UIC to offer online program for master’s degree in marketing

This fall, the University of Illinois Chicago plans to launch an online degree program to earn a master’s of science degree in marketing. The program, designed for marketing professionals and those who want to break into the field, will offer courses in cutting-edge digital marketing and marketing analytics.

The new program will start with the fall semester, on Aug. 26. It will be housed in the UIC Business Liautaud Graduate School, a top business school in Chicago that operates within UIC’s College of Business Administration and gives students access to a network of over 52,000 business alumni from UIC.

The new program will prepare students to excel in the critical areas of marketing, including marketing management, digital and social media marketing, consumer behavior, advertising and global marketing.

“Our innovative online master of science in marketing program offers our students a distinctive opportunity to develop expertise in the dynamic field of marketing and cultivate highly sought-after skills,” said Sandy Wayne, dean of the College of Business Administration. “With courses designed by our exceptional faculty, we aim to create an immersive learning environment that mirrors the depth and engagement of our on-campus offerings, ensuring our online students are fully equipped to confidently succeed as marketing professionals.”

The program consists of eight courses on quantitative and qualitative aspects of marketing. The fully asynchronous online courses are offered in accelerated eight-week terms, giving students maximum flexibility to take them when and where they want.

Full-time students will typically take two eight-week courses at a time, while part-time students will take one eight-week course at a time. Full-time students will be able to complete the entire program in four to five consecutive eight-week terms or in as few as 12 months.

The goal is to give more access to working professionals who cannot make it to campus. The program was developed by professor David Gal, head of the marketing department at UIC, and Alan Malter, associate professor and director of the master of science in marketing graduate studies program in the marketing department.

“Many people want to pursue a degree while they continue to work or because they don’t live close to our campus,” Gal said. “For these students, the convenience of an online degree allows them to better integrate the pursuit of an education into their lives. It also allows students from all over the world to access our world-class marketing faculty and curriculum wherever they might be.”

Malter said the online program will be a good fit for students from any academic background and who have varying levels of work experience. This includes students with bachelor’s degrees from any discipline, ranging from engineering to humanities.

“Marketing is a hybrid of many disciplines, so students can find elements of their first area of study within marketing and fill in other important pieces from the curriculum,” Malter said. “The program welcomes students continuing their education straight from undergrad, as well as students with several years of work experience who are returning to the classroom to update their knowledge and skills or who seek to transition to a new career in marketing.”

The online program is taught by the same faculty as the on-campus marketing program and pairs theory with practical applications. The student-centered and highly interactive program prioritizes students’ active engagement through discussion boards, video contributions and collaborative projects.

The Liautaud Graduate School is AACSB-accredited, the highest level of accreditation a business school can earn.

Individuals who are interested in learning more about the online master of science in marketing program are encouraged to register for an online information session held monthly on Zoom. The first session will take place Tuesday, April 2, at noon Central Time. Attendees will be able to connect with enrollment advisers and ask questions.