As AMA members, we may not all have a marketing concentration, but we do share a common interest in professional development. NC State and The Poole College of Management administers students a challenging and beneficial course load in addition to providing a gracious amount of freedom in selecting free electives. I anonymously asked a few AMA members to share with me their favorite courses within PCOM, and the most favored ones were all marketing courses. Whether you have a marketing concentration or not, the three courses that were most popular would be beneficial to your professional development and standing out in a competitive workforce.
Popular courses that were recommended to help expand your marketing expertise are Digital Marketing with Patrice Nealon, Personal Selling with David Henard, and Product and Brand Management with Thomas Byrnes.
In Digital Marketing (BUS 495), you end the course with a certification in Google Adwords and Google Analytics. Nowadays, any experience working with digital media makes you extremely more desirable to future employers. Having this certification listed on your resume as a recent graduate will show employers how prepared you are for the fastly growing and changing marketing world we live in.
Personal Selling (BUS 466) provides students with skills that are applicable to more than just sales. This course will challenge your interpersonal communication abilities, but ultimately will enhance your ability to speak to future employers and other business professionals. Communication is crucial to be successful in most workplaces, and getting the skills provided in this class would be very beneficial in finding a career.
Product and Brand Management (BUS 467) teaches different strategies for how to communicate with a consumer what your product or brand is all about. This course can be applied to most careers because chances are, the company you work for will have a brand and it is important for all employees to understand their company’s brand strategies. Not to mention that our favorite professor and AMA advisor, Dr. Byrnes teaches this course. Dr. Byrnes is always able to relate his coursework to current events which helps the concepts resonate and stick with students.
These courses are great options if you have free electives remaining and want to relate back to marketing. They are also great for those of you who are marketing concentrations and cannot decide which courses to take. Either way, if you stick with PCOM courses you cannot go wrong with preparing yourself for the future.