This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2023-2024 VCU Bulletin. This edition includes all programs
and courses approved by the publication deadline; however we may receive notification of additional program
approvals after the launch. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available
in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
Bruce Huhmann, Ph.D.
Professor and chair
business.vcu.edu/academics/marketing
The Department of Marketing provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the many topics and concepts that make up today’s marketing professions. Additionally students have the opportunity to participate in high quality learning experiences that broaden traditional ideas of the classroom in projects, exercises and internship experiences that involve a variety of business organizations as well as state and local government agencies.
MKTG 656. International Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Pre- or corequisite: MKTG 671. Orientation to the international market place. Formulation of international marketing strategies for firms participating in global trade. Emphasis on international environment, multinational economic blocs, international competition and development of international marketing strategies.
MKTG 657. Market Planning Project. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Pre- or corequisite: MKTG 671. This course is a comprehensive real-life, field-based research and strategic planning exercise. Students are matched with an organization that is interested in improving overall performance. Under the supervision of the instructor, the student team develops a global or domestic marketing plan for the client. The team functions as consultants to its assigned company.
MKTG 670. Essentials of Market Planning and Analysis. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Restricted to students enrolled in the Master of Management program. Presents and analyzes buyers and sellers in the marketplace, impact of external forces on marketing, customer-driven strategies and tactics, creation of market-driven competitive advantage, responsible and ethical marketing, Internet and global marketing.
MKTG 671. Marketing Management. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Detailed study of concepts and procedural alternatives in the delineation of the market target, the development and implementation of the marketing mix, and the control and analysis of the total marketing effort.
MKTG 672. Influencing Consumer Behavior. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A study of how consumers think, feel and act throughout the decision process. This course explores consumer behavior theories and practices that are relevant to influencing behavior through effective marketing.
MKTG 673. Marketing Research. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: BIOS 543, SCMA 302, SCMA 524, STAT 541 or STAT 543; pre- or corequiste: MKTG 571. A discussion of the techniques of marketing research. Special emphasis will be given to marketing problem definition, determination of information needs and current methods of analysis of marketing data.
MKTG 674. Service Quality Management. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Pre- or corequisite: MKTG 301 or MKTG 671. This course enables marketing students to develop a better understanding of service offerings from both a theoretical and practical perspective. Learning will focus on both private and public-sector service organizations. Students will learn how to analyze the design of service offerings, including operations, environment and people, and make recommendations for improving the offerings. The importance of internal and external customer feedback and continually measuring customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction will be highlighted as an integral part of managing service quality.
MKTG 675. Digital Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Focuses on the basic digital tools available to marketers. The strategic value of digital marketing to the organization as it relates to the buyer behavior model is explored through lecture, cases, guest speakers and a group project. The group project teams partners with local companies to gain practical experience with digital marketing.
MKTG 676. Social Media Research. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Pre- or corequisite: MKTG 671. Improves knowledge of tools and skills to analyze social media data with an emphasis on developing insights for marketing research, strategy and communication. Focuses on contemporary social media listening tools and techniques.
MKTG 678. Marketing Analytics. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Prerequisite: SCMA 524 or STAT 541. Develops and sharpens students' analytical and statistical skills in preparation for advanced marketing decision-making. Analyses and statistical techniques covered include descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, analysis of variance, regression and cluster analysis applied to marketing phenomena.
MKTG 679. Brand Strategy. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course will provide students with an understanding of how to formulate strategies for building, leveraging and growing strong brands in an increasingly dynamic and competitive environment. It will address a variety of relevant concepts, including customer and market analysis, brand positioning and brand equity. Students will consider how to design and implement effective brand-building programs and how to measure brand performance. Importantly, the course will emphasize the organizational and individual characteristics necessary for successful strategic brand management.
MKTG 690. Research Seminar in Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Approval of proposed work is required by graduate studies office in the School of Business. This course is designed to provide research experience for candidates not following the MKTG 798-799 program.
MKTG 691. Topics in Marketing. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours. 1, 2 or 3 credits. Study of current topics. Topics may vary from semester to semester.
MKTG 693. Field Project in Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Approval of proposed work is required by graduate studies office in the School of Business. Students will work under the supervision of a faculty adviser in planning and carrying out a practical research project. A written report of the investigations is required. To be taken at the end of the program.
MKTG 697. Guided Study in Marketing. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 1, 2 or 3 credits. Prerequisite: Approval of proposed work is required by graduate studies office in the School of Business. Graduate students wishing to do research on problems in business administration or business education will submit a detailed outline of their problem. They will be assigned reading and will prepare a written report on the problem. To be taken at the end of the program.
MKTG 701. Theory and Its Application in Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 1 lecture and 2 seminar hours. 3 credits. To help students identify their research interests, the course introduces marketing theories, models and their application in scholarly research.
MKTG 710. Marketing Strategy. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 1 lecture and 2 seminar hours. 3 credits. This course covers a range of strategic marketing management topics with a focus on theory, methods and models.
MKTG 720. Consumer Behavior, Judgement and Decision-making. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 1 lecture and 2 seminar hours. 3 credits. This course provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of information processing, choice and consumer decision‐making while exposing students to behavioral research methodologies.
MKTG 740. Advanced Topics in Marketing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 seminar hours. 3 credits. This seminar emphasizes conceptual and methodological developments in specialized marketing topic areas.
MKTG 797. Doctoral Guided Study in Marketing. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; 1-3 independent study hours. 1-3 credits. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of nine hours for seminars with different content. Focused inquiry for marketing doctoral students. Note: Students are required to submit a detailed outline of the proposed study topic for approval by the instructor.
MKTG 798. Thesis in Marketing. 6 Hours.
Year course; 6 credits. Graduate students will work under supervision in outlining a graduate thesis and in carrying out the thesis.
MKTG 799. Thesis in Marketing. 6 Hours.
Year course; 6 credits. Graduate students will work under supervision in outlining a graduate thesis and in carrying out the thesis.
MKTG 898. Dissertation Research in Marketing. 1-12 Hours.
Semester course; 1-12 dissertation hours. 1-12 credits. Enrollment is restricted to candidates for the Ph.D. in Business. Research directed toward completion of the requirements for a Ph.D. Graded as S/U/F.