The Strategic Marketing post-baccalaureate certificate is designed for emerging professionals in the fields of marketing, management, public relations and integrated marketing communication. Students learn to think strategically about marketing, from developing market-responsive products to branding to developing effective communication. The courses in this program blend theory and practice, drawing upon examples from recent and noteworthy marketing campaigns and market-leading products and services.
Other 300-level marketing courses may be used as a substitute for two of the above courses. Students should have academic writing and research experience before enrolling.
Strategic Marketing Tuition
Post-baccalaureate students at Northwestern's School of Professional Studies pay per course. For more information about financial obligations and tuition, please visit the Tuition page.
Admission for Strategic Marketing
In addition to completing an online application, you'll also need to submit a few supplemental materials. A list of requirements for admission including application deadlines and tips on how to apply can be found on the Admission page.
Strategic Marketing Registration Information
Whether you're a first-time registrant or current and returning student, all students register using our online student registration and records systems. Important information about registering for courses at SPS, including registration timelines and adding or dropping courses in which you are already enrolled, can be found on the Registration Information page.
Find out more about the Strategic Marketing Certificate
Program Courses:
Course Detail
Intro to Public Relations <> ADVT 370-CN
Public relations is a core management function for every type of
organization, whether public or private. Public relations spans a
wide range of marketing disciplines including media relations,
corporate reputation, community affairs, issues/crisis management,
investor relations, and government affairs. PR is one of the
primary tools used to reinforce a company's brand and support its
competitive position. Students learn the essential components of an
effective PR strategy; how to evaluate and manage outside PR
counsel; essentials of media relations and crisis management; and
how to draft PR messages. Students select a "beat" or coverage area
to investigate as part of the class homework projects. This course
involves heavy writing; it may not be audited.This course is
cross-listed as MKTG 390-CN.
There is no available section.
Visual Communication <> ADVT 380-CN
Through a combination of technical and theoretical instruction,
students in this course will learn basic concepts of visual
communication as they tap into the potential of industry-standard
software and their own brains as tools for creation. Ultimately,
they will emerge with a better understanding of the relationships
between the practical and aesthetic concerns that go in to
effective graphic design.
Students must possess a working laptop computer with Adobe
Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign (CS6 or later; Creative Cloud
recommended) to enroll in this course. Visit adobe.com to check
hardware requirements and purchase/subscribe.
This course may not be audited. This course was previously ADVT
390-CN: Topics in Advertising: Introduction to Visual
Communication
Marketing structure and processes whereby products proceed from
the place of production to final use or consumption. Sales
management, retailing, foreign trade, advertising, channels of
distribution for marketing different types of products, activities
of wholesale and retail middlemen and other important marketing
institutions, cooperative marketing, market risk, sources of
marketing information, price determination, governmental activity
related to marketing, cost of marketing, and general critique of
market structure.
This course is conducted completely online. A technology fee
will be added to tuition.
Integrated Marketing Communications MKTG 310 provides students
with an opportunity to understand and apply IMC strategic concepts
and methods. IMC is essentially defined as Customer Centric
Marketing driven by deeper insights and creative, innovative IDEAS
grounded in/supported by real time data and information.
The course covers the main functions of Marketing and Marketing
Communications including brand identity, brand strategy,
segmentation, targeting, positioning, and brand activation and
marketing math required to make informed decisions. The key themes
that run through this course, and differentiate it from traditional
ways traditional Marketing is taught.
Class periods will consist of participative discussions along
with lecture content focused on key topics supported by relevant
readings, discussion board peer to peer conversations, case study
analyses, and a team project centered on building an IMC plan.
This course was formerly MKTG 390-CN: Topics in Marketing:
Integrated Marketing Communications. This course will be running
remotely on Tuesdays during the Fall 2023 quarter.
Some of the most valuable assets managed by companies today are
the brand names associated with their products and services. Strong
brands can influence purchase decisions by communicating the value
of and providing differentiation for products and services.
Effective brand management is critical to maintaining the long-term
profitability of products and services.
This course is designed to develop students’ understanding of
the importance of brand equity as well as how to build, measure and
manage brand equity. Topics will include understanding brands from
the customer’s perspective, building brand equity, measuring brand
equity, leveraging brand equity, managing brand portfolios and
managing brands over time.
This course will introduce students to marketing research and
the marketing research process. Initially, the class will orientate
the student into the world of marketing research. After that
initial survey, the course will then move into four different parts
of the research process, integrated into in-class examples: (1) the
different kinds of data, (2) tools and techniques to analyze that
data, (3) how the results might be presented and (4) how managers
might use the data to make decisions. The course will include
lectures, as well as hands-on work analyzing market data. This
course was formerly MKTG 390-CN: Topics in Marketing: Marketing
Research
This course has been canceled as of 3/24/23.
There is no available section.
Market Research <> MKTG 350-DL
Description TBA.
This course is conducted completely online. A technology fee will
be added to tuition.