You’ve made up your mind: To launch yourself on the path to a fulfilling career in one of the most dynamic and creatively invigorating areas of the business landscape, you’ve decided that you’re going to pursue a master of science in marketing. Congratulations! This bold step will expand your sense of what’s possible as a marketing strategist and leader and open doors that will accelerate your climb toward a CMO role.
The best way to earn this transformative degree is in an online program. Online master of science in marketing programs put the actual tools of the trade in the palm of your hands, connect you to a worldwide network of peers and potential colleagues, and give you the best opportunity to grow and advance as a visionary marketing leader.
Read five key reasons to earn your master’s in marketing online and start considering which degree program is the right one for you.
Train for Digital Marketing in a Digital Space
It’s common sense today that the bulk of marketing occurs digitally, and that the most important developments on the leading edge of the profession are occurring online. It only makes sense, then, to earn a master’s degree in marketing that puts the tools and techniques required to market online directly at your fingertips. A truly seamless online learning experience is one in which your coursework and lectures are just a browser tab away from the real-world materials you’re learning to use.
A strong online master’s in marketing program will offer you hands-on experience using Google Analytics, CRM software such as Salesforce and Marketo, search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) software, and other digital tools essential to the marketing trade. It will also prompt you to think strategically about the best uses of social media, web content, emails and ads to reach and nurture your target consumers.
Embrace Flexibility as a Working Professional
If you’re one of the many people whose decision to pursue graduate-level business education has come several years into your career, as you find yourself in need of momentum to advance or in search of a professional pivot, online options are likely to be exactly what you need. Online master of science in marketing programs are best equipped to meet the specific demands of your schedule as a working professional because of the flexibility built into them.
Many online programs utilize “asynchronous” coursework, which means there are no set times at which you have to attend virtual class sessions. When you’re able to view lectures, complete readings, and work on assignments entirely on your own schedule, fitting a master’s in marketing program around your full-time job and other responsibilities is quite manageable. The best online master of science in marketing programs will even have custom-built learning management interfaces designed to make tracking your grades, completing and submitting your assignments, communicating with your classmates and faculty, and managing your overall progress a breeze.
Build a Global Network
Online master’s programs in any field have the natural benefit of being available globally, without any geographic restrictions. While the most obvious implication of this is that you can enroll in a program from a university outside of your local area, it also means that you’ll be exposed to a diverse array of peers from, perhaps, around the U.S. or across the globe.
When you join a cohort with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and approaches, you’ll learn to view the challenges you face as a marketing professional through different lenses than those you are used to, and you may have the same eye-opening impact on your classmates in return.
Gain Experience With Networking Technology
Distributed teams have been growing in significance throughout the professional world in recent years. This was true before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a massive, worldwide shift to remote work, and it has only accelerated in light of that watershed moment. Companies use a host of networking technologies to enable their distributed teams to function smoothly and securely, and most contemporary marketing professionals need to be comfortable using them in order to succeed in the field.
It turns out that many of these same programs—Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and others—are typically used to stay in touch and work together in online master of science in marketing programs. Chances are you’re already used to working with these tools from your current job or any educational experiences you may have had recently. Even so, the collaborative nature of a good online master’s in marketing program will give you a new appreciation for the ease with which those tools let you work closely with teammates located anywhere in the world.
Choose an Established Online University for the Current Climate
You certainly don’t need reminding of this last point, but here it is, just in case: There is still a pandemic sweeping the U.S. and the globe. Even with COVID-19 vaccine and booster distribution under way, the patterns of work and education that we were all used to prior to March 2020 are profoundly altered.
Nearly all postsecondary and graduate instruction in the U.S. is still being conducted online, and many universities that were caught off-guard by the transition to distance education are still striving to find better ways to deliver their courses digitally. By choosing an Online Master of Science in Marketing program that was designed specifically to be taught and taken online, from a university that has a reputation as a leader working at the forefront of online education, you will be sure to receive the best learning experience available today.
Launch Your Ascent in the William & Mary Online Master of Science in Marketing Program
The Online MS in Marketing at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business is designed to train you as a Renaissance Marketer: a21st-century, visionary leader in the field, fluent in using digital marketing tools and techniques to make decisions and strategize for success. Learn about our revolutionary curriculum, designed and led by expert marketing innovators, and talk through the application process with one of our Admissions Advisors.