Marketing has been around since ancient times. In fact, in Roman mythology, Mercury is the god of trade and commerce. His name is related to the Latin word merx which we now find in the marketing terms merchandise, merchant, and commerce. Mercury is also know as the winged messenger of the gods, appropriate for a profession requiring quick thinking and speedy, reliable communications.

The foundations of marketing involve research to identify customer needs, product development, communication strategy, delivery of products and services to current and potential customers, planning methods to determine where to market and set prices, and knowing how to respond to international markets and cultures as necessary. Marketing is a practical, career-oriented, professional major that requires analytical abilities, logic, communication skills, and creativity. The marketing option prepares students for a variety of challenging career opportunities such as professional selling, advertising and public relations, services marketing, retailing, sports marketing, hospitality, internet marketing, marketing research, and healthcare marketing.