FAQ

What is marketing research?
Marketing research is the function that links the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information—information used to identify and define opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate actions; monitor performance; and improve understanding of it as a process. It specifies the information required to address these issues, designs the method for collecting information, manages and implements the data collection process, analyzes the results, and communicates the findings and their implications. Source: American Marketing Association

What does the curriculum cover?
The curriculum covers the entire range of the marketing research and analysis process, from background research and problem definition to project proposal to data collection to analysis to develop and presenting conclusions. Topics include:

  • Research design
  • Qualitative research and software
  • Moderator’s guide design
  • Questionnaire design
  • Online survey data collection
  • Use of survey software
  • Statistical analysis and interpretation
  • Report writing and presentation skills
  • Emerging techniques in research
  • Web and text analytics
  • AI as it applies to marketing research
  • Marketing intelligence and secondary research
  • International marketing research
  • Public opinion and consumer behaviour
  • Ethics and the code of conduct for researchers

Does the Marketing Research and Analysis (MRA) program consider applications from students who intend to pursue the graduate certificate on a part time basis over a two-year period?
Yes.

What is the course schedule like?
The MRA program combines in-person instruction with a small online component. Classes are normally held late afternoons or evenings on weekdays, and occasionally during the day on Saturdays.

Full-time students enroll in an eight-month academic program. They take eight courses in the Fall semester and seven in the Winter semester. Students in the co-op stream complete their workplace internships in the spring and summer. A two-year program is available for students who wish to study part-time, taking three courses each for four semesters.

Does the MRA program lead to a professional certification? The courses in the MRA program are a comprehensive preparation for candidates for the qualifying examination for the Certified Analytics and Insights Professional designation https://www.caip-paim.ca/ .