MA (Hons) Marketing

Overview

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) accredited MA (Hons) Marketing degree at Heriot-Watt University's Edinburgh Business School is designed to develop key knowledge and skills related to professional marketing practices. Edinburgh Business School ranked 1st in Scotland and 4th in UK for marketing in the National Student Survey 2020.

The courses you take on this degree will provide you with the platform to thrive in both academic study and the professional practice of marketing. 

Your learning will focus on three central themes that we believe will be key for future marketing professionals:

• Global marketing
• Digital marketing 
• Sustainable marketing

Teaching on MA (Hons) Marketing is led by our internationally respected faculty who bring marketing theory to life by drawing on their own cutting-edge research and industry experience, and by sharing best practice from business case studies. This approach ensures that everything you learn reflects the current marketing landscape in both business-to-consumer and business-to-business marketing contexts.

In Year 1 you will study the established suite of courses form Edinburgh Business School's common first year and gain an understanding of important areas of modern business, including Management, Accounting and Finance, and Economics and Marketing. 

As your studies progress through Years 2, 3 and 4, you will study an increasing number of specialist marketing courses.

Three-year option

We also have an accelerated, three-year MA Marketing degree which is a strong option for A-Level students.
 

Specialist marketing courses

Leading academics from Edinburgh Business School have worked with business leaders to craft six exciting new marketing courses to ensure your learning is future proofed, and which align with the Chartered Institute of Marketing's accreditation criteria.

Global Strategic Marketing

This course teaches strategic marketing techniques for a global context. You will learn how to conduct competitor analysis, market segmentation, forecasting, and product portfolio analysis.

Marketing Insights

This course will teach you how to conduct and analyse market research, and gain useful insights for specific business situations. You will explore the processes and methods of data collection and understand the techniques and applications used to analyse data and gain insights.

Responsible Marketing

On this course you will assess the tensions and complexities in marketing and consumer behaviour, and examine the current debates around the benefits, harms and unintentional consequences of marketing and consumer actions today, with a core focus on sustainability.

Branding

On this course you will explore the theory of brands and branding You will assess how branding theories are applied in marketing strategies and learn to take a strategic approach to branding. 

Future Issues in Marketing

On this course you will learn to assess and identify emerging global market trends and utilise a toolkit of marketing theory and principles to scrutinise these trends.

Digital Analytics for Marketing 

On this course you will examine how digital analytics inform search engine marketing strategy and website design. We will demonstrate how analytics tools work and how they can be applied to monitor marketing performance. 

Marketing project

As part of this degree, you will spend time working in the marketing industry and put your developing knowledge into practice to gain further understanding that will be beneficial to your future career.

We have designed the MA Marketing at Edinburgh Business School with your future Marketing or Business career in mind. Our degree features several innovative marketing courses that tackle topics and trends faced by Marketing professionals right now as well as prepare you for future challenges. Contemporary subjects such as Responsible Marketing, Marketing Insights and Data Analytics for Marketing are taught alongside core Marketing essentials such as Branding and Consumer Behaviour, intrinsic to the learning of any professional marketer.

When I teach Responsible Marketing I draw on my global research into marketing and sustainability. I will be looking forward to talking with you about the complexities and tensions that businesses and consumers face as they navigate challenges such as climate change, digital landscapes and fast-evolving business models. My approach is to help you understand the importance of this topic, whilst equipping you with the practical skills to deliver responsible marketing in practice.

Global College pathway for this degree

If you do not meet the entry requirements for this degree, have a look at Heriot-Watt Global College, where you can follow an accelerated pathway which will get you onto the second year of this degree.

Accreditation

This Programme is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) indicating that our teaching and assessment meet the rigorous standards of the CIM in terms of content, scope and learning outcomes. As a result of this accreditation, all graduate on the MA in Marketing gain exemption from CIM modules. This exemption is provided at no extra charge and reduces the cost of pursuing this prestigious professional qualification by up to £400.  Students can apply for student membership of the CIM which provides the opportunity to attend CIM networking events which take place on campus and in Edinburgh and Glasgow.