Graduate Advisor highlights MS Marketing Research Program
The UTA College of Business offers a variety of graduate programs. Through these programs, students learn skills, network with future employers, and create opportunities to build their resumes.
Michaela Mora is our new Graduate Advisor for the Master of Science in Marketing Research (MSMR) program. As a subject matter expert on the program, we sat down with her to learn about her background, job and benefits to pursuing and earning an MSMR degree. Here is our conversation:
Michaela Mora, Master of Science in Marketing Research graduate program advisor, poses for a photo in front of the University of Texas at Arlington College of Business. (Photo by Jalen Larry)
1. Can you explain the role of a Graduate Advisor?
As a Graduate Advisor, I guide and support students through their academic journey. I help craft their degree plans, so they meet the program requirements and leave with the knowledge and skills our industry demands. I also provide career advice and help students find the resources to succeed academically and professionally.
2. Can you explain your background?
I come from the insights industry. I’m a mixed-method, qualitative, and quantitative research practitioner who has worked for over 20 years at the intersection of market research/insights, CX, and UX to support business decisions related to product development, customer experience, marketing, and advertising through a multicultural lens.
I completed the MS in Marketing Research program in 2001 and now serve as its advisor. I can attest to its value to my career as a research practitioner.
Before I started the program, I already had two degrees (Psychology and Marketing) and practical experience in marketing research. Still, the program allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of different methodologies and how to apply them to solve business problems.
After completing the program, I worked on the supplier and corporate research side of the market research/insights industry, including companies such as Match.com and Blockbuster Online.
In 2007, I started Relevant Insights, a full-service research agency, where I have spent nearly two decades as the Chief Research Officer designing and managing research in many product and service categories, including automotive, beverages, CPG, education, entertainment, fashion & cosmetics, financial services, food, government, health services & insurance, home improvement, hospitality, media & advertising, non-profit, professional services, real state, restaurants, retail, technology, telecommunications, transportation, travel, and utilities.
I hope to bring my years of experience working in the market research industry into the classroom to build stronger bridges between industry and academia and provide well-rounded advice to students.
3. What made you want to be a graduate advisor?
I’m concerned about the future of education in marketing research. We need more trained researchers who can support better decisions for the business, customers, and society at large.
Becoming a graduate advisor and director of the MSMR program allows me to directly impact students’ research careers, guiding them through decisions about their career paths in the vast field of market research.
4. Which program do you advise? Can you explain the program?
I advise the Master of Science in Marketing Research (MSMR) program in the Marketing Department at the College of Business. It is one of the five programs in the country and the oldest program in the College of Business. Over the course of nearly three decades, the MSMR program has proven to be a highly successful graduate degree program, with many successful alumni working in various organizations and locations.
The MSMR program is focused on applied research to discover and solve problems in key business areas such as product development, marketing strategy, pricing, product distribution, and customer experience.
The MSMR program is a 36-credit hour program that can be completed in 16 months as a full-time student. The main areas of our curriculum include research designs for decision-making, buyer behavior, advanced research methods, qualitative research product management, business statistics, marketing analytics, and marketing strategy. Students are also required to complete an internship.
Our mission is to prepare students to become strategic business problem-solvers grounded in marketing principles and a multidisciplinary approach to market research.
While there are many broad and specific integrated skills required to function competently as a marketing research professional or as end-users of research, our program is designed to equip students with the skills they need to discern when the organization needs to conduct research, design and execute the research, discover insights from the data through analysis and exploration, and deploy those insights to support decision-making and business outcomes. These four areas of competencies prepare students to become market-ready to create value for organizations and their customers.
The program has an extensive alumni network and an industry Advisory Council that provides mentorship and job opportunities to our students and keeps us connected to the industry.
5. What will students learn progressing through the program?
Students will learn how to design and execute research studies, analyze and interpret data, and turn insights into actionable business decisions. They’ll also develop strong communication and leadership skills that are crucial in translating research into business decisions. The program emphasizes hands-on learning with real-world projects, so students leave with practical experience in addition to theoretical knowledge.
6. What makes your program stand out from the crowd? What can you get here that you can’t get anywhere else?
Our MSMR program stands out because of its strong industry connections and practical focus. Students get opportunities to work on live client projects and network with professionals in the field.
Additionally, we offer small class sizes for personalized attention and a curriculum that reflects the latest trends and technologies in market research.
Our industry-based Advisory Council and a Mentorship program established in collaboration with the Insights Association (insightsassociation.org) offer students many networking and mentorship opportunities.
7. What are some outcomes of the program you advise?
Our graduates work for top companies in various roles as researchers and stakeholders who use research. You can find MSMR alumni in roles such as:
- Insights Managers
- Market Research Analysts
- Data Scientists
- Qualitative Researchers,
- User Experience (UX) Researchers
- Customer Experience (CX) Researchers/Managers
- Product Managers
- Brand Managers
- Management Consultants
- Marketing Director/Managers
- C-Suite roles
Many have secured positions at leading market research agencies and Fortune 500 companies across different industries, and some, like myself, have started businesses after working on both sides of the industry.
8. How do you define success for your students?
Success for our students means not only mastering technical skills but also developing the ability to think critically and solve complex business problems.
I define success as students graduating with a strong sense of confidence in their abilities and securing a role in the industry where they can thrive and make an impact.
9. What do you like most about being a graduate program advisor?
The most rewarding part is seeing the growth of students—from their first day of the program to the day they graduate.
It brings me joy when they admit the program has changed their perspective on problem-solving. When dealing with complex problems and uncertain situations, the ability to think critically and be flexible becomes essential.
It’s incredibly fulfilling to watch them develop both professionally and personally, and to know I played a role in helping them achieve their goals.
10. Why did you choose to advise the program you do?
I believe marketing research is a powerful tool for shaping business decisions, and I want to contribute to the development of future leaders in this field. It’s exciting to guide students who are passionate about understanding consumers and influencing business strategy.
11. How do you define success for yourself?
For me, success in this role is seeing my students learn, shift their perspectives, and expand their analytical skills. If they do this, they are more likely to succeed in finding their dream jobs and significantly contribute to their company or industry. When that happens, I feel like I’ve done my job well.
Another marker of success for me is the ability to stay connected with industry trends and help the program stay relevant and grow.
12. What advice would you give a prospective student who’s on the fence about pursuing a graduate degree/your program?
I would encourage them to think about their long-term goals. A graduate degree in marketing research can open doors to higher-level positions, and the skills they learn here will make them more competitive in the job market. This program could be the right fit if they’re passionate about understanding customer behavior and data-driven decision-making.
Marketing research is the systematic and objective identification, collection, analysis, dissemination, and use of information to identify and solve business problems. It requires learning research methods, but we must go beyond the methods and the data.
Marketing researchers add value when they help translate data into insights. In short, we need to answer the question: So what? What does it mean for the business? What courses of action can the business take based on the data? Students need to be ready to ask and answer hard questions.
13. How can a graduate degree open doors and benefit students?
The demand for a specialized skill set, particularly in marketing research, is higher for those with a graduate degree. It opens doors to advanced career opportunities, higher earning potential, and leadership roles. The depth of knowledge and expertise that comes with a master's degree in marketing research is highly valued by employers both on the research supplier and the corporate research side of our industry.
14. In your opinion, why do companies want to hire UTA COB graduates?
Companies want to hire MSMR graduates from the UTA College of Business because they are well-prepared with academic knowledge and practical experience. Our students get training in applying what they’ve learned to real-world business problems. Thanks to our strong industry connections, they're also well-networked.
15. What is your vision for the future of the program?
My vision for the MS in Marketing program is to be known for its focus on multidisciplinary applied business research as a solid foundation for many career paths.
The program will continue to prepare students for careers in insights research, product development and innovation, marketing communications, brand and product marketing, marketing strategy, business management, and more.
Through a rigorous academic curriculum, real-world project-based learning, and industry partnerships, our graduates will continue to emerge as adaptable professionals committed to guiding evidence-based business decisions that support business sustainability and improve customer experience.
I also want to expand our industry partnerships to provide even more opportunities for internships, client projects, and job placements, ensuring our graduates are highly competitive in the job market.
For more information about the MSMR program, visit our website here, or email michaela.mora@uta.edu.