Department of Marketing

312B Anderson Hall
610-436-2304
Jack Gault, Chairperson

PROFESSORS: Arsenault, Christ, Gault, Phillips, Tomkowicz

ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS: Halsey, Wang

The department strives to provide students with the ability to

  • develop an understanding of the ethical concerns of marketing decisions;
  • use appropriate business tools and process to develop, analyze, and communicate information;
  • develop an awareness of the impact of global diversity on marketing decisions;
  • effectively communicate information of a business nature through written presentations;
  • effectively communicate information of a business nature and engage audiences (small and large) through oral presentations;
  • effectively interact with others as part of a team;
  • possess the requisite knowledge and tool sets of the marketing discipline;
  • acquire and evaluate information to solve marketing problems.

The following applies to students entering the marketing major:

  • All freshmen and those external transfer students who have not completed all prerequisites to enter directly into the major will be admitted to the pre-business marketing program.
  • Current WCU students who intend to transfer internally but will not complete all prerequisites for entry into the major by the end of the current semester must contact Exploratory Studies (Lawrence Center, Room 262, 610-436-3505). Exploratory Studies handles all internal transfers.
  • Current WCU students who will complete all prerequisites for entry into the major by the end of the current semester must make an appointment with Ms. Kathy Koval, pre-business program director (Anderson Hall, Room 317D, 610-738-0433, kkoval@wcupa.edu).

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE — MARKETING

120 semester hours

  1. General ed. requirements, see pages 38-44 (48 semester hours)
    (Includes ECO 111*; MAT 105* or 107* or 108* or 110* or 161*; PHI 101 or 150 or 180; SPK 208* or 230*; and nine semester hours of student electives)
  2. Business core (36 semester hours)
    ACC 201*, 202*; BLA 201*; ECO 112*, 251*, and 252*; FIN 325*; MGT 200*, 313*, 341*, 499*; MKT 325*
  3. Other course required (3 semester hours)
    MAT 108 or 161 (if either of these MAT courses is completed with a grade of C or better to fulfill general requirements, then a free elective may be substituted.)
  4. Major concentration courses (18 semester hours)
    MKT 340*, 350*, 360*, 425*, 440*, and two additional 300-level or above MKT* courses, of which only one course can be MKT 460
  5. Business electives (6 semester hours)
    300-level or above courses in ACC, BLA, ECO, FIN, INB, MGT, MIS, MKT, ENG 368, or GEO 425

  6. Free electives (9 semester hours)

    *A minimum grade of C must be attained in each of these and all MKT courses.
    7. A minimum of 15 credits in 300-400 level MKT courses and a minimum of 30 credits in business courses must be completed at West Chester University.

Only students accepted into the accounting, economics, finance, management, and marketing majors or minors may register for 300-level business classes.

All pre-business students (internal and external transfers) may apply for the major or minor after completion of 45 credits with a minimum overall GPA of 2.50. In addition, they must have completed the following courses with a C or better: ACC 201; ECO 111, 112, and 251; MAT 105 (or higher); MGT 200; and passed MAT 108. Students must maintain a 2.50 overall GPA to register for 300-400 level business courses. To graduate, students must have a 2.50 overall GPA nad a 2.50 GPA in their major course work (as defined by each program).

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

LAW

Symbol: BLA

201 The Legal Environment of Business (3) Examines the framework of the American legal system and its impact on the environment in which business operates. Sources of law, including constitutional, statutory, administrative, and common law principles, that define the relationships between government and business; buyers and sellers of goods and services; and employers and employees are discussed.

302 Special Subjects in Business Law (3) In-depth coverage of the legal topics of contracts and sales. It is intended as a partial preparation for the uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination and thus provides students with an adequate knowledge of the most widely examined subjects. Provides marketing students with a detailed knowledge of the legal topics that they will use in their careers and covers basic legal topics highly useful to management majors and all persons engaged in business.

303 Legal Problems in Business (3) Special legal problems in business will be considered at length, such as consumer credit regulation, insurance, personal law relating to decedent's estates and Social Security, preparation for the CPA examination, etc. This course may be taken more than once (but not more than three times) for credit if the subject matter of the course is not duplicated.
This course may be taken again for credit.

MARKETING
Symbol: MKT

200 Survey of Marketing (3) Examines the impact of marketing systems in producing a standard of living in local and global economies. Topics include the structure and functions of marketing within an organization, the role of customers, and the competitive, political/legal/regulatory, economic, social-cultural, and technological environments in which these systems operate. May not be taken for credit after completion of any other marketing course. Open to nonbusiness majors.

325 Marketing Management (3) Study of the processes involved in planning and managing marketing activities in organizations. Emphasis on case studies and applications of the decision-making process. PREREQ: ACC 201, ECO 112 and 251, MAT 105 or 107 or 108 or 161.

330 Consumer Behavior (3) Foundations of consumer behavior. Market structure and consumer behavior, purchase strategy and tactics, determinants and patterns of consumer behavior. An integrated theory of consumer behavior is sought. PREREQ: MKT 200 or 325 with a minimum grade of C and minimum 2.50 cumulative GPA.

340 Personal Selling (3) Analysis of the selling process applied to sales calls and sales strategies, communication, persuasion, motivation, ethics, interpersonal relationships, negotiations, and professionalism. Emphasis on case studies. PREREQ: MKT 200 or 325 and permission of instructor.

350 Advertising and Buyer Behavior (3) A study of advertising and sales promotion management with a major focus on organization, media, strategy, campaigns, legal control, consumer behavior, budgeting, and the coordination of these activities with overall marketing programs. PREREQ: MKT 200 or 325 with a grade of C and minimum 2.50 cumulative GPA; majors only.

360 Marketing Research (3) Systematic definition of marketing problems, strategies for data collection, model building, and interpretation of results to improve marketing decision making and control. PREREQ: MKT 325.

370 Marketing and Technology (3) The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the role technology now plays in the field of marketing. Virtually every area of marketing from identifying customers to designing products to promotion to delivery is now affected by technology. Moreover, marketing managers must not only be aware and understand these technological factors, but they must also know how to use them to gain competitive advantage. PREREQ: MKT 200 or 325.

404 International Marketing (3) Historical and theoretical background of foreign trade, world marketing environment and world market patterns, marketing organization in its international setting, and international marketing management. PREREQ: MKT 325.

406 Managing Sales (3) Source, technique, and theories applied to problems encountered in managing a sales force in the areas of administration, policy, organizational structure, personnel selection and evaluation, sales training, compensation, forecasting, establishing territories and quotas, and sales analysis. Emphasis on case studies. PREREQ: MKT 340 or permission of instructor.

410 Independent Studies in Marketing (1-3) Special research projects, reports, and readings in marketing. Open to seniors only. PREREQ: Permission of instructor.

425 Marketing Strategy and Planning (3) Application of the skills required for effective managerial decision making and communication using a team approach. Emphasis on case studies, computer simulations, and the development of a marketing plan; oral and written presentation of results. PREREQ: Senior standing and 12 credits in marketing, including MKT 325 and 360.

440 Senior Seminar in Marketing (3) Study and application of nonbusiness-specific readings from areas such as military strategy to current marketing topics: preparation of presentations by individual students and groups requiring active engagement of student peers; preparation of professional reports by individual students and groups. PREREQ: Senior standing and nine credits in marketing, including MKT 325 and 360.

460 Marketing Internship (3) The marketing internship is designed to enhance the student's educational experience by providing a substantive work experience in the business world. A minimum of 180 hours of work in the internship is required. Students scheduling this course in the fall or spring semester are limited to a total of 15 semester hours. PREREQ: Permission of instructor and department chair.
This course may be taken again for credit. Majors may enroll for a maximum of six internship credits that may count toward graduation – two, three-credit or one, six-credit position. If enrolled in a three- or six-credit internship during the fall and spring semester, students may register for a maximum of 15 total semester credit hours (including the internship credits).

461 Marketing Internship (6) The marketing internship is designed to enhance the student’s educational experience by providing a substantive work experience in the business world. A minimum of 360 hours of work in the internship is required. Students scheduling this course in the fall or spring semester are limited to a total of 15 semester hours. PREREQ: MKT 325 and permission of instructor and department chair. Majors may enroll for a maximum of six internship credits that may count toward graduation – two, three-credit or one, six-credit position. If enrolled in a three- or six-credit internship during the fall and spring semester, students may register for a maximum of 15 total semester credit hours (including the internship credits).

490 Special Topics in Marketing (3) Special topics in marketing not covered under existing, regularly offered courses. PREREQ: MKT 325 and permission of instructor.