Business Schools in Louisiana

Students in Louisiana can choose from around 50 schools with business programs for undergrads looking to make their move and get their foot in the door to MBA programs for future leaders in diverse areas like finance, accounting, marketing, HRM and more.

Marketing Degree Programs in Louisiana

State of Louisiana’s Marketing Industry

Louisiana’s economy has made a lot of headway since the devastation of Katrina. Rebuilding from hurricane damage and the development of the Barnett shale field together pumped money into the state and protected it from the worst of the recession, according to the 2012 Louisiana Economic Outlook from Chase. From 2007-2012, income and job growth were among the best in the country.

The Bayou State relies heavily on its oil and natural gas sectors, so the marketing industry is comparatively small. Louisiana only has three Fortune 500 companies, as of 2012. Along with Alabama and Mississippi, it had one of the lowest concentrations of marketing managers in the U.S. in 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov).

Marketers often find work in the Big Easy, attracted by businesses affiliated with the Port of Louisiana. New Orleans is also building a reputation as “Silicon Valley on the Bayou,” in Reuters’s phrase. In 2011, Inc. dubbed it the “Coolest Start-Up City in America” and Forbes called it the #1 “Brain Magnet” in the country.

Job Prospects for Louisiana Marketing Graduates

Job prospects for Louisiana marketing graduates look good. From 2010-2020, Louisiana’s Department of Labor is predicting the state will add 430 jobs for PR specialists and 180 jobs for marketing managers.

Openings for market research analysts and marketing specialists were projected to grow by an outstanding 43% – good enough to land that job category on Louisiana’s Top 25 list of fastest-growing occupations (at #11).

In some ways, though, Louisiana still has a tough reputation. Crime and poverty rates remain high, and kids score poorly on standardized tests, according to Forbes in 2012. Low living costs translate to lower wages. In 2011, the median annual income for a Louisiana marketing manager was $71,900. For the U.S. overall, it was $116,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

If advertising agencies are your game, Louisiana has a select few. The Graham Group, Trumpet and The Moran Group are some of the largest, each registering $5-6 million in sales volume in 2011.

Louisiana Schools for Marketing

There are 17 accredited marketing schools in Louisiana (six in New Orleans alone). Here are two to compare:

1. Louisiana State University – Baton Rouge (LSU) (https://www.lsu.edu/)

LSU’s E.J. Ourso College of Business offers a Bachelor of Science with a major in marketing, a range of MBAs (including an online MBA) and a doctorate in marketing. Ourso was the only Louisiana school to make it onto U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 rankings for “Best Business Schools” (#81); its undergraduate program ranked at #72 overall.

For undergraduates, LSU provides internships and access to the multidisciplinary “Entrepreneurship Fellows Program.” The MBA program includes opportunities for summer internships and international study trips; doctoral candidates are invited to apply for marketing scholarships.

2. Louisiana Tech University (LA Tech) (http://business.latech.edu/)

Students at LA Tech’s College of Business can pursue a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in marketing, a variety of MBAs (though none with a specific concentration in marketing), or a Doctor of Business Administration. The college is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

LA Tech has five professional research centers, including the Academy of Marketing Science. The Academy hosts a series of conferences and symposia and publishes the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (JAMS). Undergraduate marketing internships are also available.

Professional Marketing Organizations in Louisiana

The Creole State has a well-deserved reputation for southern hospitality. Though Louisiana’s marketing organizations may not be as mammoth as New York’s or California’s, they’re pretty active in hosting networking events.

• AAF Acadiana (http://www.aafacadiana.com/): Acadiana chapter of the American Advertising Federation
• AAF Baton Rouge (https://www.aafbr.org): Baton Rouge chapter of the American Advertising Federation
• AAF Lake Charles (https://www.aaflakecharles.com/): Lake Charles chapter of the American Advertising Federation
• AAF Shreveport-Bossier (http://getpluggedin.aafsb.org/): Shreveport-Bossier chapter of the American Advertising Federation
• Ad Club of New Orleans (https://www.facebook.com/AdClubNOLA/): New Orleans chapter of the American Advertising Federation
• AMA New Orleans (http://www.amaneworleans.com/): New Orleans chapter of the American Marketing Association

Business Degree Programs in Louisiana

Louisiana’s low cost of doing business, coupled with numerous business incentive programs offered through the Louisiana Department of Economic Development, makes the state an attractive destination for small and large businesses alike. Leading these companies are business school graduates with undergraduate degrees and specialized MBAs in areas such as accounting, management, finance, marketing, business administration, international business, and human resources management, among others.

Small businesses in Louisiana

According to the Federal Small Business Association (SBA), Louisiana is home to some 424,475 small businesses, employing more than half of the state’s private workforce.  Business school graduates interested in startup culture gravitate towards Louisiana to take advantage of the state’s strong small-business climate.

According to the SBA, the following industries make up the majority of Louisiana’s small business employers (small business firm employers are defined as having between 1-499 employees):

• Professional, scientific, and technical services, 10,770 employer firms
• Retail trade, 10,326 employer firms
• Health care and social assistance, 9,581 employer firms
• Other services (except public administration), 8,825 employer firms
• Construction, 7,705 employer firms

Louisiana’s largest companies

Beyond small enterprises, business school graduates serve as leaders and vital support personnel for Louisiana’s largest and most profitable corporations. Among the business juggernauts headquartered in Louisiana are:

• CenturyLink in Monroe, $18.1 billion in annual revenue, 47,000 employees
• Entergy in New Orleans, $11.4 billion in annual revenue, 14,000 employees
• Quality Companies in Youngsville, $98.5 million in annual revenue, 1,200 employees
• AFS in Shreveport, $54.4 million in annual revenue, 275 employees

Large Louisiana-based companies rely on experienced specialists for nearly every aspect of their operations. The importance of the contributions these graduates make is reflected in their income, which often exceeds six figures annually according to the US Bureau for Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov):

• Economists, $107,190 mean annual income
• General and operations managers, $106,460 mean annual income
• Sales managers, $98,210 mean annual income
• Financial analysts, $78,270 mean annual income

For business school graduates, Louisiana provides diverse opportunities and the potential for immense career growth. In fact, CenturyLink CEO Glen Post, who earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Louisiana Tech University, has worked for the company since 1976, steadily progressing to his current position where he earned some $13,131,448 in FY 2014.

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University of Louisiana

The part-time MBA at the University of Louisiana offers late afternoon and evening classes that are ideal for students with full-time jobs. In fact, 80 percent of students in the program are working. This degree program prepares you for a leadership career in business and covers general management principles, Total Quality Management, ethics, international business and applied technology. It consists of 27 hours of core foundation courses in the areas of accounting, information systems, economics, finance, international business, management and marketing, as well as six hours of electives. In addition to the general MBA, the university offers a specialized Health Care Administration MBA. This degree requires students to complete two approved internships in two administrative areas of selected health care organizations.

Tulane University

Tulane is home to the world-renowned A. B. Freeman School of Business. The Tulane MBA experience revolves around the themes of global leadership and the practice of management. Your learning experience begins with intensive core courses that emphasize interaction with fellow students and faculty. You will then design the rest of your curriculum with career center staff and faculty to tailor your degree around your specific goals, and complete your student experience with hands-on projects, case studies and internships in your chosen field. In addition to areas of specialization in finance, marketing and strategic management and leadership, you can add the Global Leadership Module that includes three international excursions. Tulane also hosts a number of programs that give students real-life experience such as Burkenroad Reports, the on-campus equity analyst program.

Loyola University New Orleans

The Loyola MBA is designed to arm you with best-in-class practices and techniques, including the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, Six Sigma Strategy, Project Management Institute and American Society for Quality approaches. The program can be pursued full time or part time; either way, each class is offered just one evening per week to accommodate you if you need to juggle your career with your studies. In addition to the traditional MBA, this Catholic university offers dual degree programs that combine a Juris Doctor or a Master of Pastoral Studies with an MBA.

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State offers four MBA options. The traditional MBA is offered on campus and can be completed in 22 months of full-time study. This program offers specializations in health care management, finance, internal audit, global entrepreneurship, management consulting, analytics, marketing analytics, human resource management and supply chain management, as well as a custom specialization option that allows you to tailor your studies to your interests and goals. If you have at least three years of work experience, you can also study part time in the evening through the Professional MBA. Or, if you already have significant management experience, the Executive MBA can be completed in as little as 17 months. The fourth option is a four-year duel degree program that allows you to earn both an MBA and a Juris Doctor in a year less than it would take to pursue each program separately.

University of New Orleans

The MBA program at the University of New Orleans is one of the largest in the state. Courses are offered at multiple times to keep the experience personal and to accommodate a variety of schedules; at least one section of every course is offered in the evening. The school offers several areas of concentration: finance, health care management, human resource management, international business, marketing, technology management, management information systems and hotel, restaurant and tourism. In addition to the traditional MBA, the school offers an Executive MBA for students with significant management experience; this option emphasizes applied learning over pure theory and is a challenging, fast-paced experience.

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