High School
Enroll in marketing, advertising, business, and computer science (especially digital design) courses. You should also take courses that will help develop your analytical and problem-solving skills, such as mathematics, sociology, psychology, and sciences (including chemistry and physics). Take English and speech courses to hone your research and communication skills. Learning a foreign language is a good idea because many marketing campaigns target specific ethnic groups or individuals who do not speak English as their first language.
Postsecondary Education
You will need at least a bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, or a related field to become a consultant. Some employers—especially large consulting firms—prefer to hire consultants with a master’s degree in marketing, business, advertising, or a related field, or at least a bachelor’s degree plus several years of appropriate work experience in marketing and consulting. Many management consultants have a master’s degree, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Most colleges will require you to complete an internship. Participating in an internship is a great way to get hands-on experience and to make industry contacts.
Degrees and concentrations in consulting are offered at a few colleges, including the University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Notre Dame, and the College of William & Mary.
Certification
Georgia State University, Willamette University, and the University of Colorado have partnered with the Institute of Management Consultants USA (IMC USA) to offer a certificate in management consulting. The certificate aims to provide consultants with the basic professional framework to be successful in management consulting. Georgetown University and the University of Texas at Dallas also offer consulting certificate programs, but they are not affiliated with IMC USA. Contact these schools to learn more.
Other Education or Training
Professional associations such as the Internet Marketing Association, Insights Association, Institute of Management Consultants USA, and the American Management Association, to name just a few, provide continuing-education (CE) opportunities to marketing consultants to help them develop their professional skills. These continuing education opportunities are available in face-to-face seminars, online webinars, and at conferences. Contact these organizations for more information.
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