Marketing

4 year with integrated placement year / 3 year course without integrated placement year option only available for non-EU students

UCAS Code: N500

Typical offers:
A Levels: AAB (340 UCAS points)
IB: 35 points. Minimum scores of 6, 6, 5 at Higher level. Minimum scores of 5 in English and Maths at Standard level.
BTEC, Access & other: BTEC National Diploma DDD. Access to HE students are eligible to apply for this course.

Further requirements:
5 GCSE grades A* - C including:
GCSE Maths – grade C
GCSE English – grade C
Please note that General Studies does not contribute towards the UCAS points requirement but is welcomed as an additional qualification.

Tuition fees: £9,000 (£1,000 during placement year) for UK/EU students. (2013).  More on fees

Contact

Emma Lowbridge
Admissions and Recruitment Co-ordinator
Aston Business School Undergraduate Office
+44 (0) 121 204 3030
e.lowbridge@aston.ac.uk

In today’s business environment, organisations have to develop and retain their competitive advantage in order to survive and be successful. The marketing function’s role is to identify where these competitive advantages may lie and to ensure that the organisation keeps abreast of, and responds to, market opportunities. Marketing is therefore vital to the process of matching the demands of a rapidly changing business environment, the needs of customers and clients and the resources and strategies of the organisation.

This degree provides students with the opportunity to develop an understanding of the core concepts of marketing theory and an ability to apply them to real life cases.

Incorporated into the teaching of both your Second Year and Final Year are computerised market simulations, on site visits and specialist lectures from UK and overseas marketers and academics.

There is flexibility to change your degree course after Year 1 if you wish.

Year 1

You will follow the Aston Business School common first year studying a wide range of business subjects. This approach gives you a solid foundation in all of the key areas of business and management. The modules are:

• Economic Environment for Business
• Perspectives on Business and Management
• Information Technology for Business
• International Perspectives on Organisations
• Introduction to Management Accounting
• Introduction to Marketing Management
• Introduction to Organisational Behaviour
• Principles of Operations Management
• Principles of Financial Accounting
• Foundations of Business Analytics
• Introduction to Business Analytics
• Topics in Applied Economics
• Research Project

Year 2

You will study essential marketing areas in depth in addition to the core business and management subjects. The modules studied are:

• Business Policy
• Strategic Finance
• Business Game
• Business, Government & Society
• Consumer Behaviour
• Advanced Consumer Behaviour
• E-marketing
• Principles of Services Marketing
• Marketing Communications
• Market Research
• Business to Business and Relationship Management

Year 3

You will spend this year in a professional placement or you may choose to take up an international study opportunity at one of our partner institutions. This year is compulsory for all UK and EU students.

See placement year section or find out more about the Aston placement year.

Final Year

During your final year there is greater specialisation. The modules studied are:

• Strategic Management
• International Marketing
• Distribution and Retailing
• Marketing Strategy
• Advanced Marketing Communications
• Strategic Brand Management
• Services Marketing Management

You will experience a range of teaching methods including lectures, tutorials, group-working, case studies and both individual and group presentations. Traditional teaching is supported by a virtual learning environment that is used to host a range of electronic supporting materials.

For example all business students undertake the Business Game module and compete in teams in a computer simulation exercise that culminates in a presentation to a panel of external employers

Assessment is provided by a mix of coursework and examination.

For further information, see the programme specification (PDF).

Professional accreditation

Aston Business School graduates can gain entry to the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Professional Series Stage 3.

In addition to this graduates can also gain exemptions from the following professional bodies:

• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
• Association of International Accountants

Course Director

Wendy Tabrizi
Wendy joined the Marketing Group at Aston as a Teaching Fellow in September 2011.  She has almost 20 years’ experience of teaching and managing a variety of marketing and business-related programmes in both Higher and Further Education.  Prior to her teaching career, Wendy spent several years in the services marketing and not-for-profit sectors, also gaining an MSc in Marketing Management.

Aston Business School employs over 120 academic staff in all key areas of Business, Management, Marketing, Economics, Law, Business Psychology and Finance. In the 2008 RAE over 90% of Aston Business School research was rated as internationally significant with high levels of expertise classed as world-leading.

Our integrated placement year course allows you to undertake a professional paid placement, where you gain valuable practical management experience within accounting, finance or management

We have links to over 1000 different organisations and advertise around 3000 posts each year to our students.

The opportunity to undertake a study placement with one of our international partner institutions is also available if you would prefer.

Find out more about the placement year at ABS.

Our graduates have an excellent track record over many years of finding marketing, market research and general management positions, reflecting our reputation as a leading centre for marketing teaching and research.

Graduates are now working in graduate-level marketing roles for companies such as; Bentley Cars, Britvic, Rolls-Royce, Miele, Vodafone, Canon, IBM, 3M, Majestic Wines, Procter and Gamble UK, Philips Electronics, Nestle, Impreial College, Thomson Holidays, RBS, Taylor Nelson Sofres, Mirror Group Newspapers, HSBC, Revlon International, Halfords and Wilkinson Sword.

Of our most recent Marketing graduates 91% gained employment within 6 months of graduation.

Further details of ABS graduate destinations

Our teaching accommodation has very recently been completely refurbished and all lecture theatres and seminar rooms are fully equipped with the latest teaching aids. Extensive use is made of our Virtual Learning Environment to help support your studies.

Aston Business School has dedicated computer suites for the exclusive use of its undergraduates and many campus areas are WI-FI networked. The university library facilities are extensive, modern and accessible and specialist staff are available to help you find the information you need.