The MSc in Marketing enables you to explore the exciting world of modern The MSc in Marketing enables you to explore the dynamic world of modern marketing and its pivotal role in helping to shape and steer corporate strategies in business and other professional sectors. This one-year full-time course offers an in-depth understanding of key academic marketing theories, current marketing industry issues and opportunities to gain practical experience abroad.
We work with the leading UK professional body, the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), to also offer you the opportunity to gain professional qualifications by taking advantage of the exemptions our CIM Accredited Degree provides.
Away from taught learning, you will be able to take part in extracurricular activities, which will give you valuable business insight and develop vital networking opportunities.
You will also be able to enjoy marketing presentations by guest speakers, including expert academics and senior representatives from major multinationals.
Durham University Business School is one of the longest established in the UK and is also one of an elite group accredited by all three major business accreditation bodies – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the Association of MBAs and the European Quality Improvement System.
You will study core modules that include marketing management and strategy, buyer behaviour and marketing innovation, marketing theory, contemporary marketing communication and business-to-business marketing. You will also select optional modules, ranging from digital marketing to global sports business and complete a dissertation or business project. The option also exists to take a module on the theory and practice of influencer and content marketing, which can replace the dissertation or business project and consolidates your knowledge gained from the course.
Course structure
Year 1 modules
Core modules:
Marketing Strategy and Tactics
provides a comprehensive introduction to issues in marketing management and gives you the skills and ability to develop a professional strategic marketing plan.
Buyer Behaviour and Marketing Innovation
provides you with insights into consumer behaviour’s role in modern marketing, including historical perspectives, neuroscience, purchase decisions, perception, memory, emotions, and more. You'll also explore how to apply these insights in product design, branding, advertising, retail, and ethical marketing.
Marketing Theory
develops your understanding of marketing theory and the key debates within the field by considering the theoretical, managerial, social, economic, and political dimensions of marketing. You will look at the role of marketing within markets, organisations, and society and the assumptions underpinning marketing thinking.
Contemporary Marketing Communication
will develop your understanding of contemporary marketing communication by looking at recent research studies and first-hand accounts of strategy development from leading marketing agencies. You will contribute your own experience of advertising and promotion to the module and examine ethical, critical and social issues that arise in the field of promotional and contemporary communication.
Business to Business Marketing
tackles the over-emphasis found on academic courses on the study of business-to-consumer marketing and provides a comprehensive introduction to the main theoretical and managerial issues in business-to-business marketing, a field in which many of our graduates work.
Either
Research Methods and Dissertation in Marketing provides you with training for advanced-level research and requires you to conduct an in-depth investigation into a relevant subject, for which you will have the opportunity to undertake research abroad at a partner university. Alternatively, instead of a dissertation, you will produce a business project in partnership with an external host organisation or through an issue-led investigation across a range of organisations on a specific management issue.
or
Influencer and Content Marketing: Theory and Practice consolidates your course learning and requires you to carry out a critical analysis of the influencer marketing and content creation sectors and their impact on the traditional marketing industry. You will identify a viable business concept, carry out detailed market and customer analysis and then complete a major digital project based on your own specialist interests within influencer and content marketing.
Optional modules:
In recent years, optional modules have included:
Arts, Heritage and Tourism Marketing
Digital Marketing
Global Marketing Management
Global Sport Business
Retail Marketing Management
Social Marketing
Designing and Marketing Services
Advanced Marketing Strategy
Consulting
Science of Leadership
A language module such as those offered by the University’s Centre for Foreign Language Study
The course is mainly delivered through a mixture of lectures and seminar-style sessions and workshops that enable work to take place in small groups.
Lectures provide key contents of a particular topic and may be given by guest speakers who are internationally recognised academic experts or practitioners in their field.
Outside of timetabled contact hours, you are expected to undertake a significant number of hours of independent study to prepare for teaching sessions, assignments and other assessments. Independent study also provides an opportunity for you to broaden your general knowledge of subject matters and to be able to contribute in small-group sessions.
You will complete a dissertation or a business project, which boosts your research skills through the application of the appropriate theoretical frameworks.
If you choose the influencer and content marketing module instead of a dissertation, you will attend a further 20 hours of workshops plus research field visits.
Assessment
Assessment is rigorous and applied through written assignments and exams. In addition, you will also complete either a dissertation or a business project, or for the module of influencer and content marketing, the assessment includes a scoping report, a 20-minute presentation and a digital channel prototype.
If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.
NB Chinese Applicants: Applications will be accepted from students who have graduated from a prestigious university in China. Entry requirements may vary depending upon the reputation of the university you have graduated from and the academic programme you have applied for. As a guide, applicants are expected to have achieved an overall average of 85%.
How do I apply?
You will need to complete an online application form.
To support your online application form, you will need to provide the following documents.
Official transcript of marks
Copy of degree certificate (if available)
Copy of English test results (if available).
You can either upload your supporting documents with your online application or email or fax them to the Postgraduate Admissions Office using the contact details below.
Note Only files of type .doc, .docx, .gif, .jpg, .pdf, .png, .rtf are permitted to be uploaded. The maximum file size is 5MB.
College membership
If you’re applying for a full-time programme you’ll need to become a member of one of our Colleges as well as being accepted by a department. Here’s more information about how the college system works. Once you accept your programme offer, the College Postgraduate Office will get in touch with you to arrange accommodation. Please note that demand for college accommodation usually exceeds availability, so please try to arrange it as soon as possible.
Admissions process
Here are the steps in the admissions process:
We will let you know when we’ve received your application.
Once we’ve received all of your supporting documents, we will email you to let you know our decision.
If the decision is to make you an offer of a place on the programme we will let you know by email. Please note we do not issue hard copy offer letters as these are not required to obtain a student visa.
You should confirm acceptance of your offer as soon as possible.
International students requiring a student visa will receive a CAS (Certificate of Acceptance of Studies) via email once all offer conditions are met, acceptance and deposit have been received and you are within five months of the start date of your programme.
Please note: You must let us know your own personal email address when applying. Please do not note use a University-linked email which may stop working once you complete your bachelor degree.
International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year.
Home students who do not meet our direct entry requirements, may be eligible for our Foundation Programme which offers multidisciplinary programmes to prepare you for a range of specified degree programmes.
The fees for this academic year have not been confirmed yet.
The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase and are expected to rise throughout the programme of study. The fee listed above is for the first year of the course only.
Our postgraduate programmes with a focus on employability fully equip you with the skills and industry insight to embark on a successful and rewarding business career.
The knowledge and understanding you develop reflect the Department’s values of sustainability, wellbeing and equality of opportunity across the globe.
You gain a combination of analytical and practical skills that employers value, such as independent thinking and problem-solving, and are able to enhance your people skills that are essential in business and much sought after by employers.
Department information
Business, Marketing and Management
Our Department sits within the prestigious Durham University Business School. It offers a significant academic opportunity to gain the vital skills to become a successful business leader or to carry out further research and make a major contribution to a sustainable business future.
Our Business, Management and Marketing programmes are delivered by the Department of Management and Marketing, one of four departments at Durham University Business School (alongside the Department of Accounting, Department of Economics and Department of Finance).
The School is one of the UK’s longest established business schools and one of an elite group of institutions in the UK to be accredited by all three major bodies – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).
We consistently rank highly in independent league tables for both the quality and reputation of our Department, with teaching delivered by a world-class academic community that includes experienced business professionals and researchers who work across a wide variety of business disciplines.
We recruit students from around the world onto our postgraduate programmes. Our students take part in live business projects, internships and placements as part of their studies, enabling them to apply their knowledge to practical challenges in the most forward thinking companies. We have an active alumni network of more than 36,000 graduates in over 140 countries.
Facilities
You will be taught at our Business School, Waterside. This additional building will complement our current Mill Hill Lane site, and both sites will deliver a world-class business teaching and learning experience.
Waterside is nestled in the heart of Durham City Centre, just a few minutes walk from the railway station, along the scenic banks of the River Wear.
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