If you are interested in a college or university marketing degree, researching college and university marketing programs advice and ratings is a useful way to learn what students and experts have to say about various college marketing programs. College and university marketing programs are a considerable investment of your time and money, so of course you want to get the best value for your money.
The Internet is full of college and university marketing programs advice, rankings and ratings. However, learning to use these rankings to find the college that is right for you can be tricky. You don’t want to simply select the top ranked school for marketing because that school may not meet your personal and professional needs or criteria. When looking at marketing school rankings, therefore, you will want to:
- Find detailed student blogs about marketing university programs to get an "insider" perspective.
- Review rankings of colleges with marketing degree programs.
- Understand how professional groups and marketers rank marketing programs.
Look at student blogs of marketing degree programs to get the inside scoop
College guides written by student bloggers are not just random lists of schools that are considered "best" in a particular field; student guides tell you the details of a school and its programs. These student-written college and university marketing programs advice and ratings can help you understand the benefits and possible drawbacks of a specific degree program or school by helping you see how actual students view their class experiences.
Mays Business School, which offers a marketing degree, has its students blog about their experiences.
Cornell University, The Johnson School links to many student blogs. These students write about their marketing school experiences and about their classes.
Find national rankings of colleges offering marketing programs
Although rankings simply list schools based on specific criteria, such as graduate employment rates or student satisfaction, they are useful in helping you to evaluate which business marketing college programs are most respected and reputable. However, be sure to actually research schools given a high ranking and don't choose to go to a school simply because it is voted as a top school in your field. Just because a school is highly ranked doesn't necessarily mean that it is a good fit for you.
U.S. News & World Report ranks schools by their marketing programs. BusinessWeek offers a handy chart showing rankings of schools with MBA programs with marketing specialities.
Understand how industry professionals view marketing programs university-wide
Ultimately, how professionals in the marketing and business industry view a marketing school is a good indicator of how prestigious a specific program is. Business and marketing professionals have a good understanding of which schools are considered the most esteemed. Rather than just looking at rankings, consider which schools are mentioned when professional organizations and professionals in the industry note schools that offer good marketing programs.
The American Marketing Association makes note of the schools that employers are most eager to see on a resume. The National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) offers a list of schools with reputable marketing programs.