To complete a degree, a minimum of 120 credits is required, with no more than four of those credits in physical education, and no more than another four credits from INFO 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168 and 169. These courses may be counted as non-business electives. The foundation program specifies course work required during the freshman and sophomore years. Students who successfully complete a minimum of 54 credits in the foundation program — including UNIV 111, 112, and 200 (with a minimum grade of C in UNIV 112 and 200), ECON 210-211, MGMT 171 and 212 and ACCT 203-204 — and meet the course and GPA requirements are eligible for admission into a major in the School of Business. All students entering junior-level business and economics courses are expected to have competency in computer-based word processing and spreadsheet skills. Students are strongly encouraged to take SPCH 121 Effective Speech or SPCH 321 Speech for Business and the Professions.

The admission requirements for the School of Business [link] detail the requirements for students to be admitted to the advanced business program with a major in the school. Candidates for the bachelor’s degrees offered in business must complete the 120 credits outlined in the combination of the foundation and advanced programs. At least 30 hours of the required business courses for the Bachelor of Science must be taken at VCU.

The major in marketing gives students a broad working knowledge of contemporary marketing philosophy and practice. Judicious selection of courses will also allow students to tailor their program of study to their individual backgrounds, interests and career aspirations. The courses in the major provide a mix of educational approaches, including lecture and discussion, case problems and in-field experience. Graduates of this program will find career opportunities in marketing management, advertising, sales, marketing research, public relations, retailing and other areas of business.

Learning goals

To support career advancement over time by giving our students the academic foundation in information systems needed for continued professional development.
To help students develop the professional skills that will be needed by the businesses and organizations that hire our graduates.
To help our students develop ethical awareness so that they are able to deal with an ethical dilemma in the workplace.
Provide the student with a broad working knowledge of contemporary marketing philosophy and practice.
Students will formulate the problem or problems that organizations face.
Students will apply appropriate research design, sampling and data analysis.
Students will know the elements of the Buyer Behavior Model and apply it marketing decisions.
Analyze a situation that reflects basic understanding of the global business environment and apply fundamental marketing concepts, tools and strategies in the international marketplace.

Degree requirements for Marketing, Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Learning outcomes

Upon completing this program, students will know and know how to do the following:

Graduates will be able to understand the role of information systems and information technology in the organization, especially as a source of information.
Graduates will be able to understand the value of, and be able to use, financial/accounting data to make decisions at both strategic and operating levels within the context of their discipline-specific knowledge.
Graduates will be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
Graduates will be able to understand the importance to themselves, their organization and the larger community of working effectively in teams.
Graduates will be able to use the appropriate quantitative/statistical analysis and reasoning to make business decisions.
Graduates will be able to demonstrate an ability to respond appropriately to ethical dilemmas in business. From a scenario (i.e., what is good for some consumers might not be good for society as a whole), the student will be required to identify both sides of the dilemma, state what action they would recommend and incorporate the marketing concept and the American Marketing Association Code of Ethics in developing their recommendation.
Graduates will be able to formulate the problem or problems that organizations face.
Graduates will be able to apply appropriate research design, sampling and data analysis.
Graduates will know the elements of the Buyer Behavior Model and apply it marketing decisions.
Graduates will be able to analyze a situation that reflects basic understanding of the global business environment and apply fundamental marketing concepts, tools and strategies in the international marketplace.

Business Foundation (63 credits)	Credits

General Education Requirements
University Core Education Curriculum (minimum 21 credits)
UNIV 111 Focused Inquiry I	3
UNIV 112 Focused Inquiry II	3
UNIV 200 Writing and Rhetoric	3
Approved humanities/fine arts	3
Approved natural/physical sciences	3-4
Approved quantitative literacy	3-4
Approved social/behavioral sciences	3-4

Business General Education requirement
ECON 210-211 Principles of Economics	6

Business General Education electives	9-12
Select credits from the following list:
CHEM 101-102 General Chemistry
ENVS/GEOG 105 Physical Geology
PHYS 101 Foundations of Physics
PHYS 107 Wonders of Technology
PHYS 201-202 General Physics
Any ANTH, PSYC or SOCY course except PSYC 214 Applications of Statistics, which business majors cannot take for degree credit
Any ARTH, DANC, MHIS, or THEA course open to non-arts majors
Any HIST, INTL (except INTL 493 International Studies Internship), PHIL, POLI or RELS course
Any foreign language course
Any honors module
Any additional University Core Education Curriculum approved courses
Approved English literature course (ENGL 201-206; ENGL 211; ENGL 236; ENGL 241; ENGL 291; ENGL 295)

Additional Business Foundation requirements (24-27 credits)

ACCT 203-204 Introduction to Accounting I and II	6
MGMT 171 Mathematical Applications for Business (satisfies University Core Education Curriculum quantitative literacy)	0-3
MGMT 212 Differential Calculus and Optimization for Business	3
Business and/or non-business electives	3
Non-School of Business electives	12

Advanced business program (57 credits)
Advanced business core (30 credits)
ECON 303 Managerial Economics	3
FIRE 311 Financial Management	3
INFO 360 Business Information Systems	3
MGMT 301 Business Statistics I	3
MGMT 319 Organizational Behavior	3
MGMT 320 Production/Operations Management	3
MGMT 323 Legal Environment of Business	3
MGMT 325 Organizational Communication	3
MGMT 434 Strategic Management	3
MKTG 301 Marketing Principles	3
Major requirements (27 credits)
MKTG 302 Marketing Problems	3
MKTG 310 Information for Marketing Decisions	3
MKTG 315 Buyer Behavior	3
MKTG 320/INTL 320 International Marketing	3
Complete 15 credits from approved marketing electives	15

Total minimum requirement	120

Approved marketing electives

INNO 460 Product Innovation: da Vinci Project (3)
MKTG 330 Integrated Marketing Communications (3)
MKTG 340 Retail Management (3)
MKTG 435 Personal Selling and Sales Management (3)
MKTG 442 Services Marketing (3)
MKTG 445 Nonprofit Marketing (3)
MKTG/INTL 448 Internet Marketing (3)
MKTG 450 Product Development and Management (3)
MKTG 470 Field Project in Marketing (3)
MKTG 475 Honors Seminar in Marketing (3)
MKTG 491 Topics in Marketing (variable, with no more than 6 credits total)
MKTG 492 Independent Study in Marketing (1-3)

Approved non-marketing electives (Students may use up to 6 credits from these courses in order to fulfill the 15 credits of marketing electives.)

ACCT 306 Cost Accounting (3)
ECON 301 Microeconomic Theory (3)
ECON 307 Money and Banking (3)
ECON 312 E-commerce and Markets for Information Goods (3)
FASH 341 Merchandise Planning and Control (3)
FASH 342 Retail Buying Simulation (3)
FIRE 316 Principles of Real Estate (3)
FIRE 317 Real Property Management (3)
FIRE 333 Risk and Insurance (3)
INFO 361 Systems Analysis and Design (3)
INFO 364 Database Systems (3)
MGMT 302 Business Statistics II (3)
MGMT 321 Introduction to Entrepreneurship (3)
MGMT 329/INTL 327 Introduction to Intercultural Communication (3)
MGMT 350 Introduction to Project Management (3)
MGMT 386 Supply Chain Management (3)
MGMT 389 Managerial Skills Development (3)
MGMT 418/INTL 418 International Management (3)
MGMT 419/INTL 419 Doing Business in Europe (3)
MGMT 491 Topics in Management (variable, with no more than 6 credits total)

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