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MS in Marketing Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the MS-Marketing program and the MBA program?

The MS-Marketing program is specifically designed for students who have an undergraduate degree in business and wish to concentrate in a specific area of marketing. Whereas the Mays MBA program at Texas A&M University is a 48-hour program regardless of undergraduate major (with the first year being the core business courses), the MS-Marketing program is a 38-hour program for those who completed the core business courses as an undergraduate (or take four core business courses during the first year of the program). The MS-Marketing program is designed to allow students to focus more specifically on marketing.

Another difference is that the MBA program requires at least two years post-undergraduate work experience. The MS-Marketing program does not have this requirement (although some students have a year or two of post-undergraduate work experience). Since many of the MS-marketing students have limited business experience, the MS-Marketing program is designed to be very applications oriented. Each semester, students work on real marketing projects for companies. During the summer MS-Marketing students work as an intern for a company or nonprofit organization. Opportunities are provided, through small group interactions with visiting executives and a required marketing leadership seminar, for students to interact with marketing leaders.

What are your admission standards?

We require either the GMAT or GRE. International students are also required to take the TOEFL.

Although there are no minimums required for admission, the average scores on the combined verbal and quantitative sections for those students admitted for the fall 2008 were as follows:

  • GMAT - 610
  • GRE - 1240
  • GPR - 3.6 (last 60 hours)
  • TOEFL - 112

Prospective MS-Marketing students should have all grades and letters sent, tests taken, and scores reported before applying, since no decision can be made without a complete application.

When can students enter the program?

Our policy is to accept students for fall semester only. Non-business undergraduates needing to take prerequisite courses should apply for spring or summer admission.

When are the application deadlines?

January 15 is the priority deadline for international students. The Texas A&M deadline for international student applications is March 1. For consideration for a university-level Graduate Merit Fellowship (for U.S. students with very high grades and GMAT/GRE scores), applications should also be in by January 15.

Students requiring all/most prerequisite courses should enroll in January or June to take their prerequisite classes during the spring or summer semester.  International students desiring to apply for spring admission should have their completed application in by September 15. U.S. students desiring spring admission should have their completed applications in by November 1. Students desiring Summer admission should have their application in by February 1 (international students) or March 15 (U.S. students).

U.S. residents should have application materials in by December 31 if they wish to be considered for a university-level Graduate Merit Fellowship. Otherwise, U.S. residents should have all application materials in by April 1.

As there are a limited number of applicants admitted and decisions are made on a rolling basis, prospective students are encouraged to apply during the fall or early spring semester.

How many students are in the MS-Marketing program?

Thirty-five new students enrolled in the program in the fall 2008 semester. This includes fifteen students from the Professional Program in accounting at Texas A&M who are getting their masters degree in marketing.

How long does it take to complete the MS-Marketing program?

Most students take 16 months to complete the program. The breakdown for students with an undergraduate business degree would be:

  • First Year:
    • Fall - 13 hours
    • Spring - 13 hours
    • Summer - 3-hour internship
  • Second Year:
    • Fall - 9 hours
  • Total: 38 hours

What if I don't have an undergraduate business degree?

No problem. Before beginning the program, students will need to take:

  • One principles of management courses (either undergraduate or graduate)
  • One principles of marketing course (either undergraduate or graduate)
  • One corporate finance course (either undergraduate or graduate)
  • One principles of accounting course (either undergraduate or graduate)
  • Two undergraduate statistics courses (or one graduate)

These prerequisites may be taken at Texas A&M or another accredited university and transferred in. Students may apply for spring or summer admission to take prerequisite courses.

Is an internship required?

We highly encourage a summer internship for all MS-Marketing students. Students will interview during the fall and spring semester for a possible internship for the next summer. The internship will run 10 weeks during the summer, with students receiving three hours of credit. Students entering the MS-Marketing program directly out of a bachelor's program, and with little or no work experience, should seriously consider finding an internship.

While the Graduate Business Career Services Office, the Center for Retailing Studies and the MS-Marketing advisor can help students locate internships, students are encouraged to pursue this on their own as well, through their own networking contacts.

2008 Summer Internships

NAME COMPANY POSITION LOCATION
Kyle Barrett Texas A&M Div. of Marketing & Communications Business Development and Marketing Intern College Station
Kalena Busby CBS Sports University Relations New York, NY
Lauren Calvert Stryker Marketing Associate Intern Dallas
Blaine Gwinn GSD&M Intern Austin
Heather Hann H-E-B General Merchandising Intern San Antonio
Joyce Hsieh Tommy Hilfiger USA Sales Coordinator New York, NY
Joshua Koelewyn Hewlett Packard Marketing Intern College Station
Leah Koerber S.A. Sports Foundation Intern San Antonio
Stacey Massey Office Max Marketing Events Support Naperville, Ill.
Stephen McGee Kyle Office Products Intern College Station
Jamie Metz ConocoPhillips Marketing Intern Houston
Jenny Miller H-E-B General Merchandising Intern San Antonio
Kristin Morse JC Penney Brand Marketing and Publicity Intern Plano
Brian Patillo Family Legacy Missions International Marketing Intern Zambia, Africa
Nelson Ruan Delta Alliance Group Market Analyst and PR Assistant Shanghai, China
Christina Smith Texas A&M University Athletic Department Zone Club Intern College Station
Ryan Stephens Squidoo LLC; Fusion Arts Exchange Program Intern Irvington, NY; College Station
Subeer Tungare Siemens Marketing Intern Germany
Kelly Wohlgenant Office Max Retail Intern Naperville, Ill.

What is the average class size?

Class sizes range from 25-45, with most marketing classes having an average class size of 35.

What are the estimated expenses involved with the MS-Marketing program?

The following are general estimates for tuition and fees for three semesters of the program, not including books and living expenses:

  • In-state: $12,000
  • Out-of-state: $23,000

Please note that out-of-state and international students awarded a scholarship or 20-hour assistantship pay the in-state tuition rate.

More specific expense information is available at Student Business Services and International Student Services.

What type of financial aid is available within the Department of Marketing?

At least three types of financial aid are available:

  • Scholarships - a limited number of $1,000/year scholarships.
  • Assistantships - a limited number of graduate assistantships. Currently, students with a 20-hour per week assistantship receive a monthly salary, in addition to tuition reimbursement and health benefits. A few 10-hour per week graduate assistantships are also available.

    Most graduate assistants are assigned to a professor in the department, assisting him/her with with teaching and research activities or serving as Teaching Assistants for the Friday "break-out sessions" of MKTG 321. There may be other graduate assistantship opportunities in other departments on campus.
  • Fellowships - A very limited number of $1,000/month Graduate Merit Fellowships awarded on a competitive basis for U.S. students only by Texas A&M's Office of Graduate Studies. Students interested in applying for these fellowships should have their completed applications in by December 31. This allows sufficient time for the marketing department to nominate students for this award. Most of these fellowships are awarded to doctoral students, but some are awarded to master's students.

How do I apply for a scholarship, assistantship or fellowship?

All students accepted to the MS-Marketing program are automatically considered for a departmental scholarship and graduate assistantship. If professors need a graduate assistant, they go to the incoming student file in the department to select a candidate before each semester. The professor may want to arrange a personal or telephone interview with a prospective graduate assistant.

Many times, graduate assistantships are not obtained until the student is on campus, before the beginning of the semester. So even if a graduate assistantship has not been obtained prior to your arrival, there is a still a possibility of obtaining one after you start the program.

Students might also check with the Office of Student Financial Aid for information about other scholarships or fellowships that might be available.

Where do most students live?

Most students live in one of the numerous apartment complexes located in the Bryan-College Station area. More specific housing information for graduate students is available from the University Apartments web page and Off Campus Student Services. The Texas A&M shuttle bus service provides transportation to and from most apartment complexes in the College Station area.

What about jobs? What kind of placement rate do you have and what kinds of jobs do MS-Marketing graduates get?

The average salary for 2007 graduates was $65,000 and the average salary for 2006 graduates was $62,000.

Here is a listing of the jobs received by our most recent MS-Marketing graduates:

Employment of 2007 MS-Marketing graduates

NAME COMPANY POSITION LOCATION
Jennifer Beran Aggies in Business Director of Marketing College Station
Jennifer Burbel (Cummings) Razor Ad Agency Insight Analyst Dallas
Mario Campos Hewlett Packard Business Planning Manager Houston
Hollie Chachere Eli Lilly Sales Plano
Will Cornwell Hewlett Packard Product Management Houston
Elaine Dausy FedEx Marketing Specialist Dallas
Nathan Donohoe Twin Padres Assistant Los Angeles, Calif.
Lyndi Gilleland Grant Thornton Assurance Associate Houston
Tiffany Gindrat PriceWaterhouseCoopers Staff Auditor Houston
Tania Hernandez Somebody Cares America Marekting/Communications Specialist Houston
Kari Kelley Hewlett Packard Blade Pdt. Marketing Manager Houston
Hye-jin Kim Penn State University Pursuing PhD State College, Penn.
Christie Lambert JC Penney Management Trainee Plano
Heather Littell H-E-B Management Trainee Austin
Rachel Logan Ernst & Young Assurance Associate Houston
Daniel Medina University of Colorado Pursuing PhD Boulder, Colo.
Yana Muzafina Halliburton Wireline/Perforating Marketing Houston
Samia Qaiyum Kohl's Management Trainee Drexel Hill, Penn.
Sonja Schultheiss McKinsey Fellow Consultant Hamburg, Germany
Lauren Trost Hewlett Packard Product Management Houston
Matthew Valladarez Chevron Business Consultant Houston
Se Jeong Yun University of Houston Pursuing PhD Houston

Employment of 2006 MS-Marketing graduates

NAME COMPANY POSITION LOCATION
Brent Allen Hewlett-Packard Product Manager Houston
Tyler Cosban Hewlett-Packard Demand Planning Analyst Houston
Clifton Coufal J.P. Morgan Chase Investment/Personal Banker Temple
Rui Heh Office Max Import Specialist Naperville, Ill.
Laura Henderson Devon Energy Business Analyst Oklahoma City, Okla.
Nicole Hoegg McDermott, Inc. Internal Auditor Houston
Steven Holcomb Brass Real Estate Services Director of Operations Longmont, Colo.
Sorim Jang Office Max Corporate Marketing Naperville, Ill.
Julie (Jones) Burris PricewaterhouseCoopers Assurance Assoc. Dallas
Jonte Lee Payless Corp. Distribution Analyst Topeka, Kan.
Allison Martyn Office Max Corporate Marketing Naperville, Ill.
Daniel May 7-Eleven Asst. Project Manager Dallas
Cory McElroy Office Max Corporate Marketing Naperville, Ill.
Jacob McKinney Hewlett-Packard Total Customer Experience and Quality Houston
Lisa Moore Planto Roe Financial Marketing Assistant San Antonio
Jessica Morris PricewaterhouseCoopers Associate Dallas
Cherie Norman Hastings Advertising Manager Amarillo
Kimberly (Curtis) Pickens Deloitte & Touche Assurance Assoc. Dallas
Raja Srinivasan Deloitte Consulting Systems Analyst Irvine
Shalini Sengupta Sabre Holding Analyst Dallas
Carrie Song Newage Co. Marketing Leader Minneapolis, Minn.

Employment of 2005 MS-Marketing graduates

NAME COMPANY POSITION LOCATION
Shweta Barghava Net Matrix Solutions Marketing Manager, Assistant to the CEO Houston
Andrew Brown Huron Consulting Legal Business Consulting - Analyst Houston
Clay Collins Hewlett-Packard Product Marketing Specialist Houston
Jessie Condit Evans, Hardy & Young Account Executive Santa Barbara, Calif.
Kristin Cooper Executive MBA/Masters Program Office, TAMU Assistant to the Director College Station
Lauren Edmission J.C. Penney Merchandising Trainee Plano
Mark Glodowski Silver & Blue Outfitters, LLC Owner Las Vegas, Nev.
Jamie Guck ConocoPhillips Strategic Analyst Houston
David Hobbs Hewlett-Packard Supply Chain Manager Houston
Katie Johnson FedEx Project Management Analyst Memphis, Tenn.
Carla Amaning-Kwartend Ernst & Young Strategic Analyst Houston
Natasha Mataga Lennar Corporation Marketing Coordinator San Antonio
Deanna McGehee Chevron Account Manager Louisville, Ky.
Carrie Song Newage Americas - Cummins, Inc. Marketing Leader Minneapolis, Minn.
George Zhang Domain Group Strategic Analyst Seattle, Wash.