School of Marketing

Jamye Foster, Director
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
601.266.5582

Allen, Balaski, Burgess, Cao, Choi, Croft, Flynn, Foster, Gilbert, Hall, Hopkins, Kim, King, LaFleur, McLelland, Phillips, Syrdal, Wang, Wolf, Yaoyuneyong

The School of Marketing offers BSBA degrees in marketing, healthcare marketing, merchandising, hospitality and tourism management, and sport management.

BSBA in Marketing

Marketing is an applied based program with an internationally recognized faculty who use their expertise to help build student knowledge (concepts, terms, theories) and enhance students’ problem-solving skills (creative and critical thinking, communication, collaboration). Students are challenged to apply the knowledge and skills on group projects and to effectively communicate with business professionals. A wide variety of professionalism opportunities are available, including student organizations, certificate programs, internships, study abroad programs, research opportunities, and advanced courses. Our faculty aim to connect with and challenge students to build character along with marketing know-how. We don’t give our students what they want in the moment; we give them what they need to be successful marketing professionals.

Marketing is central to all business efforts. Without marketing efforts used to secure customers and establish profitable long-term relationships, there is nothing to count, invest, or manage. Therefore, our students have many career opportunities that go beyond a position in a marketing program. Some of the career options available to our graduates include advertising, sales, retailing, purchasing, marketing research, public relations, product/brand management, and social media marketing. Graduates have had success in securing jobs in pharmaceutical, consumer products, and professional services industries. Since more than half of all American workers are employed in marketing-related fields, the marketing major can target numerous career choices in the commercial/industrial, institutional and government sectors. In addition, a marketing degree is excellent preparation for entrepreneurship and small business management.

Minor in Marketing

Students pursuing a minor in marketing must complete 18 hours of coursework, including ECO 201 , MKT 300 , and 12 hours chosen from the following classes: MKT 322 , MKT 330 , MKT 355 , MKT 365 , MKT 370 , MKT 380 , MKT 400 , MKT 424 , MKT 430 , MKT 444 , MKT 458 and/or MKT 495 . Of all minor requirements, at least 50% of hours must be completed at The University of Southern Mississippi.

BSBA in Healthcare Marketing

The University of Southern Mississippi offers the only program in healthcare marketing in the state, and one of few programs in the country. This degree prepares undergraduates for careers in healthcare sales and marketing. The healthcare marketing major provides students with a healthy blend of skills in marketing, sales, customer relations and communication, scientific knowledge, creativity and innovation. From the basics of business and health-related concepts to more in-depth study of product knowledge and progressive sales and marketing strategies, the healthcare marketing program prepares students at The University of Southern Mississippi to be competitive in the industry.

The healthcare industry is highly diverse and includes thousands of companies related to durable medical equipment, non-durable medical products, facilities construction, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, hospital care, physician and clinical services, research, health insurance, nursing home care, home health care, dental services and others. For many of these organizations, competition continues to intensify; therefore, the need to effectively market and sell their goods and services is increasing.

BSBA in Merchandising

The curriculum in merchandising provides students with skills needed to pursue careers in the merchandising, marketing and productions of textile, apparel and related products. Course requirements cover the organization and operation of the fashion industry, the production and distribution of merchandise, product information and merchandise characteristics. As circumstances and interests warrant, students may take courses that include travel to major market centers such as London, New York, and Honolulu.

Many graduates of the program select career paths in merchandising, such as merchandise buying, store operations managers, special events coordinators, personal shoppers, visual merchandising managers and private label coordinators. Other career options include, but are not limited to, jobs in apparel production, sales representatives, quality analysts and production managers.

Minor in Merchandising

Students pursuing a minor in merchandising must complete 18 hours of coursework, including MER 300 , MER 330 , and twelve hours of classes from the following list: MER 222 , MER 331 , MER 332 , MER 335 , MER 337 , MER 436 , MER 437 , MER 438 , MER 478 . Of all minor requirements, at least 50% of hours must be completed at The University of Southern Mississippi.

BSBA in Hospitality and Tourism Management

The hospitality and tourism management degree program offers students three track options in: 1) event management, 2) food and beverage management, and 3) hotel and casino resort management. Students who graduate with a degree in hospitality and tourism management will have a strategic focus when seeking employment including: hotels, restaurants, casinos, events management, entertainment, attractions and cruises, clubs and spa management, all in a rapidly evolving global marketplace.

A number of courses offered in hospitality and tourism management do not have prerequisites and are excellent choices for electives, including HTM 100 , HTM 340 , HTM 345 , and HTM 375 .

BSBA in Sport Management

The sport management degree program prepares students for management and leadership positions with professional sport teams, intercollegiate and interscholastic athletics, university recreation programs, and amateur athletic organizations. This preparation is accomplished through a combination of required business core courses, sport management courses, and experiential components.

Students majoring in sport management are required to achieve a grade of C or higher in all sport management courses.

The sport management degree program is designed to prepare students who seek careers in sport programming in private enterprise, municipal sport administration, professional athletic office operations, college athletic administration or interscholastic athletic administration. The program will also prepare students for graduate study.

Practicum and Internship Experience

All students in the major are required to complete three hours of the practicum in sport management (SM 392 ) that provides hands-on professional field experience. Practicum (part-time) and internship (full-time) experience in the sport industry is critical for success in this career field.

Certificate in Apparel Construction and Design

This certificate provides students with the education needed to begin a career in a field related to apparel design. The apparel construction and design certificate is open to all majors and members of the community who have an interest in developing their apparel construction and design skills.

Certificate in Professional Selling

Leading-edge marketing programs in colleges of business across the country are increasingly developing strong professional selling programs. This enhanced emphasis on professional selling is supported by academics and practitioners for many reasons. First, as products, services, and data become more sophisticated, there is a very high demand for salespeople with a college education. Increasingly, companies provide financial support to sales programs while others specifically hire from universities with sales programs. Secondly, there is a great need for professional sales education. Students with a foundation in ethics, business, marketing, and sales have an advantage over their peers in the job market. Many pathways into larger organizations are through the sales positions. To meet the increasing demand for specifically educated professional sales personnel, the School of Marketing at The University of Southern Mississippi offers an undergraduate certificate in professional selling.

In order to receive this certificate, students must complete the following three classes: MKT 330 , MKT 400 , and MKT 430 . In addition, students must take one of the following courses: MKT 370 , MKT 380 , MKT 444 , or MKT 471 . Each course must be completed a grade of C or higher, and students must maintain and overall GPA of 2.5 or higher in the certificate courses.

Certificate in Casino Resort Management

An undergraduate certificate in casino resort management is available. All classes are online. Certificate students complete 15 hours of coursework as follows: HTM 345 , HTM 378 , HTM 445 , HTM 471 , and HTM 472 . Certificate courses must be taken at The University of Southern Mississippi.

*For minors and certificate students, please contact the School of Marketing.

Programs

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

Non-degree

Certificate