Hands-on Experience in Marketing

Marketing majors Madison Campbell, Drew Lowe and Owen Reeher present a marketing plan proposal to local client Matt Setters, CEO of Setters CPA & Co.

Agency Projects

Five courses in the marketing course include "Agency Projects" as part of the learning experience. In each of these, students cover the foundational knowledge in the first part of the course. They are then introduced to a real business owner/manager, non-profit director or a government agency leader who has partnered with the program to serve as a client.

The students fulfill the role of an agency, working with that client for the remainder of the course to build a professional proposal for the client's specific marketing needs. At the end of the course, the student agency presents the proposal. The client is free to use all materials developed in actual practice. 

Students gain powerful experience in collaborative professional work. Each of the five projects will present different aspects of professional marketing practice. Students work in different roles in each project to ensure they experience a variety of challenging situations they may face in professional practice, including:

• strategic planning,
• tactical development,
• graphics work,
• media content creation,
• market research, 
• client presentations.

Marketing students Tim Biakapia, Kade Tomlinson and Gavin Ogan present a consumer behavior research proposal to Lenore Mason, Executive Director of Goodwill of Southern Ohio, Inc.

Marketing Internships

Each year, marketing students can apply for one of five internship positions within Shawnee State University's Marketing & Communications Department. Students awarded a position on the team work on a range of practical marketing work in the field such as:

• Content creation for online media
• Web page development
• Photography
• Video production
• Event planning

Marketing majors can also be placed with partnering businesses and university departments to gain field experience in a variety of areas. 

Marketing Practicum

Every marketing major is required to complete a work practicum, in which the student is placed in a professional capacity with a staff or team of an area business, non-profit or government agency. This position helps the student gain a better understanding of interaction with clients and customers, working with professionals and helping solve real-world problems every organization may face. 

In the same way internships and agency projects can produce experience for the student's portfolio, a practicum helps demonstrate the marketing graduate's skill sets and the value that person can bring to an organization.

Connor Sherman, Brand Manager for the Glockner Family of Dealerships, discusses social media content creation with SSU marketing students during a multimedia workshop.

Guest Speakers and Workshops

Marketing students have several opportunities to hear from guest speakers who share their experiences about business and the marketing industry. Business owners, sales managers and others are invited to visit and talk with students in several of the marketing courses.

Students also learn from professionals who visit campus and participate in workshops, leading discussions and projects to help students gain insight into expectations and opportunities in the marketing-related fields.

SSU marketing students listen as renown public relations consultant Ann Green discusses client relationships.

Marketing students observe aspiring entrepreneurs rehearse business pitches as part of Startup Weekend, hosted by the SSU Kricker Innovation Hub.