MMR Curriculum
The MMR curriculum combines marketing research, analytics, business strategy, and communication skills to prepare students to solve real-world business problems with data and insights.
Over 11 months, you’ll learn how to design research, analyze data, develop insights, and communicate recommendations to decision-makers. Just as importantly, you’ll have opportunities to apply those skills through hands-on projects and interactions with industry professionals.
The program is structured to encompass the tools and techniques, business acumen, and ‘soft’ skills necessary to succeed in the industry.
Tools + Techniques
Build the technical foundations you’ll use to design, research, and analyze data.
- Qualitative research
- Statistics, econometrics, multivariate statistics
- Sampling & survey research
- Experimental Design
- Conjoint analysis & data mining
- Web analytics
- Research & analytics software including SAS, SPSS, Qualtrics, R, Tableau, AYTM, MySQL, and Sawtooth Software
Business Acumen & Context
Learn how research fits into the bigger picture.
- Business fundamentals
- Marketing strategy
- Consumer behavior
- Advertising & promotion management
- Database marketing & customer relationship strategy
Soft Skills
Turn research findings into insights people can actually use.
- Consultative skills
- Presentation skills
- Writing
- Critical thinking
- Insights development
- Storytelling
Your 11-Month Journey
40.5 credit hours, 11 months, June–May, Full-time, on campus
Summer
Build the foundation
Start with statistics, research design, analytics tools, and marketing management.
Fall
Apply what you’ve learned
Build advanced research skills, explore consumer behavior and qualitative research, and begin your first marketing research project.
Spring
Go deeper and put it all together
Develop advanced analytics skills, complete your research project, and explore behavioral methods, conjoint analysis, and customer analytics & strategy.
NOTE: The curriculum and coursework are continuously evolving to address the dynamic needs of the market research community. Thus, specific courses and content may change from time to time.
Real research. Real clients. Real experience.
MMR students don’t just learn about marketing research — they do it.
Through the two-semester Marketing Research Project, students work under under faculty supervision to design and complete research projects addressing actual business questions for corporate sponsors.
Recent sponsors have included AT&T, Cox Automotive, Merck, Eli Lilly, Newell Brands, Microsoft, The Coca-Cola Company, and Duke Energy.
Learn From the Industry
Throughout the program, MMR students hear directly from marketing research and insights professionals through the Altria Executive Seminar Series. Industry practitioners share their experiences, discuss current trends, and give students a firsthand look at how research and insights are used in the real world.