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Leavey School of Business Santa Clara University
Department ofMarketing

Careers

Companies from a variety of sectors including high-tech, financial services, retail, real estate consulting, and not-for-profit organizations recruit our marketing graduates.

Entry-level jobs are typically in sales, marketing, custom service and support, marketing research, account management, public relations, advertising, retail buying, and store management. Many marketing graduates also elect to create their own business ventures.

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"Overall employment of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations."

 

Potential Marketing Careers

Below are some popular career choices for Marketing majors.

Large firms with multiple products generally assign one manager (plus an assistant) to be responsible for each product. Bearing titles such as brand manager or product manager, these individuals act as the "president" of all operations associated with their product. Depending on the size of the firm, a marketing major might start a career as a product manager or assistant product manager.

Although many entry-level sales positions require no college education, sales managers typically do have a college education, often with a major in marketing. In a typical career path, a marketing major is hired as a salesperson. After considerable in-house training in sales and a year or two of field experience, the salesperson would be promoted to a sales management position. From there, he or she might rise through the sales management hierarchy, managing larger and larger sales territories, or move over to the marketing management track at company headquarters.

These individuals gather, manage, and interpret market data. Some market analysts work for independent market research companies, providing consulting advice to clients; others work directly for manufacturing and service firms assisting in market and product planning. Analysts are involved in forecasting, conducting customer interviews and surveys, and gathering competitor intelligence. Strong quantitative skills are generally essential.

Management Independent advertising agencies employ account executives to act as liaisons with their clients. The account executive helps clients understand what the agency can offer and translates the client's understand what the agency can offer and translates the client's needs into an advertising plan. On the client side, advertising managers and marketing communications specialists manage the relationship with advertising agencies, public relations firms, and other specialists who carry out communications for the firm.

Stores employ marketing majors as store managers and buyers. Store managers run all aspects of an individual store. Buyers are responsible for selecting merchandise to be carried by individual store departments. Santa Clara students benefit from the presence on campus of the distinguished Retail Management Institute. Many marketing majors choose to enroll in the RMI certification program, which includes internship opportunities with major retailers.

Spotlight: New Alumni Careers

Our recent graduates from the Class of 2018 are starting their careers at a variety of companies, some of which are featured below: 

Marketing Major

Laura Kastilani

Western Digital

Marketing Major

McAlister Alday

Flexport

Marketing Major

Stephen Hua

The New York Times

Marketing Major

Riley Morgan

Taylor Design 

Career Resources

Undergraduate Career Center
Use the Career Center as a hub for employment resources. Among their offerings are: job listings, resume critiques, mock interviews, and even same-day advising appointments.

Graduate Business Career Management
GBCM offers consulting services, skill development programs, recruiting events, and other resources for graduate students to facilitate successful management of one's career and/or job search.

Stay Connected

Business School on LinkedIn
As an alumni of the Leavey School of Business, you can join the SCU School of Business LinkedIn Group or follow our Leavey School of Business LinkedIn page.

Santa Clara University Alumni Association
The University offers programming for alumni including reunions and University-wide events (e.g. Vintage Santa Clara). See the SCU Alumni Association website for more information.