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2025-2026 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

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Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing

Marketing refers to the activities a company undertakes to promote the buying or selling of products or services. Students who pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing will learn the activity and process of creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

The marketing major is for students who like interacting with people, are intrigued by human behavior, and like being rewarded for their work activities. A Bachelor of Business Administration degree is offered with the following emphases available:

    • General Marketing
    • Professional Sales
    • Distribution and Logistics

Website: www.gvsu.edu/marketing

Accreditation

All B.B.A. programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Requirements for the B.B.A.

Core Courses (51-52 credits)

All business core courses acquaint you with various fields in business and help you learn to communicate, to interact, and to assume responsible positions in your chosen field.

For the B.B.A., you must complete the following courses.

Non-Business Required Courses (6 credits):

Quantitative group - choose one (3-4 credits):

Upper-Division Economics group- choose one (3 credits):

Required Business Courses (36 credits):

Students are required to select one class from the Ethics group. Only one course can count toward their major or minor from the following list.

Ethics group-choose one (3 credits):

Required Business Electives

Three upper-division Seidman College of Business courses are not applied to the major or minor (nine credits total). However, these courses can be applied toward a second business major if one is declared. Students may apply up to six hours of internship and independent research credit, in any combination, toward their degree requirements. Business majors may not take any major courses on a credit/no-credit basis, except the internship and study abroad courses.

Requirements for a Major in Marketing

This 18-credit-hour emphasis is application-oriented and stresses interaction with many leading regional business organizations.

Required Courses

Professional Sales Emphasis

This emphasis is designed to provide students interested in sales with the appropriate knowledge and skills to become a professional salesperson. The focus of the emphasis is directed toward the utilization of selling strategies and skills necessary for sales professionals in contemporary marketing organizations. Specific attention is directed toward business-to-business conditions and the relationships required of salespeople in these situations. Students with this emphasis obtain sales positions for business-to-business firms, including manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers of goods and services.

Required Courses

Distribution and Logistics Emphasis

The field of distribution and logistics focuses on designing and implementing the best strategy for companies to use in physically getting goods to their customers in a way that maximizes customer service and minimizes total logistics costs. Attention is directed toward the strategic management of distribution assets, customer service, finished goods inventory control, transportation, warehousing and international distribution planning. Students graduating with a logistics background are employed in a number of industries, with strong demand nationally in the auto industry, appliances industry, grocery industry, retail chain sector, wholesale sector, and each of the transportation modes.

Suggested Order of Coursework for Marketing

Year 1:

Fall

Winter

  • Life Science with Lab (GE) (4 credits)
  • MTH 108 and MTH 109, or MTH 110, or fulfillment of MTH 110 through Math Placement.
  • Foundation - Writing or WRT 120 (Fall) (3 credits) and WRT 130 (Winter) (3 credits)
  • Arts (GE) (3 credits)

Year 2:

Fall

Winter

Year 3:

Fall

Winter

Year 4:

Fall

  • MKT 451 - Marketing Strategy (3 credits)
  • Upper-Division Seidman Elective (3 credits)
  • Upper-Division Economics Course (3 credits)
  • MKT Major Elective, MKT 301-499 (3 credits)
  • US Diversity (GE) (3 credits)

Winter

Seidman College of Business

Marketing Program Description

Click here for the program description.

Marketing Badges

Badge in Sales Fundamentals

Badge in Technical Sales


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