(Source: MIRS.news, Published 04/20/23) Everything came up 420 on the unofficial stoner holiday Thursday, as Western Michigan University announced it was offering a Cannabis Marketing Certification program, a first for any university.
The program would be headed by Russell Zwanka, director of the food and consumer package goods marketing program and associate professor of marketing. The online course covers all aspects of cannabis marketing, from product knowledge, branding and category management, to market research and analytics.
Zwanka is also teaching the first-ever cannabis marketing course at WMU, which involves industry leaders and cannabis-related businesses to advise students.
“Following up on our first cannabis marketing class with another first, this certification, we are helping our students develop the appropriate knowledge base to pursue this exciting industry,” Zwanka said.
The course is completely online and could be completed in six months and consists of eight modules. Each module would need to be completed and a test will be given at the end of the module. After all eight modules were complete, the final exam could be taken. If passed, the student would be presented a certificate.
Registration opened today at the WMU food marketing website. It will cost $420.
Zwanka said the infrastructure for the certification was already done, because they offer other certifications through the same program. He said they just needed the content for the course.
The content came from multiple sources, including the class he is teaching.
“Interest in the actual course was off the charts. There was a waiting list and it is full for the fall again,” he said.
He said the best part of teaching the class at the university was interest from the cannabis industry.
“We had guests every week to the point we had to tell them we were full,” he said.
