Master of Marketing Requirements & Deadlines

Applicant Statement

For consideration for admission, please submit a personal statement (750 words, approximately 2 pages max) answering the following three questions:

1. Briefly describe your short-term and long-term career goals. Why are you choosing to pursue a Master of Marketing at the Carlson School of Management, and what are you hoping to accomplish by doing so?
2. Being a professional in marketing requires strong communication skills. Describe a time when you were able to successfully “pitch” or communicate an idea.
3. What do you feel makes you a strong candidate for the program? How will you contribute to the program overall?

BEFORE PROGRAM ORIENTATION

Completion of Statistics Course

Completion of at least one semester of a college-level statistics course with a passing grade is required for enrollment in the program but is not required for admission.
 

This requirement can be satisfied either through academic coursework or completion of one of the specific online certificate courses detailed below. Must be completed before August 15.

For those who complete this requirement before applying to the program, we ask that you submit this information as part of the application process. In the online application, if you select...

• “Academic Coursework”, you will be prompted to identify the institution where the course was completed, as well as the course name and number. You are required to upload a course description or syllabus.
• “Completion of Online Certificate Course”, you will be prompted to select which of the above listed courses you completed. You are also required to upload a certificate of completion.

To be considered for admission, the Master of Marketing program requires a first university degree that is an equivalent to a 4-year U.S. bachelor's degree. Students with a 3-year degree from India do not satisfy this minimum requirement and must complete an additional year of accredited post-baccalaureate study before submitting an application to the program. 

Unofficial transcripts can be submitted through the online application. You will need to submit a transcript from each college or university where you have completed coursework before your application will be considered
complete and reviewed by the admissions committee. Unofficial transcripts must include your name and the name of the institution. Third Party credential evaluation reports and degree planning documents are not accepted. Non-English transcripts must be accompanied by an English translation. If you have previously enrolled at any University of Minnesota campus, you can obtain electronic copies of your transcripts from OneStop student services. 

If admitted, you must submit official transcripts or academic records prior to your enrollment at the University of Minnesota. Official transcripts are those that are sent directly to our office from your institution. Documents that you uploaded to your application are not official. An official, certified (signature and seal) English translation must accompany non-English transcripts. The University of Minnesota reserves the right to require the submission of official transcripts or credentials any time during the admission review process.

Official electronic transcripts must be issued directly to U of M programs or staff to be considered official. Electronic transcripts provided by the applicant through upload or email can only be considered unofficial, regardless of any certification or security features. The access information for electronic transcripts must be sent or "released" to Carlson MBA Programs: mbamsapp@umn.edu. Official paper transcripts should be mailed to: Carlson MBA & MS Admissions, 321 19th Ave S Suite 1-110, Minneapolis, MN 55455. You must use this exact address; transcripts mailed to this street address without a program or room number may not be delivered to the MBA & MS program office. For academic documents from institutions outside of the United States that do not issue transcripts by one of the above-mentioned methods, please contact us at mbamsapp@umn.edu for details.

English language translation services in the Twin Cities

Applicants to the MS in Marketing are not required to submit a GMAT or GRE test score to be considered for admission. However, if an applicant has an existing or scheduled GMAT or GRE test score they would like to include in their application, they may do so.

Applicants who would like to include a GMAT score in their application should arrange for the testing service to send an official score report to code D2N-VJ-05, Carlson Master of Marketing. Results arrive 2-3 weeks after the test.

Applicants who would like to include a GRE score in their application should arrange for the testing service to send an official score report using institution code 6874, U of MN graduate school. Results may take up to 8 weeks to arrive.

Prepare a current resume that includes a detailed education and employment history in no more than 3 pages.

Resume guidelines

• List both employer and official position held.
• Specify both month and year for dates of employment in each role.
• Detail job responsibilities and accomplishments in approximately 3-5 bullet points.

For additional guidance, visit our Carlson Business Career Center's resume advice webpage, and feel free to use their resume template to simplify the process.

Upload your completed resume in the online application where prompted for Resume or CV.

We require two recommendations for application to the Master of Marketing (MKTG) program. These recommendations can be from any combination of professional and academic recommenders, though we strongly prefer that at least one recommendation come from a supervisor or current employer if you have professional experience.

Please note that you do not need to solicit letters of recommendation from your recommenders. We partner with GMAC for the Common Letter of Recommendation, so you simply need to provide contact information for your recommenders and the form will be automatically routed to them via email for completion. The form does include an optional section to attach a letter of recommendation if your recommender chooses to add that component.

We recommend getting started on your application early so you can enter the recommender contact information right away before continuing to work on your application. Both recommenders must complete the GMAC form before your submitted application is considered complete. This means all recommendations must be received before the deadline for which you would like to be considered.

International and domestic applicants whose first language is not English must provide proof of English language proficiency. Proof of English language proficiency is measured according to the categories detailed below. You are not exempt if you have lived in an English-speaking country for several years, but have not completed any prior education in English.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Applicants providing an exam score must have an exam date within two years of the graduate program start date. Exams exceeding two years will not be accepted.
• We do not offer an option for the English language ability to be assessed upon arrival on campus.

For additional details regarding this requirement, please visit the Office of Graduate Admission's website or contact them at gsquest@umn.edu.   

• The video essay is a required component of the application that provides candidates with an opportunity to show the admissions committee the authentic you.  Think of this video essay as if you were answering an interview question with a member of our admissions committee.
• You will need to use a computer with camera and microphone capabilities. You will have the ability to test your technology before starting the video essay and submit a practice video essay.
• You can test your technology and run the practice simulation as many times as you wish to be comfortable with the format and technology.  You will be able to review your practice video essay(s) and your recording(s) will not be saved beyond the testing phase and will never be reviewed.
• You can also practice responding to impromptu questions offline with a friend or colleague before completing the video essay portion of your application.
• You will be prompted to click "Ready" once you are prepared to submit an official video essay.  You will be asked one impromptu question from a bank of imaginative or behavioral questions selected by our admissions team.
• Two minutes (120 seconds) will be provided to prepare an answer and two minutes (120 seconds) to record an answer.   Recording will automatically stop after two minutes.  You are not required to use the full two minutes.  If you have time remaining once complete with your response, click the "Stop Recording" button to end the recording.
• You will only be provided one attempt to record your official video essay.

The application fee is $75 (non-refundable) for U.S. citizens; and $95 for international applications and U.S. residents with foreign credentials. Your application fee will be waived if you have served in the US Armed Forces for any length of time prior to submitting an application.

Admission interviews are by invitation only. Not all applicants will be interviewed. Interviews may be conducted on campus or via Skype. The interview is approximately 30 minutes in length and aimed at better understanding a candidate’s academic and professional background. You should treat the interview as you would a job interview. Appropriate attire is business professional.