Program Overview

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Advertising and marketing have become increasingly central to social life on a global scale. As ‘persuasion industries’ they generate powerful images of the good life, acting upon individual and collective desires and aspirations. The MA critically explores the commercial and sociological aspects of the advertising and marketing industries, probing the way they link cultural values to creative and commercial innovation. Taught within our Department of Sociology , this course investigates key theoretical and substantive debates in the critical study of advertising, marketing and media, and analyses the advertising industries in Britain, North America and newly emerging economies like India. You explore topics including:

• Recent developments from actor network theory on market devices
• Concepts of advertising, marketing and consumption
• Contemporary marketing and management
• Media and communications
• Developing brand cultures

You are introduced to primary research materials, like market research data, examining debates about the historical rise of marketing-orientated businesses and the growth of the advertising agency. We are 1st for research environment in sociology (Grade Point Average, Research Excellence Framework 2021). We're pursuing a new understanding of the social world with our world leading research, and contributing to the thinking that guides organisations. This course is supported by expertise from the Essex Business School . Our strong emphasis on ethics and sustainable business practice in the global economy will provide knowledge and skills necessary for your future career in an increasingly complex world. Why we're great.

• We offer interdisciplinary studies with expertise from our Department of Sociology and Essex Business School
• We offer a strong emphasis on ethics and sustainable business practice in the global economy
• We examine advertising industries in Britain, North America and newly emerging economies like India

Our expert staff

We are a large and friendly department, offering a diverse range of research interests and with staff members who are committed to teaching, research and publication that covers a broad geographical spectrum. Many have worked at the local level with local authorities, justice councils, community partnerships and charities. Others have worked at a national and international level with bodies like the United Nations, the European Commission’s Expert Group on Public Understanding of Science, Amnesty International, The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Home Office and national non-governmental organisations. Within Essex Business School, our staff specialise in areas including SMEs, business-to-business relationship marketing, branding, marketing management, new product development and social entrepreneurship. While maintaining core engagement with contemporary marketing practice, our staff enrich our courses with novel marketing ideas drawn from both the contemporary business world and cutting-edge academic research.

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Specialist facilities

• Dedicated postgraduate support facilities
• Our renowned off-campus Graduate Conference takes place every February
• A unique Student Resource Centre where you can get help with your studies, access examples of previous students’ work, and attend workshops on research skills
• The Sociology common room is open all day Monday-Friday, is stocked with daily newspapers, magazines and journals, and has free drinks available
• Links with the Institute of Social and Economic Research, which conducts large-scale survey projects and has its own library, and the UK Data Archive, which stores national research data like the British Crime Survey
• Our students’ Sociology Society , a forum for the exchange of ideas, arranging talks by visiting speakers, introducing you to various career pathways, and organising debates

Our Essex Business School building on our Colchester Campus is the first zero carbon business school in the UK. Set around a lush winter garden, the Eden-style dome gives the building its own micro-climate. Our EBS building provides you with a stunning new work environment, offering:

• A virtual trading floor with Bloomberg Terminals offering direct use of Bloomberg data, information and analytics
• A light and spacious lecture theatre, with seating for 250 students
• Study pods and innovation booths for group working
• Dedicated office space for student entrepreneurs
• Networking opportunities with visiting businesses
• A café with an adjacent sun terrace

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Your future

This course provides excellent preparation for further academic study, and many of our postgraduates go on to successful academic careers, both in the UK and overseas. Others have established careers in non-governmental organisations, local authorities, specialist think tanks, government departments, charities, media production, and market intelligence. We work with the university’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.