Key information
Duration: 1 year full time
Institution code: R72
Campus: Egham
UK fees*: £14,800
International/EU fees**: £23,900
The course
Marketing (MSc)
The Royal Holloway MSc Marketing is a unique inter-disciplinary one-year course, providing cutting-edge insights into consumer markets, aimed at developing your professional and practical skills as a marketing manager.
This course is certified by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and taught by one of the largest marketing departments in the Greater London area, with world-class expertise in areas such as digital marketing, data analytics, services marketing, consumer psychology, consumer culture, tourism and sustainability.
The course is aimed at students who have a keen interest in developing a deep and comprehensive understanding of marketing practice from a multiplicity of perspectives. Through our unique inter-disciplinary approach, you will develop your knowledge of marketing’s contemporary challenges, from the advent of artificial intelligence to the climate crisis. You will build a solid knowledge and understanding of contemporary issues based on state-of-the-art research and practical case materials, giving a well-rounded, challenging and innovative insights into marketing practice and consumer behaviour.
As a student in the School of Business and Management you will join an intellectually stimulating, friendly and supportive research environment and, through working closely with our expert and experienced academic staff, you will be in a position to realise your full potential.
- Distinct from traditional marketing programmes by focusing on multiple disciplines of marketing and consumer research, from arts and cultural studies to experimental psychology and data analytics.
- Flexibility to tailor your studies to suit your specific areas of interest, such as: marketing analytics, consumer experiences, digital marketing, marketing communications and marketing sustainability.
- International profile created from regularly hosting leading international marketing academics and practitioners who present their work to faculty and students.
- Accredited by CIM (The Chartered Institute of Marketing). On completing this course you'll be able to apply for exemptions.
From time to time, we make changes to our courses to improve the student and learning experience. If we make a significant change to your chosen course, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.
Course structure
Core Modules
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Strategic Marketing provides a holistic perspective on contemporary marketing practices and skills. Drawing on many case examples, this module examines current issues facing brands and other marketing organisations in order to set out the strategic marketing management process. The module embraces a range of theoretical perspectives from foundational marketing principles to advanced and contemporary approaches. You will be asked to think beyond disciplinary and sector silos to consider longer term and resource-intensive marketing issues facing brands, services, non-profits and public sector organisations. You will be required to demonstrate critical and strategic thinking skills.
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This module focuses on how strategic brand management can take a cultural approach to give a company a competitive edge. The innovative topics covered deal in depth with how cultural branding can enable marketers to create greater relevance with their target markets and resonate with specific lifestyles. Offering a blend of theory and practice, the module presents case studies of brands that have obtained iconic status using a cultural branding model. Overall, the module looks at how value is produced and consumed in a variety of ways that connect to wider societal issues and debates such as ethical consumerism, environmental sustainability and social diversity.
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Data is all around us, changing the future of society and how businesses operate. This module will teach you step by step how to think and work like a marketing executive with the support of valid and reliable data. You will be introduced to transferrable skills enabling you to understand the nature and process of conducting primary research. You will build expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods to understand, analyse and predict consumer behaviour, and be exposed to relevant software to collect, measure and analyse numerical data. The skills, expertise and experience developed within the module will enable you to produce excellent research and interpret research findings that you will encounter beyond the university.
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The dissertation provides you with an opportunity to learn and practise researching and writing skills for your future career. You will apply the analytical and problem-solving techniques you have acquired throughout your studies to explore a specialist interest in greater depth. You will critically evaluate academic literature, collect data systematically, organise your findings, and present your research results in a clear and logical and manner. To help, your research proposal will be read by the programme director, who will select an appropriate member of staff to act as your dissertation supervisor. Your final submission will be between 12,000 and 15,000 words in length.
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This module will describe the key principles of academic integrity, focusing on university assignments. Plagiarism, collusion and commissioning will be described as activities that undermine academic integrity, and the possible consequences of engaging in such activities will be described. Activities, with feedback, will provide you with opportunities to reflect and develop your understanding of academic integrity principles.
Optional Modules
There are a number of optional course modules available during your degree studies. The following is a selection of optional course modules that are likely to be available. Please note that although the College will keep changes to a minimum, new modules may be offered or existing modules may be withdrawn, for example, in response to a change in staff. Applicants will be informed if any significant changes need to be made.
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The marketing environment is constantly changing and it is very important for marketers to keep up-to-date with contemporary trends and debates. This module explores current ideas within marketing scholarship and practice. It provides a vehicle to ensure that students stay abreast of theoretical advances and emerging organisational issues. Students will be able to critically evaluate areas of specific interest to them and further develop understanding and skills for marketing management. The aim of this module is to discuss some of the major issues that are currently impacting on marketing, such as environmental movements, the impact of new technologies and gender/diversity implications.
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Marketing has become increasingly scientific, analytical and technology driven. As a part of this the application of analytics to data has become crucial in the development of contemporary marketing strategies. Being more data-informed is now a principal mechanism for customer-based differentiation in all industries and as such contemporary marketers need to understand about the tools and skills required to utilise marketing analytics in both an academic and commercial scenario. This module addressed the fundamentals of data, progressing through predictive, descriptive & prescriptive analytics, to practical uses of analytics such as KPIs, metrics, analytical tools with a focus on the holistic nature of analytics across all areas of marketing.
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Managing Consumer Experiences sheds light on the importance of how services are marketed across online and offline spaces. From virtual art exhibits and luxury hotels to dating apps and fast-food restaurants, the module covers a great variety of contemporary service environments and how these are experienced by consumers. The module is informed by cutting edge research that aims to inspire students for their prospective careers. Equipping students with both influential theories and practitioners’ insights rests at the centre of this module.
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Our world is on a "highway to climate hell” according to a recent statement by the UN secretary general. Given that marketing and consumption activity are understood as a key driver of both the social and environmental dimensions of the current sustainability crisis, this module looks at unpacking their inter-relationship. Using a variety of perspectives, it explores the role of marketing and consumer culture both at a macro, societal level and at a more micro, operational level. Subsequently, the module explores what can be done, and at what level, to enable a more positive role for businesses, policy actors, and everyday consumers. This module is essential for anyone recognising that traditional marketing techniques and consumption patterns need to be radically revisited to tackle current social and environmental challenges.
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In this module you will examine the principal means of marketing communications – advertising, promotion, public relations, and direct marketing. You will develop an understanding of the contemporary media environment and how this impacts on marketers' efforts to communicate with stakeholders. You will examine how communications must be tailored to the market segments and media channels, and look at the impact of communication cultures, particularly across markets and internationally.
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Digital technologies are transforming how marketing is developed and delivered. Contemporary marketers need sophisticated digital media and IT skills, alongside a knowledge of their practical application within Digital Marketing. This module reflects on the use of digital technologies within marketing and examines how they can be used within a range of commercial environments. The module focuses on the strategic use of digital marketing and its application to areas such as brand management, international business, marketing ethics, SEO, Content Marketing, PPC & Google Ads, and cutting-edge developments such as social & digital media, Netnography, digital segmentation, as well as its integration with more traditional marketing.
Teaching & assessment
Assessment is carried out by a variety of methods including coursework, examinations and a dissertation.
Entry requirements
2:2
UK Honours degree or equivalent.
Candidates with substantial and relevant professional qualifications or professional experience in an associated area will also be considered.
International & EU requirements
English language requirements
- IELTS: 6.5 overall. No subscore lower than 6.0.
- Pearson Test of English: 61 overall. Writing 61. No other subscore lower than 54.
- Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English (ISE): ISE III.
- Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) grade C.
- TOEFL iBT: 88 overall with Reading 22 Listening 20 Speaking 22 Writing 24.
- Duolingo: 120 overall and no sub-score below 115.
Your future career
On graduating you will join an internationally diverse cohort of alumni that work in various sectors of the marketing industry, from artificial intelligence agencies to branding consultancies. You will have acquired the generic skills needed in order to build a versatile, in-depth and practical understanding of a world increasingly defined by consumerism and the role played by marketing activities.
You will gain an in-depth understanding of consumer markets, be able to analyse and respond strategically to the constantly changing marketing and consumer environment, which both challenges and builds upon traditional marketing concepts. In addition, you will have acquired a range of specific skills covered in our specialist marketing modules, from marketing data analytics to digital marketing, specifically designed for this degree and chosen for their relevance to contemporary marketing practice. Altogether, you will develop your professional skills as a marketing manager at the very cutting edge theory and practice.
- This course is accredited by CIM (The Chartered Institute of Marketing). On completing this course you'll be able to apply for exemptions.
“My degree from Royal Holloway helped me get this role at Microsoft, thanks to the valuable insights into the digital marketing world I gained, it also taught me how to work as part of a team in an international environment. An experience I can only highly recommend to prospective Marketing students.”
Vera Hoelscher, Sales Solutions Specialist at Microsoft
Fees, funding & scholarships
Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £14,800
EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £23,900
Other essential costs***: There are no single associated costs greater than £50 per item on this course.
How do I pay for it? Find out more about funding options, including loans, grants, scholarships and bursaries.
* and ** These tuition fees apply to students enrolled on a full-time basis in the academic year 2024/25. Students studying on the standard part-time course structure over two years are charged 50% of the full-time applicable fee for each study year.
Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase all postgraduate tuition fees annually, based on the UK’s Retail Price Index (RPI). Please therefore be aware that tuition fees can rise during your degree (if longer than one year’s duration), and that this also means that the overall cost of studying the course part-time will be slightly higher than studying it full-time in one year. For further information, please see our terms and conditions.
** This figure is the fee for EU and international students starting a degree in the academic year 2024/25. Find out more
*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2024/25 academic year, and are included as a guide. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing, have not been included.
