This MSc in Marketing Management is designed to meet the needs of graduates who have not previously specialised in marketing but now wish to do so. Whilst featuring specialist marketing modules, an understanding and appreciation of other business functions within organisations is also developed.
Modules
Compulsory Modules
Elective Modules (Choose four)
One of the following:
As well as:
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Two professional references – at least one must be from an academic referee
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An official academic transcript of your university grades to date
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A completed application form.
For International Students:
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An official academic transcript, with an official English translation, of your university grades to date
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Students whose native language is not English will also need to satisfy our English language requirements with one of the following:
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A TOEFL score of 100 with a minimum score of 23 in writing and speaking and 20 in reading and listening (internet based)
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An overall IELTS score of 6.5 (with a minimum of 6.5 in writing and speaking and 6.0 in listening and reading)
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A PEARSON score of 61 overall with a minimum score of 61 in writing and speaking and 53 in reading and listening
Pre-sessional English language programmes are available for good applicants whose English qualification falls just short of these requirements.
The eight taught modules are assessed through a mixture of examinations and coursework. The taught element of the programme is complemented by a substantial piece of research leading to the completion of a dissertation.
This programme has been approved and accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing to provide direct entry onto the CIM Professional. Diploma in Marketing and entry to the Chartered Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing but this also requires work experience.
This programme prepares you for a wide range of general and specialist roles in marketing including: brand management; market research; market planning and product development; promotion; media relations; and direct marketing. Although marketing exists as a separate sector, with opportunities working for marketing consultancies and agencies, it also crosses the full range of industry sectors with ‘inhouse’ opportunities in manufacturing, the service sectors and public sector/not-for-profit organisations.
For information on sector opportunities see the Advertising, Marketing and PR overview on the Prospects website.
Examples of jobs taken up by our recent graduates include:
- Assistant Brand Manager - Procter & Gamble
- Assistant Marketing Manager - Hyundai
- Marketing Specialist - Starbucks
- Brand Manager – Pepsico International (Cyprus)
- Brand Manager - Mattel
- Junior Consultant - Ernst and Young.
Students will acquire skills in the following areas: giving presentations; team working; report writing; negotiation and IT skills.
Modules taught on this MSc will enable students to develop a wide range of technical and transferable skills demanded by graduate employers in addition to knowledge and understanding of marketing processes and procedures.
Key areas of marketing professional practice covered include:
- Marketing research covering research design: questionnaire design and sampling; data analysis using statistical techniques including correlation and factor analysis, regression, cluster analysis/MDS, SPSS
- Marketing planning, market-led innovation, pricing and marketing channel strategies
- Marketing strategy including segmentation and targeting, competitive positioning
- Brand portfolio building as part of a team in an extended simulation using the Markstrat software
- Marketing psychology including consumer decision-making processes and influences
- International marketing management including market research, selection, promotion and pricing strategies
- Marketing communications including designing and evaluating marketing communications plans and the promotional mix
- Services marketing including sector differences, measuring service quality, application of business process reengineering.
Other knowledge areas and skills developed during the programme include:
- Financial statements including Ratio Analysis, Income Statements, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow
- Management accounting, Cost Volume Profit and contribution analysis
- Multi-cultural teamwork and presentation skills developed through group-work
- Analytical skills developed through research dissertation.
Aston Business School's outstanding student facilities include:
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A purpose-built suite which is accessible exclusively to Masters students
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24 hours access
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Free Wi-Fi connection
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Modern lecture/tutorial rooms
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Computer labs
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Lounge area
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IT equipment and packages and use of Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
Dr Ian Combe
BSc, MSc by Research, PhD
Ian’s research interests lie in a range of topics that interface between marketing and strategic management such as strategic orientation, strategic flexibility, strategy practice and managing service quality. He is experienced in conducting case study research and in the use of cognitive research methods such as sorting technique, laddering technique and cognitive mapping. His work has been published in journals such as European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Management and Managerial Auditing.
Dr John Rudd
BA (Hons), MBA, PhD, Chartered Marketer, FHEA, FME Senior Fellow
Dr John Rudd is an FME Fellow, a Chartered Marketer and a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors. After completing his first degree John spent nearly 10 years in commerce gaining significant marketing and operational experience in retail, wholesale and construction industries. During this time, John successfully completed a part- time MBA at Aston Business School, returning soon after as a full-time member of staff. John's main research interests are strategic marketing, strategic planning, organisational stakeholders and how organisations cope with change.
Dr Neeru Malhotra
B.Com Hons, M.Com, PhD
Neeru’s research interests include Internal Marketing, Service Quality Management and Strategy. Neeru’s doctoral research, in particular, investigates the significance of internal marketing in influencing frontline employee attitudes and service quality in banking call centres. Neeru is interested in an inter-disciplinary approach towards research on service quality management.
Professor Nick Lee
BCA, BCA (Hons), PhD
Nick Lee is Professor of Marketing and Organisational Research, and Marketing Research Group Convenor, at Aston Business School. His research interests include sales management, social psychology, research methodology, and ethics. Dr. Lee is the Co-Editor of the European Journal of Marketing, and he serves on the editorial board or review panel of several other journals. In 2009 he was featured in The Times as ‘one of the 15 scientists whose work will shape the future’. His research has won multiple awards, including the 2010 Joseph Lister Award for Social Science from the British Science Association, the 2005 Emerald Outstanding Special Issue Award, the 2002 EMAC Conference award for best doctoral paper, and a 2002 UK CIM/AM Research Excellence Award. He is a regular speaker at international conferences on sales and methodological issues. Dr. Lee lectures in marketing science. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in journals such as the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, the Journal of Business Research, the Journal of Business Ethics, Industrial Marketing Management, the European Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Strategic Marketing, the American Journal of Bioethics, the International Journal of Psychophysiology, and Nature Preceedings. His first book Doing Business Research was published by Sage in 2008. He received his PhD from Aston University (UK) in 2003.
Dr Andrew M Farrell
BCA, BCA (Hons), PhD
Andrew's research concerns the application of sociological and psychological theories to develop understanding of the manager
-employee-customer interfaces within organisations, with emphasis on services quality and transformational leadership processes. He uses interviews, focus groups, and a variety of survey-based quantitative approaches in his work. His articles appear in Journal of Business Research, Industrial Marketing Management and the Service Industries Journal. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Marketing Science and reviews for the European Journal of Marketing, Leadership Quarterly and Human Relations.
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