Certificate Students Talk About Marketing MMS to Employers

Student Ambassador Jamie Cohen interviewed various MMS students to find out how they talk to employers about the MMS certificate and how it pairs with their degrees.

While Duke doesn’t have an undergraduate business degree, it does have the Markets and Management certificate, and this is the next best thing. For students who wish to pursue a career in business, they need to be able to convey to employers how the MMS certificate, in combination with whatever major they have chosen to pursue, has provided them with skills that would be easily transferable to the career they have in mind. The list below doesn’t cover every possible MMS and major combination, but it might provide you with some helpful ideas for how to tell employers about what MMS has taught you and how MMS has supplemented your other academic pursuits. 

Jamie Cohen (Trinity ’20) – MMS + Public Policy Major (featured right) "I have combined the MMS certificate with the Policy Journalism and Media Studies certificate as well as a Public Policy major. Following graduation, I hope to pursue a career in public affairs and believe that MMS has provided me with skills that would be easily transferable to this industry. When talking to potential employers, I emphasize that the combination of the technical marketing skills I have gained through MMS as well as what my major has taught me about policy analysis and stakeholder engagement have given me valuable insight into the marketing strategies that could be used to engage audiences and build campaigns. I am confident that I will use what I have learned through my MMS courses about traditional, digital, and social media marketing strategies in my future career."

Dylan Posner (Trinity ’19) – MMS + Political Science Major  "At Duke, I have coupled MMS with a political science major and an Economics minor. The MMS certificate helps me explain how I have applied theoretical and analytical skills from my Political Science and Economics courses to the case studies I have encountered in my MMS courses. MMS has also taught me how to think about strategic management within business fields and helped me contextualize where I see my career path heading. Following graduation, I will be working as an Investments Analyst at AIG."

Alice Zhang (Pratt ‘21) – MMS + Biomedical Engineering major  "I have always had a combined interested in medicine and finance, and the MMS certificate has given me the opportunity to bridge these two interests. As a BME major, the MMS certificate allows to me to explore the industry side of biotech companies and has provided me with a more in depth look beyond the mechanics and logistics of biotech. It has also allowed me to see how management and operations plays a vital role in the development of biotech companies. I try to emphasize to employers how MMS has given me an understanding of the industry side that very few engineering majors have the chance to encounter."

Caroline Sprague (Trinity ’20) – MMS  + International Comparative Studies Major  "I have combined an International Comparative Studies major with the Markets and Management Studies certificate, and I plan to attend Law school after graduation. I believe that the MMS certificate has advanced my educational and professional goals in many ways because MMS is relevant and applicable to countless areas of study. I usually tell potential employers that MMS has allowed me to gain crucial insight into markets in a global context and thus goes hand-in-hand with my major. Additionally, the coursework has bolstered my professional skills by making me feel confident in my knowledge of markets and marketing and equipped in translating this knowledge to a workplace environment." 

Mathew Conely (Trinity ‘19) – MMS + Economics Major  "I have combined the MMS certificate with an economics major. When I talk to potential employers, I explain to them that the MMS program has allowed me to supplement my economics major through exposure to concrete examples at the micro level of individual business structures. I believe that the combination of my studies has provided me with knowledge that gives me an advantage when thinking theoretically about business strategy. Additionally, the sociological side of the program also provided me interesting concepts to discuss with employers. Following graduation, I will be working at Wells Fargo securities."

Isabel Senior (Trinity ’20) – MMS + Psychology Major  "Through my MMS classes, I have gained tangible knowledge such as the steps of building a marketing plan, the development of competitive analysis, and the ways in which many companies have become successful. These skills have not only helped me answer tough strategy based questions during interviews but also will help me with my internship this summer and ultimately wherever I work after graduation. My MMS classes have also reaffirmed my desire to work in business following graduation, particularly in the marketing field. For many of the internships I applied to, it was actually a mandatory requirement to have a Marketing or Communications major, so declaring MMS certainly has helped me justify my internship applications to many organizations."

Mary Kate Weggeland (Trinity ’21) – MMS + Art History Major   "The MMS certificate has allowed me to dovetail my interests in both the creative and analytical sides. I believe that the MMS certificate has enhanced my Art History major by allowing me to apply a business mindset to my interviews. Moreover, it has have proven practical in that I tend to bring many of my courses, mostly marketing-related courses, into my conversations with employers. It has also allowed me to pursue my passion for Art History while bolstering my knowledge of business and the corporate world — allowing me to pursue opportunities outside of the museum and traditional art history setting."

Kelly McLaughlin (Trinity ’20) – MMS + Visual Media Studies Major "I have combined a Visual Media Studies major with the MMS certificate. This combination has truly helped me learn how visuality impacts the world of business. In order to understand how the world economy functions, it is first important to know the connections between consumption and production as well as “looking.” Humans are visual creatures and consume with their eyes, so having an understanding of what looks visually appealing (a core concept of Visual Media Studies) has helped me also gauge what is financially appealing. This is something I continually emphasize to potential employers."