Core Courses | MBA Electives | Other Electives| Master Thesis
Program Overview
The Master of Science in Marketing Science requires two semesters of full-time study (fall and spring) at Columbia Business School.
Students need to complete a minimum of ten full graduate-level courses (30 credits) composed as follows:
- Six core courses
- Two MBA electives in marketing
- Upto two electives chosen from courses offered by the doctoral program or by other schools at Columbia University (e.g., Engineering, Economics, Statistics, Computer Science, Psychology)
Prior to commencing the program, admitted students are required to have completed a Statistics course at the undergraduate level. It is also desirable that applicants have some experinece in a programing language, preferably Python or R.
In addition, it is highly recommended that students develop some knowledge and experience working with SQL, a database programming language, and any one of the statistical packages such as SPSS, SAS, Stata, and Matlab prior to joining the MS program.
Core Courses
All students are required to complete the following sequence of coursework:
- B9659 Statistical Modeling and Decision Making
- Winning Stategic Capabilities
- Marketing Models
- Multivariate Statistics
Note that the Statistical Modeling and Decision Making course begins in mid-August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
They are also required to take or exempt from these two MBA courses:
If desired, students can substitute Strategic Consumer Insights (B8607) with either of the two PhD Consumer Behavior courses (Consumer Behavior I - B9609 or Consumer Behavior II - B9617). However, instructor permission is required before joining each course.
MBA Electives
Students can take a maximum of two MBA courses in marketing. Students choose the elective classes that are most relevant to their interests. The following table contains a list of potential MBA and EMBA courses to choose from:
Students could substitute these courses with other MBA electives subject to availability of seats and with approval from the MS committee.
Other Electives
Students are required to take a minimum of two electives chosen from courses offered by the Ph.D. program or approved courses offered by other schools at Columbia University. Students choose these electives to sharpen their analytical skills and/or build expertise in their area of interest. The following table presents a list of courses offered by the Ph.D. program to choose from:
| Courses offered by the Ph.D. Program | Course Credit |
| Consumer Behavior I or II (B9609 or B9617)* | 3 |
| Bayesian Modeling and Computation (B9610) | 3 |
| Bridging Behavioral Decision Research and Marketing Science (B9607) | 3 |
| Empirical Models I (B9615) | 3 |
| Experimental Design and Analysis for Behavioral Research (B9608) | 3 |
| MS Machine Learning | 1.5 |
*These courses are offered yearly. All the other courses are offered bi-annually.
Other graduate-level classes offered across the School and University may also be applied toward this requirement, subject to availability and approval of the Master of Science in Marketing Science Degree Committee. The following table presents an illustrative sample of courses:
| Courses offered by other schools at Columbia | Dept/School |
| Machine Learning (COMS4771) | Computer Sci |
| Human Factors: Performance (E4207) | Engineering |
| Seminar in Human Factors Design (E4208) | Engineering |
| Social Impact of Mass Media (J6030) | Journalism |
| Data Mining (W4240) | Statistics |
| Sample Surveys (GU4234) | Statistics |
| Multilevel Models (W4233) | Statistics |
| Time Series Analysis (GU4221) | Statistics |
| Linear Regression and Time Series Methods (GU4282) | Statistics |
| Survival Analysis (GU4231) | Statistics |
Master Thesis
MS in Marketing Science students have the option to complete a master thesis (for course credit) under the supervision of a faculty adviser. Students will provide regular progress reports on their work. The project will generally be grounded in an industry-related problem and/or a relevant academic research question. Alternatively, students can take a specified PhD level class in lieu of completing a thesis.