Marketing (with 12-month placement opportunity)

Entry requirements

Months of entry

January, September

Course content

This course has been specifically designed to fast-track your marketing career and enhance your employability in a range of business environments and entrepreneurial situations.

The combination of academic rigour and practical relevance will ensure that you are equipped with a critical awareness of current issues in marketing and informed by ‘leading edge’ research and practice. An international theme will be at the forefront of many modules, allowing you to explore and investigate the core content of marketing subjects in a multicultural and global setting.

Exposure to live case studies will enable you to gain an appreciation of real business contexts and gain an understanding of strategic marketing practices in the contemporary business environment. You will be provided with opportunities to develop your skills as leaders and apply the knowledge you have gained throughout the course in an individual, business related research project. You will also have an opportunity to gain further exposure to relevant practice through the internship pathway that is available as an option to all students.

Certificate in Strategic Management (a Chartered Management Institute qualification) optionally awarded upon successful completion of the programme, which will greatly impact your long term career aspirations. You will also have access to Associate Membership of the CMI.

Key features

• Scholarships and Discounts for international students, based on their grades
• Regular seminars by expert speakers to further contextualise the programme
• Opportunities to gain an awareness of operating as a leader in sustainable and ethical business
• Optional modules with a marketing focus enable you to customise your degree and focus on your personal career goals
• The course is taught by senior academics who have excellent links with industry and a wealth of professional experience
• Opportunities to gain access to local and national employers through the internship
• Cross-learning opportunities amongst students of diverse backgrounds and business practices from around the world
• A flexible course design to allow two entry points in both September and January

The placement

You will have the opportunity to go on a work placement for 6 or 12 months. You are supported in finding placements and can apply for a vacancy as you would a job. There are dedicated sessions to support you in CV writing, interview skills and job applications as well as access to 1:1 tutorials. Most placements start on completion of the taught modules.

The placement will allow you to gain first-hand experience within a real business environment to enhance your future employability and are usually paid. Some students choose to base their research project on a business-related issue arising during the placement. This would give you access to research participants and primary data, and allow you to apply the theories and principles discussed on the programme to a real organisation.

While on placement, you will be supported by a dedicated placements team able to respond to any problems you may be having, an individual tutor who visits you twice while you are on placement and you will retain access to all the University facilities including e-resources. At the end of the placement, you are required to submit a placement portfolio containing your learning contract, a satisfactory employer appraisal, a case study and an end of placement presentation.

Careers

Specialist marketing, advertising and PR agencies are not the only major employers of marketing graduates. Marketing is a core element of all organisations and, therefore, opportunities exist across all industry sectors - private, public and voluntary. These can range from the financial, consumer and information technology industries to not-for-profit organisations, such as charities, local government and higher education institutions. However, typical roles for new graduates include:

• Advertising account executive
• Advertising account planner
• Advertising copywriter
• Market researcher
• Media buyer
• Media planner
• Event organiser
• Public relations account executive

Student employability

Employability is at the heart of the course design for MSc Marketing. The course is structured around producing competitive graduates ready for the current challenges of the job market. They are taught a wide range of current and relevant topics and trained to exhibit the best attributes and qualities of critical, open-minded, inclusive and skilful individuals. The international nature of both students and faculty, and the diversity of expertise and backgrounds are central to shaping the learning experience and contribute to student employability upon graduation.

Links with employers

The Business School works closely with a number of professional organisations including the Chartered Institute of Management, Institute of Commercial Management, Chartered Institute of Marketing, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Institute of Financial Accountants, Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals, and British Computer Society.

The School has worked with a number of business clients in developing and delivering its programmes. These include – The NHS (a range of Primary Care and Acute Trusts); Local Government (a range of County, District and Unitary Authorities); West Mercia, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and Staffordshire Constabularies; Ministry of Defence and The Royal Air Force; Her Majesty’s Prison Service; Royal Mail; Financial Services Organisations (e.g. Lloyds TSB, HBOS Plc, Clerical Medical, NFU Mutual and Virgin Money); Housing Associations, Southco, Malvern Instruments, Allpay Limited, G4S Secure Solutions, Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and Hitachi Capital.

The School has well-developed working relations with the local business community many of whom contribute to postgraduate programmes through the internship option to give students a real-world insight into the future world of work and/or to provide live client briefs to students. Senior managers from this business community have been involved in the design of this programme. They were consulted on the skills and attributes they expect to see in our graduates as we well as the knowledge and academic competencies they want our graduated to exhibit.