Study with Ulster
Award:
Master of Science
Faculty:
Ulster University Business School
School:
Department of Management, Leadership and Marketing
Campus:
Belfast campus
Start dates:
September 2025
January 2026
Transforming you into a strategic thinking marketing professional who gets results using the latest digital marketing tools and strategies.
Do you want to progress your professional career in Marketing? Are you looking for ways to develop your analytics, digital, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship skills? The MSc Marketing programme will transform you into a strategic thinking marketing professional giving you the digital tools, tactics and mindset to continually learn, evolve and get results.
With over 40 years’ experience providing professional marketing education we have collaborated with industry and international partners to create a current and professionally relevant course sure to nurture, challenge and empower you.
Covering topics such as Principles of Marketing, Marketing Analytics, Strategic and Applied Digital Marketing, Marketing Innovation, Sustainability Marketing and Global Marketing. The content is designed to provide you with insight and knowledge that will help you make an impact in your current and future roles.
On completion of the course you will graduate digital ready to drive business success, identify new business trends, deliver complex business solutions and build customer relationships, helping you make meaningful change and get results.
Students studying part time will complete half the modules each year of study.
We know that choosing to study at university is a big decision, and you may not always be able to find the information you need online.
Please contact Ulster University with any queries or questions you might have about:
For any queries regarding getting help with your application, please select Admissions in the drop down below.
For queries related to course content, including modules and placements, please select Course specific information.
We look forward to hearing from you.
In this section
An intensive and rewarding course, the MSc Marketing programme will provide you with the analytical and digital skills and knowledge to improve your employability, opening doors to further opportunity and allowing you to be results driven.
Using the latest academic research and professional marketing practice, stay one step ahead when it comes to current market demands and trends and gain the confidence to make decisions that make a difference.
An opportunity to network with a diverse group of business minded individuals you will be taught to challenge accepted conventions by developing marketing strategies in real life business contexts. 100% coursework assessed you will study topics such as Principles of Marketing, Marketing Innovation, Strategic and Applied Digital Marketing, Marketing Analytics, Project Management and Global Marketing.
Putting what you have learned into practice, you will get the opportunity to solve a real-life business issue in an applied project, working in virtual international teams to push boundaries and develop a disruptive business idea.
Taught at Ulster University Business School (UUBS) a forward thinking and well-connected institution (a member of the UK's Chartered Association of Business Schools, the Harvard Business School’s Microeconomics of Competitiveness Affiliate Network, and a collaborator with Babson College, Boston) we are ranked 7th in the UK for our research impact (REF 2014). With an 89% student satisfaction rate (National Student Survey, 2018), UUBS is an excellent place to study alongside an international student body providing you with a diverse network to share ideas and experience.
A chance to improve your employability, this advanced study will enhance your lifelong learning capabilities and develop your digital, analytical, presentation and evaluation skills to perform successfully in today’s dynamic marketplace.
The following modules are undertaken during the MSc programme:
Semester 1 modules
Principles of Marketing (20 credits)
Marketing is a business activity that identified an organisations customer's needs and wants, determines which markets to best serve and designs the appropriate products to serve those chosen markets. Marketing is more than just an organisational activity - it is a business philosophy that impacts upon the entire organisation. This module is designed for MSc Marketing student from cognate and non-cognate backgrounds to introduce them to and develop their understanding of the nature, scope and breadth of the fundamental concepts and principles of marketing.
Project Management (20 credits)
Project management provides structure and control of the project environment so that the agreed activities will produce the right products or services to meet the customer's expectations. Projects are temporary structures, which must be properly managed and controlled in order to meet their stated objectives. In today's business environment most companies organise their workload into projects. This module provides students the skills and tools to successfully complete and manage projects by stepping through the processes required.
Marketing Innovation (20 credits)
This module focuses on developing an understanding of Marketing as a business function whilst providing students the skills that marketers adopt to enable innovation within their organisations. It provides an understanding of how organisations deal with the challenges of a fast-moving marketplace. It aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to understand the relationship between marketing and innovation whilst recognising the key factors in building and nurturing innovation within the marketing function. Students will also learn how to use internal and external marketing in supporting specific innovations.
Semester 2 Modules
Marketing Analytics (20 credits)
This module will seek to provide students with an in-depth understanding of qualitative and quantitative data analysis methods. Students will use the latest analytics software packages to digitally research defined problems and develop business reports that present this data in a coherent manner. They will study their application to both business and academic contexts. Students will learn to manipulate data from a variety of industry databases and social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn analytics. The module will focus on the analysis and interpretation of primary and secondary data.
Strategic and Applied Digital Marketing (20 credits)
Digital Marketing has become the central focus for entrepreneurs, enterprises and organisations seeking to reach, engage, co-create and develop deeper relationships with their consumer 'tribes'. In an age of ubiquitous connectivity and a demand for real-time and personalised engagement, this module will give participants an understanding of what that means for those involved in delivering richer and more productive consumer experiences through digital marketing platforms. This module seeks to provide learners with practical, real-world examples of technologies meeting the demands of such connected consumers and utilises a project based approach to promote active, deeper learning of the unfolding opportunities through Digital Marketing.
Global Marketing (20 credits)
Given the importance of export-led growth, particularly in terms of a small peripheral economy such as Northern Ireland, this module examines exporting and broader forms of global marketing. The factors that impact upon internationalisation will be examined, and firm level processes and decision making will be considered within the context of the broader international marketing environment. The module covers a range of concepts, issues and practices that are relevant to the study of global marketing.
Semester 3 Optional
Advanced Practice Pathway (optional, to be completed before the Entrepreneurial Marketing module and Applied Marketing Project)
Students who have successfully completed the MSc Marketing programme’s first 6 taught modules. are eligible to select the Internship and Professional Development Project module or Applied Consulting Project module in order to undertake the pathway Advanced Practice.
Internship & Professional Development Project (60 credits)
The purpose of the Internship and Professional Development Project module is to both enable students to apply knowledge and skills acquired throughout the course to an organisational issue or problem, and, additionally, to provide students with experience of selling themselves to employers, gaining employment and acquiring and developing workplace skills, which will enhance their future career prospects. As part of the process students carry out primary or secondary research within an organisational setting; this will involve the selection of appropriate research methods to solve a "live" management problem. The results will be presented in the form of an academic internship report. They also produce a Reflective Professional Development Portfolio, which increases their awareness of their journey through their respective programme and their internship, specifically. The module is designed to enhance employability and career prospects and to build confidence through gaining experience in a business environment. It also serves as an integrating mechanism for all course content as well as developing analytical, evaluative and project management skills.
OR
Applied Consulting Project (60 credits)
This applied module enhances the practical and employability skills of students by requiring them to undertake consultancy projects for real life case study clients. The module requires students to draw on relevant theories from previously studied MSc International Business modules, and to apply these in international business contexts, to deliver valuable project outcomes for client companies. The core elements of the module are company and industry specific, however, the international context of the projects will enhance students' development of a strategic, global citizenship perspective.
Semester 3 modules (students who do not take advanced practice pathway) or Semester 4 modules (advanced practice pathway students)
Sustainability Marketing (20 credits)
This module will develop student awareness and understanding of individual and organisational sustainability marketing, and the role of business and policymakers regarding the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Students will learn the importance of holistic sustainability marketing implementation and how entrepreneurship can be harnessed to overcome sustainability challenges and achieve sustainable opportunities.
Applied Marketing Project (40 credits)
The purpose behind the Applied Marketing Project is to enable students to apply knowledge and skills acquired throughout the course to an organisational issue or problem. This module serves as an integrating mechanism for all other modules as well as developing powers of analysis and evaluation and project management skills. This module follows on from the Marketing Analytics module that students undertook in order to develop the appropriate skills to complete an applied marketing project efficiently and effectively.
All modules are delivered 'executive style' in a flexible four-day block format and can be paced to individual needs. These four day-blocks are usually one day per week from 9-5. One module is delivered every 4 weeks during each semester with an assessment workshop day on the 5th week.
The part time MSc Marketing is completed in two years. Students can also exit with a PgCert after successful completion of three modules or alternatively exit with a PgDip after successful completion of six modules.
The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 59% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.
Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (25%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (18%) or Lecturers (57%).
We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic staff (81%) are accredited fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.
The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures correct for academic year 2019-2020.
Teaching is delivered via three day interactive workshops led by leading academics and supported by industry experts. This student-centred approach focuses on individual needs to deliver relevant up to date content that presents current business strategies. This interactive approach will allow you to be creative and innovative with solutions and engage in new business approaches.
Learning is inspired by thought provoking workshops that will immerse you in new ways of solving business problems relating to Marketing.
Assessment is 100% coursework to include assessment workshops, and consists of live business cases within local businesses. You will deliver high impact business presentations to panels of marketers and industry experts that add direct value to the local business community. This innovative approach will allow you to grow professionally providing you with quality examples for graduate interviews
The content for each course is summarised on the relevant course page, along with an overview of the modules that make up the course.
Each course is approved by the University and meets the expectations of:
As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days and periods of attendance will be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.
Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10, 20, or 40 credit modules (more usually 20) and postgraduate courses typically 15 or 30 credit modules.
The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.
Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.
Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).
Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.
All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study.
In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 60% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.
Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (19%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (22%) or Lecturers (57%).
We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic and learning support staff (85%) are recognised as fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advance HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.
The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
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We recognise a range of qualifications for admission to our courses. In addition to the specific entry conditions for this course you must also meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements.
In this section
Applicants should normally possess a second class honours degree or better in any discipline, or an equivalent qualification. They must also possess a level of English language competency acceptable to the University.
Exceptionally, applicants who do not possess academic qualifications at the appropriate level but have substantial relevant work experiencemay be considered for admittance in accordance with the Faculty’s Accreditation of Prior Learning policy.
English language requirements for international applicants
The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.
Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.
In this section
The average starting salaries for graduate trainees in marketing is £21,461,the average the salary for a marketing manager is £37,305, a senior brand or product manager earns an average salary of £48,296and the average salary for a marketing director is £77,799.
Students should be eligible to apply for marketing positions across public and private sector organisations. Additionally, the skills acquired through completing the programme have inspired some to set up their own businesses.
Past students have gained employment within some of the major global consultancy companies such as PWC, KPMG and Deloitte.
There is no placement on this programme.
Postgraduate fees are subject to annual review, 2025/26 fees will be announced in due course.
See our tuition fees page for the current fees for 2024/25 entry.
Envision Award for Excellence as Best Applied Marketing Project
Whale Award - Best Student on Global Marketing Module
ShredBank Award - Best Student on Entrepreneurial Marketing Module
The Strategy and Innovation module involves up to two international trips to Lapland University of Applied Sciences, Kajaani, Finland and University of Applied Sciences Kempten, Bavaria, Germany. The cost of travel for these trips is notincluded in course fees. The estimated costs are between £600-£1000 per student depending on how many trips each student partakes in. Students are required to attend at least one of these trips.
It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.
Where a course has additional mandatory expenses (in addition to tuition fees) we make every effort to highlight them above. We aim to provide students with the learning materials needed to support their studies. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. Computer suites and free Wi-Fi are also available on each of the campuses.
There are additional fees for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees.
See the tuition fees on our student guide for most up to date costs.
We know that choosing to study at university is a big decision, and you may not always be able to find the information you need online.
Please contact Ulster University with any queries or questions you might have about:
For any queries regarding getting help with your application, please select Admissions in the drop down below.
For queries related to course content, including modules and placements, please select Course specific information.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Ulster continues to develop and support sustainability initiatives with our staff, students, and external partners across various aspects of teaching, research, professional services operations, and governance.
At Ulster every person, course, research project, and professional service area on every campus either does or can contribute in some way towards the global sustainability and climate change agenda.
We are guided by both our University Strategy People, Place and Partnerships: Delivering Sustainable Futures for All and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Our work in this area is already being recognised globally. Most recently by the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact rating where we were recognised as Joint 5th Globally for Outreach Activities and Joint Top 20 Globally for Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnership for the Goals.
Visit our Sustainability at Ulster destination to learn more about how the University strategy and the activities of Ulster University support each of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ulster University Business School (UUBS) aims to be a thought-leader for sustainable business futures.
Our mission is to embolden staff, students and all our stakeholders to become sustainable business futures leaders. We aim to support and showcase sustainability research and education across Ulster University Business School.
We do so by embedding the sustainable futures agenda into five remits: sustainability performance, research and knowledge exchange, learning and teaching, student experience and communications and engagement. We are a member of PRME – the Principles for Responsible Management Education concordat.
Contact: uubssustainability@ulster.ac.uk
We support and develop ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ within the Faculty’s Learning & teaching portfolio. We do so by providing bespoke staff training on ESD and curating an ESD Resources Hub.
All UUBS undergraduate and post-graduate course are mapped against the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and students are actively involved in learning for sustainable development.
We seek to enhance the student experience by encouraging our students to become actively involved in sustainability initiatives, such as Carbon Literacy Training, the Big Spring Clean and collaborating with the Northern Ireland Resource Network.
We develop, support and disseminate sustainability-themed research within the Faculty and beyond. Our annual sustainability research networking event creates new research strands within the Faculty’s research portfolio.
We actively support out PhD community to embed sustainability in their research and provide training on methods and critical thinking on sustainability.
We partner with other institutions, such as Queen’s University Belfast and Atlantic Technological University to broaden our sustainability research and create interdisciplinary research links.
UUBS has a dedicated Sustainability Committee, tasked with developing dedicated internal and external communications and engagement activities promoting the sustainability work of the Faculty.
We host an annual Sustainability Business Breakfast, attend and speak at notable sustainability events, such as the SustainExchange Summit, the Belfast Re[Act] Festival and the NI Science Festival.
Our sustainability work is monitored on our bespoke UUBS SDG Dashboard on our dedicated UUBS sustainability webpages. Our sustainability performance team oversees the Faculty’s Academy Restaurant’s Green Academy programme and associated eco-certifications Green Key and Green Tourism Gold Award.
