Learn to develop creative marketing strategies and build a strong customer base in the marketing department at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business.
Learn the Art and Science of Marketing And Business Communication
Our marketing department offers graduate study options and undergraduate concentrations in both Marketing and Business Communication. Our courses are designed to offer an optimal balance of theoretical teaching with hands-on learning to reinforce key concepts. Case studies, simulations, real-world clients, and group projects give you the valuable experience that employers have come to expect of our graduates.
Our faculty has decades of experience in the classroom, in academic research and in the professional world, and they're passionate about preparing students to thrive in their careers. Some of our courses are taught via the Prof + Prof method, a unique team-teaching approach that pairs a Ph.D. professor with an experienced business leader.
The St. Thomas marketing department has strong connections to the local business and nonprofit communities, which opens up networking and internship opportunities for our students. By staying in sync with the professional community, we ensure that our course content aligns with what's happening in the industry.
Learn more about our programs, resources, and faculty. Have questions? Please contact us.
Our world-class faculty represents a blend of research active and clinical/client-focused professors. Healthcare, ethics, innovation, green marketing, consumer experiences, virtual reality (VR), and the interplay between sales and marketing are just a few of the fascinating topics our research active professors are known for.
Our research-based professors leverage their research expertise and findings into the classroom setting, while our clinical faculty draw from their experience working with clients in the current marketplace. This creates a comprehensive, complementary learning environment.
Academic Programs and Research Opportunities
Whether you're an undergraduate or graduate student, St. Thomas has programs and courses to develop your marketing knowledge and skills. From general marketing management to our specialized graduate offerings, St. Thomas has a program to meet your career goals.
Marketing students have a unique opportunity to do hands-on research in our Behavioral Research Center as part of the Introduction to Marketing (MKTG 200) course. MKTG 200 students must complete 2 hours of research - roughly equivalent to 2 different studies.
An internship is a great way to refine the knowledge you've gained in class and put your new skills to work. Local organizations approach St. Thomas seeking marketing interns because they know the quality of our education and of our students. Over 90% of marketing students hold an internship while at St. Thomas. We can help you identify the internship opportunities that best align with your professional goals. Most undergraduate students in Marketing or Business Communication find internships through St. Thomas's very active jobs and internship site, Handshake. To learn more about how to use Handshake as a student or as an employer, visit HANDSHAKE.
Career Services
The experts in the Career Development Center can help you find internships, develop job-hunting skills, and put you in touch with business leads—both alumni and the University of St. Thomas connections in the broader Twin Cities business scene. We can help you:
Clarify your strengths and how they relate to majors and career fields
Map out a career plan
Create your résumé and prepare for interviews including mock interviews
Our world-class faculty represents a blend of research active and clinical/client-focused professors. Healthcare, ethics, innovation, green marketing, consumer experiences, virtual reality (VR), and the interplay between sales and marketing are just a few of the fascinating topics our research active professors are known for.
Our research-based professors leverage their research expertise and findings into the classroom setting, while our clinical faculty draw from their experience working with clients in the current marketplace. This creates a comprehensive, complementary learning environment.
Academic Programs and Research Opportunities
Whether you're an undergraduate or graduate student, St. Thomas has programs and courses to develop your marketing knowledge and skills. From general marketing management to our specialized graduate offerings, St. Thomas has a program to meet your career goals.
Marketing students have a unique opportunity to do hands-on research in our Behavioral Research Center as part of the Introduction to Marketing (MKTG 200) course. MKTG 200 students must complete 2 hours of research - roughly equivalent to 2 different studies.
An internship is a great way to refine the knowledge you've gained in class and put your new skills to work. Local organizations approach St. Thomas seeking marketing interns because they know the quality of our education and of our students. Over 90% of marketing students hold an internship while at St. Thomas. We can help you identify the internship opportunities that best align with your professional goals. Most undergraduate students in Marketing or Business Communication find internships through St. Thomas's very active jobs and internship site, Handshake. To learn more about how to use Handshake as a student or as an employer, visit HANDSHAKE.
Career Services
The experts in the Career Development Center can help you find internships, develop job-hunting skills, and put you in touch with business leads—both alumni and the University of St. Thomas connections in the broader Twin Cities business scene. We can help you:
Clarify your strengths and how they relate to majors and career fields
Map out a career plan
Create your résumé and prepare for interviews including mock interviews
Dr. Seth Ketron's research interests encompass information processing, sensory marketing, virtual/mixed reality, and retailing, and his industry experience has been in corporate and store-side retailing (Gap Inc., Belk, the TJX Companies, and JCPenney). His research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Retailing, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Product and Brand Management, and Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services
Associate Professor Lisa Abendroth is the inaugural Academic Director of the Business in a Digital World initiative, where the mission is to develop leaders who understand the enormous power and potential of emerging technologies in business and society and who can responsibly harness that power for the common good. From 2017-2020 she served as Associate Dean of Graduate Program Innovation and from 2014-2017 as Faculty Director for the Part-time Flex MBA program.
Mike Porter, EdD, teaches graduate and undergraduate primarily in Business Communication and Marketing. Porter’s current research focuses on customer and patient experience .In the past he has investigated crisis communication, angel investment and mystery shopping. Porter’s research is published in: Patient Experience Journal; Journal of Communication Management; Journal of Private Equity; and Journal of Retailing and Consumer Service.
In this hands-on course, Small Business Institute (SBI) clients present student teams with business problems. The student teams must then craft and present solutions to the clients, with the support and guidance of the course instructor.
The Behavioral Research Center
The BRC provides space for St. Thomas faculty and students to conduct marketing research. And the BRC gives students an opportunity to learn how behavioral research can yield new insights about marketing and consumer psychology. The laboratory and its resources accommodate a variety of project types.
The Tommie Marketing Club is a student-run organization that provides its members the opportunity to network with marketing professionals and fellow students, either on campus or at corporations and agencies in the Twin Cities. Our off-site visits provide networking opportunities and the chance for students to experience various work environments.
I had the opportunity to study International Marketing in Buenos Aires Argentina for the month of January and I have to say it was highlight of my college career. Not only did I build lifelong friendships, but I gained invaluable knowledge about international business. The unique thing about this program is that we visited 2-3 businesses a day and we were treated as business professionals when we were there. We were not treated as students but as businessmen and women. Outside of schoolwork we got to travel to a traditional Argentine ranch, take a tango lesson and an empanada cooking class. This was an exceptional experience and I think it really shaped me as a person. If you have the opportunity to take this course, do it!
