Marketing 101: Freshman Survival Guide for Success at JMU

The College of Business at James Madison University offers a very unique Marketing program with so many opportunities for professional growth. The biggest piece of advice I have to offer is to get involved in marketing organizations on campus EARLY. This will provide valuable hands-on experiences and insight that will prepare students for advanced coursework and career opportunities. By joining organizations, students can apply concepts, build networks, and explore different marketing pathways like digital marketing and sales, even before starting core classes. Early engagement sets students up for success in JMU’s challenging College of Business program and gives them a competitive edge as they enter upper-level courses.

At JMU, students are required to fulfill College of Business class prerequisites for four semesters before taking their first marketing class in COB 300. These include two economics classes, interpersonal skills, financial and managerial accounting, computer information systems, business analytics 1 and 2, and a math class. Some marketing students, like myself, find some of these prerequisites to be more challenging than upper-level marketing classes. The College of Business offers lots of resources to help students get through these classes, such as Peer Assisted Study Sessions and free tutoring. I strongly recommend taking advantage of these, as they were super helpful. COB 300 is a 12-credit hour core course that admitted College of Business students are required to take, typically the first semester of junior year. COB 300D is Integrated Business: Marketing focuses on the introductory principles of marketing. After the completion of COB 300, a student is eligible to take marketing courses the following semesters.

The marketing major offers two optional concentration routes: digital marketing and sales. In order to be eligible to take the classes to fulfill the concentrations, there are two prerequisites required, which offer great insight into both directions. MKTG 384: Integrated Marketing Communications consists of the development of an integrated marketing communication campaign with a real business in the local Harrisonburg area. MKTG 430: Professional Sales offers the introduction of selling principles and real-world experience in selling in the business-to-business domain by participating in roleplays with real companies.

More than other majors in the College of Business, I believe it is crucial for students to join marketing organizations on campus starting freshman year because it will give students an opportunity to learn and apply marketing skills, but also figure out if marketing is the best path for them! Follow this infographic for more pieces of advice to reach success: