Opportunities in Marketing

Want to learn more about the opportunities available to Penn State Smeal Marketing students? Our students have access to exclusive organizations and research opprotu

Opportunities In Marketing Handout

Our Approach to Education

The Penn State Smeal Marketing Department is known for being on the cutting edge of marketing thought leadership, focusing on the marketing concepts and tools that connect theory and practice. The faculty are recognized for their excellence in research and they carry this knowledge into the classroom to train the next generation of practitioners and scholars. Offering a wide range of courses and plentiful opportunities for student engagement, the Marketing major is designed to challenge students to be strategic thinkers who are nimble in an ever-changing marketplace landscape. Students develop creative, interpersonal, and analytical skills as they pursue customer-focused careers.

Marketing Graduates

At the heart of the Smeal Marketing department are its students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. These talented individuals have gone on to pursue positions at top companies and faculty positions at leading research universities.

Recent graduates have landed positions at companies such as Amazon, Deloitte, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Google, Heinz, Home Advisor, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase, Kohl’s, MiracleGro, PepsiCo, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Unilever, and many more. MBA graduates have gone on to work in a variety of fields including brand management at companies such as Apple, P&G, and Kimberly Clark, as well as consulting companies like Deloitte and EY. Our alumni include the pillars of the marketing world, including the Global Head of Marketing and Consumer Communication for Nestle, Chief Innovation Leader at LevLane Advertising, and many entrepreneurs such as the founder of Undertone, an advertising technology firm. Ph.D. students who have graduated from our program continue the Penn State tradition of excellence and are tenured professors at places such as Georgetown University, Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Texas-Austin. More recent graduates have landed jobs at universities like Texas Christian University, University of Delaware, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and others. The Penn State spirit lives on.

Opportunities for Student Engagement

Penn State Prime

Penn State Prime gives students the opportunity to gain hands-on project management skills in advertising and brand marketing. Students participate in workshops, case competitions, and networking sessions. They may apply these skills in a spring practicum course mentored by ad agency executives and brand managers.

Digital Marketing Practicum

A new offering from the department gives the students a chance to work with Amazon Advertising on digital marketing campaigns. Those seeking more hands-on experience in digital should apply for this fall practicum course.

Jacobs Fellows

Marketing students who have a strong interest in pursuing careers in retail-related fields are encouraged to apply to become Jacobs Fellows. The Jacobs’ Fellows Program, in tribute to Melvin Jacobs, a graduate of Penn State and former Chairman and CEO of Saks Fifth Avenue, encourages outstanding marketing students to further their interest in the retail industry. Jacobs Fellows have the opportunity to attend exclusive events, deepen their retailing knowledge, and gain valuable networking opportunities, which prepare them for a promising career in retailing. Students interested in applying to become Jacobs Fellows should apply when announcements are made in Spring.

Marketing Research Assistants

For those seeking exposure to marketing research in action, the department offers opportunities for students to become involved in the Behavioral Lab. Not only are students encouraged to be research participants for extra course credit, but dedicated assistants help facilitate data collections and provide research support. Students interested in applying for research assistant positions should contact the Behavioral Lab Manager through the department office.

Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM)

Part of a network of research centers at Smeal, the ISBM brings together scholars and practitioners from around the world to study and resolve issues related to business-tobusiness marketing. Students interested in Business Marketing are encouraged to get involved in the webinar series.

Marketing Faculty

Our department is known for both establishing the traditions of our field, as well as advancing concepts and tools that are forward thinking. Our faculty members frequently contribute to the most prestigious journals in our field and are among leading scholars in consumer behavior, marketing management and strategy, and quantitative modeling of buyer behavior and firm interactions. They regularly consult with major companies on important strategic problems and bring knowledge back to the classroom. As a result, our students gain first-hand knowledge of marketing as practical and theoretical, as traditional and leading edge, and as both a science and an art. 

 

Faculty Members

Highest Degree Earned
Consumer Behavior  
Hans Baumgartner, Smeal Chair Professor of Marketing Ph.D., Stanford University, 1988
Lisa E. Bolton, Anchel Professor of Business Administration Ph.D., University of Florida, 2000
Brett Christenson, Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing Ph.D., University of Alabama, 2020
Jennifer Chang Coupland, Clinical Professor of Marketing Ph.D., Northwestern University, 1998
Sara L. Dommer, Assistant Professor of Marketing Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, 2012
Meg Meloy, David H. McKinley Professor of Business Administration Ph.D., Cornell University, 1996
Evan Smith, Instructor of Marketing M.B.A., Lehigh University, 2015
Courtney Szocs, Associate Professor of Marketing Ph.D., Florida State University, 2014
Dave Winterich, Assistant Teaching Professor M.S., Texas A&M University, 2009
Karen Winterich, Gerald I. Susman Professor in Sustainability Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, 2007
Marketing Management and Strategy  
Matthew Checchio, Assistant Teaching Professor  M.S., Drexel University, 2012
Luciano Lapa, Assistant Professor of Marketing Ph.D., Indiana University, 2023
Gary Lilien, Distinguished Research Professor of Mgmt Science Penn State Ph.D., Columbia University, 1973
Keisha Liggett Nichols, Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing  D.B.A., Georgia State University, 2013
Sotires Pagiavlas, Assistant Professor of Marketing Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 2020
J. Andrew Petersen, Associate Professor of Marketing Ph.D., University of Connecticut, 2008
Arvind Rangaswamy, University Distinguished Professor of Marketing Ph.D., Northwestern University, 1985
Jennifer Roth, Instructor of Marketing M.B.A., Penn State University, 2014
Johanna Slot, Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing Ph.D., Tilburg University, 2013
Stefan Wuyts, Professor of Marketing Ph.D., Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2003
Quantitative Modeling  
Min Ding, Bard Professor in Marketing, Affiliate Professor of Information Sciences and Technology Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 2001
Duncan Fong, Frank and Mary Jean Smeal Research Fellow, Professor of Marketing & Statistics Ph.D., Purdue University, 1987
Chelsea Hammond, Associate Clinical Professor of Marketing Ph.D., University of Connecticut, 2009
John Liechty, Professor of Marketing & Statistics Ph.D., Cambridge University, 1998
Sean Melessa, Assistant Professor of Marketing Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 2022
J. Andrew Petersen, Associate Professor of Marketing Ph.D., University of Connecticut, 2008
Arvind Rangaswamy, University Distinguished Professor of Marketing Ph.D., Northwestern University, 1985
Ning Zhong, Assistant Professor of Marketing Ph.D., Emory University, 2019

Emeritus Marketing Faculty

Wayne DeSarbo, Ph.D. Marv Goldberg, Ph.D. Fred Hurvitz, M.B.A. Ralph Oliva, Ph.D. Jerry Olson,Ph.D.
Franklin Carter, Ph.D.