Complementing a Marketing Major: The Top Minors to Consider

If you’ve chosen to major in marketing in college (or you’re considering doing so), you’ve already made a great choice. The marketing industry is growing rapidly, fueled by continued above-average growth in digital marketing careers.

If you’re wondering what jobs marketing majors get, the answer is likely much broader than you would expect. That’s because the marketing world is as varied as the businesses and entities that need to be marketed. Everyone from enterprise businesses to religious nonprofits needs marketing support.

General marketing knowledge and skills are a necessity across many fields, but those seeking a career in marketing may need an additional specialization or focus beyond core marketing classes.

We hear a lot of prospective and current students who wonder: Are minors worth it? In the world of marketing, the answer is usually an emphatic yes!

Choosing a well-aligned minor can be a great way to get into a specialized field and help shape your career path. Not only will you gain industry-specific knowledge, but you’ll also distinguish yourself from other entry-level applicants who lack a specific minor focus.

Not sure what minors go well with a marketing major? Consider these six minors offered at Geneva, each of which pairs well with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing.

It goes without saying that a significant majority of the marketing industry’s client base is made up of businesses. Decision-makers at those businesses can quickly grow frustrated by a marketing agency (or internal marketing staff) that relies too heavily on awesome creative and too light on real-world results.

With a minor in business administration, you’ll learn skills across the broad functional areas of business, like business marketing, management, finance, economics, and so on. Get the business knowledge and familiarity with the lingo and culture of the business world so that you can better serve business clients from your position in marketing.

Communication is the key to success in a wide range of fields, and marketing is no exception. If you can develop strong, professional communication skills, you’ll be better suited to meet any human challenges that come your way.

Adding a communications minor to a marketing degree can help position you to take on public relations or writing-centric marketing roles. It can also simply help you refine your communication skills, which is valuable in nearly any marketing role. With stronger communication skills, you’ll be better at pitching to clients, working leads, and collaborating with internal and external teams.

As any successful career musician (famous or otherwise) will tell you, the key to success in music is more than musical skill alone. True musician-entrepreneurs need business and marketing skills so they can better leverage their musical gifts.

The same is true for more commercially minded artists, though they tend to rely more heavily on outside help for the marketing and business aspects of their operations.

Once again, marketing within the music business requires a deeper level of specialization. Artists and organizations who have reached the point of wanting help with their marketing will tend to look for agencies that have experience with the music business.

So if you want to find marketing jobs that cater to the music industry, adding a music business minor to your marketing studies will equip you for that path.

In the world of digital marketing, content is king. s, audio, and video all qualify, of course. But at the core of all marketing content, you’ll find the written word.

Nearly every facet of marketing relies on written content in some form. Polished end-client content needs to be perfect, both tonally and grammatically. But so do scripts, captions, marketing blurbs, internal and client communications, and so much more.

If you have a passion for the written side of marketing, adding a writing minor can help you polish those skills and broaden your writing horizons.

At the risk of growing repetitive, sports organizations also need marketing help, and they also tend to favor marketing agencies and internal hires with sports-specific training and experience. A business-oriented marketer might not be as quick to adapt to the language and culture of a sports team as would a marketer-athlete or marketer-coach.

So, once again, if your end goal is to work in marketing within the world of sports, adding a sport management minor to your marketing major will equip you to do so. You’ll learn theories and principles of management applied to sports — and you’ll be able to tie those things in to your marketing studies.

Offered as a concentration within the communication major, communication design combines a focus on design thinking within a particular discipline, such as illustration, graphics, or events.

Marketing agencies often hire or contract with illustrators or graphic designers (among many other specializations). But perhaps you seek to accomplish or offer more than just a pure technical or creative skill. Studying communication design can round out your philosophy and approach to your discipline so that you can develop more effective messaging and experiences. It’s an ideal addition for a creative-minded marketing professional looking to round out creative communication skills.

Whichever minor you choose, Geneva College offers you a well-rounded education, one with a purpose: In all our teaching, we seek to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor.

At Geneva College, you’ll learn marketing (along with the minor discipline of your choice) from a biblical worldview and ethic. You’ll be equipped for a lifetime of learning, work, and service, with a clearer understanding of how the Christian faith applies to the marketplace (and all of life).

If you’d like to know more about Geneva’s B.S. in Marketing, reach out to admissions today.

Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.

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The BEST College Degree Minors!

What can I do with a marketing minor?

This minor prepares you for careers in advertising and marketing. You’ll learn about marketing research, product planning and management, customer relations, consumer behavior and global marketing. If you’re interested in a career in advertising, this is a good choice for a minor.

Is a marketing minor a good major?

A general marketing minor may better explain the basic principles of marketing. It may be a good minor to pursue if you’re majoring in a specific type of marketing, such as international marketing, or in a field that combines majors, such as marketing and advertising. This minor may help you learn more about topics like: 12. Graphic design

What majors should I choose for a marketing major?

Whether specializing in marketing within the music business or aiming to enhance communication skills, selecting a Minor that aligns with personal interests and career objectives can lead to more significant opportunities. Some recommended minors for marketing majors include psychology, graphic design, data analytics, and entrepreneurship.

Is digital marketing a good minor?

Digital Marketing: An excellent minor study for those interested in careers related to online advertising, social media management, or search engine optimization. It is a good minor for business students looking to enhance their skills in these areas.