Best Online MBA Programs in Marketing for 2024

Are you creative, strategic, and analytical, but also like to play with words and concepts? An online MBA in Marketing could be your ticket to a profitable future. With this degree, you’re well prepared for a lucrative career as a marketing manager, marketing director, or even a vice president or chief marketing officer.

If you’re working full time or have many life obligations, you’re probably considering an MBA Marketing online program instead of an in-person one. When searching online programs, it’s normal to have questions, such as how much the degree will cost and how virtual learning works.

This guide answers these questions and reveals the best online MBA programs for Marketing. By the end, you’ll be ready to find and apply to a program that works for your lifestyle and professional goals.

Spotlight on 3 Top Online MBA in Marketing Programs

While there are many great MBA Marketing online programs, some stand out above the rest. To help you find these high-caliber programs, we researched the top online MBA in Marketing degrees in terms of affordability, flexibility, and quality of education. Here are our top three programs in 2023, all of which are accredited by the AACSB — the gold standard accreditation body for business degrees.

• Baylor University

  Baylor University hosts a high-quality online MBA with a concentration in Marketing that focuses on the foundational knowledge needed to be an expert marketer and business leader. The curriculum totals 48 credits of coursework and includes core business administration classes, where you’ll learn the fundamentals of finance and leadership, as well as specialized marketing courses on topics like brand management and mass marketing. Most of Baylor’s marketing courses have an emphasis on branding and how to communicate brand messaging to a business’ target audiences to drive sales. Students participate in asynchronous coursework and complete assignments around their own schedules, leading to maximum learning flexibility. Baylor also offers stand-out online support through their career center and the business school, setting students up for success in the classroom and after they graduate. Online MBAs at Baylor take as little as 12 months to complete, and graduates are connected to its 45,000+-member alumni business network.

• Purdue Global

  Purdue Global offers an online MBA with seven concentration options — one of them in Marketing. The average completion time for this degree is 2.5 years, though this can vary because Purdue lets students choose how many courses they can handle when factoring in jobs and other responsibilities. Purdue’s program is set up for maximum flexibility: All courses are six weeks long and include asynchronous lectures and assignments that students can complete around their busy schedules. Students can also decide to skip six-week terms, should life or work need to take precedence. Compared to other online MBA in Marketing programs, Purdue University’s MBA also offers more general business courses. This makes this concentration perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about how the wider world of business works while also specializing in an in-demand field like marketing.

• Drexel University

  Students looking for a customizable curriculum may want to consider the online MBA with a concentration in Marketing from Drexel University. This program can be tailored to any professional goals, thanks to its flexible curriculum. All students take some standard marketing and business administration courses, but beyond these courses, students can choose if they want to take more advanced marketing courses or double concentrate in another field, such as finance or corporate sustainability. Students also have flexibility in how they take their courses; the program can be completed 100% online, or you can choose to take some courses on campus if you’d prefer an in-person element to your education. All courses take place synchronously in the evenings to accommodate the 9-5 workday. Most students graduate in 18-24 months, though you’ll have up to five years to complete your master’s degree.

Cost of an Online MBA Program in Marketing

Yes, the cost of earning a master’s degree can be high — but so can the return on investment. And, it turns out, MBA Marketing online programs come with a variety of tuition price tags, such as the range represented by the five highlighted below.

It’s important to remember that many students end up paying far less for tuition thanks to various financial aid options. As an MBA candidate, you have many financial aid opportunities to lower the out-of-pocket cost you pay, including:

• Scholarships
• Grants
• Work-Study Programs
• Employee Tuition Assistance
• Fellowships
• Loans

To be eligible for many of these opportunities, you only have to fill out one application, the FAFSA. Others, such as privately funded scholarships, may require additional steps.

Check out the credit and tuition breakdown for five high-quality programs in the table below.

How Much Your Online MBA in Marketing Could Cost

What to Expect in Your Online MBA Marketing Program 

In the best online MBA programs for Marketing, you will take a deep dive into how to successfully develop, launch, and analyze advertising and marketing campaigns across various channels, including social media, email, and web content. In many programs, you’ll take courses on how to build an effective marketing strategy, how to work with different audiences, and courses on more broad business topics, such as leadership and finance. 

If an online MBA in Marketing program is accredited, that means it provides the same high-value curriculum as in-person programs. The only difference between online and in-person is where the learning takes place.

Online programs often happen with the help of an online learning platform, like Blackboard or Moodle. Professors will host class sessions via a teleconferencing platform and should provide opportunities to chat with them and classmates outside of lectures — whether through email, a chat function on the learning platform, or another avenue.

Some programs have additional opportunities for students to hone their skills, such as an internship requirement or capstone project. In many MBA Marketing online programs, students can also take electives in areas of interest to them, such as international marketing or social media marketing.

Now let’s explore examples of the kinds of courses you’ll encounter in your online Marketing MBA program. 

Common Online MBA Courses

• Marketing Management

  Almost every online MBA in Marketing offers a foundational course in marketing management. This course dives into the strategy behind marketing efforts as well as how to manage a team and/or a project with many moving pieces. 

• Digital Marketing

  Digital marketing is one of the fastest growing subsets of the industry, which is why many of the best online MBA programs for Marketing have a foundational or elective course in the online strategies and channels related to digital marketing. This class often covers, but is not limited to, social media, email, SEO, writing a blog, and Google Ads.

• Business and Communication Ethics

  Because an online MBA in Marketing prepares you to be a leader, you’ll need to understand the ethics and implications of the decisions you make in the workplace. To fulfill this, many programs include an ethics course, which covers the legal and moral implications of businesses and their communication and marketing strategies. 

• Customer Insights

  At the end of the day, a large part of marketing is analyzing and creating content for your business’ ideal customers. This course covers how to gain insight into a business’ customers — and how to incorporate that research into marketing campaigns. 

• Branding

  Along with directly selling to customers online, an MBA Marketing online program prepares students to help businesses identify or uphold their brand. A branding course explores a business’ core values and messaging, how to create a business brand, and how to make sure a brand is being upheld in marketing materials.

FAQs About Online MBA in Marketing Programs

• What’s the difference between an online MBA and traditional MBA program?

  Carnegie Mellon University does a good job explaining who an online MBA in Marketing is for: students who don’t live nearby, or those who work full time or have another reason they can’t commute to campus. Basically, if you’re looking for increased learning flexibility and aren’t able or willing to commute to school, you should consider an MBA Marketing online program.

• Can I work full-time while pursuing an online MBA?

  Because most online Marketing MBAs are designed for those with work experience, students are often taking coursework on top of a full-time job. To accommodate this schedule, many online MBA programs are tailored to a typical 9-5, making it much easier to balance with work responsibilities. Some programs, like the one at Drexel University, host classes in the evenings. For maximum flexibility, others — like the program at Babson College — let students watch lectures and complete coursework asynchronously.

• What are the admissions requirements for an online MBA?

  The admissions requirements for many MBA Marketing online programs are similar. Most require students to submit:

  • A resume outlining work experience
  • Transcript with grades from previous coursework
  • GMAT scores
  • Recommendations from teachers, managers, or mentors
  • Essays on why the candidate is applying
  • Short answer questions to get a better sense of who the candidate is

  
  Requirements do vary slightly from program to program, so make sure to read the instructions for each program application. 

• How long does it take to earn an MBA in Marketing?

  Most online master’s degrees take one to two years to complete. Others can be completed faster, but may include a heavier course load. If your job is demanding, you may have options to do MBA Marketing online coursework at a slower pace, but this might mean the program takes more than two years.

  For a better idea of how long it might take, here’s the average duration of five popular programs:

  • Baylor University: 18-24 months
  • Bowling Green State University: 12-18 months
  • Carnegie Mellon: 24-32 months
  • Drexel University: 18-24 months
  • Purdue Global: 24-32 months

• Can I earn my MBA 100% online, or do I need to visit campus?

  Many programs are 100% online, such as the MBA Marketing online programs at Bowling Green State University, Baylor University, and Drexel University. However, make sure you read the fine print, as some programs have in-person orientations at the beginning of the program or to initiate each semester. If there are in-person requirements, they are usually minimal or can be done remotely. For example, you might have to complete an in-person internship to graduate, but the university might let you do it from anywhere in the United States, not just in the area near campus.

What You Can Do with an MBA in Marketing

With an MBA in Marketing, you can expect a greater salary and more job opportunities. In fact, those with job titles that correspond to a Marketing MBA often make $75,000 to $240,000, which is far more than the national average salary of $61,900 for all U.S. workers in all jobs.

That being said, the amount you make depends on what career field you enter. Graduates of online Marketing MBAs launch careers in many areas, from starting their own business to managing marketing accounts at a global agency. For a better idea of possible career paths after you earn an online MBA in Marketing, check out the three spotlighted careers below.

Marketing Managers

Marketing managers oversee marketing campaigns — from brainstorm to launch. They often lead teams and partner with creatives and analysts to ensure everything runs smoothly throughout the campaign process. Because this position requires a thorough understanding of leadership skills and marketing, many companies prefer to hire those with an MBA in the field. 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022

Chief Marketing Officer

The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) leads a company’s marketing department. This role is multifaceted and requires in-depth knowledge of marketing, people management, and how to work across departments. Because it involves high-level business strategy, most employers are looking for those with expert knowledge in marketing and business more generally, which an MBA Marketing online program can provide. 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022

Public Relations Managers

Public relations is a field closely related to marketing, though PR professionals are charged with maintaining the public image of a company and earning media attention for their client brands. As a PR manager, you’ll create online materials and partnerships to elevate a business’ image, which is a significant part of what you’ll learn in an online MBA in Marketing program. 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022