Depending on the university or school you go to, you might receive a commerce degree or a business degree, with a marketing major. This degree will teach you the basics of the marketing professions, including but not limited to market research, strategising, marketing plans, budgeting etc.

Marketing Degree Programs

While most regular colleges offer marketing degrees; thanks to the advent of online degree programs, you can choose to pursue your marketing degree online if you wish. Marketing programs can be pursued as an Associate Degree, a Bachelor’s Degree or even as postgraduate and doctorate degrees.

An associate degree in marketing teaches you the basic skills of the world of marketing. It will take you about two years to complete the course and is a good starting point for a marketing career.

A bachelor’s degree in marketing goes into much more detail than an associate degree, and is about four years long. Once you complete your bachelor’s, you can pursue a master’s degree that might take one or two years to achieve and then even move on to the doctorate marketing degree program that can take four to six years to complete.

While a marketing degree is technically not essential for a marketing career, it is considered a very important asset. Most marketing professionals at least possess the very basic associate marketing degree, if not many more qualifications so you should seriously consider pursuing a marketing degree as well. Better qualifications coupled with experience can lead to you receiving quality job offers with excellent pay packets.

Careers In Marketing

A degree in marketing sets you up for a career in a very dynamic field. The field of marketing today is very different to what it was even five years ago. For example, online marketing professionals are receiving excellent pay packets these days while 10 years ago, very few companies felt the need for an online marketing expert. A marketing degree is therefore a good choice, and some of the career options available to you include:

• Market researcher
• Marketing analyst
• Online marketing expert
• Brand marketing
• Marketing and PR specialists
• Marketing consultants
• Account Executives
• Marketing Managers
• Advertising

These are just some of the options available to you. Do some research and you will find a number of other opportunities are available to graduates with marketing degrees.

Marketing is an interesting and ever changing field and if you like the thrill of it and enjoy a creatively and intellectually stimulating career, then a marketing degree is perfectly suited for you.
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There are two ways to achieve a public relations degree. You can either be a Communications student and specialize in PR. Or, on the other hand you could be pursuing a business degree and decide to choose a public relations major. It does not really matter whether you hold a communications degree or a business degree.

Public Relations Courses

Almost every university and school these days offers a public relations major to their students. Many students even choose a public relations major as part of their MBA program.

While a public relations course does not necessarily prepare you for the real world, it does however teach you the basic skills you will require as a PR professional. A good public relations degree will teach you from scratch what is expected of a good PR campaign, including how to strategize, client presentations, writing media releases etc.

Unlike other college programs, a public relations major is less theoretical and involves a lot of practical work, thus teaching you by experience rather than through boring texts. A comprehensive public relations program will also cover aspects of marketing and advertising, with some students even choosing a double major with public relations as well as marketing or advertising. Since these fields are so closely related, such a degree can be very beneficial.

PR Officer Characteristics

Like all other careers, a good PR officer must have certain personality characteristics which will ensure they are a success in the field of public relations. Some of these characteristics include:

• The ability to easily mix and interact with people.
• An inherent nose for what makes the client newsworthy.
• Always being able to spot and scoop up potential promotional opportunities, even the most inane and not-so-obvious ones.
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Ability to work under pressure and being able to turn negatives into positives.
• Good organizational skills

PR Career – Duties & Tasks

A public relations career is likely to be one that offers many challenges and can be very unpredictable as well. As a PR officer or PR agent, you can expect to perform some of these tasks:

• Keeping an eye on and attempting to control public opinion about your client.

• Working closely with the client to come up with a communication strategy that will best promote the client.

• Write, edit and design all company communications including newsletters, media releases, statements, corporate profile, annual report etc.

• Organize and host special events for maximum promotional value.

• Spot opportunities and events that will help maximize the client’s visibility in the market.

• Be the client’s go–to person for all press and media enquiries.

Public relations is an interesting field of study and whether you are a business graduate or a communications graduate, if you enjoy the business of promoting, PR is a good career choice for you.
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