Duane Bonifer  |  Published February 07, 2024

‘Creativity Informed by Data’

New marketing program will provide students ‘a vocation-focused major with great liberal arts knowledge to surround it.’

Monmouth College faculty members Amanda Cleland and Tom Prince are shown team-teaching a class last spring that a... Monmouth College faculty members Amanda Cleland and Tom Prince are shown team-teaching a class last spring that analyzed the commercials that aired during Super Bowl LVII. MONMOUTH, Ill. – Monmouth College students have learned about marketing for years, but beginning this fall, they’ll have the opportunity to focus on the growing discipline as a marketing major or minor.

Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, Monmouth will offer an interdisciplinary marketing program that will prepare graduates to excel in one of the fastest-growing professions. The innovative program will focus on developing creative marketing professionals who also have a solid foundation in working with data.

“Marketing is an essential aspect of modern life for both profit and non-profit organizations,” said business department chair Mike Connell. “Individuals with marketing skills are, themselves, highly marketable for high-median income positions. Marketing skills – combined with liberal arts communication skills and creativity – will be a powerful combination of job market and career skills, and that is why it is an ideal program for Monmouth to offer.”

‘It’s Time’ for Marketing: Read why Monmouth added a marketing program.

Market research analysts and market specialists are listed by the website CareerFitter among a dozen careers that afford job seekers the best chance of getting hired in 2024. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment of advertising, promotions and marketing managers will grow by 6% over the next decade, faster than the average for other occupations.

One of the strengths of Monmouth’s marketing program is that several of its classes will be taught by veterans of the profession, including Tom Prince, who spent several decades working in advertising and marketing, and Amanda Cleland, whose career includes leadership positions at Amazon and eBay.

“Marketing is in everything,” said Cleland. “It’s a critically important concept for our students to understand. Tom and I come to the table with real-world experience. We’ve lived and breathed this stuff in real life at Fortune 500 companies.”

In addition to courses in accounting, business and economics, the marketing program will include offerings from the College’s well-known majors in art, communication studies and psychology.

“Our marketing program provides what students are telling us they want: a vocation-focused major with great liberal arts knowledge to surround it,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs Mark Willhardt. “The combination of the two is a powerful motivator and a powerful set of skills for life after graduation.”

Monmouth’s marketing major is the latest example of the College’s expanding academic programs. In the last six years, the College has added majors in engineering, neuroscience, and health science and human movement. 

The College’s communication studies department recently received the National Communication Association’s prestigious Rex Mix Award, presented annually to the top small liberal arts college undergraduate program in the United States.

Listen Up …

On the “Monmouth College Conversations” podcast, business faculty Amanda Cleland and Tom Prince discuss the advantages of the new academic program in marketing.

Related Stories

Back to News & Events

Did you know?

  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p><strong>Monmouth College is the birthplace of the women’s fraternity movement. Pi Beta Phi, the first such collegiate women’s organization, was founded at Monmouth in 1867. It was followed three years later by Kappa Kappa Gamma. The two pioneering organizations today boast a total of 275 active chapters nationwide.</strong></p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/student-life/sororities-fraternities/" target="_blank">Sororities & Fraternities</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> 99% of Monmouth students received some type of scholarship or financial assistance.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/offices/student-financial-planning/types-of-aid/scholarships/" target="_blank">Scholarships</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> We’re no stranger to winning. Last year the Fighting Scots won Midwest Conference championships in Football, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Basketball and Men’s Track and Field. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthscots.com/" target="_blank">Fighting Scots</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College is proudly test optional. Applicants may choose whether or to submit SAT or ACT scores for admission and scholarship consideration. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/admission/apply/test-optional/" target="_blank">Test Optional</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College covers the cost for all current students to get a U.S. passport. Unlock access to over 198 different countries! We’ll even help with the paperwork :)</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/study-abroad/" target="_blank">Study Abroad</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> We offer a certified Peace Corps Preparation program that gives Peace Corps bound graduates a leg up in the application process.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/peace-corps-prep/" target="_blank">Peace Corps Prep</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College has an educational garden and 6.7 acre farm. Students grow and harvest fruits and vegetables to sell at the local farmer’s market. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthcollege.edu/academics/only-at-monmouth/educational-garden-farm/" target="_blank">Garden & Farm</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College has an active Pipe & Drum Band. Each year on Scholars Day in April the bagpipers wake students up at 6:00 a.m. by playing in the residence halls!</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/music/pipe-band/" target="_blank">Pipe Band</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College offers unique academic minors in Global Public Health and Global Food Security for students who want to use their education to address global challenges. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/global-public-health/" target="_blank">Global Public Health</a></li><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/global-food-security/" target="_blank">Global Food Security</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> 98% of Monmouth graduates were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/wackerle-center/career-services/" target="_blank">Career Preparation</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College offers several international trips each year during 2-week Scots Terms in January and May. Recently students have traveled to Botswana, Greece, Scotland, Japan, and more. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthcollege.edu/offices/global-engagement/" target="_blank">Scots Term</a></li></ul></div></aside>