Business Schools in Texas

If you want to pursue an education in business in Texas, you’re in luck. The state offers around 145 schools to choose from offering everything from undergraduate degrees for those looking to get their career started in areas like human resources, accounting, marketing or finance, to specialized MBAs for business professionals looking to advance or compete for leadership positions with their current employer.

Advice from an Experienced Professional

Below, we interview Dean Hasan Pirkul, Naveen Jindal School of Management Dean at the University of Texas at Dallas. In this interview, Dean Pirkul discusses the importance of lifelong learning, how globalization will shape the future, and communication tips.

Marketing Degree Programs in Texas

State of Texas’s Marketing Industry

Texas has always been big, but it’s about to get a whole lot bigger. The Lone Star State was home to 52 Fortune 500 companies in 2012, and its $1.3 trillion economy was second only to California’s, according to Forbes in 2011. Even more telling, nearly 400 TX businesses appeared on Inc.’s Top 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies in 2012.

Named the “Top State for Business” in 2012 by CNBC, Texas employs a truckload of marketers. They work in the energy sector for giants like Exxon and ConocoPhillips, in technology and telecommunications (e.g., AT&T and Dell), in manufacturing and military-related industries (e.g., Halliburton) and in the state’s booming tourist trade.

Of course, they also work for marketing firms. There are over 2,700 advertising agencies in Texas, many of them generating tens of millions of dollars in sales. Digital Generation in Irving is the largest, followed by Ivie & Associates, according to findthecompany.com, but there are plenty of smaller but equally aggressive agencies also in the game.

Job Prospects for Texas Marketing Graduates

Job prospects for Texas marketing graduates look great. From 2010-2020, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is projecting that management opportunities will grow by 16.9% (6,870 jobs) and public relations specialists by 23.6% (4,470 jobs). Figures for market research analysts are excellent, anticipated to rise by 40.5% (7,230 jobs).

Texas marketing managers, in particular, live very well. In 2011, the U.S. median annual income for marketing managers was $116,000 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov); in Texas it was $120,200 (TWC). This, as they say, “ain’t chickenfeed” in a state with the third-lowest cost of living in the country.

Oil and gas companies in 2011 were the largest employers, putting over 1.8 million Texans to work, according to the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers – but keep an eye on the clean energy sector. Xtreme Power, which manufactures energy storage and power management systems for wind and solar projects, saw a revenue growth of 8,423% from 2008-2011.

Well-educated graduates will be particularly welcome in Texas. According to the Texas Education Agency, only just over 80% of adults have a high school degree, the lowest rate in the country.

Texas Schools for Marketing

There are 69 accredited marketing schools in Texas. Houston has the highest concentration, followed by San Antonio and Austin. Here are two to consider:

1. University of Texas at Austin (UT) (http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/departments/marketing/)

Ranked #17 in “Best Business Schools” by U.S. News & World Report in 2013, UT’s McCombs School of Business offers a Bachelor of Business Administration, an MBA and a doctorate in marketing. McCombs is one of the most productive research schools in the U.S.

As part of McCombs’s real-world training, many students participate in direct consulting projects through the MBA Plus. Industry and academia also meet in the school’s Center for Customer Insight and Marketing Solutions.

2. Texas A&M University – College Station (http://mays.tamu.edu/mktg/)

The Mays Business School at Texas A&M reached #32 on the U.S. News & World Report rankings in 2013. The school has developed three marketing degree options: a Bachelor of Business Administration, a Master of Science and a doctorate.

Mays’s Department of Marketing offers an internship elective credit, hosts an annual research workshop and organizes a wide variety of study-abroad programs.

Professional Marketing Organizations in Texas

There sometimes seems to be a marketing organization under, on and next to every rock in Texas. If you’re a greenhorn, check out membership options. Many provide excellent networking and career opportunities.

• AAF Chapters (http://www.aaf.org/): List of nineteen Texas chapters of the American Advertising Federation
• AMA Chapters (https://www.ama.org/Pages/FindChapter.aspx): List of four Texas chapters of the American Marketing Association
• BMA Houston (http://bmahouston.com/): Houston chapter of the Business Marketing Association
• Direct Marketing Associations (https://www.dmanational.org/affiliated-chapters): List of three direct marketing organizations in the Texas area
• SMPS Chapters (http://www.smps.org/chapters/): List of five Texas chapters for the Society for Marketing Professional Services

Business Degree Programs in Texas

As the recognized global leader in the energy industry, and with Houston considered the energy capital of the world, young professionals with aspirations of earning a bachelor’s degree in business or those ready to advance to an MBA often have their sites set on corporate positions with the many oil and gas giants based in Texas.

The Texas Department of Economic Development noted that the state’s largest public corporations in 2014 included mostly those involved in oil, gas, and energy:

• Exxon Mobil Corporation in Irving – $407.6 billion revenue
• Phillips 66 in Houston – $166.2 billion revenue
• Valero Energy Corporation in San Antonio – $37.7 billion revenue
• AT&T Inc. in Dallas – $128.7 billion revenue
• ConocoPhillips in Houston – $59.4 billion revenue
• Energy Transfer Equity in Dallas – $48.7 billion revenue
• Enterprise Products Partners in Houston – $47.7 billion revenue
• Sysco Corp. in Houston – $44.7 billion revenue

Along with this, the state’s largest private companies outside of the energy sector included:

• Dell Inc. in Round Rock – $56.9 billion revenue
• H.E.B. Grocery in San Antonio – $20.3 billion revenue
• Michaels Stores, Inc. in Irving – $10.1 billion revenue
• Gulf States Toyota Inc. in Houston – $7.0 billion revenue
• Republic National Distributing Company in Houston – $4.9 billion revenue

From operations managers and marketing directors, to financial managers and business economists, corporate professionals in Texas often earn a six-figure income after honing their expertise through experience and while earning a degree in business school. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov) found the income level of key corporate positions in Texas to be among the best in the nation (2014).

The following represents the range between the overall average earnings and that of those in the top ten percent of earners within their professional classification:

• Economists: $117,140 – $146,190
• General and operations managers: $123,060 – $158,770
• Sales managers: $137,090 – $174,030
• Financial analysts: $90,770 – $153,760

Business Insider listed Austin as one of the hottest cities for business in 2015, recognizing it as a leader in industrial growth, job growth, and affordable real estate. This is partly due to the burgeoning technology industry, which includes business operations and corporate headquarters for iconic companies like Dell, National Instruments, and Flextronics.

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University of North Texas

We recently interviewed Dr. Kenneth Thompson and Dr. Marilyn Wiley in order to provide a program spotlight of the University of North Texas’s online MBA in Marketing degree program. In the interview, Dr. Thompson and Dr. Wiley discuss the program’s accreditation and admission requirements, as well as what makes a student a good fit for the program. More information on this and other MBA specializations offered by the University of North Texas can be found in the school listings below.

University of Texas Austin

The University of Texas offers a portfolio of Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs, all of which share a focus on the “key pillars” of Knowledge and Understanding; Responsibility and Integrity; Communication and Collaboration; and a Worldview of Business and Society. As a top-ranked business school, the University of Texas offers connections within the business community, an influential network of alumni and considerable career support and recruiting programs. The school offers full-time and evening MBA classes on campus and in satellite locations in Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. In addition, the Executive MBA is offered in Texas and also in partnership with the Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico City.

Texas A&M

The Mays Business School at Texas A&M ranks among the top public business schools in the U.S. Its state-of-the-art facilities in the Wehner Building support your development as a leader in today’s technology-driven business world. The program is offered full time on campus, as a part-time Professional MBA for working students and as an Executive MBA for experienced managers on a leadership career track. The program is actively engaged with leading companies in Texas and beyond, helping you build a network while you are still in school. The highly-respected Graduate Business Career collaborates with students, recruiters and hiring managers to help every student, as well as their corporate partners, succeed. The school is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Rice University

The top-ranked Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University has earned accolades from Businessweek, U.S. News & World Report, the Financial Times and The Economist. The school offers a full-time MBA program, as well as an Executive MBA for leaders with at least 10 years’ experience in management. The Professional program makes the rigor of the full-time MBA accessible and manageable for working professionals. Students can also pursue several joint degree opportunities, which combine a Master of Education, Master of Science or Doctor of Medicine with an MBA.

University of Texas Dallas

The Naveen Jindal School of Management at the University of Texas in Dallas makes nationally-ranked MBA programs accessible. In addition to the full-time traditional MBA program, part-time program for working professionals and a noted executive MBA program, the school offers online options that allow students to follow the same curriculum and earn the same degree that’s offered on campus. You can customize your course of study around a dozen concentrations including accounting, finance and health care management. The school also offers study abroad programs every year that allow students to experience business in a global context.

Sam Houston State University

The Sam Houston State University College of Business Administration has begun offering its well-known MBA programs online in addition to on campus in Huntsville and Woodlands Center. All programs are AACSB accredited. You can also pursue the degree in a hybrid format, taking some classes on campus and others online, and can set your own pace. The MBA program can be completed in as few as 12 months; however, since most students are fully employed, the program usually takes more time to finish. In addition to the traditional MBA, the school offers an Executive MBA in banking and financial institutions for students with significant management experience.

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