What Are the Differences Between the Business, Marketing and Financial Management Associate Degrees?

Have you spent time online researching an online associate degree — and now find yourself wondering which program to choose? If you’re a little confused, we’re glad you found this article.

Picking the right degree is a commitment, and we know you want to make the right choice. There are many programs to choose from — and if you’re unsure about where to go in your career, the options can be overwhelming.

Relax and settle in for a few minutes as we explore the differences between three of our popular online business associate degree programs:

• Applied Business in Business Management Technology
• Applied Business in Marketing Management Technology
• Applied Business in Financial Management Technology

Similar Names, Different Focuses

First, let’s talk about what these programs have in common: The degree names sound similar, and they’re offered by University of Cincinnati Online. Each program welcomes students from across Ohio and beyond our state — anyone who wants to work toward their associate degree online and still have time for work and personal obligations.

Now let’s review the differences. At a high level, here’s what to know: Each business degree has a special focus area, there are differences in the curriculum, and the graduates’ career paths will likely look different, too.

Here are some specifics:

• Business Management puts a focus on management. The program prepares you to move into a supervisory or management position within a variety of business settings. (Variety is the keyword as you’re not limited to one business area.) This program highlights business and management skills.
• Marketing Management places its focus on marketing. This degree prepares you for a role in marketing, sales, or promotions, where the emphasis is on attracting new customers and keeping current ones happy that they do business with you. The core of this program’s curriculum is business-oriented with a focus on marketing.
• Financial Management — you guessed it — emphasizes finance. This degree is for you if you can picture yourself working in a financial-focused role at a company. The core of this program’s curriculum is business-oriented with a focus on finance.

Online Associate Degree Courses

Next, let’s dig a little deeper and look at a few of the courses in each online associate degree program.

When you explore the Business Management curriculum, you’ll find courses focused on how businesses operate — for example, Fundamentals of Management, Introduction to Statistics and Legal Environment of Business.

The Marketing Management courses includes three “Fundamentals” courses focused on sales and marketing — advertising and promotion, customer behavior, sales management, and digital marketing.

The Financial Management classes introduce you to business finance, financial planning, risk management and accounting — important focus areas for every business.

Each program is 60 credit hours which can be completed in two years if you study full-time. (Some of our students choose to attend part-time.) You can study any time during the week or on the weekend, whatever works best for your life.

Business, Marketing and Finance Careers

By now, we bet you’re starting to imagine the types of work you could do with one of these associate degrees under your belt and what your job title associate might be.

Here are some of the responsibilities and job titles our online associate degree graduates seek:

• Business Management – You could work in a company’s operations area or help its employees maximize their productivity in your role as a team lead. You could apply your critical-thinking, problem-solving and communication skills to a variety of departmental roles in your work as an Operations Supervisor, Sales Coordinator or Customer Support Representative.
• Marketing Management – In a marketing-focused position, you could plan and implement policies, strategies and tactics that support a company’s marketing and sales efforts. Your job title could be Sales Promotion Coordinator, Market Research Interviewer or Event Planner, and your decision-making skills and creativity could be called into play each day.
• Financial Management – A career in finance could mean working for a bank or other business as a Collections Specialist, Financial Representative or Loan Processor. Your understanding of basic financial principles and concepts would make a meaningful difference for the company, whether you’re in a corporate or nonprofit setting.

Take the Next Step

Deciding what online associate degree is best for you takes time and thoughtful consideration, and we hope this article aptly summarized the programs, their focus areas and some of the career opportunities.

Here’s one more thing to remember as you make this important decision: UC Online is a well-respected, accredited university with more than 20 years of experience dedicated to online learning. Our programs are designed with today’s students in mind — people who want to enjoy the college experience without having to live on campus.

For more information about our associate degrees, visit ucBMTN.online (Business), ucMMT.online (Marketing) or ucFMT.online (Finance). If you’re ready to take the next step, connect with a UC Online Enrollment Services Advisor by calling 833-556-4428 or sending them a message. They’re here to answer your questions and help you get started.

We look forward to you joining one of our Associate of Applied Business programs!