MSc Marketing Management

This Master’s degree is a conversion course which is ideal for graduates who would like to change subjects or career direction. This course will provide you with an advanced understanding of business and marketing management techniques and methods.

Delivery:
Full time according to Funding Council definitions, Full-time with placement

Apply now:
Apply now
Visit us:
Visit us
Call us:
Contact us
Request a prospectus:
Request a prospectus

Why study MSc Marketing Management?

Acquire knowledge of specialist units that explore contemporary issues for today’s marketers, complemented by broader management units, to advance your leadership skills
Gain invaluable industry experience and build your network through a 30-week placement
Learn from research-active, industry-experienced academics who are engaged in areas such as consumer behaviour, branding and digital marketing
Create a significant piece of self-managed research in an area that you are passionate about
Benefit from the opportunity to undertake a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) professional qualification, highly sought-after by employers
Graduate with the skills to pursue a successful career and lead at the cutting-edge of marketing, public relations, human resources, finance and many other industries.

Course accreditation

The accrediting bodies on this course are renowned industry-wide for promoting excellence and the highest standards, all of which are reflected in the Bournemouth Univeristy Business School experience.

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation is a hallmark of excellence that has been awarded to fewer than 5% of business schools worldwide.

Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)

Bournemouth University is a Strategic Partner with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), allowing you to gain a professional qualification as well as exemptions towards a CIM Diploma in Professional Marketing.

Discover more about the BU Business School and explore our campus

Image description — Executive Business Centre learning booth

Next start date:

January 2023, September 2023, January 2024, September 2024

Location:

Bournemouth University, Lansdowne Campus (with additional activities on Talbot Campus)

Duration:

September: 1 year full-time or 2 years with optional 30-week work placement. January: 16 months full-time or 2 years with optional 30-week work placement

Accreditations:

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)

Entry requirements:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject, or equivalent. For more information see our full entry requirements

International entry requirements:

If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component. For more information see our full entry requirements.

CIM Strategic Partner

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) qualifications are highly sought after by employers and their content is reflected in our own degrees, ensuring we're equipping you with the best opportunities for a successful marketing career.

Qualifications and exemptions

During your studies on MSc Marketing Management degree, you will have the opportunity to achieve CIM professional qualifications. You can achieve the Level 4 Certificate in Professional Marketing or Professional in Digital Marketing* and / or the CIM Diploma in Professional Marketing or Professional Digital Marketing or Sustainable Marketing** – this will depend on the amount of prior professional experience you have in marketing. You can also obtain both qualifications after graduating.

Exemption
*You will be exempt from the Applied Marketing and the Marketing Campaigns modules and need to complete one elective module. Please note additional costs and work involved.
** You will need to achieve a 2:2 or above degree classification and successfully pass the specified (non-exempt) modules at the chosen level of study to be awarded the CIM Diploma in Professional Marketing. You will be exempt from the Marketing and Digital Strategy module and need to complete one mandatory module and one elective module, currently from a choice of two electives. Please note additional costs and work involved.

If pursuing CIM qualification after graduating: you will need to start non-exempt modules within three years of graduation and complete within five years for exemptions to be valid.

Benefits for you and employers

Benefits for you:

Opportunity to graduate with two highly recognised qualifications, the CIM Foundation Certificate in Marketing and the IPA Foundation Certificate, alongside your academic degree
Improved placement and employability prospects, due to achievement of academic and professional qualifications whilst in higher education
Membership of CIM and associated benefits.

Benefits for employers:

Graduates and placement students with proven practitioner and academic skills.

Additional costs

BU will provide all assessment guidance at no additional cost.
We will ask you to pay the CIM Affiliate Studying Membership fee of £65 directly to the CIM on registering for the CIM programme. This covers the cost of CIM annual membership.
If studying on a Level 4 CIM Certificate, you will need to pay the CIM assessment fee for the one unit at a cost of £150. Again, you will need to pay this fee directly to the CIM. If studying on a CIM Diploma, you will need to pay the CIM assessment fee for two units (at a cost of £190 per unit, £380 in total).
In the event of a failed assessments: if you wish to submit for a later assessment session, you will need to pay the relevant CIM assessment fee and renew your annual CIM studying membership (cost £65).

Course details

Core units

Leadership Essentials: The unit aims to provide a critical understanding of leadership theory and practice through developing your personal leadership skills. You will develop greater self-awareness through reflexivity and working with teams, combined with a theoretical understanding including emotional intelligence, resilience and well-being.
Marketing & Strategy: You will explore and analyse the premise that in order to be successful, organisations need to gain a good understanding of their customers’ requirements and to seek to achieve organisational objectives through the satisfaction of their customers’ needs and wants.
Managing People: You will develop your knowledge, skills and understanding of the theories and practices of organisational behaviour, especially in the area of people management, and how this can effectively contribute to positive organisational outcomes.
Omnichannel Strategy & Supply Chain Management: In this unit you will apply the operational, managerial and strategic uses of technology and strategic management information systems to a global omnichannel business environment, considering the end-to-end process of product development and marketing/selling business-to-business and business-to-consumer.
Marketing Communications & Brand Management: The unit will examine the key issues and challenges in marketing communications and branding. It will cover strategic issues of integration and planning as well as the tactical considerations needed to execute relevant marketing communications campaigns that meet consumer’s needs.
Sustainability & Social Marketing: Sustainability and social marketing examines current trends in marketing theory and practice which are occurring as a result of change in the business environment, technology and organisations.
Research Project: An opportunity to undertake a significant piece of self-managed research in an area that interests you.

Placement

You have the option to undertake a 30-week placement at the end of the course, providing an opportunity to apply your acquired knowledge and skills in the workplace. You are required to find your own placement; however, our Careers & Employability Service and your faculty placements office are on hand to support you.

The placement is intended to foster personal and professional development, and to help you to make a connection between academic learning and the working world.

You should consider how a range of management theories can be used, and if management in industry could be improved. The transferable skills developed will improve your performance in your future career, both as employee and manager.

Programme specification

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

Download the programme specification (pdf 284kb)

Your application

For Marketing Management we are looking for applicants who:

Demonstrate a passion for marketing
Can evaluate theory and marketing strategies
Communicate effectively in both written reports and among peers
Can show an awareness of the importance of marketing within all business activity.

Background and experience

Selection methods

How and when to apply

There is no application deadline for this course. However, if you will need a visa to come to the UK to study, think carefully about the length of time it will take for your visa application to be processed and make sure your visa will be ready in time for the beginning of your course.

December and January is one of our busiest application periods and therefore it may take us a little longer to process incoming applications. For courses with a January start date, we recommend submitting your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

Placements

An exciting and valuable part of your studies with us is the opportunity to gain valuable experience through full-time paid industrial placements, for a minimum of 30 weeks. You will have the option to start your placement when the taught units of the course are finished, and after the dissertation.

Find out more about placements for postgraduate students

What support is available?

We provide a lot of support for you to help you find work, including a block of seminars, covering topics such as writing a CV and a covering letter, completing an application form, performing well in interviews, and we also provide language support to assist you with the written elements of your applications.

However, it is ultimately your responsibility to find work. The university does not guarantee that you will find a place. As you all probably know, it is hard work finding a job, and for this reason, many students change their mind once they are here, and choose a taught unit instead of doing the placement.

During your time on placement you will be supported by a unit tutor and a placement development advisor who will visit you on placement and keep in touch by phone and email.

International students

If you choose to do a placement as part of your course:

If you have previously studied in the UK, we will consider any study limit that may apply. We will issue your CAS according to the length of time you are entitled to under UKVI regulations (if you do not have enough time left for a work placement year, we will issue your CAS to cover your course dates only).

If you decide after you have enrolled on your course that you do not want to do a placement, this will be reported to the UKVI when you have successfully completed your course.

If you choose not to do a placement as part of your course:

We will note this on your CAS and your visa will only be granted long enough to cover your taught course, excluding placement.

If you change your mind while you are here and decide you want to do a placement, you will need to leave the UK to make a new Tier 4 visa application for the additional year of study. You would need to pay for your return travel back to your home country, as well as the cost of a new Tier 4 student visa application.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

The normal requirements for embarking upon a postgraduate taught degree are:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject, or equivalent

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow - some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry Team for more information.

International entry requirements

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

India: Bachelor’s degree (4 years) from a recognised HE institution with a minimum overall result of 55% or second division
Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution with a minimum classification of 2:2
Thailand: Thai Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with a minimum GPA of 2.5/4.0
Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0
Vietnam: Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of 6.5/10, or a Master’s degree/Thac si.

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level.

Careers

This course gives you the opportunity to learn in an environment which brings together staff and students from all over the world, which will provide you with the edge in the industry to be a future leader in your area of expertise.

Typical starting job roles

Industries worked in

Typically, our graduates will work in areas such as human resources, marketing, management, finance and business.

The international nature and varied content of the course will open you up to a range of possibilities across a wide variety of sectors. And as you progress through your degree, your learning will help you to determine career goals and the direction in which you want to take your future.

Further study

Costs and fees

You can find full information about the deposits required and how to pay your fees in our postgraduate fees and funding section, including details of the Postgraduate Loan (subject to fee status).

All fees are quoted in pounds sterling and are per annum. Fees quoted are for tuition only unless stated otherwise. Your tuition fees will be the same for each year of your course.

Find out more about living expenses for postgraduate students

No hidden extras

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

Materials for laboratory and mandatory field-based teaching activity
Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement if this is part of your course of study
A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, intregrated social media and advanced video features
IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances
The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Costs of living and other expenses you need to consider

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding BU financial support funds.
Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website.
Travel costs, outdoor wear and footwear for optional field trips.
Travel costs to and from the university campus. An annual bus pass is included in your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation.
Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of text books and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses
Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website.
SportsBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

Repeat units

Deposits

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable £3,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Financial help available from BU

Our staff

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This could include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students, many of whom are actively engaged in research and/or professional practice which is integrated into the teaching of this course. Please note that teaching staff can change.

Dr Julia Hibbert - Senior Lecturer & Programme Leader

Dr Julia Hibbert is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Programme Leader for the MSc Marketing Suite. She received her BA from the University of Lincoln and both her MA and PhD from Bournemouth University. She currently teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes within the Business School. Her fascination with understanding people means that her research interests lie around consumer behaviour and the role of identity in the decision making process. Julia has worked in industry and has led successful marketing campaigns in the childcare sector.

View Dr Julia Hibbert's staff profile

Dr Kaouther Kooli - Principal Academic

Kaouther is a Principal Academic in Marketing in the Department of Marketing, Strategy and Innovation at the Faculty of Management, Bournemouth University. She holds a PhD in Marketing. She has over 18 years of higher education teaching experience acquired in Tunisia, UK and France.

Kaouther's research interests are in B2B marketing, consumer behaviour and digital marketing. She is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Customer Behaviour and the Chair of the Academy of Marketing B2B Special Interest Group. She has established an annual conference on B2B marketing where academics, students and practitioners get together to debate current issues and challenges facing B2Bmarketing. She has published in top journals. Kaouther has also been invited to give talks at a number of Universities both in the UK and abroad.

View Dr Kaouther Kooli's staff profile

Dr Chris Chapleo - Associate Professor

Chris' research interests are in marketing and branding in the non-profit sector, particularly education. He has published and spoken widely on aspects of higher education branding, and is involved in ongoing consultancy projects in the sector. Prior to academia he held senior marketing roles in the publishing and leisure sectors, as well as higher education, where his interest in education branding first began. His PhD by publication was based on a series of papers that explored the concept of branding in the higher education sector.

He is currently working on research into brand orientation in the nonprofit sector.

Chris has received external funding for a number of projects including research into UK University Vice Chancellor's roles in branding. The finding were presented at practitioner conferences throughout the UK.

He has has also undertaken marketing consultancy for organisations including South East Coastal Communities, Portsmouth Climate Action Network and Addiction Recovery Foundation.

View Dr Chris Chapleo's staff profile

Dr Melissa Carr - Senior Lecturer

Melissa is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist with significant experience in the field of organisational development and organisational behaviour. Melissa spent six years working as a senior faculty member at Ashridge Business School lecturing in leadership and organisational behaviour. She was also a Programme & Client Director responsible for one of the flagship general management programmes.

Specialties: Executive education, leadership development, psychometrics for individual development, team building and recruitment, research into women in business

View Dr Melissa Carr's staff profile

Course changes

Changes for 2021

Date	Changes to this course
17/05/2021	Where the change was made: Course details Change: Programme restructure, completion of dissertation before optional placement year.

Changes for 2019 entry

Date	Changes to this course
01/05/2019	Where the change was made: course overview and course content Change: Following a course review the course overview and unit content has been revised and updated for September 2019 onwards.

Hear from our staff

Cliff van Wyk

My career contacts have helped me offer great benefits to students, securing guest lectures and challenging live briefs, as well as associations with top agencies.

What employers think

Jonathan Clark

We’ve always employed BU graduates as they come prepared for the workplace, have a good mix of work experience and are agile and able to adapt to new technologies.

Statistics shown throughout this page are taken from Unistats and BU institutional data unless otherwise stated.