Haub School of Business 

Technology and science have drastically changed the landscape of health and health care, and only our imagination limits what is possible now in the field of pharmaceutical marketing. Once life-threatening diseases – some cancers and HIV, for instance – have gradually become chronic and not a death sentence. These changes fuel the complexity in grappling with the cost and burden of health care and promote more public debates about the pharmaceutical field.

In the pharmaceutical marketing major, we do not shy away from these pertinent and pressing issues. Facing them head-on, we invite top-level experts to explore them from a well-rounded perspective. This includes analyzing the issues from industry, marketing, research analytics, political, regulatory and most importantly, ethical points of view. In the Jesuit tradition of inviting many opinions, the major strives to teach students the ability to cogently assess the validity of all arguments.

There is only one degree within the pharmaceutical marketing major, but there are many paths you can take once you earn the degree:

• Marketing – students have joined theindustry as junior product managers, marketing communications managers and strategy consultants. We have among our alumni senior consultants, product managers, vice presidents of marketing and presidents of divisions. Students often intern in their junior year and, upon good performance, are offered permanent positions at various global pharmaceutical companies.
• Regulatory – working in the private sector in legal, labeling or global compliance. Opportunities also exist to work with the government in the FDA and other regulatory bodies both in the clinical and non-clinical areas.
• Clinical – students have both interned and worked permanently in exciting clinical development, travelling around the United States and the world, managing trials for well-known clinical trial firms and also for smaller specialized firms. Students also intern with medical device firms and learn how to converse directly with world-renowned key opinion leaders in various fields, including orthopedic surgery and interventional cardiology.
• Advertising, Communications and Public Relations – students have won prestigious internships with Fleishman-Hillard, Euro RSCG/Havas, Sudler Hennessy and other large firms as well as specialized but well-known firms such as Dorland, Vox Medica and Digitas, and Medici Global.
• Sales – the industry boasts some of the most intense and prestigious sales training programs across different sizes and types of pharmaceutical companies. The rigor and investment provided are unparalleled and the major has a strong reputation among pharmaceutical companies. Many regional directors and sales managers attend, evaluate and review our sales role plays. Additionally, students are invited to participate as “interviewee practice candidates” for sales manager training sessions with the pharmaceutical industry.
• Trade/Supply Chain – students have interned and been given coop or internship positions in truly meaningful projects that became permanent positions at AmeriSource Bergen, Cardinal and McKesson.
• Market Research and Analytics – Key information giants such as IMS and Verispan have provided students with substantial analytical projects that also have resulted in permanent positions. Other research firms that have hired directly from our major are Pharmstrat, Health Answers, Verilogue, HMS, Parallax, to name a few. Students learn how to interview key opinion leaders and in their course work, past students get to work with top psychiatrists, nephrologists and even veterinarians and pharmacists.

This is only a microscopic glance at the opportunities this major affords you upon graduation. The pharmaceutical marketing major offers you tremendous career advantage because it provides you with superior technical training. At the same time, the major offers tremendous flexibility because all the elements of marketing are incorporated into the course work. Therefore, you can easily move into any industry that requires strong analytical and people skills. Students have transitioned directly into consulting, digital media, strategy, and other diverse industries such as the stock market, Wall Street or even the food and beverage industry.

Furthermore, in the curriculum, we provide a level of pharmaceutical sales training that is simulated, well-known and constantly adapted to current paradigms. It is mirrored on the industry’s rigorous Phase I Sales Training. The discipline of this course often offers direct entrée into the lucrative world of pharmaceutical sales, even though the industry typically does not recruit directly from college. Training in research, promotions and strategy offers a level of sophistication that offers you direct connection to consulting as well. The curriculum is so strong, in fact, that employers make a special effort to visit our classes and meet our students, and most are repeat recruiters.