5 Degrees for Individuals Looking to Thrive at Marketing

These days, a person’s ability and experience are often more important than their degree. Still, some skills and knowledge are best built in the classroom, and a degree can make it easier to get hired and ensure that you have the skills you’ll need to be successful.

Digital marketing is an ever-evolving, complex, and competitive field. In the attention economy, the biggest challenge is cutting through the noise to get a brand noticed in a positive way. To be a successful marketer, you need to be creative, adaptable, and willing to take risks. You also have to wear many hats and possess in-depth knowledge of several subjects. So which degrees are most helpful if you want to thrive in marketing?

Aside from the obvious general marketing degree, there are several great options. If you choose to specialize or choose a degree that will help you understand and communicate with your audience, you may find it easier to land a job and thrive in the field. Here are five degrees that are highly applicable for marketers and those looking to enter the field.

1. English

English is one of the most versatile degrees a prospective marketer can pursue. It’s helpful in this field for a number of reasons. First, marketers need to be able to communicate their ideas and should possess top-notch writing skills. Second, an English degree is highly focused on critical thinking and analysis. This is very helpful when planning campaigns and evaluating competitors’ marketing efforts.

2. Psychology

At its core, psychology is all about how people think and feel. On a very basic level, a marketer’s job is to understand what makes people “tick” and appeal to their emotions. When buying a product, people are much more likely to listen to their emotions than they are to use logic.

A psychology degree doesn’t have to lead to a career as a counselor or psychiatrist—it’s actually an ideal choice for marketers. Many successful marketers figure out how humans think through trial and error, but understanding the science behind behavior can help marketers thrive more quickly and make good decisions.

3. Graphic Design

Today, visuals are becoming more and more essential to just about every company’s marketing efforts. While it’s certainly possible to become a marketer knowing little to nothing about graphic design, it’s much easier to create compelling content and campaigns if you understand how colors and design affect a person’s desire to purchase or engage.

Looking to learn more about graphic design? Consider some online resources from Udemy:

Consistency is important in branding, and the visuals contribute to a brand’s overall “voice.” A degree in graphic design allows a marketer to create visuals with a similar “voice” that look great and help to improve the brand’s reputation with customers.

4. Communications

Many people scoff at a communications degree as “soft” or useless, but it’s nothing of the kind. Today, marketing has evolved to encompass many different forms of communication, blending PR, advertising, and even word-of-mouth promotion with the rise of social media. Communications majors have the ability not only to communicate but to form strong professional relationships by the time they graduate. As brand partnerships, influencer marketing, and other forms of collaborative promotion increase, communications and relationship management will only become more important in the field of digital marketing.

5. Business Analytics

Data has never been more important or easier to leverage. The number of metrics available to marketers today is staggering, and the effective use of data can effectively guide strategy and help marketing teams be more successful.

However, knowing how to effectively leverage data is still a rare skill among marketers. Companies are desperate to find candidates who know how to analyze data and draw usable insights out of it. By earning a degree in business analytics, marketers can bring a rare and valuable skill to the table, allowing them to rely on facts, rather than intuition and guesswork.

Follow Your Interests

If you’re a marketer or you’re interested in getting into the field, it makes sense to pick a degree according to your interests. More than likely, one specific aspect of marketing appeals to you over the others. If you love to crunch the numbers, analytics might be the best option. For those who want to understand what drives their audience, psychology or communications might be better. No matter what degree you choose, remember that marketing is a broad field - you just need to find the perfect niche for you.