Continuing to enhance its cutting edge reputation in technology and workforce development, Towson University will field a master’s degree program in marketing intelligence starting in fall 2015.
After receiving feedback from local and national business leaders, Towson University designed the program to produce graduates who have these capabilities:
- Knowledge in marketing strategy
- Database management and data mining skills
- The ability to recommend and utilize interactive marketing tools
- The ability to evaluate marketing campaigns based on financial results
“Several chief information officers who have served on the Fisher College’s advisory board deal with big data and marketing intelligence every day,” said Jess and Mildred Fisher College of Science and Mathematics Dean David Vanko. “Thus, they were critical to advising our School of Emerging Technologies, and faculty within the College of Business and Economics and the Fisher College, as the marketing intelligence program was created.”
“With the digital marketing landscape changing rapidly, the demand is greater than ever for individuals who have both the technical and strategic knowledge to develop, implement and analyze interactive, data-driven campaigns,” said Shoreh Kaynama, dean of the College of Business & Economics (CBE). “The master’s program will benefit current professionals who want to get up to speed on interactive marketing as well as new graduates who want the added experience to enter the profession at a higher level.”
Towson’s master’s in marketing intelligence program is unlike any other program in the state. It was built to address the projected job growth in the market research industry locally and nationally. This new program offers the following features:
- Cutting edge technology, including Towson’s eye-tracking software in the new behavioral lab
- A collaborative, interdisciplinary nature, which includes courses in marketing, computer science, e-business and technology management, and applied information technology
- An applied, experiential focus tailored to professionals in the Baltimore area who want a part-time program
- A curriculum that takes students through the marketing intelligence process from data collection to implementation and evaluation using interactive marketing tools.
The program will be housed in the Department of Marketing but will be an interdisciplinary effort between CBE and the School of Emerging Technologies (SET), located in the Jess and Mildred Fisher College of Science and Mathematics. Sixty to seventy percent of the courses will be taught within CBE and 30-40 percent of classes will be taught within AIT/Computer Science.
The program is designed to fill a growing need for graduates who can acquire, analyze and utilize marketing intelligence information. A study cited by the Washington Post has found 40 percent of college seniors graduate without the critical thinking, writing and communication and analytical reasoning skills needed in the workplace.
