MA Marketing and Communications

Summary 2012/13

• Develop an understanding of how organisations develop communications strategies;
• Understand national and global marketing;
• Apply your learning in a company and in real life business situations.

The MA Marketing and Communications is designed for those interested in related careers. You may have studied aspects of the course as part of your degree or be looking to make a change in career direction. Applicants are welcomed from any discipline. It is not essential that you have worked in the industry.

2012 Entry Requirements

To join this MA you should have a degree equivalent to a UK lower second class honours. For overseas applicants IELTS 6.5 or equivalent.

Summary 2013/14

• Develop an understanding of how organisations develop communications strategies;
• Understand national and global marketing;
• Apply your learning in a company and in real life business situations.

The MA Marketing and Communications is designed for those interested in related careers. You may have studied aspects of the course as part of your degree or be looking to make a change in career direction. Applicants are welcomed from any discipline. It is not essential that you have worked in the industry.

2013 Entry Requirements

To join this MA you should have a degree equivalent to a UK lower second class honours. For overseas applicants IELTS 6.5 or equivalent.

Details

What will I gain from this programme?

Unlike general programmes such as the MA in Management, the MA Marketing and Communications focuses on one particular aspect of business.

The aim is to equip you to contribute to an organisations marketing and communications strategy. This might be as part of a wider role, for example general managers have to understand marketing, or because you want to enter the marketing function of an organisation. The programme will also take an international perspective recognising that every country operates within a global economy and that the barriers in world trade are being broken down. On successful completion of the programme you will be equipped to move into a functional marketing role or contribute to the development of the marketing strategy of a business unit.

The MA Marketing and Communications is not though simply an academic course. Organisations will bring into the classroom real-life problems for you to work on and try to solve and there is an option to undertake a short placement with a company towards the end of the programme. At Edge Hill Business School you will not simply learn about marketing - you have the chance to practice it.

How we will support you

Full support will be provided to help you get the most from your learning experience. You will be assigned a personal tutor and there is a range of other support options available. Extensive use is made of information technology to support classroom activities.

For students from overseas, the Centre of International Education exists to help you deal with any problems you may have and provides support to ensure that you get the most benefit possible from your stay.

What will I study?

The MA Marketing and Communications is designed to allow you to develop an understanding of key aspects of marketing and business communications within a broader international and organisational context. Key topics will include: marketing practice; international marketing; public relations; advertising; and marketing strategy. To contrast these topics you will also study issues related to ethics and corporate social responsibility. By the end of these modules you will have an understanding of your chosen industry and the context in which it operates. Finally, you will undertake a work placement during which time you will undertake a marketing project on behalf of the host company which you will then write up as a report.

How will I study?

As well as preparing for and attending lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops, you will spend time reading and completing coursework, including written assignments, portfolios and presentations.

Working with business is a strong theme of the programme and the workplace will be brought into your study as well as you having the opportunity to go out into the workplace. Learning from your colleagues is an important part of the course and many exercises will require you to work in teams.

Placement

The course provides a placement opportunity after the second semester. This is an unpaid period of time spent with an employer, either singly or in a group, where you will undertake a project of value to that organization. On completion of the project you will then write-up the work as the final piece of assessment undertaken on the programme. This is a vital part of the MA Marketing and Communications. It allows you to demonstrate what you have gained from your study and allows you to show some UK work experience on your cv when applying for jobs.

Who will be teaching me?

The course is taught by staff from the Business School and the Media Department. All our staff are passionate about student learning and development. The degree is delivered by specialists in Marketing, Public Relations, Business, E-Commerce and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, among others. The team includes active researchers who publish in academic journals, and academically and professionally qualified staff. All team members are people with an energy and enthusiasm for their subject areas.

How will I be assessed?

Throughout the programme, there is a combination of different forms of assessment to test intellectual development, vocational capability, and critical thinking. Coursework often involves both individual and group-based working. Case studies and problem solving exercises are used. Examinations take a variety of forms, using both seen and unseen questions.

What are my career prospects?

An MA Marketing and Communications helps to equip you to enter that specialist area. An understanding of these issues is critical for any manager and the degree will provide a sound basis for a more general business career, for example in retailing.

Related Programmes

MBA Master of Business Administration (Marketing)

A Great Study Environment

Edge Hill University’s stunning £8m Business and Law building provides state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities for students in the Business School and Department of Law and Criminology. The three-storey building offers modern seminar and meeting rooms and social learning areas which encourage a more informal and interactive style of learning. A roof garden and atrium are other attractive features along with a 100-seater lecture theatre.

Based in 160 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, the Ormskirk Campus is a unique and inspirational place to study. Industry standard resources and cutting edge technology combine to make an interactive and highly advanced teaching and learning environment. Everything you could want is on one site with fantastic modern spaces in which you can study and socialise and 25 acres of sport and leisure facilities.

The University library gives you access to thousands of books, journals, online resources and extensive PC and media provision. You'll get all the support you need to succeed, reflected in Edge Hill University being ranked in the top two in England for students' personal development, and the top three in the country for assessment and feedback, in the 2011 National Student Survey. The University is also featured in the top four in England for graduate employment.

How do I apply?

Apply online at www.ukpass.ac.uk.

Visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/applyukpass for more information on the application process.

Fees and Finance

Tuition fees are £4,320pa for full-time study on this programme in academic year 2012/13. Part-time postgraduate students in academic year 2012/13 will pay £250 per 10 credit module, £500 per 20 credit module and £1,500 per 60 credit module. 180 credits are required to complete the MA. Information for UK and EU students only. Full-time fees for international postgraduate students are £11,500pa for academic year 2012/13.

Edge Hill graduates joining an eligible postgraduate programme at the University in academic year 2012/13 could benefit from a 20% reduction in tuition fees. If you're a UK or EU student and will be paying the fees yourself, you might be eligible to receive this discount. See www.edgehill.ac.uk/reducedfees for more information.

Where can I find out more?

If you would like to receive a copy of our prospectus or be kept updated about forthcoming events, contact the Course Information, Advice and Guidance Team by emailing study@edgehill.ac.uk or calling 01695 657000.

If you want to attend one of our open events held throughout the year, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/postgradopendays to book your place.

You will also find Edge Hill University staff at many postgraduate study fairs taking place across the UK and Ireland.

Still want more?

If you have any questions you would like to ask the programme leader about this course, please contact:

• Gillian Rawlings, Edge Hill Business School, Edge Hill University, St Helens Road, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L39 4QP
• Tel: 01695 657646 / 01695 657644
• Email: postgraduate@edgehill.ac.uk

Overseas students should contact the Centre of International Education by calling +44 1695 584489 or emailing international@edgehill.ac.uk with any queries.

Modules

Strategic Marketing. All organisations, whether profit-making or not-for-profit, operate within a dynamic marketing environment. It is imperative that companies understand this environment and develop the marketing strategies to survive and prosper within it. This module equips you with the knowledge, expertise and a critical appreciation of the strategic marketing process, how to develop marketing strategies, and then implement and evaluate them.

Advertising and Business Communications. The overall aim of this module is to facilitate your knowledge, critical appreciation and expertise to enable you to develop, implement and evaluate integrated strategic adverting campaigns. The module introduces you to the concept and components of strategic advertising management and communications. It will equip you with a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the means by which the various elements of communications activity can be integrated, providing a framework for the understanding of the role of advertising management in achieving brand value.

Public Relations. This module requires you to scrutinise and design PR campaigns and deal with complex crisis situations, while employing sophisticated problem solving techniques. Critical engagement with current ethical dilemmas, industry debates and a varied range of professional products will allow you to maximise your employability, creative thinking and professional status.

International Marketing. In view of emerging world markets and increasing globalisation, this module develops an informed appreciation of the international marketing environment and how organisations manage and conduct their marketing activities in response to it. The module explores the particular challenges and opportunities of marketing in an international context and aims to equip you with a critical appreciation of the multinational and global issues that affect marketing along with the knowledge and expertise to apply marketing strategies and techniques at an international level.

Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility. Organisations and companies operating in contemporary markets are under considerable scrutiny and are increasingly required to balance the interests of their stakeholders with the social, economic and environmental aspects of their processes and business. Organisations that choose to flout this responsibility do so at risk to their futures, reputations and profits. It is imperative that the modern manager is aware of the various ethical issues that may have an impact upon their organisation and devise mechanisms to deal with them. This module will develop your understanding of an organisation’s overall responsibility to its various stakeholder groups together with the mechanisms by which you are able to analyse and address these issues.

Brand Management. Branding is central to marketing. It signals a product’s positioning strategy to the marketplace, enables companies to establish their corporate reputation and that of their products, and through the creation of strong brands and brand equity can build customer value. Hence branding is pivotal in assisting organisations develop their differentiation strategy and utilise their brands to signal this strategy to consumers. This module provides an overview of the psychology and symbolic meaning of branding, with a particular emphasis on managing brands in order to build customer value and brand equity. You will engage with and critique debates surrounding the concepts, theories and models underpinning branding issues through a range of different contexts and stakeholder interests.

Research Methods. The ability to both undertake and evaluate research are key skills in both academic and vocational contexts. In the academic context of the Masters degree, you are asked to undertake and produce research, for example in work-based learning and dissertation contexts. Furthermore, an understanding of the factors underpinning the production of research (and therefore theory) enhances your ability to critically analyse published research and theory in all aspects of their work. In a vocational context, the ability to apply a critical analytical approach to researching and investigating relevant issues is a key managerial skill which can be developed by an understanding of the main issues and skills surrounding research.

Dissertation. In writing up a dissertation you are developing your skills and capabilities as a researcher and independent learner. The dissertation (as well as the work placement) also enables you to develop a range of academic and vocational skills that are relevant to your future employment or further studies. For example, you will develop skills in analytical / critical thinking, problem solving, creative thinking, collecting and analysing information, time management and both written and oral communication.

Work Placement. You will have the opportunity to undertake a placement in semester 3. The placement provides you with the chance to gain experience of the world of work and allows you to undertake a piece of research based on or linked to this placement (which is arranged by the Business School). The pairing of work based learning (WBL) with the dissertation enables you to make links between theory and practice. Please note, if you do not undertake the work placement, you must complete the alternative module, Reflective Practitioner.

Reflective Practitioner. If you elect not to complete a work placement, it's important to still consider issues relating to employability. This module will require you to focus on yourself and work, professional practice and professional issues in the workplace, taking a reflective stance.