Studies & Degrees in Marketing
Marketing Study Programs
Marketing is the part of business that connects a product or service with the people who might buy it. It covers finding out what customers want, deciding what to offer and at what price, choosing how to sell and distribute it, and communicating with the market. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes the research side of the field as studying consumer preferences, business conditions and other factors to assess potential sales, so that companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.
A marketing programme usually combines business foundations (economics, accounting, management) with consumer behaviour, market research and statistics, branding, pricing, sales, advertising and digital marketing. The BLS notes that courses in statistics, research methods and marketing matter most for analysts, so students should expect a good share of data work alongside the creative side.
Qualifications and levels
- Bachelor's degrees. Marketing is taught as a degree of its own or as a major within a business degree. In England, Anglia Ruskin University lists its BSc (Hons) Marketing in Peterborough with a duration of 3 years. London Metropolitan University offers a Marketing BA (Hons) in which students can also study for a professional qualification from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). In Canada, the Bachelor of Business Administration of the University of the Fraser Valley lasts 4 years and has Marketing among its majors.
- Spain. Official bachelor's degrees (grados) have 240 ECTS credits and master's degrees 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. The usual degree title is Grado en Marketing e Investigación de Mercados. The Universidad de Cádiz teaches it at its Faculty of Social Sciences and Communication in Jerez de la Frontera, and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) offers it fully online, with 240 credits, in Spanish or Catalan.
- Master's degrees. One-year specialised master's programmes are common. The Strategic Marketing MSc at Cranfield University, for example, is a full-time course of 1 year, with the next start date on 28 September 2026.
- Vocational training. In Spain the higher vocational qualification (FP de grado superior) is Técnico Superior en Marketing y Publicidad, a 2,000-hour programme in the Comercio y Marketing professional family.
- Short and professional courses. Business schools and language schools also run shorter courses in digital marketing, market research or business English; these are not degrees, so ask the school what recognition the certificate has.
Where to study marketing
SpainExchange lists 386 active schools for marketing. The United States has the most (136), followed by Spain (79), the United Kingdom (36), Canada (15), Australia (7) and Greece (5). France, Ireland and Mexico have four each, and Chile, Brazil and Denmark three each.
Examples from the directory include the Universidad de Cádiz, the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, CEU Andalucía and ESEI International Business School in Spain; London South Bank University, the University of Westminster, Regent's University London, London Metropolitan University, Anglia Ruskin University and Cranfield University in the United Kingdom; The Ohio State University, The University of Texas at Austin and San Diego State University in the United States; and the University of the Fraser Valley in Canada.
The language of instruction normally follows the country: English in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, Spanish in most Spanish and Latin American programmes. Some Spanish universities and business schools also teach in English or, in Catalonia, in Catalan, so check each programme.
Careers
Graduates work in market research, brand and product management, advertising and public relations, digital marketing, sales and events. The Spanish vocational qualification lists roles such as marketing technician, advertising technician and market and opinion research technician, in companies of any sector.
In the United States, the BLS projects employment of market research analysts to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035, and employment of advertising, promotions and marketing managers to grow 6 percent over the same period. It adds that analysts typically need a bachelor's degree in market research or a related field, and that managers typically also need work experience in a related occupation. These figures describe the US labour market; conditions in other countries differ.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a marketing degree take?
It depends on the country. A Spanish grado has 240 ECTS credits, the bachelor's degree with a Marketing major at the University of the Fraser Valley in Canada lasts 4 years, and Anglia Ruskin University in England lists 3 years for its BSc (Hons) Marketing.
Do I need mathematics to study marketing?
Some. Market research relies on statistics and data analysis, and the BLS names statistics and research methods among the important courses for future analysts.
Can I study marketing online?
Yes. The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, for example, teaches its official Grado en Marketing e Investigación de Mercados fully online in Spanish or Catalan.
Is there a vocational route into marketing in Spain?
Yes. The 2,000-hour Técnico Superior en Marketing y Publicidad is the higher vocational qualification in this field.