Applied Corporate Brand Management - MSc

About the Course

The MSc Applied Corporate Brand Management is offered in a choice of two routes:
MSc in Applied Corporate Brand Management – a one year standard master's

OR

MSc in Applied Corporate Brand Management (with Professional Practice) 16 months

The programme enjoys the input from a dedicated corporate advisory board made up of experts from the branding world, including senior brand executives of multi-national firms, brand consultants and design gurus. You can read more about this in the Special Features section.

The MSc in Applied Corporate Brand Management (with Professional Practice) incorporates a 16 week work placement component at a company or a consultancy. This unique feature of the work placement distinguishes our programme from other similar Masters in the country.

The Applied Corporate Brand Management programme covers issues of branding in blue chip companies, the service industry, banks, petroleum companies, lifestyle organisations, corporate brand heritage, nation and place branding.

You will examine the core contents of branding at the corporate level rather than at the product level. In other words, teaching on the programme focuses on branding of the corporation rather than branding the product.

The focus on corporate branding considers the following components:
Corporate identity
Corporate image and reputation
Corporate design
Corporate culture
Corporate behaviour
Corporate brand structure and brand strategy

You will undertake a project in collaboration with branding firms as part of your consultancy-based dissertation option. Examples include projects that are concerned with measuring the corporate image and ascertaining brand success of a chosen corporation.

Aims

In addition to offering an unrivalled opportunity to study and evaluate not only contemporary theory relating to corporate branding, the programme will also offer you the chance to examine current research relating to the management of an organisation’s corporate reputation, its corporate identity and its corporate communications.

You will gain a thorough understanding of the issues related to marketing at a corporate level.

You will gain a comprehensive appreciation of how to apply corporate branding and marketing theory and practice in the context of a contemporary organisation.

Course Content

Our MSc consists of both compulsory and optional modules, a typical selection can be found below. Modules can vary from year to year, but these offer a good idea of what we teach.

Compulsory

Corporate Branding Theory and Issues
Applied Corporate Branding
Strategic Corporate Brand Management and Consulting                             
Strategic Corporate Marketing
Marketing Communications
Understanding Business and Management Research
Dissertation

Optional

Global Diversity Management
International Business Ethics and Corporate Governance
Consumer Behaviour
International Management
Entrepreneurship

Special Features

Brunel Business School won the Times Higher Education Awards Business School of the Year 2013

Besides formal teaching and the Professional Practice, you are exposed to the myriad of practical applications of the theories taught, such as:
Guest speakers and feedback from the industry and brand consultancies.
Career talks and presentations.

As well as this, previous Applied Corporate Brand Management students are invited to share their experiences with you, giving you first-hand insight into how the course can impact your career

Corporate Advisory Board

The programme enjoys the input from a dedicated corporate advisory board made up of experts from the branding world, including senior brand executives of multi-national firms, brand consultants and design gurus. From advising blue-chip companies on brand strategy, to implementing brand communications for employees and customers all over the world, their experience is invaluable to our MSc Applied Corporate Brand Management programme. They also share their expertise with students as visiting lecturers, act as a sounding board for our academic plans, and offer placements, projects, field trips and other practitioner-based components.

Accreditation

Memberships

Chartered Management Institute (CMI): A number of Associate memberships to the CMI are open to graduates of Brunel Business School postgraduate programmes, offering discounted full membership rates upon application. Members of the CMI may use the following letters as appropriate: 'ACMI', Members 'MCMI' and Fellows 'FCMI'.

Teaching

A particular feature of our Applied Corporate Brand Management course is the use of case studies to contextualise contemporary theory and practice and the importance attached to class presentations to demonstrate the ability to apply theory in practice.
This interactive course, and the Strategic Corporate Brand Management and Consulting and Applied Corporate Branding modules in particular, allow you to engage with current industry experts who provide extra support and guidance in your coursework, classwork and presentations.

Assessment

Modules are typically assessed by individual assessment and an examination in May.

Teaching methods include lectures and informal small study groups.

Coursework and examinations place considerable emphasis on the ability to think and reason critically, but constructively.

The dissertation (12,000 words) is the capstone demonstration of these skills, requiring students to conceive, justify, design and execute a major project.

Individual and/or group presentations using laptops, PCs and digital projectors.

Modes of study

1-year, full-time starting in September: The taught element of the course (September to April) includes seven modules; delivery will be by a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials/group work. A further four months (May to September) is spent undertaking the dissertation.

Work Placements

Work placements are offered to suitable candidates where available with, for example, companies represented on the Applied Corporate Brand Management Advisory Board. Amongst others are:
Heathrow Airport
BrandPie
Telefónica Europe
Radley Yeldar
Mars
Jim Northover Limited
Network Rail
leapSTONE
Right Management
Tata Beverages
Tetley Tea

Placements take place over four months, from 1 September to 31 January the following year and previous placements involved roles such as project manager, marketing executive, brand researcher, internal communication officer and marketing officer amongst others.

Placement employers cover all student expenses and some provide a salary.

On completion of the placement, students proceed to find full-time employment in branding and advertising roles in the UK or abroad.

The purpose of the placement is to provide you with hands-on experience working with a brand consultant or a brand-related department of an organisation in the UK. It is an integral part of the course and you will receive support from the academic staff and the Professional Development Centre while on placement.