Marketing Communications Pathway
A good fit?
Is your student always coming up with catchy slogans? Do they love discovering new products and telling family and friends about their favorites? Then a career in marketing communications may be a good fit!
Marketing positions focus on strategy and analytics. Marketing professionals estimate market demand for their company’s product, decide which customers to target, and design or launch advertising campaigns.
Stride Career Prep* offers a rigorous curriculum where students learn to plan, coordinate, and implement marketing strategies and public relations activities.
Gain real-world skills through project-based learning.
Stride Career Prep has implemented project-based learning (PBL) for many courses in this pathway. PBL curriculum is designed to hone students’ problem-solving, communication, critical thinking, and team collaboration skills. This curriculum is taught by experienced business professionals and includes preparation in the Microsoft Office suite and practical, hands-on exercises that require students to analyze a company’s competitors, create an advertising campaign, and observe customer service interactions in their own community.
Our Marketing Communications Pathway Curriculum in Detail
All our students take the core courses required for high school graduation in their state. The chart below shows the additional classes that students in the Marketing Communications Pathway take. You can see the rest of the curriculum by viewing the full course list.
| CAREER EXPLORATION COURSES These courses provide an opportunity for students to gain insight into potential careers. |
| Business & Marketing Explorations Intro to Business Information Management Business Information Management: Data Essentials |
| CAREER PREPARATION COURSES These courses prepare students for industry-recognized certification exams. |
| Intro to Business Communications Business Communication 2† OR Sports and Entertainment Marketing 1† Sports and Entertainment Marketing 2† |
| OPTIONAL CAREER LEARNING COURSES While not required, these courses provide an opportunity for students to gain knowledge and skills that are useful in their chosen careers. |
| Interpersonal Communication† Principles of Business, Marketing, and Finance 1† Principles of Business, Marketing, and Finance 2† |
Note: Pathway courses are subject to change.
†New in fall 2022
Get credentialed.
In a world where competition for jobs, pay increases, and academic success continues to increase, certifications provide a credible, third-party assessment of a student’s skills and knowledge of a given subject. Students in this pathway can prepare to take these industry-recognized certification exams:**
| CAREER SKILLS CERTIFICATIONS These baseline certifications prepare students with domain-specific, entry-level job skills. |
| A*S*K Fundamental Marketing Concepts |
Find a school near you that offers the Marketing Communications Pathway.
Stride Career Prep programs with the Marketing Communications Pathway are available at tuition-free, K12-powered, public online schools in the following states:
ARIZONA
Insight Academy of Arizona
ARKANSAS
Arkansas Virtual Academy
IDAHO
Idaho Technical Career Academy
INDIANA
Indiana Digital Learning School
MINNESOTA
Minnesota Virtual Academy
MISSOURI
Missouri Virtual Academy
OREGON
Cascade Virtual Academy
Insight School of Oregon—Painted Hills
PENNSYLVANIA
Insight School of Pennsylvania
Stride Career Prep at Agora Cyber Charter School
SOUTH CAROLINA
Cyber Academy of South Carolina
WASHINGTON
Insight School of Washington
WISCONSIN
Destinations Career Academy of Wisconsin
WYOMING
Wyoming Virtual Academy
Don’t see your state? Check out the tuition-based option here in Marketing Communications. There are also tuition-free options in related fields like the Merchandising Pathway!
Choose a career. Prepare for the future.
Students in this pathway can prepare for a wide variety of careers in the field of marketing, including:
Advertising/Promotions/Marketing Manager
Marketing managers plan and implement marketing campaigns, which can include online, print, and TV/radio advertising, and promotions such as contests, coupons, or giveaways. They may also negotiate joint marketing campaigns with strategic partners, evaluate and hire contractors/vendors, track updates to the website to boost search engine optimization (SEO), and oversee the organization’s branding and image. Marketing managers may focus on a particular brand or product of their employer or a particular advertising channel (e.g., social media or print advertising).
2021 Median Salary
$133,380
Expected Job Growth Rate for 2020–2030
Average
Typical Entry-Level Education
Bachelor’s degree
This data reflects the information available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook on June 30, 2022. To learn more about this occupation, visit bls.gov/ooh/management/advertising-promotions-and-marketing-managers.htm.
Public Relations Specialist
Public relations specialists create and maintain a positive public image for the clients they represent. Their duties include writing and publishing press releases; providing responses to the media’s information requests; and monitoring public opinions of companies using social media, surveys, or polls.
2021 Median Salary
$62,800
Expected Job Growth Rate for 2020–2030
Faster than average
Typical Entry-Level Education
Bachelor’s degree
This data reflects the information available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook on June 30, 2022. To learn more about this occupation, visit bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/public-relations-specialists.htmbls.gov/ooh/management/advertising-promotions-and-marketing-managers.htm.
Market Research Analyst
Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price. They may create and administer surveys, run focus groups, or conduct polls to do so. They also examine data on past marketing campaign performance to guide future campaigns.
2021 Median Salary
$63,920
Expected Job Growth Rate for 2020–2030
Much faster than average
Typical Entry-Level Education
Bachelor’s degree
This data reflects the information available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook on June 30, 2022. To learn more about this occupation, visit bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/market-research-analysts.htm.
FAQs
Jobs with the word “marketing” in the title typically require a bachelor’s degree. However, many other jobs—from sales rep to real estate agent to small business owner—involve marketing but do not require a college degree. The Marketing Communications Pathway is excellent preparation for a bachelor’s-level marketing or business program and careers that don’t require a college degree but involve sales and marketing.
In high school, take college preparatory classes as well as electives like marketing and business communication. You can also look for an internship or job at a store near you. Many small stores are looking for ways to differentiate themselves and bring in customers. Try offering some free help like running their social media or organizing an email campaign to bring in customers. You can also offer your services to a cause you care about.
Learn more about course offerings in the other Stride Career Prep career fields.
Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
Learn more >
Business Management & Administration
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Criminal Justice & Community Services
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Education & Training
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Engineering & Manufacturing
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Health Sciences
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Hospitality & Tourism
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Information Technology (IT)
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Marketing
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Visual Arts & Communications
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*Stride Career Prep is a program for grades 9–12. Some schools offer career exploration in middle school.
**Many Microsoft®️ Office certificates can be earned after completing one course. Other certificates require more classes to be better prepared, and students who participate in the program for at least two years will have further preparation for certification testing.
***Opportunities vary by school; please visit your school page or check with your school counselor.