Marketing - MSc/Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate

Compulsory modules

• Contemporary Marketing Practice - This module introduces you to the theory and practice of marketing. It begins by looking at the traditional target marketing approach before looking at more recent developments in marketing thought. This module will also introduce the idea of thinking skills, encouraging you to take a systematic approach to the way you tackle business problems, using theory to structure your approach.
• Strategic Marketing Planning - In this module, you will learn how to analyse an organisation's environment, making decisions on how it can deploy its resources for maximum advantage. The module will review a number of different tools and techniques which aid strategic analysis, strategy development and implementation.
• Marketing Analytics - Marketing depends on good information about the organisation, its customers and its competitors. In Marketing Analytics, you will learn how to design and implement systems for monitoring marketing activities, integrating financial and non-financial information to support organisational learning.
• Principles of Marketing Communications - This module takes an in-depth look at the tools and techniques of promotion. As well as looking at the strengths of weaknesses of different communications media, you will learn the more fundamental principles of message development, framing and delivery, ensuring that communications media are used as effectively as possible.
• Research Methods for Marketing - This module builds on the learning from the Marketing Analytics module. As well as learning how to define and plan research projects, you will develop skills in gathering data, whether from focus groups, surveys or observation. The focus on this module is primarily on marketing research, but we will also look at the similarities to and differences from academic research.
• Global marketing - Whilst all of the modules on the Masters programme adopt a global perspective, this module looks specifically at the challenges of developing international markets. As well as learning techniques for researching and evaluating intentional markets, you will become familiar with different modes of market entry, as well as the common dangers and benefits of global marketing.
• Dissertation Research Methods

Option modules

You will choose two additional subjects from the optional modules* below, allowing you to specialise in areas relevant to your chosen career path:

• Digital Marketing or Corporate Communications
• Customer Relationship Management
• Social Marketing Principles and Policy
• Promotion and Society

* The availability of optional modules is subject to demand.

Dissertation

In addition to these modules, your dissertation gives you the chance to research an area of marketing of particular interest to you and of relevance to your career or company. You will have the choice of working on an academic-type dissertation or a work-based one, where you will work on a live marketing project. You will attend a number of dissertation workshops to provide you with the research training sufficient to produce a quality dissertation.

Previous dissertation topics include:

• From Bond to Beckham the Evolution of Male Grooming
• Success factors in Capital and Revenue projects within Bristol Parks
• What Influences Pre-adolescent Girls to Buy in a Social Network

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved we will inform you.

This is a 'conversion' Masters course, and we assume no prior study of marketing. You'll learn though formal classes and seminar sessions, as well as through group work and independent study. The work will include assignments, exercises, case studies and presentations with an emphasis on independent learning to develop your problem-solving skills.

You will also have access to a range of study materials online through our virtual learning environment. This includes online lectures, five-minute 'talking head' discussions and other syllabus-related material to support your learning.

For more details, see our glossary of teaching and learning terms.

Full-time

This is a full-time course, so you will attend the Business School for one year and submit your dissertation in August. You can, however, choose to submit your dissertation in December, therefore taking 18 months to complete the course.

Study support

If you have been out of higher education for a while, we provide skills sessions to help prepare you for studying again as well as sessions for non-native English speakers.

Assessment is through supervised mini-projects, presentations, time-constrained assignments and examinations.

For more details, see our full glossary of assessment terms.