Marketing MSc

About the Course

The MSc in Marketing provides graduates, professionals or consultants with critical insights into marketing, and the marketing management practices of national and international organisations. This course provides the opportunity to understand traditional and contemporary marketing philosophies and theories adopted by practitioners, based on contemporary knowledge gained from academic research and industrial practices. The programme will develop critical and creative skills, procedural thinking and expertise that enable students to generate, implement and evaluate organisational activities that satisfy the requirements of their employer and the customers.

MSc Marketing has been approved and accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). Graduates of this programme can obtain direct entry into CIM’s Chartered Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing.

Aims

MSc Marketing is designed for anyone wishing to become a marketing professional or planning to undertake research in an academic, consultancy or commercial setting. Those already working in marketing who seek a postgraduate qualification in the subject will appreciate the professional accreditation afforded by CIM. Additionally, those with little or no marketing experience will appreciate the breath of management subjects covered in the degree, specifically how marketing fits within organisation practice. This programme offers an excellent preparation for a career in marketing or associated fields and in a myriad of organisations employing marketing professions.

Enquiries

Course Director: Dr Dorothy Yen
Email dorothy.yen@brunel.ac.uk
Tel +44 (0)1895 267318

For applications already submitted
Contact Admissions online
Tel +44 (0)1895 265265

Business School Enquiries Desk:  for enquiries prior to application
Email masterbbs@brunel.ac.uk
Tel +44 (0)1895 267124 or 265910
 

Related Courses

• Management MSc
• Media and Communications MSc
• Applied Corporate Brand Management MSc
• Business Intelligence and Social Media MSc

Special Features

• Approved and accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). Graduates of this programme can obtain direct entry into CIM’s Chartered Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing.
• Business Planning module provides practical experience in creating a business plan and route to marketing for a real entrepreneurial venture (see Capstone Event  on the Employability tab
• Career talks and presentations
• Tutors are internationally recognised academics and industry practitioners who are active members of the School’s Centre for Research in Marketing (CREAM). 
  
• Discussions with subject experts and practitioners who visit us as guest speakers
  

Brunel Business School is home to the Centre for Research in Marketing (CREAM)) which was created in 2005 with a mission to develop, promote and facilitate research on various aspects of marketing. The Centre's expertise and research interests range from branding, corporate identity, CRM, consumer behaviour, international marketing, business-to-business marketing,  marketing communications to political marketing, managing organisational creativity, marketing professional service firms, multi-channel marketing, e-learning and on-line banking.

Accreditation

Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)

Meets the qualification criteria for direct entry to the Chartered Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing and is approved and accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). 

A number of Associate memberships to the CIM are open to graduates of Brunel Business School postgraduate programmes, offering discounted full membership rates upon application. Members of the CIM may use the following letters as appropriate: Associates can use 'ACIM', Members 'MCIM' and Fellows 'FCIM'.

Course Content

Core Modules

• Strategic Marketing Management
  Main topics of study include: marketing environment, buyer behaviour, segmenting, targeting and positioning, marketing research, branding, service/retailing, price, place, promotion; marketing strategy process, marketing audit (internal), portfolio analysis, strategic options, PLC and value chain, IMC, innovation, relationship marketing, implementation and control.
• Marketing Communications
  Over the course of this module, students study the process, theory, social impact and ethics of marketing and corporate communications. Students gain a thorough and practical understanding of the role, nature and diversity of marketing communications theory and how the different elements of the communications mix (including recent developments such as new media) can be coordinated and managed to produce an integrated marketing communications plan. By the end of the module, students will know how to appraise the differences between corporate identity, corporate image and corporate reputation and be able to critically evaluate specific concepts such as stakeholder management and understand the evolution of corporate communication as an organising framework of communication.
• International Marketing
  Main topics of study include: international marketing; the potential market assessment; the global strategic position; building and sustaining the global position; the international marketing plan; country selection/target market, branding and e-commerce.
• Business Planning
  This module aims to promote an integrative understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in business planning through practice. You will develop critical thinking through the development of a business plan and reflect on the whole process, the team dynamics and their personal development. In addition, this module examines different business models their underlying strategies and decision making process through a variety of case studies.
  
• Understanding Business and Management Research
  This module provides students with a balanced view of social science and business research methods enabling a critical understanding of research information. It provides students with knowledge of relevant research methods and techniques for the Masters level project work.
• Dissertation
  A research-based dissertation is an integral element of the programme to which considerable importance is attached. It offers students the opportunity to demonstrate their academic competence and professional potential. There are few constraints on the research topic other than it must be directly relevant, amenable to enquiry and of appropriate intellectual depth. The dissertation involves the full cycle of proposal development, literature review, methodology, evaluation, and final reporting.
  

 

Elective Modules (one from)

• Global Diversity Management
  This module provides an insight into Global Diversity Management by examining how organisations plan, co-ordinate and implement a set of management strategies, policies, initiatives such as training and development activities that seek to accommodate diverse sets of social and individual backgrounds, interests, beliefs, values and ways of work in organisations with international, multinational, global and transnational workforces and operations.
• International Business Ethics and Corporate Governance
  This module focuses on business ethics and corporate governance in the international context. Both areas will be addressed from the perspective of the dual "business" models of the shareholder and the stakeholder approaches. Further the broader societal impacts of business activities will be considered in-depth. The full range of businesses will be considered – from large corporations through to SMEs. Empirical studies will be used to apply the theoretical resources of moral philosophy, CSR and corporate governance.
• Knowledge Management, Social Networks and Innovation
  This module explores the intersection between knowledge, social network technologies and innovation. It examines how organisations create, utilise and communicate knowledge in the global knowledge-based economy and the wider social and economic factors affecting knowledge transfer. The module identifies the exploitation of Web 2.0 which enables social engagement and processes for business development.
  

Teaching and Learning

As a research intensive university, international level research findings by Brunel Business School tutors are regularly used in student lectures. Tutors are on this programme are leaders in the field of management and active researchers within one of the six centres of research within the School.

Examples of tutor research used in MSc Marketing include:

• Dr Geraldine Cohen
  Dr Geraldine Cohen encourages students to use various models and theories to help them to develop an ability to conceptualise a strategy to help their employers in achieving business objectives. She uses her research studies published in journals such as Journal of Brand Management and Management Decision for teaching in the class. The research studies published in these journals are based on marketing within professional service firms and marketing innovation to develop a critical understanding in students about marketing theories and their long-term influence on practice. She also discusses roles of brands and branding in strategic marketing management.
• Dr Dorothy Yen
  Dr Dorothy Yen specialises in international business relationships, with a particular focus on cross-cultural Anglo-Chinese buyer-supplier relationships and the Chinese notion of guanxi and its influence on business performance. She uses her research outputs published in journals that are highly relevant to managerial practices such as Industrial Marketing Management and Total Quality Management to discuss the importance of cross-cultural understanding by marketing managers in the era of globalisation. Dr Dorothy Yen believes in training students on presenting their critical thoughts creatively. She encourages students to think creatively and address issues related to culture in a diverse business environment.
  
• Dr Suraksha Gupta
  Dr Gupta, Course Director for MSc Marketing, specialises in business-to-business marketing for competitive markets. Her area of research is highly useful for managers of international companies as it allows them to expand their business across territories while keeping control of their market through robust brand management. Dr Gupta has published in journals like Industrial Marketing Management and Journal of World Business and provides consulting to companies like Opticomm Media in London and Riviera Group in India. She uses her academic knowledge and 18 years of industrial experience to create the content of the course in a way that enhances students’ knowledge about the application of traditional and contemporary academic theories into practice. 
  
• Dr Wafi Al-Karaghouli
  Dr Al-Karaghouli specialises in integrating information systems into business practices. His research provides deeper insights into the issues and opportunities available to companies and he has published in journals such as the Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Information Systems Management, Process and Policy, International Journal of Business Information Systems. He uses his research findings to encourage students to consider technology and information systems as a strong tool for improving business performance; how to maximise information available to them to efficiently managing customers and gain a competitive position. Dr Al-Karaghouli believes it is important for students to understand the link between information systems, processes and policy.
  
• Dr Dimitrios Koufopoulos
  Dr Koufopoulos enjoys integrating epistemological issues such as strategic planning and processes, top management groups, mergers and acquisitions from marketing perspective while discussing various topics that should be considered for final year project by students. He has published in journals such as Team Management Performance, International Journal of Enterprise Network Management and International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics. Previous students have found discussions with Dr Koufopoulos about research topics useful and insightful and have been inspired by him to undertake challenging research topics in marketing and management for themselves, often utilising the findings of their research in business practice.
  
• Dr Graham Fallon
  The business planning module is taught by Dr Grahame Fallon who is a specialist in the field of international business with a focus on the causes and economic effects of inward and outward foreign direct investment in the EU, Eastern Europe, Russia and China. His research has been published in a range of international scholarly journals including Regional Studies and the European Business Review. His research enables students to get a broader view of business planning, marketing and business from the domestic and international strategy and policy perspectives. Dr. Grahame Fallon uses case studies as examples to explain these perspectives and encourages students to dig deep into current academic literature to analyse those cases and identify future opportunities and threats.
• Dr Angela Ayios
  Dr Ayios' research established the key determinants of interpersonal trust in east-west joint ventures in Russia. She teaches International Business Ethics and Corporate Governance, especially in the international context. Dr Ayios has drawn on her doctoral research to underpin her teaching of business ethics in a global context, particularly drawing on real examples from her case study extractive company in the Russian Arctic. Students will gain a thorough understanding of corporate social responsibility and business ethics with the aim is to 'transform' their' view of the role of business in the contemporary business contexts in a globalised world where business is becoming increasingly powerful and governments in a constant state of renegotiation of their domain.
• Professor Mustafa Ozbilgin
  The programme’s Global Diversity Management module is designed around Professor Ozbilgin’s research in diversity management in multi-national organisations within the public private and voluntary sector. In particular, Professor Ozbilgin’s book Global Diversity Management: An Evidence Based Approach (2008) co-authored with Dr Ahu Tatli is used as the core text on the module. The book is the only empirical research based text in the field, and provides original field work on diversity management that spreads across eight years. Other Business School research by Professor Ozbilgin is used for the practice of literature reviews. Further to this Professor Ozbilgin regularly uses CIPD reports that he has co-authored. Students also receive case studies and case reports by the tutor.

Modes of Study

1 Year full-time in September. The taught element of the course (September to April) includes seven modules; delivery will be by a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials/group work. A further four months (May to September) is spent undertaking the dissertation.

Assessment

• Modules are typically assessed by individual assessment and an examination in May.
• Teaching methods include lectures and informal small study groups.
• Coursework and examinations place considerable stress on the ability think and reason critically, but constructively.
• The dissertation (12,000 words) is the capstone demonstration of these skills, requiring students to conceive, justify, design and execute a major project.
• Individual and or group presentations using laptops, PCs and digital projectors.

Employability

Employability Outcomes

Previous students of MSc Marketing have achieved graduate positions at:

• Barclays
• H&M
• Self-employment/Freelance
• Profound Ltd
• Diamond Air International
• FPDC
• I-CREST
• KAE
• Antenna TV
• MyCityDeal S.E.
• World One

View more videos:

• Liu Qing studied for Masters in Marketing at Brunel University
• Srihari Balasubramanian studied for Masters in Marketing at Brunel University
  

 Employability Events, Visits and Training

 

The School’s Business Life Employability Programme is designed to help students to acquire a range of employability and networking skills, enabling them to gain a distinct edge in the labour market and to manage their career search and development more effectively. Typical events have included:

• Business Life Capstone Event
  As part of their Business Planning module, postgraduate business students were invited to collaborate with Brunel’s annual Made in Brunel exhibition to provide a route to market for real creative and entrepreneurial products conceived by Brunel’s engineering and design students. Students from MSc Management and MSc Marketing not only created commercialisation plans for the products, but were invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of industry professionals and academic judges.
• BAT (Bloomberg Aptitude Test) with Bloomberg
  The BAT is offered as a three-hour online test taken on campus within an invigilated environment with a Bloomberg representative. BAT was designed in conjunction with leading financial institutions and academics to uncover an individual’s knowledge and skills relevant for a financial career. Students can choose to submit their names along with test scores or anonymously during job recruitment drives.
• Meet the Professionals Showcase
  A professional association is an organisation formed to unite and inform people who work in the same occupation. There are many advantages to joining professional bodies: typically they offer training and access to research, as well as networking opportunities like conferences and forums. Brunel Business School regularly invites key professional bodies to showcase these benefits to Business School students on campus. Professional bodies who regularly take part in the Showcase include: ACCA, ICAEW, CIPFA, CIMA, BCS, OR, CIM, CILT, CIPD, CII, CBI, CFA, CIM and CIPR.
  

UK Industrial and Commercial Visits
Where possible, events and external visits are arranged with UK organisations to help demonstrate theory in practice. 

• Graduate School Workshops
  In addition to the events and training sessions organised within the Business School, masters students have exclusive access to the workshops and skills training provided by the Brunel University’s Graduate School. Typical sessions have included:
  
• CV Writing for Masters Students
  A good quality CV is crucial and takes time to perfect. Students on taught masters are invited to attend this special training session on how to prepare Curriculum Vitae towards a targeted job or sector.
  
• CV Writing Drop-in Clinic for Masters Students
  Masters students are invited to bring along their CVs for a one-to-one review session with a careers advisor or as a follow-up to the Graduates School’s CVs writing for Masters Students.
  
• How to Succeed in Assessment Centres (Masters Students)
  This session will help students to prepare for assessment centres which are used as part of an organisation’s recruitment processes for jobs in industry or academia, in particular for highly competitive positions.
  
• Interview Techniques for Masters Students
  A training session especially for masters students that explores the whole competitive process of the interview from preparation to presenting and demonstrating your interest on the day.
  
• Transferrable Skills for Masters Students
  Students are encouraged to widen their skills base during postgraduate study in response to employer demand for transferrable skills as well as intellectual knowledge.
  

For further Masters Skills Training Courses, visit the Graduate School.

Fees for 2013/14 entry

UK/EU students: £8,000 full-time

International students: £13,500 full-time

Read about funding opportunities available to postgraduate students

Fees quoted are per annum and are subject to an annual increase.

Entry Requirements

A good honours degree (2.1 or above) typically in a business-related subject. Applications from social science graduates or mature candidates with non-standard qualifications but with considerable occupational experience are also welcome.

Candidates from non-business/management disciplines (and without any business/management element) will be eligible if they have a first class honours degree or the overseas equivalent. 

English Language Requirements

• IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
• TOEFL Paper test: 580 (TWE 4.5)
• TOEFL Internet test: 92 (R20, L20, S20, W20)
• Pearson: 59 (51 in all subscores)
• BrunELT 65% (min 60% in all areas)

Brunel also offers our own BrunELT English Test and accept a range of other language courses. We also have a range of Pre-sessional English language courses, for students who do not meet these requirements, or who wish to improve their English.