305 Consumer Behavior3
MARKETNG 310 Marketing Research3
MARKETNG 460 Marketing Strategy3
Elective Coursework 1
Select a minimum of 9 additional MARKETNG credits.9
Total Credits18
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

  1. Demonstrate the ability to formulate and implement marketing strategies related to product, place/distribution, price, promotion.
  2. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate and analyze appropriate market segments and generate effective marketing plans.
  3. Locate, evaluate, and leverage relevant sources to determine and support their marketing actions.
  4. 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
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Communications A3MARKETNG 3003
ECON 101 or 1114MATH 211 or 2214-5
Ethnic Studies3Humanities3
Science3ECON 102 or 1114
GEN BUS 1101 
GEN BUS 1061 
 15 14-15
Sophomore
FallCreditsSpringCredits
ACCT I S 1003ACCT I S 2113
GEN BUS 3063GEN BUS 3073
PSYCH 202, SOC 211, ANTHRO 104, GEN&WS 102, or HDFS 263 (Human Behavior)3-4MARKETNG 3053
GEN BUS/​DS  240, 250, or 308 (Take One)2OTM 3003
Elective4GEN BUS 3603
 15-16 15
Junior
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Marketing Elective3Marketing Elective3
MARKETNG 3103PHILOS 241, 243, 341, or 441 (Ethics)3-4
M H R 3003Literature3
GEN BUS 250, 240, or 308 (Take One)2FINANCE/​ECON  3003
Elective4Elective3
 15 15-16
Senior
FallCreditsSpringCredits
GEN BUS 4003GEN BUS 3013
MARKETNG 4603Marketing Elective3
R M I 300, REAL EST 306, INTL BUS 200, or INFO SYS 322 (Take One)3Science3
Elective3Elective3
Elective4Elective3
 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.