Program Overview

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International Marketing (Top-up) - BA (Hons)

Overview

Want to top up your marketing degree in Birmingham? Our BA (Hons) International Marketing (Top-Up) course allows you to learn in our in-house marketing agency, The Link. Our international marketing top-up degree gives you the chance to broaden your knowledge of marketing within the global business environment.

What's covered in this course?

You’ll be put into a range of exciting and innovative scenarios, strengthening your expertise and learning from different cultures and experiences.

On this top-up year, you will take a range of advanced modules that look at current marketing methods and contemporary business issues, such as contemporary advertising, e-business and marketing strategy and planning.

Hands-on learning will go alongside more conventional teaching methods like lectures and seminars on this course. You’ll be put in a range of scenarios, such as assuming the role of an international marketing manager, strengthening your expertise in the areas employers want. You’ll get to mix and collaborate with students on other marketing courses and exchange different ideas and experiences.

The course combines business theory with exciting current marketing themes, such as emerging digital media and the importance of a positive consumer experience. From day one, you’ll start to understand how organisations operate and what their current challenges and opportunities are. You’ll look at how emerging technologies and consumer experience can have a profound effect on how successful a business can be.

You’ll have the opportunity to work on real-life briefs with real clients, thanks to our own student marketing agency, The Link, which is run by our undergraduates and students take on live client briefs, with our students recently getting to work on a campaign for the Bullring.

You will benefit from close tutor support and form strong partnerships with our staff. They are all marketing experts who have had successful careers, and they’ll share their experience and marketing know-how with you.

Why Choose Us?

• We have a strong focus on employability and through placement opportunities and our links with local businesses, we aim to ensure you graduate not only with your degree but also with the skills and knowledge needed to embark on your chosen career.
• The STEAMhouse offers amazing opportunities for entrepreneurial students to kick start and build a business. Services available include the Incubator which helps focus and solidify business ideas and the Hatchery which offers support in getting your business off the ground.
• We pride ourselves on being the University for Birmingham and supporting and giving something back to the local business community. We have strong links with local businesses in the city across several industries. These links help us enhance students’ experiences by giving them access to industry experts for guest lectures, exciting placement opportunities and other chances to engage with the business community as a whole.
• We aim to infuse learning with exposure to real-world experiences. Through the Link Agency we give students the chance to work on real-life projects using industry-standard software and with real-world clients. These offer a unique opportunity for students to gain this invaluable experience while they study.

Similar Courses

• Business Administration (Top-up) - BA (Hons)
• International Business (Top-up) - BA (Hons)
• International Finance (Top-up) - BA (Hons)

Entry Requirements

Essential requirements

• ABE Advanced Diploma: At least a grade B in two modules and the qualification must be in a relevant subject area.
• Diploma in Higher Education (DipHE): Pass with 120 credits at level 4 and 120 credits at level 5, in a related pathway. Acceptance will be Subject to satisfactory comparability of modular content at level 4 and 5. A transcript will be required.
• Foundation degree (Level 5): Pass with 120 credits at level 4 and 120 credits at level 5, in a related pathway. A minimum of 60% overall must be achieved. Acceptance will be subject to satisfactory comparability of modular content at level 4 and 5. A transcript will be required.
• Higher National Diploma (HND): Pass with 120 credits at level 4 and 120 credits at level 5, in a related pathway. A minimum of a Merit profile overall. Acceptance will be subject to satisfactory comparability of modular content at level 4 and 5. A transcript will be required.

International qualifications

• EU/international students: Please see your country page for further details on the equivalent qualifications we accept. In addition to the academic entry requirements listed above, international and EU students will also require IELTS 6.0 overall with no less than 5.5 in each band.

Fees & How to Apply

UK students

• Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament.
• Award: BA (Hons)
• Starting: Sep 2025
• Mode: Full Time
• Duration: 1 year
• Fees: £9,535 in 2025/26

International students

• Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament.
• Award: BA (Hons)
• Starting: Sep 2025
• Mode: Full Time
• Duration: 1 year
• Fees: £17,690 in 2025/26

Course in Depth

Year One

• Marketing Strategy and Leadership 20 credits
• One Planet Business 20 credits
• Digital Analytics for Marketing 20 credits
• Contemporary Advertising 20 credits
• Cross Cultural Consumer Behaviour 20 credits
• International Business 20 credits

Employability

This course allows you to tailor your study around the job role and the career you want. By teaching you to apply what you learn to real business scenarios, you can walk into employment, having already dealt with many situations you find in the working world.

You’ll have many opportunities to work with actual businesses and build your CV. These arise through The Link, our very own marketing agency, and university competitions, Employability Challenge Week, the Leadership Challenge, well as activities and competitions further afield.

The specialist marketing modules will give you the opportunity to strengthen and prepare you to move towards a career in the marketing industry.

Facilities & Staff

Our Facilities

We are constantly investing in our estate and have spent £400 million on new learning facilities.

The Curzon Building

This course is based at our City Centre Campus – and specifically The Curzon Building, alongside other Social Sciences, Law and Business students.

The £63m building offers students a unique social learning space, including a dedicated student hub incorporating student support services, in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside development.

The Business floors house an extensive number of IT facilities, breakout areas, and specialised rooms. The Marketing Link Agency is designed to replicate a modern marketing firm, allowing students to get real-life experience of working in the marketing sector. There is also the City Trading Room, which features state of the art stock market tracking equipment, keeping you up to date with all the financial comings and goings of the London Stock Exchange and Wall Street.

The Curzon building is also conveniently close to Birmingham’s business and financial centre, allowing for strong links between your studies and the real world.

Our staff

• David Cashmore: Subject Group Leader (Marketing), Senior Teaching Fellow in Marketing

David joined BCU in 2017 as a Senior Teaching Fellow in Marketing, bringing over 20 years of industry experience. He has held senior marketing roles across a diverse range of B2B companies, from SMEs to global corporations, and continues to collaborate closely with industry leaders and professional bodies, particularly the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).