In May 2018, Kent State University had the largest number of undergraduate degrees ever awarded. One of the majors with the biggest spikes in growth from the previous year was marketing, which saw an increase of 43 students.
The marketing major at Kent State, housed in the College of Business and Administration, aims to teach students valuable skills and lessons they can implement outside of the classroom.
Robert Jewell, Ph.D., professor and department chair of the marketing program, attributes the success of the program to collaborative and invested professors and a constantly evolving curriculum.
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We are a collaborative group,” Dr. Jewell said. “Instructors come together to talk about the curriculum as a whole, not just the individual courses. We have good people in place that are willing to work with each other to try to make the courses that we do have better and make sure we are offering the right mix of courses overall.”
The department works together to make sure the major makes sense for students and future employers, and that the courses will prepare the students to be successful when they graduate. Dr. Jewell believes the quality of the professors in the department played a huge role in the jump in degrees awarded.
“I would say we have some of the best teachers on campus,” Dr. Jewell said. “The last two years, we have had faculty members that have won university-wide teaching awards. To have two in the college is impressive, but to have two in this department is kind of amazing.”
Courses are added and dropped as the department sees fit. For example, a sales certificate has been introduced to the program along with advanced selling and social media marketing courses.
“We are trying to ensure that our curriculum meets the needs of our students,” Dr. Jewell said. “For example, the sales certificate is really picking up speed, and it’s something students can put on their resumes to differentiate themselves.”
In order to stay on top of best practices, the department works with the external business community. Feedback often comes from potential employers and the marketing program’s sales advisory board.
“We have a sales advisory board that helps evaluate our curriculum, and they are very good about suggesting changes to ensure the relevance of the material being taught,” Dr. Jewell said.
The marketing field allows students to choose from a breadth of careers. Students go on to be anything from an assistant account executive to working in product development to data strategist and marketing associates.
“The range of employment opportunities is kind of incredible,” Dr. Jewell said. “I think students like a marketing degree because it gives them a lot of opportunities in terms of their career.”
For more information about the marketing major at Kent State, visit https://www.kent.edu/business/marketing.