MSc Marketing Management (Retail)

Delivery:
Full time according to Funding Council definitions, Sandwich (Thick) out of college.

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This course was previously called MSc Retail Management & Marketing.

Retailing in its various formats continues to make a significant contribution to the global economy. Changes, trends and issues in the industry are widely covered and addressed via various sources, capturing the attention of academics, practitioners and the general public alike.

Issues in retailing have caught the attention of the general public, especially in light of recent shifts in consumption behaviour, the continuous growth of digital technologies, as well as the overall dynamic and highly competitive nature of the industry. Such interest has created new opportunities in retail management and marketing. As such, the study of retailing at academic level remains critical for potential candidates currently working or hoping to secure employment in sectors relevant to retailing.

This Master’s degree is a conversion course which is ideal for graduates who would like to change subjects or career direction. The course deals with the learning and practical application of concepts essential for operating and marketing a retail business. It will help you to understand the contemporary retail environment and examine topical issues related to retail management and marketing including digital marketing and globalisation. This course is accredited by the Institute for Data & Marketing (IDM). Upon successful completion of the accredited unit/module, you will be able to obtain the IDM Certificate in Digital and Data-Driven Marketing.

You will learn from research-active, industry-experienced academics who have published innovative research into retail management and marketing issues. You will develop analytical skills essential for operating and marketing in the international retail environment by critically examining international retail development and activity, with a view to putting this knowledge into practice.

The opportunity to undertake a 30-week work placement in the sector will help prepare you for retail and marketing-related roles once you graduate and provide you with valuable skills and knowledge to improve your performance as an employee and a manager.

We have been offering courses in this subject since 1989, with over 700 alumni, many of whom who are now in senior managerial positions. Our extensive network of alumni provides us with unrivalled contacts and opportunities in businesses across the retail and marketing sectors. Furthermore, we enjoy a long and well-established reputation for teaching and research excellence.

See Course details for information including how this course will be delivered safely if you’re starting in January 2021 in response Covid-19.

Image description — Executive Business Centre

Next start date:

January 2021, September 2021, January 2022, September 2022

Location:

Bournemouth University, Lansdowne Campus

Duration:

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

Accreditations:

Institute of Data & Marketing

Required subjects:

All subjects considered

Entry requirements:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 or equivalent in any subject. For more information check out 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 of writing, speaking, listening and reading. For more information check out our full entry requirements.

Course details

January 2021 – course information

During your first semester (January to June), your course will be delivered online using interactive platforms that will replicate the experience of being in a lecture theatre or seminar room. You’ll have opportunities to interact with your lecturer and fellow students just as you would have done in any other year.

We’ve been delivering lectures and sessions online for some time now, and have designed virtual sessions that will be interactive, making full use of technology to enhance the experience for everyone.

We will work to include more face-to-face delivery as soon as local and national guidance and appropriate risk assessments make it possible.

You will be able to use the Library, the Student Centre, Open Access Centre and social learning spaces, subject to physical distancing measures to undertake group and other work.

There will be no other changes to the content of your course as a result of Covid-19; we will deliver all of the units we have previously promised we would, and we are not making any changes to the individual learning outcomes on your course.

You can view our Coronavirus FAQs for the latest information from BU.

This is the latest information, updated on 24 November 2020. We will update this page when more information is available, and we can confirm any additional on-campus activity.

Core units

Marketing & Strategy: The unit aims to 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. The Unit will also look at marketing against the backdrop of corporate strategy development, and establish the linkage between the two activities.
Retail Principles & Practice: This unit will introduce you to the structure and dynamic nature of retailing throughout the world. It examines the forces that are at work shaping the industry and the changes it makes in order to survive.
Digital Marketing: You will be introduce to a range of digital marketing concepts underpinned by the digital marketing planning process including analysis, planning, implementation and control. Emphasis will also be placed on evaluating the effectiveness of various digital marketing tools
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.
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. This unit develops students’ critical understanding of the theoretical and practical application of sustainability and social marketing, and, draws upon the contemporary cross-disciplinary research to provide students with knowledge of the important developments in various areas of sustainable and social marketing thought and practice.
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.
Research Project: An opportunity to undertake a significant piece of self-managed research in an area that interests you.

Optional work placement

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 an employee and a 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 124kb)

Your application

This course is suited to applicants who:

Have a strong passion for the retail industry
Are enthusiastic and committed to the sector
Are strong team players
Are able to work under their own initiative
Possess good communication and presentation skills.

What we’re looking for

Students on this course are expected to be proactive and enthusiastic about the retail industry and appreciate the complexity of any retail offer, from the independent family-run business to the multinational chain.

This course suits people who are keen to work with others and are prepared to take on a leadership role, guiding and influencing the views of others to achieve the goals set. Students on the course are likely to come from a diverse range of backgrounds, having studied a number of different subjects for their first degrees. The course welcomes students who possess a strong desire to develop their knowledge and skills in this dynamic industry.

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.

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.

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:

China: 学士学位 (Bachelor degree) with a minimum of 65% overall
Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution in Nigeria
Thailand: Thai Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution.
Vietnam: Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of at least 7.0, or a Master’s degree/Thac si.
Turkey: Bachelor’s Degree (Lisans Diplomasi -four years) to be considered for a postgraduate course at BU.

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.

Placement

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, before 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.

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.

Careers

There is a demand for highly skilled professional retail managers and a Master’s degree is increasingly seen as the entry qualification to high-profile retail roles.

This course is well regarded in the industry for developing graduates with strong practical and analytical skills in related issues. Our history of offering courses in this subject has seen BU develop a long and well-established reputation for excellence. We have a large alumni base of around 700 retail graduates, which has helped to develop excellent contacts and opportunities through retail and marketing businesses.

Typical starting job roles

Industries worked in

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:

Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement
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, integrated social media and advanced video features.
IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
Disability and additional learning support
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.
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 textbooks 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.
SportBU membership

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

Repeat units

Deposits

January 2021 entry

International (non-EU) students need to pay a non-refundable £2,000 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.

September 2021 and January 2022 entry

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 - Programme Leader

Dr Julia Hibbert is a 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 Jeffery Bray - Principle Academic

Jeff is a Consumer Behaviour researcher and educator focused on the societal challenges of sustainable consumption both from an environmental perspective and a personal (health) perspective. This research has received external funding from a variety of sources and generated numerous academic journal publications.

Jeff graduated from Bournemouth University in 2001 with a BA (hons) in Retail Management, from Stirling University in 2004 with an MBA. After a career in a variety of operational retail project management roles he joined Bournemouth University as an academic in 2004 and graduated with a PhD in Consumer Behaviour in 2011.

Jeff’s research and scholarship is interdisciplinary and focuses on applications of consumer theory to a variety of contexts. His current research examines consumer decision making with respect to food choice, and the health impact that might be achieved through influencing these choices. This work has been recently funded by EU project FoodSMART and British Council project Veg+.

Outside of the university he is active in promoting our societies young people. He serves as Chair of Governors for a large local school and as non-executive director of Bournemouth Primary Multi-Academy Trust, roles which provide significant strategic leadership experience. He is keen to supervise Doctoral students in the areas Consumer Behaviour, Food Choice and Ethical Consumption.

View Dr Jeffery Bray's staff profile

Dr Elvira Bolat - Principle Academic

Elvira is the Director of Accreditation (leading portfolio of world-leading accreditations, i.e. AACSB, CMI, CIM, IDM etc.), Principal Academic in Marketing at the Bournemouth University Business School and and Senior Fellow of HEA and Department of Marketing Assurance of Learning (AACSB) Lead. She is Regional President (UK) of IAPNM, on editorial board of Journal of Business to Business Marketing and Deputy Chair for the Academy of Marketing B2B SIG.

Elvira has gained PhD with thesis titled 'Mobile Technology Capabilities and their role in service innovation practices in creative SMEs' and now is supervising other doctoral students in the fields of marketing and management with the focus on digital/interactive marketing.

Currently, her research focuses on social media influencing, adoption of technology by businesses, trust repair in online space and responsible online gambling. Her recent consultancy projects have covered digital marketing planning and implementation for Dr Jackson's, Kudu Clothing and Eat Pho Ltd.

View Dr Elvira Bolat'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

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