Marketing Degree Requirements: Your 2025 Guide

If you’re interested in a career in marketing, a marketing degree can provide a versatile education that incorporates strategy, creativity, analysis, psychology, research, and more.

Marketing itself is a high-growth field, especially in areas like digital marketing and social media marketing. But earning your marketing degree can also prepare you to forge careers in business, sales, advertising, and more.

You can pursue four academic degrees in marketing, including an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate, each with unique requirements. Discover what it takes to get each kind of marketing degree, what you can expect to learn at each level, and what you can do with your degree once you’ve graduated. 

How to get a marketing degree: Marketing degree requirements

Marketers connect goods and services with people’s needs, so marketing students typically study subjects that help them better understand and achieve that goal. You will need to know about business, management, sales, finance, data, psychology, market research, and communications. Examine some of the general subject differences between an undergraduate and graduate degree in marketing and what each might enable you to do with your degree. 

Associate degree in marketing

Prepare to study marketing in a bachelor’s degree program or begin one of a number of entry-level jobs in marketing or related fields by earning a two-year associate degree in marketing. 

Academic requirements: Typically 60 credits (with a portion in your major)

Average annual tuition: $3,598 for public two-year institutions and $20,019 for private two-year non-profit institutions [1]

What you’ll learn: Associate degree learners typically must take several general education courses to fulfill some of the degree’s requirements. Expect to take introductory classes in composition, mathematics, and science. You’ll also take classes in your marketing major, which will introduce you to the principles of marketing and likely touch on aspects of business, sales, finance, or economics, consumer behavior, and advertising. 

What you can do with an associate in marketing: You can continue your education and apply to bachelor’s degree programs, either in marketing or another subject, or you can pursue entry-level roles in marketing or a related field. But it’s worth noting that even though you may qualify for several entry-level jobs without a bachelor’s degree, it may be a necessary credential to obtain more associate- and senior-level roles.  

Jobs you can get with an associate degree in marketing:

* All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of September 2025. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

Bachelor’s degree in marketing requirements

You can explore several marketing and marketing-related majors if you’re interested in earning your four-year bachelor’s degree. For example, you can major in business with a concentration in marketing, or you can earn your Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Marketing. Learn more about the differences between those two bachelor’s degrees.

Academic requirements: 120 credits, with one-third to one-half going toward your major (depending on your program) 

Average annual cost: $9,750 for in-state tuition at public four-year institutions and $38,421 for private nonprofit four-year institutions [1]

What you’ll learn: As with the associate degree, you’ll need to complete your institution’s general education requirements before applying and working on your major. Beyond the foundation in marketing you receive by taking classes in topics like business, sales, economics, or finance, advertising, and communications, you may have the option to take a more nuanced marketing subject. You can expect to devote at least 30 credits to your major, which may allow you to take global marketing, digital marketing, social media marketing, brand strategy, customer analytics, and more classes.

What you can do with a bachelor’s degree in marketing: You can pursue entry-level roles in numerous marketing or marketing-related fields, or you can continue your education and apply to master’s programs in marketing, business, sales, management, or another related subject. 

Jobs you can get with a bachelor’s degree:

* All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of September 2025. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

What degree do you need for marketing? 

You have multiple educational paths available to you, and the right one depends on your goals. An associate or bachelor’s degree can help you gain entry-level jobs. Pursuing an advanced degree, like a master’s or PhD, can prepare you for advanced positions or specialized roles. Ultimately, as a marketing major, you will have many choices regarding your degree type, concentration, and how you apply your knowledge. 

Master’s degree in marketing

At the graduate level, you’ll spend the entirety of your coursework diving into more advanced marketing courses that deepen your knowledge of key marketing areas. You have several options for studying marketing as a graduate learner. You can get your Master of Science in Marketing, Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in marketing, or Master of Science in Management with a marketing specialization. If you’re interested in marketing but want to broaden your options, many communications and public relations programs also offer master’s students the option to specialize in marketing.

Academic requirements: 30 to 36 credit hours, as well as a capstone, thesis, or research project 

Average total cost: $62,820 for master’s degrees and anywhere from $22,620 to $161,304 for MBAs [10]

What you’ll learn: Requirements vary by program, but most programs typically combine theory with practice. The advanced marketing courses you’ll take (consumer research, price setting, marketing campaigns, data collection, and analysis) require some amount of prior knowledge because they’re designed to build on your previous education while concentrating in one or two areas, such as digital marketing, brand management, or market research. 

What you can do with a master’s degree in marketing: If you’re interested in teaching at the university level or going into academic research, you can apply to doctoral programs in marketing. Otherwise, you can pursue more advanced marketing or marketing-related roles. 

Jobs you can get with a master’s degree in marketing:

* All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of September 2025. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

PhD or doctorate in marketing

You’ll learn about highly advanced practices, strategies, and methodologies related to business, consumers, and research at the doctoral level. As a terminal degree, the highest achievable degree you can get, a PhD in marketing prepares you to teach at the university level or conduct academic research. You may also earn a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), which can prepare you for executive leadership roles.

Academic requirements: 12 to 15 courses, a comprehensive exam, and a dissertation or research project. The comprehensive exam, sometimes called “comps,” is an intensive exam where students prove their knowledge of the field.

Average total cost: Ranges from $79,790 to $208,310 or more, depending on the type of doctoral degree [15]

What you’ll learn: Doctorate-level courses are extremely specialized and require much prior knowledge. You’ll likely take courses in research methodology, such as probability theory or advanced modeling, as well as more in-depth psychological courses that examine customers’ behavior from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

What you can do with a doctorate degree in marketing: If you’re interested in teaching at the university level or going into academic research, you can apply to doctoral programs in marketing. Otherwise, you can pursue more advanced marketing or marketing-related roles, typically at the executive level.

Jobs you can get with a doctorate degree in marketing:

*All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of September 2025. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

Marketing degree benefits

Marketing is a lucrative field. Not only are higher-level roles like marketing manager and market research analyst poised to grow faster or much faster than average, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, but a marketing degree can also help you refine transferable skills such as communication, collaboration, time management, research, planning, and more [19, 20]. And thanks to the variety of subjects you study to earn your marketing degree, you can pursue work in fields outside of marketing as well. 

Earning any academic degree over a high school diploma also affects earnings, and salaries tend to rise with each level of degree earned [21].

Build your marketing skills with free resources 

Subscribe to our Career Chat on LinkedIn to get the answers you need to the questions you have about a career in marketing. Additionally, explore digital resources, such as:

• Watch this video: Digital Marketing Explained in 5 Minutes | Beginner's Guide

• Test your knowledge: Digital Marketing Terms Every Marketer Should Know

• Read an insider story: Career Advice: How to Become a Marketing Manager at Coursera

Check out the marketing degree requirements associated with the degree programs on Coursera. These flexible options from highly-regarded university partners can help you build your skills and knowledge and advance along your chosen career path. 

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