About Marketing

 

See also:
Marketing B.S.B.A.
Department Information

Marketing is at the heart of all exchange.

What is marketing?
Marketing is a way of finding out what products and services people and organizations want and need, and making sure that they can get them. By doing this, marketing provides a system for a higher standard of living for everyone. What is in the marketing curriculum? Effective marketing is best facilitated by informed, talented, and motivated people -the marketers. The marketing curriculum supports this need through preparing students for marketing-related positions in industry and other organizations. In addition to the Grove College of Business core courses, students in marketing take required courses in:

  • principles of marketing
  • marketing research
  • buyer behavior
  • marketing analysis and strategic development

Students also develop elective courses and/or tracks in such areas as the supply chain management and operations concentration, promotion, sales/sales management, retailing, international marketing, entrepreneurship, and business-to-business marketing. Students are also encouraged to develop specialized areas of concentration that may include other disciplines from the College of Business and from the Colleges of Arts & Sciences and Education.

How do marketing students gain a needed real-world experience?
Internships provide marketing students with a competitive advantage in the marketplace. These internships provide practical experience and enhance the learning experience by providing opportunities to apply what is being learned in class. Benefits of internships include:

  • applying academic knowledge to on-the-job experiences,
  • communicating and interacting with professionals working in business
  • developing professional self-confidence,
  • clarifying and identifying career opportunities,
  • earning money for university and personal expenses
  • building a network of professional contacts
  • completing free elective credits for graduation, and
  • returning to the university with renewed interest and a new perspective on learning.

lngersoll-Rand, Capital BlueCross, and Hershey Foods are among the companies providing internship opportunities to Shippensburg University's marketing students.

What student organizations are there?
Marketing students and faculty in the Grove College of Business are very active. Available organizations not only provide speakers and contacts for the benefit of their members, but also are involved in, conduct, and develop many important programs and events. Several of these organizations are described below:

  • Marketing Club: An organization whose goal it is to prepare the student for transition from the classroom to the business world. Students are given the opportunity to apply marketing ideas and concepts in planning, organizing, and executing club activities. The club offers its members the chance to hear marketing practitioners presentations about their firms and business experiences.
  • Alpha Kappa Psi: The oldest professional business fraternity in the United States. This coed organization helps students enhance leadership skills and develop expanded networking opportunities. students who have participated in this fraternity in the past have also been able to form close and lasting friendships. Alpha Kappa Psi participates in many service projects on campus and in the surrounding community.
  • Beta Gamma Sigma: A national honorary business society that encourages and rewards scholarship and accomplishment. Election to Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest scholastic honor that a student in business administration can attain.
  • Phi Beta Lambda: The largest collegiate/student vocational association in America. Dedicated to service, education, and progress, PBL works to improve university-community relations through projects with the business community. Membership is open to all students.

What career choices exist in marketing?
Qualified marketers are in demand. Marketing ranks very high when comparing salaries with other professions. Typical starting salaries tend to be in the mid-thirties. Opportunities are extensive and diverse and include areas such as:

  • advertising and promotion
  • customer service
  • e-commerce
  • not-for-profit marketing
  • marketing research
  • supply chain management
  • product management
  • professional selling
  • retail management
  • services marketing

Shippensburg graduates have obtained jobs at numerous organizations such as:

  • Proctor and Gamble
  • IBM
  • AT&T
  • Black & Decker
  • Eli Lily
  • Gallo Wines
  • Hershey
  • Enterprise
  • Capital Blue Cross

Many graduates have also successfully started their own businesses or pursued advanced degrees.

Where can I get more information? 

For specific program information, contact:
Dr. William Oberman, Chair Department of Management and Marketing
224 Grove Hall Shippensburg University
1871 Old Main Drive Shippensburg, PA 17257-2299
(717) 477-1439
Fax: (717) 477-4068
E-mail: WDOber@ship.edu  

John L. Grove College of Business
717-477-1435
E-mail: business@ship.edu
 

The John L. Grove College of Business is accredited by the AACSB International