Focusing on a management approach within advertising and PR, this career entry course aims to enhance your understanding of the discipline and develop your managerial skills. Leading Advertising and PR agency, Rock Kitchen Harris, provide thought leadership on the postgraduate course, giving contextual advice and guidance on industry processes and future trends. This constant review of the academic curriculum provides students with market leading industry guidance, supported by academic expertise.

Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) for a Dual Award, you can achieve the CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing as part of your degree. This qualification is highly valued by employers.

Through a combination of theory and practice, you will study modules that reflect the changing marketing landscape. This includes areas such as social and digital marketing, branding and communications.

You can also choose to complete the Business Research Project module. This will see you work on a real-life project supplied by an external business and provide evidence-based solutions to that organisation – a great opportunity to experience life as a professional within this sector while studying, giving students a strong practitioner background for job applications and interviews.

Key features

• This is a career entry course for those who have no previous qualifications or work experience in marketing or advertising and PR.
• Guest lectures from senior staff members at leading agency Rock Kitchen Harris.
• If you complete the elective Direct and Digital Marketing module, you will receive exemptions from the Certificate in Direct and Digital Marketing awarded by the Institute of Direct Marketing.
• Tailor the course to your career aspirations by choosing from a range of elective modules.
• This course will help equip you with the skills needed to work in areas such as communications, advertising, marketing, PR and media agencies.
• Develop professionally and personally during the course, which will help you gain an advanced understand of the key marketing issues facing organisations and place you in a strong position to embark on a career in this sector.

Structure and assessment

Course modules

This course is grounded in the latest theory and also has a strong practical element. There will be many chances to apply your knowledge and develop the advanced skills that will help you to enjoy a successful marketing career.

The content of the modules reflects the changing marketing landscape. For example, developments in social and digital media are embedded throughout the programme and are integral to certain modules such as Direct and Digital Marketing, Strategic e-Marketing and New Media Perspectives.

Other key themes of the programme include: insight management, innovation and entrepreneurship, project management, customer management, campaign planning, paid, owned and earned media planning, marketing metrics, working with agencies and international marketing perspectives.

Core modules

• Marketing Theory and Practice – an introduction to the key areas of marketing, building the foundation for further study – this module is for students who have not studied marketing before.
• Managing Advertising and Communications – provides a thorough grounding in all aspects of promotional activity, especially integrated marketing communications and the development and management of advertising campaigns.
• Social Media Strategy – examines the nature and evolution of the social media landscape as well as the implications of emerging and convergent social and mobile technologies for marketing strategy. Students will be guided to critically evaluate a range of theoretical frameworks that can be used to explain and utilise social media
• Marketing Research in Practice –  shows how marketing decision making is supported by detailed marketing information and the techniques employed to gather and assess that information.

• Brand PR – focuses on the use of Marketing PR at brand level. It concentrates on the use of PR techniques to build and promote brands. You will develop a critical understanding of Marketing and PR theories and practice and examine how they integrate with other promotional techniques.
• Research Methods for Marketers – develops research and analysis skills for an in-depth understanding of markets in preparation for the marketing analysis project.

The following are typical of the elective modules offered:

• Advanced Marketing Analytics
• Creative Brand Strategy
• Direct and Digital Marketing
• Strategic e-marketing

During the final semester you will complete a:

Dissertation: provides an invaluable opportunity to work in depth on a particular aspect of an international business and entrepreneurship topic of your choice. The topics of the dissertation are chosen in line with your interests and preferences, but mainly look at application of management theory to small firms.

OR

Business Research Project (BRP): is an individual enterprise consultancy project that serves as a commercially and employability relevant experience. The BRP is a live project where you gain a guaranteed business consultancy experience and are able to use your learned skills to make a genuine impact and benefit for a company.

Note: All modules are subject to change in order to keep content current.

Facilities and features