Marketing lecturer Kimberly Grantham explains sales management to a student.

Marketing studies the development, transport, pricing, promotion, and selling of goods and services that satisfy consumers' needs and contribute to a growing and beneficial economy. Marketing is fundamental activity of all organizations. It is part of our everyday activities and experiences. The mission of The Department of Marketing at the Terry College is to provide students with an excellent understanding of marketing and its vital role in society.

Our curriculum is future-oriented. It emphasizes the skills needed for successful endeavors in a variety of careers including marketing research, brand management, advertising and promotion, marketing services, and sales and sales management. Our students acquire the broad background of knowledge necessary for continuing professional growth in a changing world that demands highly qualified people for executive positions. Many UGA marketing graduates move directly into lucrative sales or management training programs, while others continue their studies at the graduate and PhD levels to prepare for academic or professional careers.

The first two years of the curriculum for the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in marketing begins with an initial concentration on liberal arts and business foundation course work. As students progress to the second half of their major, they enroll in business administration core courses and courses in the student's chosen field of marketing specialization. These courses draw heavily upon both the behavioral and quantitative sciences and are designed to help students gain an understanding of the analytical methods and research procedures used in identifying and solving marketing problems. Courses are available in advertising and promotion, sales and sales management, marketing research, services marketing, and international marketing.

The quality of the undergraduate education is enhanced when students seek practical experience where they can apply what they are learning in a real world environment. Students are encouraged to obtain internships that qualify for academic credit. Also, many undergraduates seek membership in Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE), the only national, professional fraternity in marketing and sales. PSE offers additional training to members through active involvement in sales and marketing projects, professional programs, and community service. Those students seeking to enhance their training in sales and sales management can enroll in the sales program as an area of emphasis. To complete this area of emphasis, students must take specified courses and participate in specific academic activities.

The Master of Marketing Research (MMR) degree, an internationally recognized graduate program within the Terry College of Business, is administered by the Coca-Cola Center for Marketing Studies. Established in 1986, the center seeks to advance professional marketing research education and to identify and develop new programs and methods which will better serve the marketing community's needs for education and information. The MMR program is recognized for its exceptional success in placement. On average, more than 25 client and supplier firms interview MMR students. Demand for MMRs is high (100% placement) and salaries are competitive (average salary $70,000 since 2005).

Our marketing faculty is a dynamic group that has produced ground breaking research appearing in top academic journals in the field. They use both their research and corporate experiences to create quality educational programs recognized in the past by U.S. News & World Report as among the best undergraduate business programs in marketing. Research into the use of fine art in marketing conducted by a Terry College marketing faculty member and PhD student was the focus of a Business Week article in 2008.

The PhD program is an integral component of the Terry College Marketing Department. We are committed to producing graduates who are well-equipped to succeed at the top academic research institutions in the world. Supported by a large and diverse faculty, the program provides in-depth training in marketing theory, strategy, and research methodology. With an average of eight students, the PhD program is small by design to maximize interaction between faculty and students, and to facilitate joint research opportunities.