Honors in Marketing

The program consists of all courses required to graduate with a marketing degree and, through enrollment in electives, the program expands students’ knowledge, skills, and engagement the Honors course, a professional internship, and a service component. Successful completion of the program earns “Honors in Marketing” on the student’s transcript.

Application Requirements and Process

The Honors in Marketing program uses an interview-based selection process. All applicants must have an overall or UNF GPA (whichever is higher) of at least 3.5 and will have completed or be enrolled in Principles of Marketing (MAR 3023) and have or will conclude the course with at least a “B.” During the application process you may request an exception to one or more of these criteria.

To apply, answer questions below and submit your application. You can get more information about Honors on the FAQ page or contact us at marketing.honors@unf.edu.

1. Your Name and N#.
2. Confirm you are a declared marketing major with at least two non-summer semesters left at UNF not counting the semester in which you are applying to this program. This helps ensure you have the ability to complete all parts of the program prior to graduation.
3. Affirm you will meet the GPA requirements of an overall GPA or UNF GPA (whichever is higher) of 3.5 or higher by graduation. You do not need to report your GPA, just affirm your GPA is at or on track to meet the minimum required before you graduate.
4. Affirm you have completed, or are enrolled and will complete, Principles of Marketing (MAR 3023 or equivalent) with at least a “B” prior to admission into the program. You may be enrolled in MAR 3023 during the application process, but acceptance to the program is contingent on completing MAR 3023 with at least a “B.”
5. Provide a written statement (400 words) that describes what experience or motivation led you to major in marketing and of how you expect to contribute to the program and to the company offering you an internship. Also, list jobs you have had (if any). See sample application (link below) for more instructions.

Download a sample application form for detailed instructions.

After receipt of your application, all qualified applicants will be reviewed by the Honors Committee and prioritized based on the information provided in the application and academic records. Higher ranking applicants will then be interviewed. Interviews are granted to a number of students defined by the Honors Committee on a space available basis.

Based on the application and interviews, well-qualified applicants will be invited to join the Honors program. If the committee determines there are insufficient qualified applicants, not all openings will be filled.

At the end of the interview process, the program head communicates the results back to applicants and, if requested, will provide in-person feedback on the applicant’s submission. Students may reapply for the program but may only reapply once.

Deadlines:

• Fri, Mar 29, 2024—Honors program application is due.
• Fri, Apr 05, 2024—Interviewees selected and notified.
• Fri, Apr 12, 2024—Interviews completed, candidates selected and notified. 
• Mon, Apr 22, 2024—Honors candidates can register for Honors in Marketing Course.

Apply Now

Requirements for Graduating with Honors in Marketing

To receive Honors in Marketing, the following requirements must be met at graduation.

1. An overall GPA or UNF GPA (whichever is higher) of 3.5 or higher.
2. Completed all courses required to graduate with a marketing degree, including completion of the required Honors course and internship course with a B or better.
3. Active member of an approved business club for at least two semesters. Approved clubs include UNF Sales Club, UNF AMA, Jacksonville AMA, Women and Business, or other general business club as approved by the Honors program committee (currently waived for COVID).
4. Completion of 100 hours of an approved service activity. Approved activities include serving as a marketer, providing general assistance, being a tutor, or another on- or off-campus service activity with a not-for-profit as approved by the Honors program committee.
5. Completion of a paid, professional Honors internship or a research-based directed independent study (if student’s career path is to seek a doctorate). The Honors program will provide interview opportunities for the Honors internships. Internships may be unpaid per COVID policy waiver from Honors committee.

About the Internship

Each Honors candidate will complete a paid professional internship of at least 200 hours. Students may complete an internship in any location around the world, but the internship must meet the below requirements and be approved by the Honors program head prior to the student starting the internship. Past internships do not qualify. If the student currently works in a role similar to a qualified internship, the Honors program head will work with the student’s manager to define a suitable Honors internship project.

For Employers

Honors internships are designed to be flexible. As such, we worked with employers to understand—and remove—some of the most often encountered barriers.

• Internships can start and end at any time and, therefore, can cross semesters.
• The position inside your company can be a formal internship, a part-time role, or even a temporary or contracted position (student handles taxes).
• With agreement from the student intern, hours can be as few and eight but up to 40 hours a week (when not in school).
• Pay must be at least the current minimum wage.
• Can be remote, hybrid, or in-office.

Requirements

To qualify as an Honors-in-Marketing internship, the internship must be:

• At least 200 hours, which is equivalent to 12.5 hours a week for a full semester (16 weeks). Total hours can be in any combination (e.g., varying hours per week), but students should not work more than 20 hours a week if enrolled full time in college courses. Students may start and end an internship across semesters, so may start anytime the company needs and the student’s schedule allows.
• Paidat least minimum wage. Non-paid or volunteer activities would not count toward this internship but may qualify for the service component of the program.
• Consist of primarily professionalactivities (not clerical).
• Related to marketing, which includes, but is not necessarily limited to, activities in sales, product design or assessment, advertising or promotion including social media, pricing analysis, logistics or supply chain design or assessment, any form of market research including competitive analysis, market or marketing data analysis.
• A series of assessable tasks or project, which is the basis of the internship course grade.
• Hiring manager verifies hours weekly and completes a survey-based assessment of the student at the end of the internship.

Organizations may request Honors student(s) for an internship by emailing the Honors program at marketing.honors@unf.edu.

About the Service Component

Each Honors candidate will complete a service project of at least 100 hours, which may, or may not, be marketing related. All service activities must be approved by the Honors program head with typical examples including serving as a tutor, a student mentor, or another on- or off-campus service activity with a not-for-profit as approved by the Honors program committee.

Not-for-profits may request Honors student(s) for a project by emailing the Honors program at marketing.honors@unf.edu. We encourage marketing-, student-, or underprivileged-related activities (in that order of priority), but any not-for-profit serving the community at large is welcome. The program maintains a list of recognized not-for-profits from which students can choose the mission and activity that best meets their schedule and other commitments.

Honors in Marketing Students

Honors in Marketing students are the top one percent of our marketing majors. They have completed additional in-depth training preparing them for work in a professional environment, building their technical and “soft” skills, and focusing their career on areas of interest that take advantage of their strengths.