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Information for Prospective Marketing
Students
View our Marketing Department Video to learn why marketing
is the major you've been looking for.
How do I change my
major to marketing?
Obtain a Change or Declaration of
Major Form from the JMU Office of the Registrar
(Warren Hall, Room 504). Take this completed form to the
Academic Services Center Marketing Advisor, Ms. Marsha Shenk, (shenkmm@jmu.edu), ZSh 217, 540-568-8782.
Please note that, any student admitted to
JMU can declare one of the nine majors offered in the College of
Business. However, any student enrolled in one of the B.B.A.
programs must meet certain progression standards in order to
continue as a business major beyond the first year of study.
The requirements are delineated below.
During the freshman year, a student must complete five of the
following six B.B.A core courses - COB 191, COB 204, COB 218, ECON
201, GECON 200, and MATH 205 - and have a cumulative grade
point average of 2.5 or higher in all JMU course work in order to
continue as a business major and enroll in the sophomore level
B.B.A. core courses. A student with a cumulative
grade point average below 2.400 will be notified that he/she will
be referred to Career and Academic Planning for assistance in
selecting a major other than business, and will be dropped from any
sophomore B.B.A. core courses for which the student had
registered. A student with a cumulative grade point average in the range
2.400 - 2.499 will be given the summer to achieve the requisite
2.500 needed to continue into the sophomore year as a business
major. A student who fails to achieve the requisite 2.500 by
the end of the summer term will be referred to Career and Academic
Planning for assistance in selecting a major other than business,
and will be dropped from any sophomore B.B.A. core courses for
which the student had registered.
Why should I major
in marketing? 
- Money Magazine and
Salary.com identified the top 20 jobs for those who are
young and ambitious based on compensation, growth and job
fulfillment: 3 of the top 20 were marketing! The #1 position was
product/brand manager where you control, develop, and market an
assigned product line.
- According
to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job
Outlook, marketing majors are among the TOP 10 degrees in demand by
potential employers. CnnMoney.com in "Big Demand, Big Pay" found that sales and
marketing personnel would be the highest in demand in the
overall labor force.
- In "
Big Demand, Good Pay" CNN Money named
Internet Sales and Marketing Account Director as the #2 "well
paying jobs," of all possible careers, where demand for good
candidates exceeds supply.
- USAToday reports that
"Sure, companies are laying off workers, but many are also looking
for new talent, especially at the entry level&engineering,
marketing and computer science are rich fields,
and that some new graduates might even see higher starting salaries
than in recent years." Marketing is one of only three fields
identified as strong growth in the upcoming years. The Spring NACE
survey shows a 4.9% increase in starting salary,
to $43,318, for marketing majors over last year. Even in difficult
economic times, with job opportunities becoming less accessible in
other fields, the demand for marketing
graduates remains quite robust because of their
ability to generate revenue for the organization.
With bonuses and commission,
which significantly increase compensation packages, average
starting salaries are amongst the highest in any business area.
Their data illustrates that experienced marketers are typically
some of the best compensated individuals in any organization.
- Manpower Inc.'s annual talent
shortage survey reports
that finding qualified people to work as sales representatives is
the #1 biggest hiring challenge for global employers for the second
year in a row. They say that "your best chance of getting a job may
be to consider a job in sales." Melanie Holmes, Manpower's vice
president of corporate affairs, said that finding wasn't too
surprising since many companies are boosting sales staffs to fuel
revenue growth. Also, forecasters have said demand for sales jobs
will increase dramatically in the coming years.
- Check out salary information
for various marketing positions. Also visit our Marketing Careers and Internships page to learn
about companies that recruit JMU marketing students and the types
of entry level positions they obtain.
 What does the Marketing
Department at JMU have to offer?
The mission of the Marketing Department is to prepare
students to assume professional and leadership roles in the rapidly
changing, technically-oriented, and competitive world of marketing.
We prepare students for entry-level career positions by
developing specialized skills in the management of customer
relationships through the creation, communication, and delivery of
value to customers. Our curriculum provides a solid
foundation of the knowledge and skills needed to develop effective
marketing efforts. Students gain knowledge and experience
through General Education courses, the College
of Business core curriculum, and declaration of the marketing major with various combinations of
required and elective marketing courses.
JMU marketing majors
experience several unique benefits:
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