Busting Myths: You Can Go Into Marketing Analytics Without a Business Background

• A lot of people ask me: if I didn't study at a business school, will it be hard to get into a master's in marketing analytics?

• I'm still in school, but not in a business major. How can I make myself more competitive for a marketing analytics master's?

• I just graduated, but not in business, and I want to do a marketing analytics master's later. Should I first find a marketing-related job and build some experience before applying?

Today I'd like to draw on my own experience to share some thoughts and what I've been through. I hope it helps you with the choices ahead!

Myth 1: I must have basic programming skills

Even if you can't write a single line of code, don't worry. More than half of my class had no programming experience either. What matters is that everyone loved learning and was really interested in data analytics.

When I was in my master's program, the professors really did teach from scratch, starting with how to import data, rename folders and so on. So if you have time, you can of course take some online courses to learn the basics of a programming language. And if you don't know much about marketing analytics yet, those courses can help you figure out whether the field is right for you.

What I think is actually pretty important is basic statistics, because a lot of the analysis uses basic stats (H0 and H1 hypotheses, confidence intervals, etc.). Some programs even require proof that you've taken a statistics course. If you haven't, it's worth finding an institution that issues a certificate, to make yourself more competitive when you apply!

Myth 2: I'm not from a business school, so will it be hard to get into a marketing analytics master's?

Short answer: no! I have a foreign languages and literature background myself

Don't worry! My class had all kinds of backgrounds: Chinese literature, foreign languages, mass communication, economics, math, advertising, psychology and more. More than half of my classmates didn't come from business school. What matters more is what brought you here and your passion: why do you want to study marketing analytics? How will this school or program help you reach your future goals? That's what really counts!

Myth 3: If you just graduated from an unrelated major, should you get marketing-related work experience to be more competitive?

This is really subjective; I'm only sharing my own experience and thoughts. When you're looking at programs, check the student profile. In many marketing programs the average age is around 24, with about one year of work experience.

That matches what I saw at school too. Many students came to the US straight out of college or one year after graduating, and students with ２+ years of work experience (meaning full-time jobs) were a tiny minority in my class. Quite a few students did have summer internships, but not every internship was marketing-related.

Work experience certainly helps, but the key is whether it matches the program you want to apply to. Personally, I don't think you need to grab just any job for the sake of having work experience. If you do want work experience, try to find a job related to the program you plan to study.

Marketing is a very broad field. Think carefully about what you did in school: a lot of it can be framed as marketing-related. What matters more is your motivation and goals. If you're passionate about marketing and have clear goals, that will be a key part of your grad school application!

If you'd like to learn more, feel free to DM me on IG: usbetweenus_ We can set up a time to talk in more depth about my experience doing a marketing analytics master's in the US and what I've learned from five years of working here!