A master of marketing research (MMR) degree teaches you how to plan, design and execute research projects that can help determine new marketing opportunities for a company or solve problems associated with existing marketing plans. In addition to courses on the different qualitative and quantitative methods used to analyze marketing data, some programs include a general business component. To get a master of marketing research degree, you will need to gain admittance and complete all marketing, business and elective courses required. You also will need to do a marketing research project, thesis or internship.
Most schools have specified admission criteria that you need to meet to be accepted into a master of marketing research program in good standing. You will need a bachelor's degree, which usually can be in any major, though degrees unrelated to marketing may result in you needing to take specific undergraduate courses, such as statistics or foundation business courses, before you are admitted to the graduate program. Other requirements include recommendations from past professors, a letter of intent, specified scores on graduate school exams, a minimum grade point average during your undergraduate courses and, for international students, language tests. If you're unable to meet all requirements, some schools offer provisional admission that lets you meet the requirements within your first term.
The types of courses required for a master of marketing research can vary, with some schools requiring a set of basic business courses before you begin the specialized marketing courses. Basic business courses can include financial and managerial accounting, microeconomics, macroeconomics, business management, finance, statistics, information technology and introductory marketing. Specialized marketing management courses teach product management, marketing modeling and analysis, business communications, qualitative marketing research, consumer behavior, project management, marketing management and online marketing technologies. Some programs also require electives, which may include additional specialized marketing courses or general business courses.
To graduate from a master of marketing research program, you will need to meet some additional requirements that may vary, depending on your university's policies. Most programs require some sort of final practicum, internship or thesis, and some schools require more than one of these for you to graduate. A practicum or capstone usually consists of a complete marketing research project that allows you to use concepts from your specialized courses. An internship gives you a supervised opportunity to work as a marketing researcher and may be paid or unpaid. Completing at least a minimum number of courses at your college, maintaining a qualified grade point average and finishing the program within a maximum time frame are other requirements you may need to meet.