Top 50 Affordable Marketing Schools

Choosing an Inexpensive College

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When it comes time to choose an affordable college, there are many factors to consider. The first on everyone's mind is the up-front cost of tuition, books, and living expenses, among other costs. After this important matter is settled, the second most important factor is the long-term return on investment a graduate is likely to see. Each of these broad factors influence the other.

For the up-front costs, students can seek to lower those costs by taking a number of steps. The first way to easily reduce tuition costs is to attend a public college or university in one's own state. Keep in mind that just because several marketing degree programs are all in the same state system, they won't necessarily cost the same. Seek out the best marketing degree program in the state system for the lowest cost and best outcomes.

With that in mind, students can reduce costs and stretch their educational dollars by spending their first two years in a community college. These schools are typically cheaper than any others in their state system and, in many cases, they deliver a high-value education. This is partly due to the fact that these schools are smaller and support more advantageous student-to-faculty ratios, meaning that class sizes are smaller. Their instructors frequently have PhDs and are often dedicated more to teaching than their own research projects. Once students complete an associate degree, they will have completed their core college curriculum at a lower cost than from any other school.

To find the most affordable university to complete one's bachelor's marketing degree, students should look at the course offerings, including the opportunity to find internships. The marketing program should have the sort of focus they desire for their careers, and they should also investigate what sorts of options are available for a minor concentration such as statistics, management, computer science, or graphic art and design.

Finally, students should investigate the long-term efficacy of a degree from any school they consider. They should seek to find out what master’s marketing programs graduates enroll in, what sorts of salaries graduates report, and they should try to find out what sort of reputation the program has in the business community.

Online Options for Marketer Programs

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The online option for a marketing degree program should be a consideration for all students. These programs allow students a way to get started with a job in marketing and not disrupt their studies. While there are no set rules for how these programs are priced, many can offer more affordable tuition than their traditional classroom counterparts. On the other hand, since students can live anywhere in the nation or world and still take classes, every online degree program offers students a way to cut down their living expenses.

Since marketing is a field that is conducted mostly via computers, an online marketing degree is a great choice. If students need to conduct any sort of real-world experiments or assignments, those shouldn't require any special equipment, such as beakers and Bunsen burners. However, though online marketing courses have been around for many years, students still wonder if they can receive the same high-value yet affordable education as in traditional classroom degree programs.

In fact, studies show that online students reap the same outcomes as their classroom bound peers. Further, students in online courses find that they have easier access to instruction since their professors are a mere e-mail or zoom call away. Thus, every student has the same opportunity to receive attention and instruction. On the other hand, students will find that the online classroom doesn't allow for anyone to hide in the back of the room and avoid participation.

Graduates Earn More After College

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While marketing is not a field that requires any specific degree or license, marketing degree graduates tend to earn far more after college than their non-degreed peers. The added knowledge and skill that one acquires in a degree program are invaluable assets when it comes to solving problems and coming up with creative solutions. This may be especially true for those who work on the more analytical side of marketing. This is due to the fact that they need special training in statistics and computer modeling for big data.

When it comes to hard salary numbers, positions in marketing such as a marketing manager or those that require more technical skill clearly pay more than others. Payscale.com, for instance, reports that marketing associates earn an average salary of $47,000, with a low of $35,000. That position can conceivably be attained by someone without a degree, or only an associate degree. On the other hand, marketing directors earn and average salary of over $90,000.

Since the title of director typically indicates upper-level management, it's likely that those who reach that level have bachelor's, if not master’s, marketing degrees. Payscale finds that those with a master of science in marketing do earn more per year than those with only a bachelor's degree. For instance, marketing managers with a master’s marketing degree earn nearly $5,000 more per year than those with a bachelor's degree. While that difference may not seem like much, those with a master’s degree can often reach that level faster and while they are younger. Thus, their careers are bound to have greater success, assuming that they get their master’s degrees as soon as possible.