Marketing (Professional Practice) MA

Study a course accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Take advantage of a 12-month taught course which incorporates a work placement facilitated by the University. Grasp the opportunity to demonstrate business skills and knowledge in the workplace.

Scholarships available

Overview

MA Marketing (Professional Practice) is a taught course which incorporates a 12-month work placement facilitated by the University, enabling you to utilise and demonstrate your skills and knowledge in a work environment.

Our dedicated faculty placements team is well-connected with regional and national employers and every year, assists students in applying for roles in areas including marketing, human resources, finance, operations, and supply-chain positions.

Securing a work placement is a competitive process and the University will support your efforts in securing a placement or work experience.

Our students have secured placements with companies including Nissan, Caterpillar, Fujitsu, Network Rail, and White Lodging Services, as well as small entrepreneurial firms in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.

CIM Accredited Degree logo

Why us?

Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
Engages with real-world practice for example, with industry competitions, real-life case studies, company visits, and the guest speakers programme

An integrated work placement enables you to put theory into practice and gain invaluable industry experience

Our partners, accreditations and networks

Course structure

The MA Marketing (Professional Practice) course is 240 credits to reflect the additional work experience you'll undertake prior to the completion of your final project.

The teaching methods used on the course include lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, class discussions, and case study exercises. You'll have a Peer Learning Support Group (PLSG) where you'll be able to work with other students, and support each other.

Your progress will be assessed with written assignments, presentations, portfolios of evidence, and time-constrained assignments. The assessment for the professional practice module is the completion of a professional placement project that includes a reflective report on your personal development.

As part of the course, you'll undertake a 40-week work placement during which time you'll work on a placement project, as well as a reflective statement and the personal portfolio. Following the placement, a period of time is incorporated to enable you to formulate and edit the project work. You'll obtain a placement either through your own endeavours (subject to the approval of the module leader) or by successfully acquiring one of the opportunities sourced by the Faculty’s placement team.

Students who don't obtain a suitable placement will be required to transfer to the generic MA Marketing course and study a Postgraduate Certificate in Management Studies as an additional qualification at no extra cost and complete both courses within the two-year period.

Course modules

Core modules:

Integrated Marketing Strategy (30 credits)

Examine the key theories, models, and frameworks that support the identification and assessment of market opportunity, the selection of target markets and the evaluation of choices available to marketers to ensure successful and sustainable marketing mix implementation. Focus on the strategic dimension of marketing, which is a key component of long-term corporate strategy. Explore sustainable competitive advantage and how marketers are required to understand the dynamic environment to identify long-term objectives and deliver short-term tactical marketing solutions in an increasingly digital and sustainably aware world.

Digital Marketing and Analytics (30 credits)

Examine the considerations of a digital marketer in addressing the behaviour and expectations of the contemporary customer in both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) markets, be they local, national, or global. Build digital marketing knowledge and practical skills required to deliver digital marketing in the workplace. Undertake a practical case study whereby a digital marketing consultant role is adopted.

Critical Debates in Consumer Behaviour (30 credits)

Engage critically with current controversies and debates in consumer behaviour. Explore key issues that have resulted in the transformation of consumers, leading to altered behaviours within a digital and sustainability aware environment. Select a topic from your chosen specialist marketing field and conduct in-depth research on the current issues affecting consumers.

Optional modules:

International Marketing (30 credits)

Evaluate the decisions and processes undertaken by international marketers to compete in global markets. Look at the design and development of market-responsive programmes. Enhance your understanding of global marketing, including the selling and distribution of products and services in countries around the world.

Data Driven Content and Communications (30 credits)

Develop the skills to identify, research and evaluate consumer data and make application to contemporary models that assist marketers with the segmentation and targeting of digital consumers. Design appropriate and creative communications with the aim of being heard and understood in a crowded marketplace. Enhance your skills in creating content and copy suited to the campaign tools, media, and audience.

Work placement:

12-month Marketing Placement Project (120 credits)

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Facilities

You’ll be based at The Reg Vardy Centre, on the Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s. The Reg Vardy Centre is a modern building with views of the river, and just a short walk from both the coast and Sunderland city centre.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is:

Qualification	Minimum grade
a Canadian bachelor's degree	GPA 2.40
a USA bachelor's degree	GPA 2.5

If you already hold a postgraduate qualification, please see our Applying for additional postgraduate degrees Help and Advice article.

If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.

If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.

To apply for this course, you'll need a 2:2 honours degree, or equivalent.

If English isn't your first language, please see our English language requirements.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

Fees are:

£9,500 if you're from the UK/Europe*
£17,750 if you're an international student

*European Union (EU), EEA (European Economic Area), and Swiss nationals who don't qualify for the EU Settlement Scheme are classed as international, however, for 24/25 admission, you'll receive a European student fee scholarship and will pay the home tuition fee rate for the duration of your studies. The discounted fee will be reflected in your offer letter. Learn more in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

The Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter's by night

Career ready

On graduating, you’ll be ready to step into a senior marketing role in a wide range of industries. As a marketing professional, you could work in-house for an organisation, or find a role in a specialist marketing agency.

Our graduates have secured roles in organisations such as Facebook, Microsoft, Sage, HSBC, IBM, Enterprise, Nissan, Accenture, Procter and Gamble, Merck and Co, Barclays, Marriott Hotels, Viacom 18, PricewaterCoopers, and Adidas.

Extracurricular opportunities

Our guest speaker programme enables you to learn from business professionals, which can be very useful if you’re not sure what career to pursue when you graduate. If you already have a plan for your career, these events are an excellent way to start building a network of business contacts. Past guest speakers include Divine Chocolate’s Head of Sales and Marketing and Sunderland Football Club’s CEO.

In addition, you'll have the opportunity to compete against students at other universities at the annual Greggs Marketing challenge competition and get practical marketing experience working with live client briefs at Sunderland Marketing Hub, a facility that brings together students, businesses, and marketing academics at the University to work on real marketing projects.

Meet the students

My advice to prospective students would be to go for it, it is a decision that will change your life

Ahmed Hussein
The University has a friendly and family vibe and I felt like it was a home from home.

Megan Williams

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Business, Law and Tourism.

Page last updated: 15 February 2024

We aim to provide clear, accurate and timely information to prospective and current students. We continuously review and enhance course content in consultation with our students and the information provided on our website is the latest available. If you have received an offer from us to start a course, we will communicate any important changes to you in writing. We will always seek to ensure that our prospective students are fully aware of the basis on which they are accepting an offer.