Marketing Graduate Certificate

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The Graduate Certificate in Marketing provides students with the tools, ideas and frameworks that will aid them in making business decisions in an application-based manner, based on actual case studies and relevant projects, to improve the performance of their organization. Students in the program acquire the marketing principles, techniques and tools necessary to analyze marketing situations and develop effective integrated strategic marketing plans to improve the performance of their organization.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must satisfy the standard USC and Marshall graduate admission requirements. Two years of fulltime work experience is preferred. GMAT or GRE scores are required. International applicants who did not spend four years completing a bachelor’s degree at an American, British, Canadian or Australian college or university must submit TOEFL, IELTS or PTE scores.

Individuals applying for admission to the Master of Science in Marketing should not apply for admission to this program also.

Application Procedure

Prospective students who have not previously taken a master’s/graduate-level (post-baccalaureate) introductory marketing course must apply to begin the program in the summer term. Prospective applicants who have taken a master’s/graduate-level marketing course may apply to begin the program in the fall, spring or summer.

Applications are submitted online through the USC Graduate Admissions Website at http://gradadm.usc.edu/. International applicants are advised to see the instructions for international students at http://gradadm.usc.edu/apply/international-students/.

A complete application includes the online application form, test scores, an essay, an application fee, two letters of recommendation and official transcripts from all institutions attended since the applicant last applied to USC.

Current USC students and USC alumni are not required to submit an application fee, new test scores (if previously submitted), transcripts to verify degrees earned prior to their attendance at USC, or letters of recommendation.
All other applicants must submit all documentation identified in the online application instructions.

Degree Requirements

The Graduate Certificate in Marketing requires 15 units including one required course and 500-level MKT electives with a GPA of at least 3.0 for all units applied to the certificate. The program may be completed on a full-time (3-5 courses per semester) or part-time basis.

Students who have taken a master’s-level introductory marketing course at another institution prior to application may petition to replace Marketing Management with an elective. Such a replacement must be requested as an attachment to the application for admission and, if approved, will be included in the offer of admission.

Required Courses

GSBA 509 Marketing Management Units: 1.5
or
GSBA 528 Marketing Management Units: 3

Electives: Complete successfully sufficient units of 500-level MKT course work to total 15 units.

No more than 3 units of CR/NC course work can be applied to the certificate.

Note:

For current USC graduate students, courses credited to the Graduate Certificate in Marketing may be completed in conjunction with course work required for the program in which the student is already enrolled. Applicability of these courses to the student’s primary degree program is determined by the student’s home department. Current USC MBA students may apply all 15 units of the graduate certificate program to their MBA degree.

For USC alumni, courses completed in conjunction with the individual’s prior degree may not be credited toward the certificate. An appropriate substitution for the required course will be determined and documented by the program director.

Successful completion of the program is documented on the student’s transcript and acknowledged with a certificate (diploma) awarded by the university.

For additional information, visit marshall.usc.edu/GCRTMarketing.