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Best practices in
Marketing Education:
Undergraduate programs
at National University
Dr. Mary Beth McCabe
Dr. Ramon Corona
National University
June 24, 2015

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AGENDA
 National University background
 Purpose of this research
 Justification
 Goals
 Literature review - rankings
 Literature review – interviews
 Current situation and trends
 Peregrine data results
 SWOT Analysis
 Best practices and actions

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National University
 Private non for-profit
 40+ years old
 Geared for working adults/adult learners
 Part of the NU system
 Five schools (COLS, SOBM, SOE, SOMC, and
SOPS)
 41 K students, 330 fulltime faculty, 2nd largest in
California, 12th largest in the US

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Purpose of this research
Analyze undergraduate marketing
courses and programs currently offered
at NU, assess the results for the last
three years of achievement and
satisfaction, and make
recommendations for improvements.

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Justification
Marketing ranked the lowest in student’s
remembering the basic concepts at end of
BBA program, compared to other disciplines
We would like to emphasize Marketing as one
of the key differentiations in our school
Our goal to improve quality of MKT courses
Marketing programs are not growing as much
in NU as in other institutions

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Goals of this research
Learn what other universities are doing in the field
of Marketing programs
Identify the key success factors to teach Marketing
Assess existing marketing programs at NU
Develop a SWOT analysis of the current situation
Craft an action plan for implementation in the next
two years.

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Literature Review – rankings
best MKT programs US News & world
report – 2015 Edition, page 120
1. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor (Ross)
2. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton),
3. University of Texas-Austin (McCombs)
4. Indiana University-Bloomington (Kelley)
5. University of California-Berkeley (Hass)

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Interview - Dr. Reibstein (Wharton)
 MOOCs could be more important in the future
 Brand building is important and it takes a long time and effort
 The caliber of students is relevant, as well as the networking
that takes place
 Faculty qualifications and research are also key factors
 Alumni network and quality of graduates, jobs, etc.
 Globalization and learn from selected foreign universities, like
ITESM (Mexico), Gertulio Vargas (Brazil), CEIBS (China), Hong
Kong University, IIM (India), etc.

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Interviews with Professors Sherwood
and Dickey (Dayton)
 P&G Marketing Challenge for students – measurable
analytics
 Client projects as capstone projects (Indians and Bengals)
 Involvement with local businesses
 Emphasis on metrics and analytics (Teradata)
 Marketing club
 Virtual internships – consulting at a distance company
 Center for Project Excellence – students work in teams –
seed money for new projects

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Interview
Prof. Angie Johnson (Franklin)
 Connect students to industry/conferences
 Build a network of contacts for students and alumni
 Make students have relevant experiences in the
degree/discipline
 Holding live debates with students online
 Using business simulations; hands on engagement
 Case studies, practicum activities
 “Real world examples is the most important thing
they will remember”

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Interview
adjunct Richard Hopkins (Vons)
 On matching employer’s expectations:
 More elective courses and data base marketing
 Students need to improve writing skills
 Gap between what student learn and what
employers teach
 Students need to use what they learn and make it
very practical
 “Content is not useful until it is used”, he added.

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Interview
Dr. Bruce Buchowicz (NU)
“Faculty make the difference. Consulting
practices by faculty, supported by grad
students will produce more engagement. The
trends that I see today include TED talks on
YouTube® and the 18-minute lecture as a
relevant manner to present information
today”

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Interview
Dr. Louise Kelly (Alliant)
 Support from Advisory Board for guidance to identify key
content and curriculum, and “action-oriented” projects
 Digital marketing elements like e-portfolios
 Work with local not for profit organizations (internships)
 Innovation, global projects, Neuromarketing, Data Analytics,
and gamification as some of the new trends
 Shared content programs like Management and Psychology,
and trans-disciplinary programs like Health Management
 Delivery and customization of courses should be based on
how students learn ***

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Current situation and trends
87 85 90 90 112
1296
1439 1394
1294
1693
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
NU MKT course enrollment
courses students
Source: NU academics, 2014

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Demographics – NU students in
MKT courses
 3,844 students
 29% are 25-29 years old,
 26% are 30-34
 37.6% are white,
 Hispanics 17% and
 Nonresidents are 16.9%
 53.1% are male and 46.9% female
 57% had classes online, and 43% on campus

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Peregrine Data results - Analysis
 Undergraduate BBA exams
 N=146 (sample size)
 Marketing scores for all is lowest at 50.4 %,
 MKT is 36.4 % average for traditional universities
 In online delivery, NU is at 50.09 % in MKT, vs. 47.54 % of other
online programs in the IACBE region
 In the MKT subject score comparison outbound exam, NU score
better for Marketing Research, Planning and Strategy, People,
Place, and Price. However, we scored lower in Product and
Promotion

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Exhibit 1: Overview of Outbound Results: Oct 2013-May 2014
Peregrine Data Analysis

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Benchmarking Peregrine scores

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NU vs. other online universities

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Source: Peregrine, 2014

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Internal (product and market)
Strengths Weaknesses
WASC & IACBE Accreditation Low retention/engagement outside of class
Top 20 ranking of Integrated Marketing
Programs
Product and Promotion are weak subject areas
in outbound BBA exams (exhibit 7)
Practicing Marketers as Faculty High attrition rates in some courses
National/Regional Memberships in
Marketing
Not AACSB accredited (yet)
Rigor in academics Not connected to the internship community
Nationally known for advancing working
adults
No student mentorship program
Scores better than competition Out of date textbooks
External (environmental)
Opportunities Threats
Lack of marketing classes at community
colleges
Rising cost of higher education
Flexible enrollment scheduling; open
enrollment
Competition from new Bachelor’s degrees at
Community Colleges in California
Private non-profit status Financial aid restrictions
Workshops and extended studies MOOCS (Massive open online colleges)
SWOT Analysis of NU Marketing Programs/Courses

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Best Practices and
Action Steps for
Marketing Programs

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Your comments are
welcome
Please send comments
to
rcorona@nu.edu
or
mmccabe@nu.edu