• Gain critical experience through marketing internships, most of which are paid.
• Gather research data using an on-site behavioral lab outfitted with one-way mirrors and a video camera.
• All business classes are housed in a centrally located building equipped with the latest audiovisual technology, including six computer labs.
• Learn research methods from renowned faculty who care about you as an individual and as a student.

Certifying into the major

Students on all campuses must meet the following requirements to qualify for certification into a business major:

• Complete the following certification courses with a GPA of 2.50 or better:
  - EconS 101 and 102
  - Engl 101
  - Acctg 230 and 231
  - B Law 210
  - MgtOp 215
  - Math 201 and 202
  - MIS 250
• Have a cumulative WSU GPA of at least 2.5
• Have earned at least 60 credits

On the Pullman campus, certifying as a business major is competitive and course enrollments are limited. Pullman campus students are required to apply online to be considered for certification. Applicants who meet the minimum requirements above are ranked by academic performance. The top students are then certified based on the number of spots available that semester.

On all campuses, transfer course grades will be used to calculate the certification GPA, but they are not included in the WSU cumulative GPA.

Students desiring to certify their business major on the Online, Tri-Cities, or Vancouver campuses should contact a business advisor on that campus for specifics about certifying their major.

Note: Certification is required for enrollment in all 300- and 400-level business courses.

Signature Courses

An example of the courses marketing majors generally take:

Mktg 360 - Marketing
Mktg 368 - Marketing Research
Mktg 407 - Buyer Behavior
Mktg 461 - Product Policy & Pricing
Mktg 470 - Retail Management
Mktg 477 - Promotions Management
Mktg 482 - International Marketing
Mktg 495 - Marketing Management

Graduation requirements

See the WSU Catalog for degree requirements and talk with your academic advisor about planning and scheduling your courses. All students must meet requirements as outlined in the catalog in order to graduate.

Plan ahead

To certify your major in the Carson College of Business, you will need to complete specific prerequisite courses. Use our list of transfer equivalencies to make sure you take the right transfer courses at your current college.

Also check out our transfer student guide for more information on transferring to WSU. 

A variety of state, federal, and university-sponsored programs are available to help students with educational costs.

For all students at WSU

Washington State University awards millions of dollars in financial aid and scholarships to students every year based on financial need, academic merit, or a combination of the two.

To get all the financial help WSU can provide, start by doing these two things:

• Complete the University's general scholarship application so you can be eligible for scholarship consideration.
• Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) so WSU can consider you for aid (scholarships, grants, loans, etc.) based on financial need.

Click here for more info about WSU scholarships and financial aid

For marketing majors

The College of Business awards many scholarships to business majors each year. For information, see the College of Business scholarships page.

The active student Marketing Club hosts guest speakers and takes field trips to Spokane and Seattle to meet with marketing professionals on the job.

Marketing provides a well-rounded business education for many careers.

Virtually all businesses and organizations, as well as many government agencies, have marketing needs. Job availability for marketers is good compared to many other business fields. A career in marketing can take people around the world or even let them work at home.

Entry-level positions include sales assistant or representative, consultant, and marketing manager. Other occupations in marketing include retail manager, advertising, sales, research, distribution, new product introduction, and product pricing.

Eventual positions include sales managers (managing a team of sales people), product managers (responsible for all aspects of marketing a product), research managers (consumer, media, industrial research), retail store managers, or district managers.

Starting salaries in marketing typically range from $24,000–40,000 plus possible commissions. A new graduate with an M.B.A. degree specializing in marketing can earn $50,000 or more.

Salaries depend a great deal on the technical skills a person brings to the job, plus the amount of hard work invested.