Marketing & Brand Management (MSc)

Our Marketing and Brand Management MSc, accredited by CIM, takes a unique focus on branding from a business perspective. Created to fill a skills gap in the graduate jobs market and designed with input from leading branding practitioners. Graduates from this course understand the real business value of brands and have the crucial practical skills needed to develop and manage them professionally.

• Unique brand insight: on this course you will critique the design of global brands and learn how to get the best results from your creative agencies. You will develop a solid knowledge of marketing management, so you can oversee a brand in all channels. You will take the opportunity to apply branding theory to case studies and in a live business context.
• Career-ready: the work you complete during your masters builds into a portfolio you can be proud to show recruiters. Graduates from this course typically enter the workplace in marketing manager and consultant roles, with many now at marketing director level or above.
• Reputation: Kingston Business School maintains a strong reputation for its marketing programmes. Top industry practitioners from companies such as Diageo Great Britain, agencies such as Iris and trade bodies such as the Institute of Promotional Marketing consult with us to ensure that our marketing courses give you the skills needed by industry. Learn more about our Marketing Expert Panel.

No background in business is required, but you will need to have a strong interest in marketing.

What will you study?

The course comprises seven modules:

• Strategic Brand Management – you will critically evaluate often controversial branding theory. Sharpen your analytical and presentation skills as you draw information from a strong mix of lectures, workshops, expert guest speakers and case studies.
• Branding Design – in this module you will brief design teams to develop assets that bring the brand to life. Assess designs to ensure they deliver on your brief. Maximise the brand in this extremely interactive and practical module.
• Buyer Behaviour – this module is designed by influential consumer behaviour writer and academic Robert East. On this strongly theoretical module you learn about buyers' decision making, purchasing and consumption patterns.
• Integrated Marketing Communications – you will build a broad understanding of all areas of the integrated communications mix (including advertising, public relations, sales promotion, sponsorship) and examine new developments in digital media to create effective communications plans.
• Global Marketing Management – you will broaden your understanding of marketing management principles in business (B2B), consumer (B2C) and non-profit sectors, with a global context. This module draws on the multicultural mix of students to bring a truly global flavour to workshops and case study seminars.
• Market Research and Data Analysis – in this module you will design and interpret market research with confidence based on solid understanding of analytical techniques and supporting software. This module is taught using a mix of lectures and computer laboratory sessions, and the data analysis component is delivered using an intensive teaching method, which helps you to learn efficiently.
• Research Proposal and Dissertation – in this module you will identify your research topic, conduct independent research and present your findings in a dissertation and management report. To guide you in this process, you will have access to an academic supervisor who is an expert in your chosen research topic.

Work placement scheme

Many postgraduate courses at Kingston University allow students to do a 12-month work placement as part of their course. The responsibility for finding the work placement is with the student; we cannot guarantee the work placement, just the opportunity to undertake it. As the work placement is an assessed part of the course, it is covered by a student's tier 4 visa.

Invoicing on the placement courses is split into two stages. The standard course fee is payable in year 1 with the placement fee invoiced in year 2. Therefore, students starting in September 2018 would therefore be charged the placement fee of £1,230 in September 2019. Students commencing the course in September 2019 will be invoiced the placement fee in 2020 (provisionally £1,350).

This amount will only be charged to your account after you find a placement and are enrolled on the module. You will not be charged this fee if you do not manage to secure a work placement.

Find out more about the postgraduate work placement scheme.

Eduniversal best masters winner 2016

This course has been rated by the Eduniversal masters ranking 2015/16 as one of the best marketing masters courses in western Europe.

Find out more.

CIM accreditation

Kingston Business School has joined forces with Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) to give our students the opportunity to gain a CIM professional qualification through the CIM Graduate Gateway scheme.

CIM qualifications are highly sought after by employers. The combination of a master's degree and a CIM professional qualification will strengthen your CV and mark you out as a master of your subject who can also demonstrate professional acuity and relevance.

Visit the Marketing & Brand Management (MSc) page on the Kingston University website for more details!