Program Overview
Course summary
In today’s fast-paced global business environment, strategic marketing influences every aspect of business, informing decisions about how to create and maintain consumer demand, increase profit, build reputation and stay ahead of the competition. Incorporating the latest digital and analytic marketing practices, our Master’s reflects the ever-changing nature of this exciting profession.
Internationalisation and digitisation have fundamentally shifted marketing contexts: types of businesses, products and services, channels and communication media, and consumer behaviour are changing rapidly. Businesses of all shapes and sizes – large or small, global or local, innovative or traditional, public or private – now compete for the same market. Marketing professionals can steer a company toward success through innovative product development, savvy pricing strategies, creative communications and timely market insight.
The aim of both the MA and MSc is to improve your managerial effectiveness in the increasingly digitised, automated and globalised field of marketing. It will deepen your understanding of the relationship between marketing and the wider organisation, as well as the organisation and its customers, enabling you to adopt a holistic forward-looking approach to marketing to achieve long-term sustainable competitive advantage.
Suitable for existing marketers keen to adopt a strategic approach to marketing management or those from a non-marketing background, our balanced portfolio has been designed to deliver the breadth and depth of knowledge required to excel in marketing strategy, market research, digital and global marketing, product and brand management.
Both courses provide a comprehensive curriculum. The MA places more emphasis on developing the creative skills needed for innovative decision-making, while the MSc stresses the marketing metrics, analytics and data handling skills which underpin evidence-based problem-solving. On the MA and MSc, you’ll work to apply your marketing theories, conduct marketing analysis and planning on real-life projects. The Marketing Planning Study Trip, for example, offers a great opportunity for personal and professional development. Developing a marketing plan for a real client, you’ll gain sought-after soft skills, such as creativity, critical thinking, personal agility, adaptability and resilience. In 2019, students worked on a live case study provided by Cole Haan, the global men's and women's footwear and accessories brand, to achieve a seven-fold increase in UK turnover in three years.
On graduation, you’ll be prepared for marketing consultancy or marketing management in a wide range of industries and international markets, typically in roles such as product development, brand management, digital marketing, marketing communications, marketing research, customer service management, e-marketing or sales.
The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) with Graduate Gateway programme status. It was designed with input from a range of industry professionals working in brand and marketing consultancy, digital technology, creative and social media.
Marketing Management MA
Special emphasis in the MA is laid on enhancing participants’ analytical and creative skills that are crucial for sound innovative decision-making, imaginative problem solving, and developing and implementing marketing strategies in a fast-changing, global business environment.
Marketing Management MSc
Special emphasis in the MSc is laid on enhancing participants’ analytical and data-handling skills that are crucial for sound decision making and evidence-based problem solving for developing and implementing marketing strategies in a fast-changing, resource-constrained global business environment.
Top reasons to study with us
- Strong links with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and option to join CIM/University of Westminster Marketing Club, providing networking and professional development opportunities
- Regular professional events and guest speakers, which have previously included CIM events and collaboration with the CIM Levitt Group annual lectures and seminar series
- Past field trips have included company visits to the Mini Plant, the Morgan Car Factory, Sky, and The Museum of Brands
- Become business-ready through practical experiences including a case study away day acting as a marketing consultant, preparing and presenting a marketing plan
- Career development workshops and masterclasses to enhance your global perspective and employability
- Taught by staff with expertise in marketing, strategic marketing management, digital marketing, brand strategy and brand management, product development, price and distribution management, marketing research, consumer psychology and insight, marketing communications, social media, quantitative analysis and analytics, marketing creativity and innovation
Course structure
On this course, you'll learn the theories and applications of marketing management, analysis and planning, developing your ability to critically evaluate contemporary marketing practice in a modern business and marketing environment. Acknowledging the rise of digital and online marketing, these content themes can be found throughout and include digital behaviour/consumption, social media, apps, digital social influence, online analytics and e-targeting, for example. All students will be initially enrolled on the Marketing Management MA, to give you time to appreciate the different emphasis of each degree and reflect on your own ability, strengths and future career development. You will make your decision during the first semester of your study.
The modules below are indicative of what you will study on this course.
Semester 1
We’ll advance your knowledge of marketing theory and practice, together with core subjects such as consumer psychology, marketing research insights, product and brand management, and distribution and price management.
As the ultimate goal of all marketing activity is to identify, anticipate and satisfy consumer requirements, we’ll start by looking closely at the consumer. You’ll gain an understanding of the psychology that underpins modern consumers’ attitudes, perceptions, decision-making processes and behaviour in today’s complex environment, enriched as it is by advanced technology, digital and social media, and environmental, ethical and sustainability considerations.
We move on to strategic decision-making and the importance of meaningful marketing analysis. You’ll develop competency in mining big data and applying the main qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection, measurement, sampling, analysis and presentation of results. You’ll also examine the key concepts for managing products and brands as strategic assets in offline and digital environments and how to create value for customers and the organisation. We’ll explore marketing options to consider when developing strategy, including the logistics, motivations and behaviour of participants in relation to various marketing channels, pricing issues and promotion.
Semester 2
We’ll cover multi-platform marketing communications with a strong focus on digital marketing. We look at the variety of digital and non-digital communications channels that now constitute the marketing communications mix – digital and interactive media (such as SEO, PPC, digital display and email marketing), social media marketing, mobile marketing, promotional tools, sales promotion, PR/e-PR/influencer marketing, direct marketing, advertising, sponsorship and alternative marketing (buzz/guerrilla marketing, outdoor, interactive campaigns).
Those studying the MA will explore how creativity and innovation can add value when planning marketing campaigns, while MSc students will experience a variety of industry-standard mathematical and statistical data-analytic tools which can be used to guide marketing decision-making. We cover a wide range of qualitative and quantitative techniques, including descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing and regression analysis.
The Marketing Dissertation is an ideal opportunity to demonstrate your resourcefulness and ability to ‘think on your feet’. The final module brings together all aspects of the process of marketing strategy formulation: situational analysis, the generation and selection of appropriate alternative marketing objectives, and the development of segmentation, targeting, positioning and marketing mix strategies. You’ll investigate a problem/issue in the context of the international, technological, social and ethical environment in which today’s and tomorrow’s businesses must operate.
You'll be undertaking a substantial piece of academic research with the choice of your own topic. This will be the best opportunity for you to specialise in a marketing subject in which you have a special interest or career opportunity. The dissertation module is a year-long module running through the first semester and the second semester of your study.
Core modules – MA
Consumer Psychology for Marketing
The ultimate goal of all marketing activity is to identify, anticipate, and satisfy consumer requirements: the consumer sits at the heart of all marketing activity. It is essential for marketers to understand the psychology that underpins modern consumers’ attitudes, perceptions, decision-making processes and behaviour in today’s complex environment, enriched as it is by advanced technology, digital and social media, and environmental, ethical and sustainability considerations. This module explores all of these issues.
Marketing Research Insights
Companies need deep and meaningful insights into the market and how consumers think, feel and behave to make their online and offline marketing activities effective. Companies use a range of sophisticated approaches to collect data in order to compete with their competitors and to access and target their customers in the fast-changing environment. This knowledge informs the decision-making and planning of marketing strategy. This module develops competency in mining big data and applying the main qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection, measurement, sampling, analysis and presentation of results.
Product and Brand Management
This module deals with the management of an organisation’s core offering to the marketplace, its products and brands. It examines the key concepts for managing products and brands as strategic assets in offline and digital environments in creating value for customers and the organisation and in achieving marketing and business goals.
Distribution and Price Management
Successful marketing distribution management enables companies to deliver their products to customers efficiently. Pricing is the most important decision for a marketer; it represents the value the customer puts on the company’s product. Distribution and Price Management covers the management of two essential elements of the marketing mix. The module examines the design of distribution channels, digital and other alternatives, available to marketers. It also covers the administration and logistics elements of distribution. The Distribution channels management has been evolving rapidly over the past few years and it is now more organised, structured and proactive. In addition, the module will cover the role of pricing within the marketing mix and how price is determined. The various pricing strategies and the effect of competition on pricing will be covered. Also, in considering the distribution channels, the strategic aspects of price will be examined.
Multi-Platform Marketing Communications
Constantly evolving marketing communications are characterised by increased use of multiple media platforms including a variety of digital and non-digital channels that intersect within ever more complex customer ecosystems, both domestically and internationally. These themes and an exploration of a wide array of marketing communications tools will permeate the module. Teaching will be interactive and will consist of one lecture and one seminar each week. Students are expected to contribute to class discussion.
Strategic Marketing Management in an International Context
Today’s marketing managers are faced with many challenges. The contemporary, boundary-free marketplace is characterised by uncertainty and unpredictability due to social and geopolitical developments, technological advancements and the rapid changes in the structure and nature of competition that these can bring. Marketing managers need to be aware of the challenges and opportunities afforded by all such phenomena, and to be able to formulate and implement appropriate responses. This module will bring together advanced marketing knowledge to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the integrated nature of marketing management. The application of strategic concepts and tools will enable them to apply these elements both rigourously and creatively to form coherent competitive marketing strategies in the constantly evolving international, societal, and technological context.
Marketing Creativity and Innovation
Creativity and innovation are at the core of successful marketing activities and necessary for the competitive edge brands seek. This module focuses on how creativity and innovation enhance marketing practices. Exploring the marketing mix from a creativity and innovation perspective, the module looks at how creative and innovative approaches can be utilised by marketers in value creation, market and data analysis, identifying and tracking customers and decision making.
Marketing Dissertation
The dissertation enables students to demonstrate their mastery of a complex and specialised area of knowledge and skill drawn from the other taught modules and their own independent research, further developing their ability in framing and investigating critical inquiries in marketing. Students will self-select a problem-oriented research project that is underpinned by advanced theories and framework. The methodology must be appropriately designed and rigorously implemented. The dissertation demonstrates students’ competency in their area of specialism with the marketing field and the findings reflect the potential impact and managerial implications on marketing practices.
Core modules – MSc
Consumer Psychology for Marketing
The ultimate goal of all marketing activity is to identify, anticipate, and satisfy consumer requirements: the consumer sits at the heart of all marketing activity. It is essential for marketers to understand the psychology that underpins modern consumers’ attitudes, perceptions, decision-making processes and behaviour in today’s complex environment, enriched as it is by advanced technology, digital and social media, and environmental, ethical and sustainability considerations. This module explores all of these issues.
Marketing Research Insights
Companies need deep and meaningful insights into the market and how consumers think, feel and behave to make their online and offline marketing activities effective. Companies use a range of sophisticated approaches to collect data in order to compete with their competitors and to access and target their customers in the fast-changing environment. This knowledge informs the decision-making and planning of marketing strategy. This module develops competency in mining big data and applying the main qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection, measurement, sampling, analysis and presentation of results.
Product and Brand Management
This module deals with the management of an organisation’s core offering to the marketplace, its products and brands. It examines the key concepts for managing products and brands as strategic assets in offline and digital environments in creating value for customers and the organisation and in achieving marketing and business goals.
Distribution and Price Management
Successful marketing distribution management enables companies to deliver their products to customers efficiently. Pricing is the most important decision for a marketer; it represents the value the customer puts on the company’s product. Distribution and Price Management covers the management of two essential elements of the marketing mix. The module examines the design of distribution channels, digital and other alternatives, available to marketers. It also covers the administration and logistics elements of distribution. The Distribution channels management has been evolving rapidly over the past few years and it is now more organised, structured and proactive. In addition, the module will cover the role of pricing within the marketing mix and how price is determined. The various pricing strategies and the effect of competition on pricing will be covered. Also, in considering the distribution channels, the strategic aspects of price will be examined.
Multi-Platform Marketing Communications
Constantly evolving marketing communications are characterised by increased use of multiple media platforms including a variety of digital and non-digital channels that intersect within ever more complex customer ecosystems, both domestically and internationally. These themes and an exploration of a wide array of marketing communications tools will permeate the module. Teaching will be interactive and will consist of one lecture and one seminar each week. Students are expected to contribute to class discussion.
Strategic Marketing Management in an International Context
Today’s marketing managers are faced with many challenges. The contemporary, boundary-free marketplace is characterised by uncertainty and unpredictability due to social and geopolitical developments, technological advancements and the rapid changes in the structure and nature of competition that these can bring. Marketing managers need to be aware of the challenges and opportunities afforded by all such phenomena, and to be able to formulate and implement appropriate responses. This module will bring together advanced marketing knowledge to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the integrated nature of marketing management. The application of strategic concepts and tools will enable them to apply these elements both rigourously and creatively to form coherent competitive marketing strategies in the constantly evolving international, societal, and technological context.
Managerial Data Analytics for Marketing
A variety of industry-standard mathematical and statistical data-analytic tools can be used with conventional and big data sets to guide marketing decision-making. This module provides hands-on exposure to some of these tools, enabling students to learn how to convert data into inputs for decisions. Such skills are in increasing demand in today’s information-rich organisations. Students will learn how to structure marketing problems, and to identify data and analysis tools that would be useful in solving them.
Marketing Dissertation
The dissertation enables students to demonstrate their mastery of a complex and specialised area of knowledge and skill drawn from the other taught modules and their own independent research, further developing their ability in framing and investigating critical inquiries in marketing. Students will self-select a problem-oriented research project that is underpinned by advanced theories and framework. The methodology must be appropriately designed and rigorously implemented. The dissertation demonstrates students’ competency in their area of specialism with the marketing field and the findings reflect the potential impact and managerial implications on marketing practices.
Program Outline
Careers
As a graduate, you'll be ready to work as a marketing manager, marketing consultant, product, brand, customer relations or PR manager, or a marketing communications manager for private companies and/or non-profits, social enterprises and government organisations around the world.
Taught in the heart of London, close to many of the city’s national, international and global employers, our emphasis on skills, capabilities and attributes – with multiple opportunities throughout the course to apply these capabilities to real business problems – will provide direct work experience to enhance your CV and narrative when applying for new positions. These applied projects will not only expand your professional networks, but directly enhance your prospects for early employability after graduation.
With a growing global network of 3,000 employers, our Careers and Employability Service is here to support you to achieve your full potential.
Build your network
Build connections with peers and future business leaders.
Kickstart your career
Learn how to use social media in your job hunt or LinkedIn to kickstart your career.
Develop your CQ
Develop your cultural intelligence – or ‘CQ’ – studying alongside students and staff representing more than 100 nationalities.
Industry links
Staff who currently teach on this course have extensive professional experience, among them as:
- a senior management consultant for McKinsey and Company
- a manager in Savoy Hotel Group
- export manager for Labaronne-CITAF
- deputy general manager of QSR Franchise Development Group
- an equity and structured finance analyst for Bergstrom Capital
Job roles
Graduates of this course may go on to such roles such as:
- Account executive
- Brand manager
- Buying assistant
- Campaign manager
- Campaign optimisation executive
- Client consulting manager
- Customer experience strategist
- Digital marketing executive
- Founder and CEO
- Marketing coordinator/manager
- Project manager
- Sales and marketing manager
- Social media manager
Graduate employers
Graduates from this course have found employment at organisations including:
- Cerveceria y Malteria Quilmes, Argentina
- Dentsu Aegis Network, Germany
- Fenwick, London
- Global Travel Retail, London
- GotU.io, London
- IPG MEDIABRANDS, India
- KOMZ Consulting Ltd
- MHP, Germany
- MSD, UAE
- SAS
- The Goat Agency, London
- Unilever, London
- VIMA SA, Greece
Employers value graduates who have invested in their personal and professional development – and our Westminster Employability Award gives you the chance to formally document and demonstrate these activities and achievements.
The award is flexible and can be completed in your own time, allowing you to choose from a set of extracurricular activities.
Activities might include gaining experience through a part-time job or placement, signing up to a University-run scheme – such as mentoring or teaching in a school – or completing online exercises.
Dr Kate Ingsa
Lecturer
Kate is a Lecturer in Marketing at the School of Management and Marketing, Westminster Business School. Kate holds a PhD in Business Studies and Strategy from the University of Westminster with a research focus on brand knowledge and luxury consumption. Before joining Westminster, Kate worked as a Lecturer at the Department of Public Relations, Albert Laurence School of Communication Arts, Assumption University of Thailand, after graduating with an MA in Marketing Communications (Merit) from the University of Westminster in 2010.
In addition to her academic experience, Kate has provided consultancy to various small businesses in Thailand, the UK, and South Korea in aspects related to branding and marketing activities.
Marketing is not just about selling products; it’s about crafting compelling stories that resonate with people, sparking connections that go beyond transactions.
- Dr Pinar Demir - Senior Lecturer
- Kevin Heffernan - Senior Lecturer
- Ann Thapar - Principal Lecturer
- Nicholas Sanders - Senior Lecturer
- Dr Virginia Mwangi - Lecturer
Your learning experience is designed to develop the capabilities needed by the graduate labour market, integrating practice-based learning and projects alongside academic learning and marketing theory.
To assist the learning experience, reading lists, lecture and seminar materials are provided in advance via Blackboard, our virtual learning environment. Where possible, lectures are recorded using specialist software and similar tools to make sure you can really listen to what is said in class and not miss a thing.
How you’ll be taught
Through a variety of teaching methods – from lectures and seminars to live case study analysis and marketing management projects – we aim to bring study to life by incorporating real-world experience. A focus on group work and idea generation helps to develop the strong interpersonal skills expected of top managers.
There is a requirement for ‘self-guided’ learning, and you will be expected to develop your own opinions and approaches to problems. Group work is a core component of the programme, which allows you to deepen relationships with classmates, get a more thorough understanding of subjects by interacting with people from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds, and mimic the office environment in which projects are often conducted in small teams across different departments. You’ll be given multiple opportunities to put forth real-life solutions to problems, present marketing plans or new product development plans for promoting brand value and market optimisation.
We'll encourage you to keep up-to-date with a wide range of marketing platforms, approaches and strategies, being sensitive to early signs of changes in the market and trends, sharing discussion forums and articles or inviting practitioners to present some of their current challenges and experiences. Past talks within the School have covered topics as diverse as branding, digital marketing trends, content marketing, sustainability, and the secrets of inspirational women.
You’ll also have opportunities to attend specialist events hosted by the University of Westminster/CIM Marketing Club, as well as external professional organisations. Recently, a group of students attended a half-day session on the potential of evolving digital technologies, Back to the Future, with presentations from Sky Media and RocketMill, a full-service digital marketing agency.
The teaching team has strengths across multiple subject disciplines, including academic scholarship and practitioner business experience, in strategic marketing management, brand management, consumer behaviour and psychology, quantitative data analysis and marketing analytics, distribution and price management, marketing communications, and digital marketing.
In the following graph you'll find examples of how study time has been distributed in the past (data from the academic year 2022/23). Changes to division of study time may be made in response to feedback and in accordance with our terms and conditions. Learning typically falls into three broad categories:
- Scheduled hours: examples include lectures, seminars, practical classes, workshops, supervised time in a studio
- Placement: placement hours normally include placement opportunities, but may also include live projects or virtual activity involving employers
- Independent study: non-scheduled time in which students are expected to study independently. This may include preparation for scheduled sessions, follow-up work, wider reading or practice, completion of assessment tasks, or revision
How you’ll be assessed
We use a wide range of engaging assessment methods and prioritise more innovative, industry-focused tasks, for example, client-based marketing planning, marketing research projects, and new product development plans.
Outputs might include marketing plans, project proposals, video presentations, blogs, infographics and digital content creation, as well as the more traditional presentations and time-constrained assessments.
The focus on practical resolution of real problems and the encouragement of analytical skills and creativity make this an attractive course. For example, we use real companies and case studies for coursework and you’ll gain hands-on experience of data analysis to help you understand market trends and the marketing environment, developing skills in relevant software and/or analytics.
We also pay particular attention to helping you develop specialisms and will encourage you to choose a dissertation topic in line with your personal interests and future career development.
In the following graph you'll find an indication of what you can expect (data from the academic year 2022/23). Changes to assessment weights may be made in response to feedback and in accordance with our terms and conditions. Assessments typically fall into two broad categories:
- Practical: examples include presentations, podcasts, blogs
- Coursework: examples include essays, in-class tests, portfolios, dissertation
Outstanding facilities
Develop your creativity and design multi-platform campaigns in our specialist Digital Marketing Lab, Switch 23.
Combine theory and practice
Link theory to global practice through real-life case studies, problem-solving and live business projects.
Work on real-life projects
Work with a client to develop a marketing strategy focused on real corporate objectives on the Residential Marketing Planning Weekend.
Find out what makes our Marketing Management MA/MSc so popular.
