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Undergraduate Program

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Marketing is a challenging field of study which, to an undergraduate major, offers excellent career prospects. The marketing program at The Wharton School is one of the best in the nation. It is a controlled program with a number of requirements. This page explains the requirements and describes the courses.

Overall Structure of the Program

The marketing concentration focuses on the needs and wants of the organization's key stakeholders. In particular, understanding how customer perceptions and preferences evolve - and how the firm can influence them - are fundamental determinants of an organization's long-run success.

Students pursuing this concentration acquire a solid grounding in applying the basic disciplines (e.g., psychology, economics, statistics) essential for understanding consumer and organizational buying patterns and for developing successful marketing strategies. They also acquire practical experience in the application of these concepts and methods, via half-semester mini-courses (e.g., new product development, advertising, retailing) and a capstone course.

Many students with a concentration in marketing have gone on to work in brand management, advertising, sales, marketing research consulting, as well as pursuing their own entrepreneurial ventures.

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Marketing Concentration Requirements

Wharton students are required to take 4 CU in addition to MKTG 101, which is a 1 CU course required as part of the Wharton business core. Specific requirements and options for the marketing major within these requirements are presented below. Note: MKTG 101 is a requirement for all other marketing courses and may not be taken simultaneously with any other course.

Specific Requirements for the Concentration

Five course units must meet the following requirements:
1. MKTG 101 Introduction to Marketing 1 cu
2. MKTG 211 Consumer Behavior 1 cu
3. MKTG 212 Marketing Research 1 cu
4. 2 cu from the following list of electives that has not been used to fulfill the requirements above:

    • MKTG 221 - New Product Management .5 cu (See note below about New Product Courses)
    • MKTG 222 - Pricing Policy .5 cu
    • MKTG 223 - Channel Management .5 cu
    • MKTG 224 - Advertising Management .5 cu (See Note below about Advertising Courses)
    • MKTG 225 - Principles of Retailing .5 cu
    • MKTG 226 - Sales Force Management .5 cu
    • MKTG 228x- Contagious: How Products, Ideas, and Behaviors Catch On.1 cu**
    • MKTG 232x- New Product Development 1.0 cu** (See note below)
    • MKTG 235 - Principles of Advertising 1cu (See note below)
    • MKTG 236 - Law of Marketing and Antitrust 1 cu
    • MKTG 271 - Models for Marketing Strategy 1 cu
    • MKTG 277 - Marketing Strategy 1 cu
    • MKTG 278x - Strategic Brand Management 1 cu
    • MKTG 281 - Entrepreneurial Marketing .5 cu
    • MKTG 282 - Multinational Marketing .5 cu
    • MKTG 286 - Business-to-Business Marketing .5 cu
    • MKTG 288 - Pricing Strategies 1 cu
    • MKTG 289 - Marketing Methods and Applications for Business Consulting .5 cu
    • MKTG 341 - Senior Seminar 1 cu
    • MKTG 391 - Special Topic: Social Impact of Marketing 1 cu
    • MKTG 394 - Interactive Media Marketing 1 cu
    • MKTG 399 - Independent Study* subject to approval of department undergraduate advisor and completion of the Wharton Undergraduate Independent Study Approval form.
    • MKTG 476 - Applied Probability Models in Marketing
    • Plus newly approved courses. Courses marked ** are experimental and still in the approval process.

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    Additional Notes on Planning Coursework

    1. MKTG 101 is a prerequisite for all other marketing courses and must, therefore, be taken first.

    2. MKTG mini courses (.5 cu) may be taken in any sequence and at any time after MKTG 101: you need two mini-courses to make up 1 cu but both need not be taken in the same year. However, it is a good idea to decide early in your program which mini-courses you are most interested in and to take them at the first opportunity. Mini-courses are generally offered only once a year, so there can be no guarantee that a particular mini-course will be available for you to schedule in any given semester or half-semester.

    3. Advertising Courses: MKTG 235 Principles of Advertising is a one semester, 1 cu course that can be taken as an elective or as a substitute for the .5 cu MKTG 224 mini-course (Advertising Management). Students may not receive credit for both MKTG 224 and MKTG 235.

    4. MKTG 341 is open only to seniors and is intended to be the capstone course in the major as this is a project course.

    5. MKTG 399, Independent Study, is offered on a limited basis to advanced students who have a 3.4 overall GPA and wish to conduct academic research under the supervision of a Marketing Department faculty member. MKTG 399 is not an internship. No credit will be given for "on-the-job experience." It may not be taken pass/fail.

    6. MKTG 399 registration must be approved by the Marketing Department Undergraduate Advisor and a Marketing Department faculty member who is willing to supervise and evaluate the research. Interested students should prepare a 1 to 2 page proposal describing the research topic, procedure, time-frame, and the potential contribution of the research to the marketing field. Once your proposal is approved at the department level, it must be submitted to the Undergraduate Petitions Committee for final approval. The form is available in the Undergraduate or Marketing offices.

    7. MKTG 399 approval must be obtained no later than the start of the semester in which the research will be conducted. The evaluation of the student's performance is typically based on a written research report submitted to the faculty supervisor.

    8. New Products Courses: MKTG 232x (New Product Development) is a one semester, 1 cu course that can be taken as an elective or as a substitute for the .5 cu MKTG 221 mini-course (New Product Management). Students may not receive credit for both MKTG 221 and MKTG 232x. Additionally students who took a Special Topics course (MKTG391) on New Product Development for 1 cu cannot also receive credit for MKTG221.
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      Program Advising and Course Selection

      Program planning and advising with a faculty advisor is strongly recommended. Marketing faculty advisors can help you to create a sequence to your courses so that they build on one another more productively. The advisors can also help you to select a set of courses within the program's options to best suit an interest in consulting, product management/ retail, and high-tech marketing management. It is important to have looked at the requirements for the major and at the suggested course tracks in order to approach your advisor with concrete questions about specific courses that might fit your needs. Additional help is also available through the Undergrad office. (Wharton Undergraduate Advising Directory)

      Students who seek consultation should first contact the Marketing Department staff at marketing.dept@wharton.upenn.edu.(700 JMHH, 215-898-8243) with your question(s). If you need further advice, you will be referred to one of the Undergraduate Marketing Concentration Advisors: Professor Steven Hoch (215) 898-0233 or Professor J. Hutchinson (215) 898-6450.

      See the course descriptions page for a list of all undergraduate courses.

      NOTE: Course syllabi, which provide more detail on course topics, readings, and assignments, are available to Wharton users only at http://syllabi.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm. Links to syllabi for current and recent semesters can also be found by following the links in the Quick Links box at the top of this page.

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      Dual Concentration in Marketing and Communication

      Concentration Advisors: Please contact the marketing department staff at marketing.dept@wharton.upenn.edu . They will address any immediate questions and issues, and then direct remaining questions to the Undergraduate Marketing Concentration Advisors Steven Hoch or J. Hutchinson for further advice.

      The connections between Marketing and Communication as fields of study are many. Whether in advertising, the development of web-based initiatives, or the conduct of market research, marketing professionals must understand the communication process and the most effective methods of conveying information. Students who take a second concentration in Communication will augment their understanding of the core concepts taught in their Marketing courses and will be better prepared for employment or graduate study. The dual concentration in Marketing and Communication allows Wharton students who are concentrating in Marketing to take four courses in the Annenberg School of Communication and to have this cluster of courses recognized on their transcript as a second concentration. Students who wish to pursue a second concentration in Communication must first declare a primary concentration in Marketing. The concentration in Communication may not be used as a primary or sole concentration for Wharton undergraduates. Students are strongly recommended to declare the dual concentration no later than the first semester of their junior year to ensure that they will be able to enroll in the necessary courses to complete the program. Students who have declared a concentration in Marketing and wish to take a second concentration in Communication must take the following courses: 

      Fulfill all requirements for the marketing concentration, and take four communications courses:
      Required: COMM - 125 Introduction to Communication Behavior
      COMM - 130 Introduction to Mass Media and Society

      Two of: COMM - 175 Argument and Public Advocacy
      COMM - 237 Health Communication
      COMM - 262 Visual Communication
      COMM - 275 Communication and Persuasion
      COMM - 299 Communication Internship Seminar
      COMM - 330 Advertising and Society
      COMM - 339 Critical Perspectives in Journalism
      COMM - 350 Non-Verbal Communication
        COMM - 399 Communication Independent Study

      How to Register for COMM Courses
      Wharton students taking the dual concentration should first try to pre-register for the course. Students who were not able to pre-register for a COMM course that is part of the dual concentration need to go to the first day of class of the course and get on the waiting list, noting that they are Wharton students pursuing the dual concentration. This will enable the coordinator of the undergraduate communication major to help Wharton students with the dual concentration enroll by giving them priority when assigning seats.

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      Consumer Psychology Minor

      What is it? A minor between the Marketing Department in the Wharton School and the Psychology Department in the College of Arts and Sciences. This minor is not intended for Marketing Majors of Wharton or Psychology Majors in the College.

      Why? Its goal is to promote the link between experimental psychology and marketing. Only with knowledge of consumer psychology can you properly connect a corporate strategy with consumers.

      How? 9 credits in total:

      4 MKTG cu
      4 PSYC cu &
      1 STAT cu

      To fulfill the Interschool Minor in Consumer Psychology, students must complete four courses from the Psychology Department in the College and four courses from the Marketing Department in Wharton, which brings the Minor in line with the current other 9 Interschool Minors. Both College and Wharton requirements will consist of both core courses along with a set of optional courses.

      Statistics Requirement: To enroll in the Interschool Minor in Consumer Psychology, the student must have completed a statistics course in one of four ways:

        1. STAT 101 - Introductory Business Statistics
        2. STAT 111 - Introducotry Statistics
        3. STAT 430 - Probability
        4. Any statistics course that satisfies the statistics requirement for Psychology majors. The statistics requirement may be fulfilled by a different course with written permission of the Minor in Consumer Psychology Wharton Chair.

      For those enrolled in the Interschool Minor in Consumer Psychology only: Any of the above Statistics courses will satisfy the statistics requirement for MKTG 212.

      Psychology Course Requirements (a total of 4 courses) - (Psychology course descriptions)

      1. PSYC 001 - (Introduction to Experinmental Psychology)
         and
      2. Either PSYC 170 (Social Psychology) or PSYC 172 (Evolutionary Psychology) or PYSC 166 (Positive Psychology)
          and
      3. Either PSYC153 (Judgments and Decisions) or PSYC 151 (Cognitive Psychology) or PSYC165 (Behavioral Economics and Psychology)
          and
      4. Elective (1cu):
      One course in Social Psychology or Decision Making at the 200 level (seminar) or 300 level (research experience course), see list below. The seminars in Social Psychology or Decision Making are small, intensive reading and discussion courses focused on a particular topic. The research courses (the 300 level courses) are intended to provide first-hand research experience in psychology and require a substantial amount of work outside of class gathering data, etc. Please note: The research experience courses are intended mainly for psychology majors.
      Please choose one course from the list below:
      PSYC 253 (Seminar in Decision Making)
      PSYC 270 (Seminar in Social Psychology)
      PSYC 353 (Research Experience in Decision Making)
      PSYC 370 (Research Expereince in Social Psychology)

      Marketing Course Requirements (a total of 4 credit units):

      1. MKTG 101 - Introduction to Marketing
         and
      2. MKTG 211 - Consumer Behavior
         and
      3. MKTG 212 - Marketing Research
         and
      4. Marketing Elective (total of 1 cu) chosen from the following courses:
      MKTG 221 - New Product Management .5 cu (see notes)
      MKTG 222 - Pricing Policy .5 cu
      MKTG 223 - Channel Management .5 cu
      MKTG 224 - Advertising Management .5 cu (see notes)
      MKTG 225 - Principles of Retailing .5 cu
      MKTG 226 - Sales Force Management .5 cu
      MKTG 228x - Contagious: How Products, Ideas, and Behaviors Catch On 1.0 cu
      MKTG 232x - New Product Development 1.0 cu (see notes)
      MKTG 278x - Strategic Brand Managment 1.0 cu
      MKTG 235 - Principles of Advertising 1.0 cu (see notes)
      MKTG 281 - Entrepreneurial Marketing .5 cu
      MKTG 282 - Multinational Marketing .5 cu
      MKTG 391 - Special Topics (requires approval depending upon the topic) 1.0 cu

      Notes about Marketing electives:
      New Products Courses: MKTG 232x (New Product Development) is a one semester, 1 cu course that can be taken as an elective to satisfy the marketing elective requirement. The  0.5 cu  mini-course, MKTG 221 (New Product Management), can be taken along with another 0.5 cu MKTG mini-course to satisfy the total 1.0 cu marketing elective requirement. Students may not receive credit for both MKTG 221 and MKTG 232x.

      Advertising Courses: MKTG 235 (Principles of Advertising) is a one semester, 1 cu course that can be taken as an elective to satisfy the marketing elective requirement. The 0.5 cu  mini-course, MKTG 224 (Advertising Management) can be taken along with another 0.5 cu MKTG mini-course to satisfy the total 1.0 cu marketing requirement. Students may not receive credit for both MKTG 224 and MKTG 235.

      Admission to the Minor - Students must apply for the minor through their respective schools, either Wharton or the College. Applicants must have completed or be in the process of completing the statistics requirement. The respective Chair of the Minor will review and approve these applications. The Minor is not intended for Marketing Majors at Wharton or Psychology Majors in SAS. Students in these majors who wish to add the Minor may petition the Departmental Undergraduate Chair for SAS students, or Marketing Department Business Manager for Wharton students.

      Governance - The minor will be administered by the Chairs of the Interschool Minor in Consumer Psychology in SAS and Wharton. They will be responsible for all decisions associated with the Minor.

      Admission to Classes Outside a Student's Home School - In the rare case in which a student has a problem getting into a section of a Wharton class, Wharton will give priority to them. In particular, seniors in the Minor will be manually issued a permit to let them into the class. The Marketing Department Business Manager will be responsible for interacting with student concerns and providing them with a manual override permission to take the class.

      For more information, contact the appropriate faculty advisor below.

      For Psychology:
      Professor Rob Kurzban
      Department of Psychology
      3720 Walnut St. (C3)
      kurzban@psych.upenn.edu
      215-898- 4977

      For Marketing:
      Professor Steven Hoch (215) 898-0233
      hochs@wharton.upenn.edu
      or
      Professor J. Hutchinson (215) 898-6450
      jwhutch@wharton.upenn.edu

      700 Jon M. Huntsman Hall (Marketing Suite)

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      Retailing (Secondary Concentration)

      Concentration Advisor:

      Erin Armendinger 732 JMHH aerin@wharton 215-898-1271

       

       

      The secondary concentration in Retailing provides an interdisciplinary overview of the retailing industry, combining courses in core retailing skills with industry relevant electives from Wharton and the College of Arts & Sciences. Four course units (cu's) are required for the secondary concentration, based on the following framework:

      • Retailing Core Component (1.0 cu): Introductory courses in retailing and retail supply chain management;
      • Marketing Component (1.0 cu): Selected from retail-relevant courses in marketing;
      • Operations Component (1.0 cu): Selected from retail-relevant courses in Management, OPIM, real estate and transportation;
      • Design Component (1.0 cu): Selected from retail-relevant courses in architecture, communications, OPIM, urban studies and visual studies.

      A secondary concentration in Retailing is intended to complement course work completed in a primary concentration and provide deep exposure to retail-relevant issues. Retailing cannot be a student's only concentration at Wharton; students must have declared a primary concentration. Also, one course unit may simultaneously count toward the business breadth requirement and the Retailing secondary concentration. However, no other double counting is allowed with any other concentration or degree requirement.

      A total of four course units are required for the secondary concentration

      • Required Retailing Courses (1.0 cu):
        • MKTG 225 - Principles of Retailing (.5 cu)
        • OPIM 398 - Retail Supply Chain Management (0.5 cu)

        Note: Students who have already completed OPIM 397 (.5 cu) which has been replaced by OPIM 398 (1 cu) should consult with the concentration advisor

        PLUS

      • Marketing Component (1.0 cu) selected from:
        • MKTG 211 - Consumer Behavior (1 cu)
        • MKTG 212 - Marketing Research (1 cu)
        • MKTG 223 - Channel Management (.5 cu)
        • MKTG 224 - Advertising Management (.5 cu)
        • MKTG 235 - Advertising Theory and Practice (1 cu)
        • MKTG 281 - Entrepreneurial Marketing (.5 cu)
        • MKTG 288 - Pricing (1 cu)
        • MKTG 391 - Special Topics: New Product Development (1 cu)
      • Operations Component (1 cu) selected from:
        • Management 104 - Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management (1 cu)
        • OPIM 220 - Introduction to Operations Management (1 cu)
        • OPIM 291 - Negotiations (1 cu)
        • OPIM 314 - Enabling Technologies (1 cu)
        • REAL 209 - Real Estate Investment (1 cu)
        • REAL 321 - Real Estate Development (1 cu)
        • Electrical + Systems Engineering 250 - Logistics, Manufacturing and Transportation (1 cu)
      • Design Component (1 cu) selected from:
        • Architecture 462 - Design & Development (1 cu)
        • Communications 262 - Visual Communication (1 cu)
        • OPIM 415 (cross-listed with MEAM 414 and 515) - Product Design (1 cu)
        • Urban Studies 205 - Power of Place: People and Environmental Design (1 cu)
        • Visual Studies 101 - Eye, Mind, Image (1 cu)

      Marketing & Operations Management (Joint Concentration)

      Concentration Advisors
      Dr. Stephen Hoch (MKTG) - 700 JMHH, hochs@wharton.upenn.edu, 215-898-0233
      Dr. Lorin Hitt (OPIM)  - 571 JMHH, lhitt@wharton.upenn.edu, 215-898-7730

      The Marketing and Operations Management joint concentration emphasizes the importance of partnership between marketing and operations for new product development (NPD) in light of the fact that NPD is a critical company effort highly dependent on internal innovation processes. Given the complexity of these processes, the insights provided by cross-disciplinary collaboration can be particularly beneficial in many efforts including: creativity-based new product development, innovation in service manufacturing and new service development, customer response to next-generation products, the use of conjoint analysis in engineering designs, platform-owner market entry, and design-intensive innovation.

      The concentration gives students a choice of several complementary courses within the Marketing and OPIM departments.  The concentration requires a total of four course units - two course units from each department. One of the courses must be OPIM415 (Product Design), MKTG 221 (New Product Management), or MKTG 391 (Special Topics: New Product Development).  Each of these three courses includes a project that is relevant to the joint concentration. 

      PRE-REQUISITES: MKTG 101 and OPIM 101 (unless exempt). 

      OPIM (2 CUS REQUIRED)

      • OPIM 220 - Operations Management
      • OPIM 223 - Service Operations (.5 cu)*
      • OPIM 224 - Service Operations:  Models and Applications
      • OPIM 397 - Retail Supply Chain Management (.5 cu)
      • OPIM 398 - Retail Supply Chain Management*
      • OPIM 415 - Product Design

      *Note: 223 is the first half of 224/OPIM398 is the full semester version of OPIM397

      MKTG (2 CUS REQUIRED)

      • MKTG 221 - New Product Management (.5 cu)
      • MKTG 223 - Channel Management (.5 cu)
      • MKTG 225 - Principles of Retailing
      • MKTG 226 - Sales Force Management (.5 cu)
      • MKTG 271 - Models for Marketing Strategy
      • MKTG 277 - Marketing Strategy
      • MKTG 288 - Pricing Strategy
      • MKTG 476 - Applied Probability Models for Marketing
      • MKTG 391 - Special Topics: New Product Development

      NOTE: One of the courses taken for the joint concentration must be OPIM 415 (Product Design), MKTG 221 (New Product Management) or MKTG 391 (Special Topics: New Product Development).

       

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Last Modified March 27, 2009