Marketing Communications MA/MSc

Program Overview

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The Marketing Communications MA/MSc at the University of Westminster is a one-year, full-time program that combines industry knowledge with academic theory, preparing students for a wide range of marketing roles. The program incorporates the latest digital and analytical marketing practices, and offers unique real-world experiences, including client-led projects and industry guest speakers. Students can specialize in data analytics (MSc route) or creative development (MA route) through optional modules. The program is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and has strong industry links, equipping graduates for successful careers in the dynamic marketing communications industry.

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

The Marketing Communications MA/MSc program at the University of Westminster is a one-year, full-time program designed to prepare students for professional careers in the dynamic and complex marketing communications industry. The program incorporates the latest digital and analytic marketing practices, reflecting the rapidly changing global marketing environment.

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Objectives:

The program aims to:

• Enhance career prospects through knowledge and understanding of industry best practices, balanced with academic theory.
• Provide a comprehensive understanding of the marketing communications channels and tools that underpin the development of an integrated marketing communications strategy.
• Equip students with the skills and knowledge to develop a communications message and identify the media and channel opportunities that deliver an integrated marketing communication campaign.
• Integrate the various specialisms and practices within marketing communications, while considering current issues affecting the field.
• Offer a practical learning experience with interactive employer-based projects that mirror industry practice.
• Provide students with the opportunity to work as a marketing communications agency in a ‘real-life’ scenario, pitching for work with a client.
• Enable students to specialize in either data analytics (MSc route) or creative development (MA route) through optional modules.

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Outline:

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Program Content:

The curriculum covers the development of a communications message, along with the media and channel opportunities that deliver an integrated marketing communication campaign. This includes the disciplines of branding, advertising, public relations, promotional marketing, digital marketing communications (including direct and interactive marketing and social media), and is underpinned by an in-depth understanding of consumers obtained through research and the exploration of branding.

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Structure:

• All students are initially enrolled on the MA to allow time to appreciate the different emphases of each degree and reflect on their own abilities, strengths, and future career development.
• Students decide whether to continue with the MA or pursue the MSc during the first semester of their study.

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Course Schedule:

• Semester One:
• Brand Strategy
• Consumer Psychology and Research
• Advertising Management
• Digital Marketing and Innovation
• Promotional, Direct and Relationship Marketing
• Public Relations and Reputation Management
• Integrated Marketing Communications Project (Proposal)
• Semester Two:
• Integrated Marketing Communications Project (Plan)

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Individual Modules:

• Brand Strategy: Explores the role of brand strategy within the marketing communications environment, evaluates contemporary concepts of brand strategy, and examines their application to a broad range of organizations.
• Advertising Management: Provides a critical understanding of advertising and brand management through frequent and varied application.
• Digital Marketing and Innovation: Introduces the contemporary digital marketing environment and considers a range of innovative and disruptive approaches to digital marketing communications in a sustainable business context.
• Promotional, Direct and Relationship Marketing: Explores strategies and tools that focus on Sales Activation, engaging consumers and delivering a short-term sales advantage.
• Public Relations and Reputation Management: Considers public relations' role in marketing and corporate communications, examining its origins, scope, character, and applications in creating and defending corporate and brand reputation.
• Integrated Marketing Communications Project: Guides students through the two stages of the IMC Project (The Proposal and The Plan), helping them synthesize content from other modules with contemporary issues and theories from the industry.
• Creative Development - Strategy and Process (MA): Explores the Creative Development Process that most creative agencies engage in.
• Data Analytics for Marketing (MSc): Provides a deep dive into the world of data collection, analysis, and marketing decision making based on research.

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Assessment:

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Methods:

• A wide range of engaging assessment methods are used, prioritizing innovative, industry-focused tasks.
• These include video creation, portfolio production, client meetings, blogs and digital content creation, poster presentation, team presentation, and time-constrained assessments.

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Criteria:

• The focus is on practical resolution of real problems, encouraging analytical skills and creativity.

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Teaching:

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Methods:

• A variety of teaching methods are employed, including lectures, seminars, live case study analysis, and client-led projects.
• Group work is a core component of the program, allowing students to deepen relationships with classmates, gain a more thorough understanding of subjects, and mimic the office environment.
• The new digital marketing classroom, Switch-23, is designed to replicate the environment of an advertising agency and cultivate an agency style and approach to a new working culture.

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Faculty:

• The teaching team has strengths across multiple subject disciplines.
• The program benefits from excellent industry connections, facilitating significant practitioner contribution through guest speakers and workshops.

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Unique Approaches:

• The program incorporates real-world experience through interactive employer-based projects and client-led projects.
• Students have the opportunity to participate in a three-day workshop program in Cambridge, working with a client company on a comprehensive integrated marketing communications campaign.

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Careers:

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Potential Career Paths:

• Marketing
• Advertising
• Public Relations
• Specialist communications agencies
• Private companies
• Non-profits
• Social enterprises
• Government organizations
• Consultancy

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Opportunities:

• The program provides direct work experience through applied projects, enhancing students' CVs and narrative when applying for new positions.
• The Careers and Employability Service supports students in achieving their full potential.

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Outcomes:

• Graduates are prepared for a wide range of marketing communications careers in management, strategy, PR, advertising, and communications.

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Other:

• The program has been designed with input from industry professionals working in brand and marketing consultancy, digital and data-driven communications, and creative and social media.
• The program has excellent links with relevant professional bodies, including the Institute of Data and Marketing (IDM), the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA).
• Staff who teach on the course have extensive professional experience and many continue to offer ongoing consultancy services.
• The program offers access to the dedicated Digital Marketing Lab – Switch 23 – which is set up to mimic a creative agency environment.
• The program provides opportunities to develop a diverse skillset, including creative thinking, presentation skills, social media management, creative prototyping for digital products, problem-solving, and business diagnostic skills.
• The program offers the opportunity to study digital marketing, preparing students to take the Diploma exams after their MA if they so wish.
• The program is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) with a Graduate Gateway program status.
• The program offers a range of funding options, including Student Finance England (SFE) and scholarships.
• The program is taught in the heart of London, close to many national, international, and global employers.
• The program provides opportunities to build connections with peers and future business leaders.
• The program offers opportunities to develop cultural intelligence by studying alongside students and staff representing more than 100 nationalities.

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UK Fees:

£16,500

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International Fees:

£19,000

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Alumni Discount:

See details