The Best MBA Programs In Marketing

Duke University's Fuqua School of Business

Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business

7) Duke University Fuqua School of Business: What does Fuqua offer that’s different? For starters, according to the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, Fuqua faculty have published the most published papers (and received the most research citations) in major marketing journals since 2012. And that means the best models and practices are being immediately funneled back into the classroom. Students can also gain additional insights through the program’s marketing and luxury brand clubs. Fuqua’s alumni include CMOs at blue chips like New York Life, UBS Investment Bank, and ING Investment Management. And their graduates are heavily recruited by leading firms ranging from Apple to Amazon to PepsiCo to Procter & Gamble.

Uris Hall, home of Columbia Business School in New York

Uris Hall, home of Columbia Business School in New York

8) Columbia Business School: Among its monikers, New York City is dubbed the “marketing capital of the world.” Look no further than Times Square. And the school notes that leading marketers are “only a subway ride away.” As a result, students can gain differentiating experiences and build networks like nowhere else. For example, students often collaborate with school partners to complete marketing projects, which often require them to present their work to senior managers. To help students bolster their global marketing acumen, Columbia also houses its Center on Global Brand Leadership, where students can work with sponsoring companies and other MBA students at centers in Shanghai, Germany, Spain, South Korea, and Singapore. Each March, the center also hosts its BRITE (Brands, innovation, technology) Conference, which draws executives and thought leaders to discuss how branding is changing (The 2015 conference features the President of PepsiCo Global Insights and Google’s Vice President for Engineering).

NYU Stern

NYU Stern

9) New York University Stern School of Business: In marketing, Stern differentiates itself by its large faculty and number of electives. In the past three years, this faculty has published over 100 marketing papers, with two-thirds running in top-tier scholarly journals. This expertise is further reinforced by faculty involvement in leading marketing outlets and organizations. For example, Vicki Morwitz is the editor of the Journal of Consumer Research, while Russell Winer serves as director of the Marketing Science Institute, the largest partnership between industry practitioners and academics. Such connections, coupled with the school’s location in New York City, enable Stern to attract leading marketers as both speakers and adjuncts to give students an inimitable theoretical and practical foundation in marketing. Unlike many programs, Stern marketing students can specialize in areas like entertainment, media and technology, luxury, and digital marketing. They can also participate in organizations like the Graduate Marketing Association and the Luxury and Retail Club.

McCombs

10) University of Texas McCombs School of Business: At McCombs, the marketing curriculum is based on connecting theory with practice through experiential learning.  For example, it offers a student-led Marketing Fellows program, where students participate in case discussions with c-suite marketing executives. The program also prepares students for leadership with exclusive workshops on high level skills like analyzing data and selling ideas. McCombs also offers Marketing Labs for selected students, who earn credit for year-long internships with firms like Dr. Pepper and Dell (where participants recently enhanced the firm’s social media analytics tool). The school’s Center for Customer Insight and Marketing Solutions provides further immersive experiences through conferences, corporate partnerships and executive coaching. The marketing curriculum includes several data driven courses, where students apply real world tools to perform executive functions like measuring demand, return, and profitability in various markets and models. In addition, the program is based in Austin, Texas, an entrepreneurial hotbed.

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.