Guide to Getting Your Online Associate Degree in Marketing

Become Team

Updated December 9, 2021

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Marketing professionals work to get the word out about a product or service by:

Planning promotions
Advertising
Initiating and analyzing market research studies
Meeting with clients
Developing pricing strategies for target markets

If you love using social media, coming up with creative strategies to meet a goal, and staying current with trends, then pursuing an online associate degree in marketing could benefit you.

If you want to enter the job market quickly, marketing specialists make an average salary of $73,970, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). You can also use an online associate degree in marketing to kickstart yourbachelor's degree, which is typically required if your goal is to work as a marketing manager.

Keep reading to learn more about what you can learn during your studies, potential careers you can pursue, and things to consider before transferring to a four-year program.

What Will You Learn in an Online Marketing Associate Degree Program?

During your studies, you can expect to learn marketing basics, including how to:

Work with influencers to promote products
Use social media to reach new customers
Collaborate with advertising professionals to create a successful marketing campaign

Marketing classes also cover writing basics so you can write copy that grabs attention and inspires action.

Common Courses

Marketing Foundations

This class introduces marketing basics. Topics include social media, advertising, marketing research, writing, and visual communication. Taking this class can help you determine whether this major will serve your interests and career goals.

Consumer Market Behavior

In this course, students examine how cultural and social norms impact consumers

Personal Selling

This class covers the basics of making a sales pitch. Learners discover helpful tips and tricks for making a sales call and other persuasive elements to gain and retain new clients. A personal selling course also discusses the types of people you can encounter during a sale and how to form a meaningful connection with each.

Creative Advertising

In this class, students learn how to create useful broadcasting and print advertisements. Learners must think creatively to develop impactful copy and graphics that motivate consumers to purchase a product or service. Students also evaluate current advertising campaigns for effectiveness and discuss how to adapt them to improve their performance and garner more interest and sales.

Logistics and Supply Chain Strategy

This class focuses on how supply chain and operations management functions, including managing inventory and using supply and demand to benefit a business. The course also discusses how to distribute goods to consumers properly and how to conduct quality and quantity assessments.

Core Skills

To succeed in a marketing role, you must acquire a certain set of skills. Some of these skills might come naturally to you, while others might require more work to perfect.

Soft skills you'll develop:

Organization
Teamwork
Patience
Adaptability
Communication

These soft skills are crucial to working with your employer, coworkers, and clients to create winning campaigns and retain clients for future work.

Hard skills you'll develop:

Content management systems
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Market research
Working with spreadsheets
Copywriting

Broadening your skill set can also help you qualify for jobs in industries other than marketing.

What Can You Do With an Associate Degree in Marketing?

Earning a bachelor's degree might help you find a job in marketing. Below is a list of potential careers you could get if you decide to advance your education.

Potential Careers and Salaries

While many of these jobs require a bachelor's degree, qualified individuals with an associate degree may find similar positions, depending on their location and field of interest. Check out some jobs and salaries from the BLS:

These professionals use communication channels to motivate consumers to purchase goods or services. Public relations and fundraising managers also maintain relationships with important stakeholders by:

Hosting events
Sending press releases
Writing newsletters
Responding to social media posts

Public relations and fundraising managers need at least a bachelor's degree, and some positions may require a master's.

Average Annual Salary: $135,580

Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers use media channels to influence consumers to purchase a product or service. These media channels include commercials, print ads, and web ads. Marketing professionals also use SEO to reach target audiences. These positions typically require a bachelor's degree.

Average Annual Salary: $147,560

Market research analysts help marketing professionals understand who they should aim to communicate with and what factors influence client purchases. Most market research analysts need at least a bachelor's degree, and some may need a master's degree.

Average Annual Salary: $73,970

Advertising sales agents connect businesses and professionals with paid advertising space. They help their clients determine what advertisement will resonate with their audience the most. Often, these professionals must meet sales quotas and may have a salary that includes commission, leading to a higher-than-average salary.

Average Annual Salary: $68,040

Writers compose copy used for print and digital purposes. They must fully understand the target audience the writing speaks to and tailor words to resonate with the target demographic. Writers must possess an eye for detail and strong grammatical skills. Marketing degrees focus strongly on communication, a key skill for this position.

Average Annual Salary: $78,680

Getting a Higher Degree After an Online Associate Degree in Marketing

After earning an online associate degree in marketing, you can enter the workforce after graduation or further your education.

Individuals with bachelor's, master's, or PhD degrees tend to qualify for more competitive, high-income jobs. Here are three common degrees individuals choose to pursue after an associate degree in marketing.

Bachelor's in Marketing

If you enjoyed what you learned during your two-year associate degree, consider extending your studies with a bachelor's in marketing. This degree will allow you to look closer at marketing principles.

Bachelor's in Public Relations

A bachelor's in public relations can complement an associate degree in marketing. The degree teaches students how to use communication to build relationships with clients and communicate effectively with stakeholders such as donors and investors.

Master's in Business

After earning your associate and bachelor's degrees, you can further your education with a master's in business administration. This degree can open even more career opportunities and allow you to earn high-income jobs in the business sector while honing your marketing skills.

Become Team

Contributing Writer