If you’re looking for a challenging yet promising career, marketing is a great field to go into. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the employment of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers should grow by 10% between 2016 and 2026, which is faster than other occupations. By 2026, there should be 273,400 of these jobs in existence, and in 2018, these positions carried a $132,620 median salary.
Marketing is a financially rewarding and currently expanding field, and earning a doctorate in marketing can help you to advance in business or academia. These 5 Top Online Doctorates in Marketing offer an online education that allows you to keep working full-time while acquiring valuable skills and knowledge.
FINDING AN ONLINE DOCTORATE IN MARKETING
Online doctorate in marketing degrees offers many benefits. They’re designed with working professionals in mind, so you’ll find that the programs here provide scheduling flexibility that allows you to both work and pursue an education. Some programs may offer asynchronous courses, while others require you to be available at pre-scheduled times for synchronous courses. You’ll also find variety in the specializations or concentrations offered, so if you intend to go into a certain field within marketing, be sure to look for a program that offers a corresponding specialization. You may also want to consider the experience of the faculty who teach the program, since working with an advisor who knows the field you’re interested in can be particularly valuable.
While most of the programs in this list are delivered completely online, some do require occasional on-campus intensives, so you may need to consider the school’s location and budget in travel expenses when financing your degree. You’ll find that some schools offer more than just basic financial aid, and graduate assistantships and work-study options may be available. Most of these programs can be completed within three or four years, though some require you to develop a dissertation, which can add time to the program’s length. Ultimately, it’s important to find a program that delivers the quality education that you seek and that will help to prepare you for the next step in your career.
RANKING THE TOP 5 ONLINE DOCTORATES IN MARKETING
While you’re on your way to earning your Ph.D. or Doctorate within your field, the editors at Online PhD Programs are already practicing doctors of their craft: ranking the best online Ph.D. programs. To be featured on our annual rankings online doctorates must satisfy four coinciding requirements: accreditation, research and scholarship doctorate certification, NSF recognition, and institutional association with peer-reviewed academia.
Each degree is then ranked using the information provided – primarily – through the National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook. The data collected is scored through a series of weighted categories to represent seven crucial aspects of what makes an online doctorate valuable to future students. Online program quality and presence are joined by industry salaries, student reviews, degree exclusivity, costs, and completion rates to determine the best online doctorates available. For a comprehensive breakdown of how we categorize and source data, please visit our methodology page.
#1. LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Liberty University’s Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Marketing is offered entirely online with optional on-campus intensives. The 60-credit-hour program takes about three years to complete and prepares students to hold marketing roles within the corporate world. During the program, students will learn valuable skills, such as how to use customer insight as a tool to improve businesses, as well as decision-making and analytical skills. Students will learn how to assess and analyze both local and international markets while also developing leadership and communication skills. The program focuses on a variety of topics, such as advertising, promotions, consumer behavior, and more.
Offering over 250 fully online degrees, Liberty University makes education accessible to students all over the world. The campus is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, but Liberty University students can access a rich supply of online resources through the online library portal without ever having to set foot on campus. To keep education accessible, Liberty University has frozen tuition rates for the past four years, and in 2017, Niche.com awarded Liberty University the title of the Best Online College in America. This evangelical liberal arts university is home to over 100,000 students who take programs offered through the university’s 16 colleges and schools.
Format: Online
#2. PACE UNIVERSITY
Pace University offers a Doctor of Professional Studies in Business (DPS) degree designed for business professionals who wish to advance their education and increase their research capabilities without putting their careers on hold. Students complete most of the coursework online and then meet at the downtown New York City location near Wall Street once each month. The program blends research, problem-solving, theory, and practice to give students increased theoretical knowledge that they can apply to their current careers or opportunities in consulting or academia. Students can earn their DPS degree in three to five years.
Founded as an accounting school in 1906, Pace University now has three campuses, including a downtown New York City campus and two Westchester County campuses. Pace University offers over 150 different degree programs and is home to over 9,000 undergraduate and more than 4,300 graduate students. Students represent 48 different states and enjoy a 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio that allows for individualized education. The university admitted 79.0% of the nearly 4,000 graduate student applicants, including applicants to the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. In addition to student loans and scholarships, Pace offers graduate students work-study programs and graduate assistantships to help them afford their education.
Format: Online
#3. KEISER UNIVERSITY
Keiser University’s Doctor of Business Administration program is designed for current business professionals as well as for students who plan on a career in academia. The program focuses on both theory and applied knowledge, teaching students how to use the management theories, methods, and research strategies that they learn to their careers and businesses. Students may specialize in marketing, global business, or global management, and will be prepared for the challenges and opportunities posed by the global business environment. This program is offered through Keiser University’s online Graduate campus, giving students the flexibility and convenience needed to pursue this degree despite their busy schedules.
Keiser University is a private, not-for-profit university that offers both on-campus and online programs. Students take one class for four weeks, allowing them to focus solely on that course’s material, rather than juggling multiple courses at a time. While Keiser has many campuses located throughout Florida, the Keiser University eCampus allows students to access associates, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees online. Online programs are available in a variety of fields, including health care, computers and technology, criminal justice, business, and legal studies. Keiser is dedicated to serving veterans, active duty personnel, and military families, and the Military Times included Keiser in its 2018 ranking of the best colleges.
Format: Online
#4. GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY
Grand Canyon University’s Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Marketing degree is designed for business leaders and executives in upper-level roles. GCU’s DBA blends theory and practice, providing students with the knowledge necessary to implement marketing strategies to achieve growth objectives. The dissertation is integrated within the program from its beginning, and students will also participate in two or three five-day on-campus residencies. Program graduates may go on to hold roles such as Chief Executive Officer, Market Research Director, Chief Innovation Officer, or Senior Management Consultant. The program is offered online, and GCU’s online courses give students the flexibility they need to study anytime, anywhere. Students studying online learn from GCU’s full-time and adjunct faculty in an environment designed to stimulate discussion.
In addition to its online course offerings, GCU offers an evening program for professionals who wish to pursue an in-person education. These night classes meet once a week, and students progress through classes in a cohort model that allows them to both network and build relationships. GCU is located in Phoenix, Arizona and was chartered in 1949. As of Fall 2017, GCU was home to over 10,000 students, and currently, over 60,000 students study at GCU via its online programs. Over 47% of those online students are studying at the graduate level. Since 2009, the university has invested over $1 billion in efforts such as expanding technology infrastructure and hiring more full-time faculty. Despite this significant investment, GCU has frozen tuition for traditional students for the past ten years.
Format: Online
#5. GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY
George Fox University’s Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program is offered in a hybrid format. Students complete most coursework online and attend two in-person sessions in Newberg, Oregon each year. This 56-credit-hour program consists of three years of coursework and one year of dissertation work, and students can continue to work full-time while earning their degree. This program is intended for business professionals who want to develop further their skills, who seek to become consultants, or who seek a career in academia. During the program, students choose a concentration in accounting, management, or marketing, and also complete cores in business, research, and education. Program alumni currently work in roles that include Chief Operating Officer, Associate Professor, Business Consultant, Independent Consultant, Vice President of Finance, and more.
A nationally recognized Christian university, George Fox’s enrollment for 2018-2019 is over 4,000 students, including more than 1,400 graduate students. Students represent 32 different states and 29.5% of the student body is made up of ethnic minorities. George Fox offers a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio that allows for quality education. The university was founded in 1885, and its Newberg campus is just 23 miles south of Portland, a rich cultural center. Forbes frequently ranks George Fox as one of the top Christian colleges in the country, and the U.S. News & World Report classifies George Fox as a first-tier regional university. In 2017-2018, Money magazine included George Fox in its Best Colleges for Your Money ranking, recognizing the university as the top among Oregon schools, as well as the fifth best Christian college.