Marketing Analytics Minor
The Marketing Analytics Minor is intended to give STEM and STEM-oriented majors — such as Economics, Statistics, Engineering, Computer Information Systems, and Technology and Operations Management — the knowledge and skills in marketing they need to be successful as marketing analysts and marketing data scientists.
The minor pairs a foundation in marketing management, statistics, and business calculus with a 12-unit emphasis in Consumer Insights and Analytics, covering qualitative research, advanced marketing research, data mining for marketing decisions, marketing analytics, and a client-facing research practicum. Students who complete the minor can apply quantitative training from their major to real marketing problems — segmentation, forecasting, pricing, product, and promotion decisions — a combination that is in strong demand among employers.
Students in the minor are supported by the Center for Customer Insights and Digital Marketing and are welcome to join the Analytics and Marketing Insights Club, a student-led club that helps prepare members for careers in insights and analytics. The Center has a track record of placing students in leading world-class market research firms and marketing research departments among Fortune 500 client companies.
Program total: 27 units.
IBM 3012 – Principles of Marketing Management (3)
Principles, concepts, and institutions involved in facilitating the exchange of goods and services. Analysis of the markets, the marketing environment, and the “marketing mix” variables. Planning, implementation and control of marketing strategies to gain competitive advantage. Technology mediated.
Prerequisite(s): Completion of GE Area A2.
STA 1200 – Statistics with Applications (3)
Sample and population data; descriptive statistics, including numerical and graphical summarization of central tendency and spread; elementary probability, including events, basic probability rules, binomial and normal distributions; inferential statistics, including confidence intervals and hypothesis tests for one-population mean and proportion problems, simple linear regression and correlation.
MAT 1250 – Introductory Calculus for Business (3)
Graphing and functions, including exponentials and logarithms; derivatives and basic differentiation rules; curve sketching; anti-derivatives; integration; and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Special emphasis on business applications such as break-even analysis, supply and demand, optimization, average cost, marginal analysis, and consumer-producer surplus.
TOM 3020 – Statistical Foundations for Business Analytics (3)
Applications of managerial statistics for business decisions. Data collection, confidence interval estimation of mean and proportion, one and two population hypothesis testing of mean and proportion, and one-way and two-way chi-square testing.
Note: STA 1200 has many alternative prerequisites, including MAT 1250 (Introductory Calculus for Business), which is typically required for business majors. Non-business majors may use the appropriate alternative prerequisite courses in their disciplines. STA 1200 may also be fulfilled by taking both STA 1201 and STA 1202.
Select 3 units from the following:
IBM 3072 – Promotional Strategies (3)
Fundamentals of marketing communication. Promotional strategy development: advertising messages and media, personal selling, sales promotion, publicity, direct marketing, packaging, branding, and display. Promotional budgets. Development of promotion campaign strategies.
IBM 3082 – Retail Management (3)
Overview of the retail system, examining supply chain, store management, omni-channels, customer experience, and leadership, as well as various forms of retail. Exploration of different retail careers, including those in the supply chain.
IBM 3302 – Marketing Research (3)
Marketing research methods to aid marketing decision making. Types of research designs (exploratory, descriptive, and causal), sampling, questionnaire development, and primary data collection methods.
IBM 4032 – E-marketing (3)
Overview of Internet marketing. The strategic use of Internet and digital tools and platforms for acquiring, retaining, and developing customers, conducting marketing research, branding, and enhancing the organization’s entire marketing mix performance.
IBM 4112 – Consumer Behavior (3)
Basic understanding of the use of social and mobile platforms and their impact on the consumer decision making process. Marketing strategies utilizing various behavioral concepts.
IBM 4141 – International Marketing (3)
Processes for maximizing global marketing opportunities through comprehensive environmental analyses. Application of the marketing mix to emerging trends, varying cultural landscapes, and economic factors, with an emphasis on effective adaptation.
IBM 4212 – Marketing Problems (3)
Application of marketing theories to solve marketing problems, emphasizing critical thinking and analytical skills in the business environment. Case studies integrate knowledge across major marketing domains including product development, pricing, distribution, and advertising.
Select 12 units from the following:
IBM 4072 – Qualitative Marketing Research (3)
Introduction to the theory and practice of analyzing qualitative data. Orients around using analysis to spur creativity and imaginative theorizing about consumer behavior. Examines the role of qualitative exploratory research in defining the research problem and in developing an approach.
IBM 4092 – Advanced Marketing Research (3)
Advanced marketing research for strategic decision-making. Analysis of internal data, consumer data, and cases for forecasting, segmentation, positioning, new product decisions, retail site, and promotions decisions. Fundamentals of gathering, transforming, and mining of big data for decision-making.
IBM 4192 – Data Mining for Marketing Decisions (3)
Survey of data mining for marketing decision-making. Analysis of abundant internal or external historic data for forecasting, market segmentation, product decisions, pricing decisions, channel selections, and promotions decisions, as well as social media mining and sentiment analysis. The course will equip students with both fundamental data mining theoretical knowledge to solve marketing problems/goals and practical hands-on data mining skills to execute the techniques.
IBM 4202 – Marketing Analytics (3)
Marketing analytics introduces the role of analytics and various analytical tools that are crucial to marketing professionals. It explains analytical techniques and their applications in business. Learning and applying these tools and techniques will help students gain insights in the real world and enhance their business decision-making.
IBM 4952 – Marketing Research Practicum (3)
Integration of all aspects of marketing and marketing research into comprehensive plans and courses of action across the whole spectrum of the research process. Emphasis will be given to successful project management and written and oral communications with clients.
IBM 4000 – Special Study for Upper Division Students (1-3)
Individual or group investigation, research, studies, or surveys of selected problems at an advanced level. Proposals to be initiated by the student(s) with guidance from faculty. Total credit limited to 6 units, with a maximum of 3 units per semester.
IBM 4990 – Special Topics for Upper Division Students (1-3)
Group study at an advanced level of a selected well-defined topic or area not covered by a regularly offered course.
Note: IBM 4000 and IBM 4990 must be approved by an advisor. Students may not use more than three units from IBM 4000 or IBM 4990 to fulfill the minor requirement, although they may be allowed to take those courses multiple times.
