MSc International Marketing with Digital Marketing

Overview

MSc International Marketing with Digital Marketing from the Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University develops your existing awareness of marketing to prepare you for a career in digital marketing with an international context.

This is a Specialist MSc

MSc International Marketing with Digital Marketing is a Specialist MSc programme led by academics at the Edinburgh Business School. As a Specialist MSc, this degree gives those who have worked in the field or studied a similar subject previously, the chance to expand, refine and enhance their knowledge. 

This 1-year Masters programme focuses almost entirely on the area of International and Digital Marketing. It blends cutting-edge academic thinking with best practice from industry to give graduates and professionals the opportunity to advance with a highly employable skillset.

The Edinburgh Business School approach

The programme combines a core of five international marketing courses with three exciting and innovative digital marketing courses. This programme allows you to apply knowledge in practical, industry-focused ways to prepare you for a role in digital marketing.

The five International Marketing courses include:

• Contemporary Consumers examines the motivations and perspectives of consumers in different international locations in modern age.
• International Strategic Marketing identifies the choice of marketing strategies taken by local and international brands and focuses on operating a global business.
• Marketing Logistics explains how to gain competitive advantage in the international market place by ensuring that the right products reach the right people at the right time.
• Branding and Communications considers the power of brands and helps you master the key principles of brand management. Learn how integrated marketing communications creates a valuable brand with strong, effective messaging.
• Research Philosophy and Practice – provides training in a range of research skills that prepares you for the dissertation project and also provides the foundation for roles in market insight and business consultancy.

Specialist Digital Marketing courses include:

• Advances in Digital Marketing examines digital marketing trends including gamification, brand community management and affiliate marketing.
• Information Communication Technology Use within an SME Context – students apply strategic planning and evaluation techniques to design an online business

Tailor to your career ambitions

In addition to the five core courses in International Marketing and the two specialist courses in Digital Marketing, this programme gives you the opportunity to select an optional course, customising your studies to meet the needs of your future career ambitions. You can select one from:

• Sustainable Marketing
• Tourism Marketing 
• Project Management
• Digital Marketing Analytics (optional specialist course)

Dissertation project

Over the summer the master’s dissertation enables you to deepen your knowledge of international marketing through research into a topic of your choice. You will gather and analyse data from companies or consumers within a digital marketing setting which directly relates to your ambitions and interests.

Previous students on MSc International Marketing with Digital Marketing have conducted dissertations on topics including:

• The impact of reviews and ratings on purchase amongst French and UK Airbnb customers
• Perceptions of international marketers of the effectiveness of Twitter Chat for branding
• Social Media in Heritage and Gastronomy in Burgos
• International differences in online advertising trust: UK and China

Mangement competencies and skills for the workplace

Your international marketing competencies will be developed through case-study learning, direct interaction with industry and industry-focused assessments. Innovative group-based and individual coursework will challenge you to translate theory into marketing solutions and demonstrate skills in time management, team leadership, information management and verbal, written and digital communications.

This year, our digital marketing students gained experience in:

• Producing a Vlog to communicate key messages in an authentic way and then evaluate how to repurpose content into a podcast
• Designing and filming a brand advertisement
• Developing and implementing a business plan for an online business

The sought-after transferrable skills you gain through this programme will position you as an attractive candidate for employers.  Our recent graduates have gone on to launch digital marketing careers with brands and organisations such as:

• AIG: Digital Marketing Executive
• eDreams: International sales executive
• National Trust for Scotland: Digital Content Production Executive
• Russell & Bromley: Online editor
• Reprise Media: Account Executive

Interact with business leaders

Studying an MSc in International Marketing with Digital Marketing will give you the chance to benefit from our strong links with industry. Each year we welcome leading marketing practitioners to share experiences and insights with our students through inspirational and informative guest lectures.

These guest lectures will give you the opportunity to interact with business experts and discuss practical solutions to real problems whilst receiving guidance about careers in international marketing.  Recent guest speakers have represented a range of multinational companies and leading advertising agencies, including:

• Baxters Food Group - Cara Chambers, Director of Marketing
• Skyscanner - Murat Ozkok-Ohr, Growth and Communications Manager
• The Leith Agency - Caitlin MacKie, Strategic Planner
• Yard Digital Agency - Geoff Kennedy, Account Director
• Backpage Press – Martin Greig and Neil White – Directors

International internship opportunity

There is an annual competitive four-week International Internship opportunity for one outstanding student at the Toronto HQ and New York offices of Array Marketing. Array Marketing has over 35 years’  experience in the retail sector, producing innovative visual merchandising and point-of-purchase displays for leading brands such as L’Oréal, Urban Decay, MAC, Sephora, ULTA, Estee Lauder and Prada.  The internship provides experience across key operational areas including project management, digital marketing, merchandising, store fittings, and understanding the luxury consumer.  2016’s successful candidate was offered a permanent role with Array Marketing after presenting innovative business development ideas based on her dissertation research.

Diverse learning experience: a wealth of business and cultural perspectives

Studying on this programme will enable you to work alongside highly-motivated students from across the world who have chosen to progress their marketing knowledge at Heriot-Watt School of Social Sciences. This will develop your first-hand experience of working in international teams and providing you with crucial insights into a diverse range of markets and consumer perspectives, all of which are vital in international marketing. By sharing courses with students from other management disciplines you will also experience working alongside those with different business perspectives, a true-to-life insight into the multi-functional nature of international marketing management. Our thriving calendar of social events kicks off in week one with a bespoke induction event.  Our campus-based location will help you to balance your academic experiences with a rewarding social life, providing many opportunities to develop an international network of friends and contacts from our friendly, global community

Programme duration

• MSc - 12 months (full-time), 24 months (part-time)
• PG Diploma - 9 months (full-time), 21 months (part-time)

Accreditation

Heriot-Watt University has joined forces with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) to give students the opportunity to gain professional qualifications through CIM Graduate Gateway. CIM qualifications are highly sought after by employers, and map alongside our own degrees which ensures we are equipping students with the best opportunities for a successful marketing career.