10 Best Online PhD in Marketing Degree Programs [2024 Guide]
By Joy Miller
Updated on September 17, 2024
Explore online PhD in marketing degrees for 2024. Compare online doctoral programs in marketing, career paths, salaries, and degree options.
If you’re ready to take your education to the next level, an online PhD in marketing can teach you many real-world skills in business, finance, administration and research methods. It can also help prepare you for high-level careers in management positions.
Best of all, since it’s delivered online, you may earn your degree from home without any need to step on a college campus.
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Methodology: The following school list is in alphabetical order. To be included, a college or university must be regionally accredited and offer degree programs online or in a hybrid format.
Founded in 1950, California Baptist University is a private university located in Riverside, California. Cal Baptist offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in liberal arts and sciences across dozens of disciplines. The school is the alma mater of evangelist Rick Warren. Student enrollment is just over 11,000.
California Baptist University is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Felician University is a private Roman Catholic university that was founded by the Felician Sisters in 1942. The New Jersey university holds the distinction of being one of the few Franciscan universities in the country. Students can explore five schools that offer a variety of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral options. Enrollment is just under 2,000.
Felician University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, was founded in 1891. The school’s roots are traced back to the Quaker movement. A total enrollment of 4,000 is spread across a variety of bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral programs. The university boasts a 14-to-one student-to-faculty ratio.
George Fox University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
With an enrollment of nearly 20,000, Phoenix’s Grand Canyon University is among the largest Christian universities in the world. The Arizona-based university was founded in 1949. It offers more than 200 options for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees spanning a total of nine colleges.
Grand Canyon University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Keiser University is a private university with a main campus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Established in 1977, the school offers a variety of degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate levels. Keiser boasts an enrollment of nearly 20,000 students.
It has won numerous awards over the years for its commitment to promoting social mobility, research, and public service.
Keiser University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Liberty University is a private university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Its enrollment of more than 100,000 students makes it one of the largest evangelical Christian universities in the world. Students can select degree programs at bachelor’s master’s, and doctoral levels in a wide range of options covering the arts and sciences.
Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Based in San Diego, National University is a network of nonprofit educational institutions that was founded in 1971. NU has over 30,000 enrolled students and more than 220,000 alumni from around the world.
National University seeks to provide quality, flexible education to help busy adults meet their goals.
National University is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Founded in 1998, Trident University offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs covering a range of fields. This fully online university is based in Cypress, California. A large portion of the school’s student body of 6,861 is comprised of veterans and active service members.
It’s typical for military enrollments to account for roughly 75 percent of total enrollment in any given year.
Trident University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Washington State University is a public research university in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, is stands today as one of the oldest land-grant universities in the nation. WSU boasts a student enrollment of more than 30,000 today. Students can choose to pursue bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in more than 200 fields.
Washington State University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
The first thing to know about marketing degrees is that there are multiple kinds. On the doctorate level, students usually choose between two tracks:
These degree programs are quite similar, and they typically hold the same weight with employers. It’s just a matter of choosing the one that best suits your interests. If you’re still wondering, ‘Is marketing a good major?’ or if you’re still considering careers outside of marketing, you might want a broad-spectrum DBA that can be applied to many different business jobs.
Once you’ve picked a degree track, it’s time to decide whether or not to specialize. Do you want to study marketing on a general level, or would you prefer to focus on something specific? Depending on your university, you could have quite a few options:
Many of these concentrations have overlapping subjects. For example, social media marketing can play a big role in Internet marketing, so their lectures and seminars might cover some of the same ground. However, many schools will still consider them separate disciplines.
As a graduate student in marketing, you’re expected to know the basics already. You probably won’t see any “Principles of Marketing” courses in a PhD program.
Instead, you’ll likely take an in-depth look at things like consumer behavior and data analytics and learn how to integrate business, finance, psychology, technology and economics into advertising lessons. In many programs, like online business programs, you’ll also learn leadership skills that can help prepare you for managerial jobs.
Here are a few names that you might see in a course catalogue for a marketing PhD:
Depending on your online marketing degree program, you might also take courses in things like finance, technology, psychology or business administration. Choosing a marketing specialization, like an online digital marketing degree, will focus more on the specialization rather than generic marketing classes.
According to the Center on Education and the Workforce, on average, those with a master’s degree in marketing and marketing research earned $81,000 per year, while those with a bachelor’s degree earned $63,000 annually.
While these degrees aren’t the same as an online doctorate in marketing, they can provide a scale for the kind of salary increase that you can expect as you earn higher and higher credentials.
As for the jobs themselves, you’ll have options in just about any industry that you care to name. Everyone needs marketing experts, so whether you’re interested in business, education, healthcare, fashion, technology or retail, you can find marketing jobs in those markets.
Some careers in the marketing field, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, include:
| Careers | Annual Median Salary |
| Chief Executive | $185,950 |
| Marketing Manager | $142,170 |
| Advertising and Promotions Manager | $133,460 |
| Sales Manager | $132,290 |
| Compensation and Benefits Manager | $125,130 |
| Public Relations and Fundraising Manager | $118,430 |
| Top Executive | $107,680 |
| General and Operations Manager | $103,650 |
| Management Analyst | $87,660 |
| Operations Research Analyst | $86,200 |
As you can see, there are six-figure possibilities after you obtain a PhD in marketing online. They aren’t a guarantee, of course, but the first step to climbing the corporate ladder is to have the right credentials under your belt.
Every university has their own admissions process. For example, some will require a “pre-candidacy” phase for their PhD students while others will accept PhD candidates into degree programs right away. Some will have a standard formula that adds together test scores and GPAs; others will review applicants on an individual basis.
There’s no way to guess what kind of process that your chosen university will have, so you’ll need to look for specifics on their website.
As for submitting your application, here are a few of the most common requirements:
If you enter a pre-candidacy program, you might be asked to complete a certain amount of coursework before you’re able to submit an application to the marketing department.
Accreditation is a process that proves the educational value of a university or university program. It’s so strict that there are oversight agencies for the accrediting boards themselves. You might be familiar with the most famous: The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
There are three types of accreditation:
If you want to know if your university is accredited, there are several online databases where you can simply plug in your school’s name and bring up a list of its credentials. This should be an important step to take when researching any type of degree program, especially if its for a graduate level program like a master’s in marketing or a PhD in Marketing.
A professional organization is a group that offers resources to students, teachers, executives, advisors and vendors within a specific field. They can be a great way to network with others, especially if you’re a graduate student earning a marketing doctorate online.
You might like to supplement your digital learning experience with real-world contacts and events.
These are just a few organizations that welcome marketing students. There are many more, so don’t feel limited by the suggestions on this list. Keep looking until you find an organization that aligns with your unique goals and interests.
In a competitive job market, a PhD isn’t always enough. You might want further qualifications to really stand out from the crowd. Here are a few options that can complement a marketing doctorate online.
For further certification options, reach out to professional marketing associations. Many of them offer training programs and learning certificates that can be added to your CV.
You’ve probably heard of fully-funded PhD programs. They’re the holy grail of financial aid: They completely waive your graduate school tuition in exchange for working on campus as a researcher, gopher, assistant or student teacher. Some of these programs even offer a stipend to cover your living expenses.
These programs are real, but they’re extremely selective, so it isn’t a good idea to count on them. You might not even be eligible for a fully-funded program as an online student. It depends on your school.
Here are a few other financial aid options that you can explore:
Reach out to your college’s financial aid office to learn more about your options.
Marketing degrees are available at every level from associate to doctorate. When you pursue a PhD, however, you’re committing yourself to an advanced level of study with in-depth research into marketing tactics and strategies.
It will take a lot of hard work, and it can’t be completed in just a semester or two. This is why PhD titles are so prestigious. They represent years of effort.
PhD programs typically take anywhere from 3 – 8 years to complete. Since the coursework is so intensive, many grad schools have a limit to the number of credits that you can take per semester, so you can’t rush through them.
Even full-time students usually require three years or more. Part-time students will require longer.
Marketing degrees can be quite versatile. Depending on your interests, a PhD might qualify you for any number of careers:
Demand is on the rise, too. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, advertising and marketing managers are expected to see a six percent growth rate in the next decade. That translates to thousands of new jobs in just one sector of the marketing industry.
The cost of your doctorate degree will depend on your school. Not only do they have different tuition rates, but on the graduate level, they have different ways of charging students.
For example, while some PhD programs charge by the credit, others charge by full- or part-time status or by the student’s current year of study. Discounted rates might be available for students who have been studying longer.
Another thing to consider is whether you’re getting your doctorate online. In some cases, distance learners can save money since they don’t have to pay for things like parking and housing. In other cases, distance learners will pay more since they can’t offset their costs with things like apprenticeships.
An online doctorate in marketing can be a very smart decision for the future. Between the growing demands of the industry and the six-figure salaries that you may be able to achieve, there’s a lot of opportunity in the marketing world, and a PhD might be just what you need to succeed.
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