Study Marketing Abroad

Good marketers understand their product, their audience, and their world. You can learn from a book, but experience, travel, and adventure, as part of your marketing studies, will help you become a thought-leader in your field. The people you’ll meet, the food you’ll taste, the cultures you’ll absorb will all inform your worldview and make you a valuable asset.

Study abroad also helps you develop the soft skills that are so invaluable to a career in marketing: strategic thinking, problem-solving, communication, and interpersonal skills, attention to detail, and self-confidence. Combine these with the creativity you’ll gain from your travels and you’ll be well on your way to success that goes beyond the classroom. Go, study marketing abroad.

Marketing today means determining consumer needs and then translating them into products and services and then selling them locally, nationally, and even globally. Today's semester in China can translate into a tomorrow's brilliant career selling sprockets overseas. Although your future office many be in New York, you will need to understand ethical business practices in Bangladesh, cultural norms in China and government regulation in South America.

Increasingly, there are study abroad programs designed specifically for marketing, advertising, and public relations. Some are part of broader business studies programs, but ideally, they will include a practical component, like a dual study-intern program.

At the end of your semester, summer, or year, you should have a greater appreciation for marketing at a global level, but should also have had the opportunity to start a portfolio of your own.

Where to Go

Some popular destinations for marketing study abroad programs include:

• England (London)
• Ireland
• Australia (Sydney)
• France (Paris)
• Spain
• Argentina
• China
• Mexico

Though, if you're choosing your study abroad program based on your major, it's helpful to be flexible on your destination.

Health & Safety

As with any study abroad experience, it’s important to be aware of one’s surroundings and follow all advice and counsel from one’s home university, study abroad program, and any travel warnings from the State Department.

Health considerations will vary widely from country to country. Please make sure to look at country specific advice for vaccinations and tips on staying healthy.

Cost of travel making you sad? Turn that frown upside-down! Here are some scholarships that can help easy the costs of study abroad:

• AIFS Study Abroad Scholarships and Grants
• More Study Abroad Grants and Scholarships

Don’t forget to search for location-specific scholarships once you’ve found a marketing program that appeals to you!