Program Website: Marketing – Hiram College

Introduction

In today’s globalized and highly competitive business environment, marketing has become the driving force behind organizational success. It shapes how products and services connect with consumers, influences brand perception, and drives growth across industries. A Marketing Major at Hiram prepares students to navigate this dynamic landscape, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to succeed in diverse professional settings.

Graduates of the program are well-positioned for careers in a wide range of fields, including large multinational corporations, innovative start-ups, advertising and digital marketing agencies, social enterprises, and small businesses. Beyond immediate career opportunities, the Marketing Major also lays a strong foundation for advanced studies in graduate programs such as an MBA, Marketing, International Business, or Entrepreneurship. Students leave the program ready to think strategically, act creatively, and make meaningful contributions in a fast-paced, ever-changing business world.

This major is available fully online.

Why a Marketing Minor? Marketing is a versatile skill that adds value in almost every field. Whether you are launching a business, managing a nonprofit, or simply preparing to enter the job market, understanding how to market yourself, a company, or a product is essential. Every organization relies on marketing to build its brand, connect with customers, and drive results.

Hiram’s Marketing Minor welcomes students from all majors to gain hands-on knowledge about how customers think, how products and services reach the market, and how to create messages that resonate with potential audiences. Students begin by building a strong foundation in the principles of marketing and consumer behavior, and then tailor their learning by choosing three electives that align with their personal interests and career goals.

Because marketing intersects with nearly every industry, this minor pairs well with a wide variety of majors—including management, accounting, communication, psychology, computer science, and more. With a Marketing Minor, graduates leave Hiram prepared with adaptable skills that employers value: critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to understand and influence consumer decisions.

Faculty 

Ebru Genc, (2019) Associate Professor of Marketing
B.S., Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey;
M.S., Univeristy of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign, IL;
Ph.D., Temple University
gence@hiram.edu 

Course Descriptions

MKTG 15500:  PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING:CA:  4 Hour(s)  
PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING:CA ~ An introduction to the marketing system from a managerial perspective. Emphasis is on the environmental context of marketing, the marketing decision process in an organization, and basic marketing concepts. The role of marketing in society, and trends and issues confronting marketing managers are also addressed. (Previously MGMT 25500.)
Core: Social/Cultural Analysis Meth
MKTG 24900:  PRINCIPLES OF ADVERTISING:  3 Hour(s)  
PRINCIPLES OF ADVERTISING ~ This course is designed to introduce students to the theory and application of creativity in advertising. Based on the idea that good advertising always starts with an understanding of people and an awareness of their needs, this course moves through the creative process step by step, focusing first on the creative person, then on strategy and problem solving. It covers a range of topics including the nature of creative strategy to various media. Students will also learn how advertising is evolved and regulated and learn about key social issues and consumer problems with advertising. The emphasis throughout the course is on developing good advertising based on solid strategic thinking, and students will be required to write, design and present original advertisements and critique various advertisements. Also listed as COMM 24900.
MKTG 26500:  SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION:  4 Hour(s)  
SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION ~ In this class, we will examine social media communication and its uses and functions, proper and improper, from personal and business standpoint. This course takes a hands-on approach to learning the content which will include designing a social media communication campaign for a local business. A variety of social media platforms will be examined. There are no prerequisites for this class.
MKTG 28000:  SEM::  1-4 Hour(s)  
SEMINAR: ~
MKTG 28100:  INDEPENDENT STUDY:  1-4 Hour(s)  
INDEPENDENT STUDY ~
MKTG 29800:  FIELD EXPERIENCE:  4 Hour(s)  
FIELD EXPERIENCE ~
MKTG 30000:  SERVICES MARKETING:  4 Hour(s)  
SERVICES MARKETING ~ Marketing is that function of an enterprise, which represent the customers' needs and wants to the internal stakeholders of the enterprise. The role of marketing management is to help companies better understand customer preferences, develop internal agility to rapidly respond to changing needs of customers, link market knowledge to designing appropriate products and services for selected customers, and determine appropriate methods to communicate, to deliver value, and to retain customers’ attention. This course aims to enable students of marketing and aspiring managers to understand the nuances of services marketing and agile corporations. This course includes an introduction to business and services marketing. The course also aims to create a strong familiarity of concepts like developing offerings, setting pricing, managing profitability, segmenting, targeting and promoting services to customers, balancing demand and services, managing customer relationships and marketing services globally. The course will use video cases studies to understand the challenges in Service Marketing.
Prerequisite: MKTG 15500 (may be taken concurrently) or MGMT 25500
MKTG 30100:  MARKETING MANAGEMENT:  4 Hour(s)  
MARKETING MANAGEMENT ~ This course examines the analysis, planning, implementation, and control of marketing activities in for-profit, not-for-profit, and service organizations. Subjects addressed include the role of the external and internal environments in marketing decision-making; the relationship between the organization's overall strategy and its marketing strategy; and the integration of the marketing mix and ethical issues. A variety of analytical frameworks and tools to support marketing decision-making are introduced and used.
Prerequisite: MKTG 15500 (may be taken concurrently) or MGMT 25500
MKTG 30200:  ENTREPRENEURIAL MARKETING:  4 Hour(s)  
ENTREPRENEURIAL MARKETING ~ This Entrepreneurial Marketing (EM) course is structured to bring traditional marketing theory, concepts, and frameworks together with the rapidly evolving technology and social media perspectives into an integrative framework called “entrepreneurial marketing” (EM). EM represents a strategic type of marketing built around six core elements: opportunity, innovation, calculated risk taking, resource leveraging, proactive behavior, and customer intensity. we will explore how marketing and entrepreneurship affect and are affected by one another. We will examine entrepreneurial and marketing concepts to determine how they apply to, and how they can aid the practice of, the other. We will look at the role of marketing in entrepreneurial ventures, and the role of entrepreneurship in marketing efforts of all firms. Attention will be devoted to understanding why marketers resist entrepreneurship as well as the common mistakes entrepreneurs make when it comes to marketing. Implications will be drawn from the latest trends in marketing and in entrepreneurship. Handson cases will be used to assess real world problems at the marketing entrepreneurship Interface with primary learning activity being a "live EM planning project".
Prerequisite: MGMT 22500 or MKTG 15500
MKTG 30300:  INTEGRATED MARKETING COMM:  4 Hour(s)  
INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS ~ This course focuses on the latest marketing communication practices, known as integrated marketing communications (IMC). IMC is specifically designed to ensure that all communication strategies and messages are unified and integrated across all channels. The course aims to equip students with the knowledge including an overview of integrated marketing communications and elements of promotional mix including advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, social media and digital marketing from an integrative perspective. Students will be actively involved in the conceptualizing and producing a comprehensive integrated marketing communication (IMC) campaign for a business. The development of an IMC program requires an understanding of the overall marketing process, communication theories, branding and consumer behavior.
Prerequisite: MKTG 15500
MKTG 30400:  DIGITAL MARKETING:  4 Hour(s)  
DIGITAL MARKETING ~ In a world where more and more activities are centered online, developing an effective digital marketing plan is a must for every organization. Learn how to assess customer needs and utilize social media, search engine marketing, display advertising, content marketing, email, and more to develop high-performing integrated marketing plans that deliver on key metrics. Prerequisite: MKTG 15500
Prerequisite: MKTG 15500
MKTG 31800:  CONSUMER BEHAVIOR:  3 Hour(s)  
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR ~ This course explores the various environments that have an impact upon the behavior of individuals in the marketplace. A framework is introduced to analyze the consumer decision process and the cultural, sociological, psychological, and economic factors that influence it.
Prerequisite: MKTG 15500 (may be taken concurrently) or MGMT 25500
MKTG 35400:  CAPSTONE DEVELOPMENT:  3 Hour(s)  
CAPSTONE DEVELOPMENT ~ This course is the first step in a yearlong process of reflecting on the meaning of the management major. One part of this process focuses on students identifying a research topic and initiating the research necessary for the completion of a high-quality, senior-level paper in the spring. Another part of this process relates to career preparation and development. MKTG 35400 seeks to assist students in identifying job opportunities and presenting a compelling professional profile in the marketplace.
MKTG 35500:  MARKETING RESEARCH:  3 Hour(s)  
MARKETING RESEARCH ~ This course is an introduction to the research process as it relates to the marketing function within an organization. Special emphasis is placed on the human aspects of the research effort and ethical standards for researchers. The student is introduced to survey, field, and experimental research designs. Subjects examined include problem definition, sample selection, interviewing techniques, data collection, analysis and presentation.
Prerequisite: MKTG 15500 (may be taken concurrently) or MGMT 25500
MKTG 36100:  MULTINATIONAL MARKETING:EW:  4 Hour(s)  
MULTINATIONAL MARKETING:EW ~ This course examines the marketing function across national boundaries. The cultural, political, social, economic and financial environments and their influence upon global marketing decisions are emphasized. Product, pricing, promotion, and distribution strategies in different environments are examined. Modes of participation, including exporting, licensing, joint ventures, and direct investments, are also studied. Analytical techniques for assessing global marketing opportunities are introduced and used.
Prerequisite: MKTG 15500 (may be taken concurrently) or MGMT 25500
Core: Experiencing the World
MKTG 38000:  SEM::  1-4 Hour(s)  
SEMINAR: ~
MKTG 48000:  MARKETING SENIOR SEMINAR:  4 Hour(s)  
MARKETING SENIOR SEMINAR ~ This course is designed as a capstone to the marketing major. The format for the seminar is to have each student write and present a significant research paper on a topic of his or her choice. The research effort will be a group process with continuous discussion, criticism, and suggestion from the participants, in order to improve the quality of the paper during the research and writing process. Participants give progress reports and summarize their readings to receive constructive evaluations. Cross listed with MGMT 48000.
Prerequisite: MKTG 40100 or MKTG 35400
MKTG 48100:  INDEPENDENT RESEARCH:  1-4 Hour(s)  
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH ~ The course is open to marketing majors with junior standing or above with the consent of the department. This affords junior and senior Marketing majors the opportunity to design their own course of study in an area that is not currently taught. The independent research course would normally require the student to write a research paper.
MKTG 49800:  INTERNSHIP:  4 Hour(s)  
INTERNSHIP ~

Courses

Academic Offerings