Services Marketing Certificate Program Launched
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According to Mr. George Jenkins, Director of IES and Executive-in-Residence in the Department of Marketing, services marketing concepts are critical to all organizations. In order to be successful, companies must go beyond the basic benefit of their core product – by delivering services that exceed customer expectations and provide competitive advantage.
Certificate students are introduced to these concepts in their coursework, and then apply them to an internship setting. The internship must be approved in advance and can be in any one of the following career tracks:
The program is open to students from all business specializations; however, admission is competitive. Those students selected for the program earn their certificate by taking a set of six courses that are structured around both services marketing and the particular career track. A detailed paper focused on the internship experience counts as one of these six courses.
“We feel that real-world experience through an internship can be an extremely important part of a marketing education,” says Dr. Greg Rich, Chair of the Department of Marketing. “So, if students can thoroughly document how they applied what they learned in the classroom to their job, we give academic credit for that experience. Of course, we work with the employers, and closely monitor the internship.”
These six courses, including the internship, also count toward their business degree – so BSBA Marketing Specialization students can earn a certificate without having to take any additional courses. Consequently, there is no extra cost for the certificate, beyond the cost of tuition.
According to Dr. Gremler, the IES Certificate Program provides a number of benefits to students, “…mostly in the area of getting a good job and turning it into a successful business career.” Recruiters will seek these students out – first, because these students are part of a select, highly-motivated and career-focused group; and second, because they are guaranteed to have actual work experience through their internship. Finally, only students in the Certificate Program can complete an internship that counts as academic credit toward the BSBA Marketing Specialization.
To learn more about the IES Certificate Program, click here, or contact Dr. Rich at: garich@bgsu.edu.
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BGSU’s Institute for Excellence in Services (IES) is now awarding certificates to current undergraduate business students who have successfully applied services marketing concepts to an internship setting.