Marketing (MKTG)

Judith Anne Garretson Folse
Department Chair
Business Building
jagfolse@walton.uark.edu

Daniel Villanova
Ph.D. Program Director
Business Building
dvillanova@walton.uark.edu

Craig Geiger
M.S. Program Director
Business Building
cgeiger@walton.uark.edu

Degrees Conferred:
M.S. in Marketing (MKTG)
Ph.D. in Business Administration (BADM)

Program Descriptions: The Master of Science in Marketing (MSM) is designed is for early-career professionals who want to receive advanced, specialized training in marketing. The degree is grounded in an understanding of the increasing complexity and breadth of the marketing and consumer behavior disciplines. Effective marketing decision making necessitates cross-functional expertise. Therefore, students will choose among areas of emphasis to complement their Marketing courses: Business Analytics, Supply Chain Management, or Strategy.

The Ph.D. in Business Administration with an area of study in Marketing allows students to concentrate within one of three areas:

Channels (e.g., retail, logistics, transportation, supply chain management)
Management (e.g., strategy, international, relationship marketing)
Communications (e.g., consumer behavior, advertising, promotion).

The student’s area of study will determine the courses taken in fulfilling the supporting fields requirement and the specialization for the comprehensive examination.

Requirements for M.S. in Marketing

The Sam M. Walton College of Business Master of Science in Marketing is designed to provide professional preparation for recent graduates and early-career professionals who want to receive advanced, specialized training in marketing. The degree is grounded in an understanding of the increasing complexity and breadth of the marketing discipline.

Admission Requirements: Students must apply to and meet the admissions requirements of the Graduate School of Business and be admitted by the departmental admissions committee.

Requirements for the Master of Science in Marketing:

Marketing Core Courses		15
MKTG 51003	Introduction to Marketing
MKTG 54303	Consumer and Market Research
MKTG 53403	Digital Marketing
MKTG 55203	Marketing Analytics
MKTG 53303	Retailing Strategy and Processes
Electives		15
MKTG 53503	Category Management and Assortment
MKTG 55103	Sales Analytics
MKTG 55503	New Product Development and Strategy
MKTG 55703	Advanced Marketing Analytics
MKTG 55803	Social Media Marketing
MKTG 54103	Special Topics in Marketing
Students must choose a minimum of three Marketing electives. Other elective courses may be approved by the MSM director.
Total Hours		30

In addition to 30 hours of required coursework, students must take a comprehensive exam. The comprehensive exam will take the form of the final project in MKTG 53303. The student’s grade of B or above on the project will be considered a pass on the comprehensive exam.

Academic Standing and Dismissal: Please see the Graduate School of Business policy for more information.

Ph.D. in Business Administration (Marketing)

Admission Requirements: Students must apply to the Graduate School of Business (GSB) and meet the requirements of both the Graduate School and the GSB. Students must be admitted by the departmental admissions committee.

Program Requirements: The Ph.D. Program in Business Administration with a Marketing Concentration is comprised of 61 credit hours.

Required Courses (25 hours)
MKTG 64103	Special Topics in Marketing (6 Hours)	6
MKTG 64403	Seminar in Marketing Theory	3
BUSI 61101	Seminar in Business Administration Teaching I	1
Supporting Fields Courses (15 Hours)		15
Courses for the supporting field requirement are selected in consultation with the Doctoral Program Director and/or the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee. All courses taken for the supporting fields must be at the graduate level.
Research Methods Requirements (18 hours)
MKTG 64303	Seminar in Research Methods	3
Electives (15 Hours)		15
Electives for the research methods requirement are selected in consultation with the Doctoral Program Director and/or the student's Doctoral Advisory Committee. All electives for the research methods requirement must be at the graduate level.
Dissertation
MKTG 7000V	Doctoral Dissertation	18
Total Hours		61

Candidacy Exam

Students will be required to take a candidacy examination in the summer following the second-year coursework as a requirement of the Ph.D. program. The exam will cover the student's major and minor content areas as well as research methods. Students who do not pass their candidacy examination on the first attempt will be given one retake opportunity to be scheduled in consultation with the Doctoral Program Director. Failure to satisfactorily complete the candidacy examination on the second attempt results in termination from the program.

Students must complete a minimum of 72 graduate credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree and 42 graduate credit hours beyond the master’s degree. For students who enter the degree program without a master’s degree, a minimum of 11 additional credit hours in consultation with the Doctoral Program Director will be required to fulfill the full degree requirements. Additional hours may be assessed in individual cases to meet specific coursework deficiencies.

For a complete list of Graduate School and International Education degree requirements, visit the Objectives and Regulations section of the catalog.

Graduate Faculty

Burton, Scot, Ph.D. (University of Houston), M.B.A., B.S.B.A. (University of Texas), Distinguished Professor, Tyson Chair in Food and Consumer Products Retailing, 1993, 2012.
Chen, Jialie, Ph.D. (Cornell University), B.A. (Shanghai University of Finance and Economics), Assistant Professor, 2018.
Cox, Nicole R., M.B.A. (University of Arkansas), B.S. (College of the Ozarks), Instructor, 2003.
Folse, Judith Anne Garretson, Ph.D. (University of Arkansas), M.B.A., B.B.A (Pittsburg State University), Professor, R.A. and Vivian Young Endowed Chair, 2022.
Gauri, Dinesh K., Ph.D., M.A. (State University of New York-Buffalo), M.S. (Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi), Professor, Walmart Chair in Marketing, 2016.
Jensen, Molly R., Ph.D., M.A. (University of Arkansas), B.S. (Southwest Missouri State University), Clinical Associate Professor, 2003.
Jensen, Sarah D., Ed.D. (University of Arkansas), M.B.A., B.A. (Webster University), Instructor, 2009.
Jensen, Thomas D., Ph.D., M.A., B.A. (University of Arkansas), Professor, Wal-Mart Lecturer in Retailing, 1982, 2009.
Kopp, Steven W., Ph.D. (Michigan State University), M.B.A. (University of Southern Mississippi), B.S. (University of Missouri-Rolla), Associate Professor, 1992, 2000.
Miles, Rebecca S., Ph.D. (Oklahoma Christian University), M.Ed. (Central State University), B.S. (Oklahoma Christian College), Clinical Assistant Professor, 2007, 2015.
Murray, Jeff B., Ph.D. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University), M.A., B.A. (University of Northern Colorado), Professor, R.A. and Vivian Young Chair in Marketing, 1989, 2004.
Rapert, Molly, Ph.D. (University of Memphis), M.B.A., B.S.B.A. (University of Arkansas), Associate Professor, 1991, 1998.
Sharma, Ashish, Ph.D. (University of Georgia), M.Fin. (University of Glasgow), M.B.A., B.S.B.A (Indraprastha University), Assistant Professor, 2020.
Smith, Leah, Ph.D. (University of Tennessee), M.B.A. (Wake Forest University), B.A. (Indiana University), Assistant Professor, 2020.
Soysal, Gonca, Ph.D. (Northwestern University), M.S. (Northwestern University), M.E. (University of Florida), B.S. (Middle East Technical University), Assistant Professor, 2017.
Stassen, Robert E., Ph.D., M.B.A. (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), B.S. (University of Minnesota), Associate Professor, 1989.
Velliquette, Anne M., Ph.D. (University of Arkansas), M.A.B., B.S. (Southwest Missouri State University), Clinical Assistant Professor, 2014.
Villanova, Daniel, Ph.D. (Virginia Tech University), B.S.B.A. (Appalachian State University), Assistant Professor, 2018.

Courses

MKTG 51003. Introduction to Marketing. 3 Hours.

Introduction to marketing concepts and practices as applied to the retail consumer environment. Focuses on the strategic development, positioning, and management of products, promotion, distribution, pricing, and store environments in building customer relationships from retailer and supplier perspectives. (Core) (Typically offered: Fall and Spring) May be repeated for degree credit.

MKTG 52203. Marketing. 3 Hours.

Product management, market research, marketing communications, retailing and distribution, consumer behavior, and social and ethical implications of marketing. (Typically offered: Fall)

MKTG 53303. Retailing Strategy and Processes. 3 Hours.

Strategic planning and operation of retailing organizations. Investigation of the various types of retailing with emphasis on both the strategic and functional aspects in retail processes. (Typically offered: Spring)

MKTG 53403. Digital Marketing. 3 Hours.

As an increasing number of companies embracing the digital world (e.g., online advertising and e-commerce), there is a growing need for marketers to understand the implications and interruptions brought by this change. (Typically offered: Irregular)

MKTG 53503. Category Management and Assortment. 3 Hours.

Category Management is a collaborative continuous process between manufacturers and retailers to manage a Shopper need state which we refer to as a 'category'. The purpose of this process is to optimize shopper satisfaction and fulfill the role chosen by the retailer (store and online) for that category within the overall portfolio of categories in the retail format. The end state of the category management process is that combination of assortment, price, shelf presentation and promotion which optimizes the category role over time. (Typically offered: Irregular)

MKTG 54103. Special Topics in Marketing. 3 Hours.

Seminar in special topics in marketing. Topics vary depending on the instructor. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing. (Typically offered: Irregular) May be repeated for up to 6 hours of degree credit.

MKTG 54303. Consumer and Market Research. 3 Hours.

Modern marketing research methods and analyses applied to consumers, shoppers, and buyers of goods and services sold in competitive retail environments. Attention is given to both quantitative and qualitative methods, analyses, interpretation, and decision making. Prerequisite: MKTG 51003. (Typically offered: Fall)

MKTG 55103. Sales Analytics. 3 Hours.

Recent years have witnessed increasing competitive pressures along with an explosion in the quantity and quality of data available. Big Data is rapidly changing how we view and analyze problems to make decisions in the marketplace. Whether a firm is consumer, business or service-oriented, acquiring and using information on its customers, competitors, and markets is critical for sales planning and decision-making. This course will emphasize how to analyze data to support and guide sales decisions. (Typically offered: Irregular)

MKTG 55203. Marketing Analytics. 3 Hours.

This course is intended to teach students how to use data analytics to improve marketing decision making at every stage of the Strategic Marketing Process. The focus will be on the skills and tools needed to obtain, process, and analyze data to formulate and answer critical marketing questions and make managerial recommendations. This is a hands-on course that employs real-world databases, lectures, cases, and exercises. Prerequisite: MKTG 51003. (Typically offered: Spring)

MKTG 55503. New Product Development and Strategy. 3 Hours.

Behavioral and social science concepts applied to retail shoppers, buyers, and consumers of products and services. Attention is given to research on the cognitive, affective, and experiential aspects involved in the acquisition, consumption, and disposal of products and services by individuals and households. Prerequisite: MKTG 51003. (Typically offered: Irregular)

MKTG 55603. Retail Strategy. 3 Hours.

The purpose of this course is to investigate the changing landscape of the retail industry. It should be noted that "retail" is an incredibly broad topic covering everything from consumer insights to supply chain to sales management. Retail is currently experiencing somewhat of a revolution as companies experiment with new technology, innovative ways to make shopping more enjoyable, or ways of engaging the customer in a way they are not likely to forget. This course will be based on identification and discussion of new trends that emerge in the retail environment. Prerequisite: MKTG 52203. (Typically offered: Spring)

MKTG 55703. Advanced Marketing Analytics. 3 Hours.

This course is intended to advance students' knowledge in data analytics to improve marketing decision making at every stage of the Strategic Marketing Process. This is an advanced course focused on the skills and tools needed to obtain, process, and analyze data to formulate and answer critical marketing questions and make managerial recommendations. We will provide an in-depth coverage on a variety of advanced analytical models and emphasize their applications to real-world marketing problems. (Typically offered: Irregular)

MKTG 55803. Social Media Marketing. 3 Hours.

Social media is changing how business is done around the world in almost every industry. Many companies have embraced social media as a strategic component in their promotion/communication mix (e.g., advertising, sales/trade promotion, personal selling, publicity/public relations), and in connecting brands to current, like-minded, and potential consumers. Identifying and engaging influencers via social media continues to grow as a major component in consumer communications, brand engagement, and promotion strategy. This course is designed to help you understand how marketing has (and has not) changed due to the rise of social media and changes in various underlying contextual factors, such as dramatically increased speed of information dissemination across consumers and brands. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing. (Typically offered: Spring)

MKTG 6360V. Special Problems in Marketing. 1-6 Hour.

Individual research problems. (Typically offered: Irregular) May be repeated for up to 12 hours of degree credit.

MKTG 64103. Special Topics in Marketing. 3 Hours.

Seminar in special topics in marketing. Topics vary depending upon the instructor. (Typically offered: Irregular) May be repeated for up to 12 hours of degree credit.

MKTG 64303. Seminar in Research Methods. 3 Hours.

Extensive review of literature illustrative of marketing research studies. Focuses upon theoretical foundations of research design, methodology, and analysis as well as interpretation of univariate, bivariate, and multivariate data in marketing theory exploration. (Typically offered: Irregular) May be repeated for up to 3 hours of degree credit.

MKTG 64403. Seminar in Marketing Theory. 3 Hours.

Comprehensive survey and critical review of the history of marketing thought and contemporary schools of thought in marketing discipline. In-depth research, review, synthesis, and a research proposal will be required in a selected topic from the perspectives of advancing marketing theory. (Typically offered: Irregular)

MKTG 7000V. Doctoral Dissertation. 1-18 Hour.

Doctoral Dissertation. Prerequisite: Candidacy. (Typically offered: Fall and Spring) May be repeated for degree credit.