Why choose MSc Marketing at Lancaster?
Rajat, a recent graduate, talks about his experience on the programme.
3rd for Marketing and PR
The Guardian University Guide (2024)
4th for Marketing
The Complete University Guide (2024)
Ranked 69th worldwide for Business and Economics in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by subject 2023.
Marketing is an exciting, challenging, and nuanced discipline that touches upon every aspect of our lives – from the products we buy, the retail stores we visit, to the websites we browse. Almost every company has a marketing department and marketing skills are highly valued in contemporary businesses. The work that marketers do can have a profound impact on society, the economy, the environment and culture.
The MSc Marketing is your gateway to a thriving professional career in marketing. Our perfect blend of theory and practice, alongside connections with top employers and industry influencers, will help you to become a knowledgeable marketing postgraduate who will flourish in a changing and dynamic landscape. As a conversion programme, the MSc Marketing will fast-track your career by offering outstanding and comprehensive training to graduates from non-marketing disciplines.
The programme provides a well-rounded marketing education that fosters the critical and strategic skills to multiply your career prospects. You will learn about global issues as well as the theories, tools, and techniques that connect and shape firms, markets and consumers. You will also have the flexibility to choose between elective modules to advance your specific marketing interests, such as digital marketing and branding strategy. In the final term, you will work on a company-commissioned dissertation for a client to explore real-life solutions to a problem and present and develop your findings.
The programme is double accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and Digital Marketing Institute (DMI), allowing you to gain professional qualifications alongside your degree. You will be able to take advantage of our award-winning careers team and active alumni network during your time as a student and after your studies.
Students on the MSc Marketing programme are automatically enrolled in the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Accredited Degree for one year. You’ll have the opportunity to gain the professional qualification of CIMDip if you wish to engage in additional study alongside the Master's course.
Learn more about the Chartered Institute of Marketing accreditationThe programme is approved by the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI), the global standard in digital marketing professional learning and certification. Students on the MSc Marketing programme are eligible to enrol on the DMI certification (extra charge payable to DMI, current fee approx. £250 + VAT), allowing you to gain Associate level certification upon completing your programme and lifetime access to DMI resources.
Learn more about the Digital Marketing Institute accreditation2:2 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in any subject (except Marketing). One or two 'taster' Marketing modules may be acceptable. Marks should be consistently at 2:2 level throughout your undergraduate studies, with all marks at least pass level.
If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.
Additional Requirements
Applicants should have no more than two years' work experience in related areas such as Marketing, Sales, or Business Development prior to starting the course
English Language Requirements
We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.
We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.
If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.
Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk
You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
This module draws on all your skills and learning developed on the programme, on market information interpretation skills you’ve developed, on your understanding of markets, marketing and consumption, and potentially on the expertise that you bring to the programme from your first degree (in the arts, engineering, business or the humanities for example).
The overall aim of this module is to develop an appreciation and understanding of consumer behaviour from both managers' and consumers' perspectives, building on current research in consumer behaviour and the social sciences generally. This module will equip you with the qualitative skills that will enable you to understand, interpret and commission consumer research.
This module is designed to enable you to explore both established and emerging forms of digital marketing. A range of digital topics will be discussed such as viral and word-of-mouth campaigns, search engine optimisation, mobile marketing, user-generated content and social media, and the growing influence of ‘big data’ through the increasing power and use of digital analytics and metrics.
This module aims to introduce you to the marketing discipline, briefly explaining the history of marketing practice and the contemporary issues that are beginning to transform those practices. In the process you will explore some of the core concepts that form the foundation of the field and see how these have been developed as practical and useful theoretical tools and devices.
The aim of this module is to provide students with a contemporary view of the role and importance of marketing communications. Students will develop an appreciation and understanding of the fast-moving and multi-faceted world of marketing communications from both a theoretical and managerial perspective. This module will emphasize the importance of integrated marketing communications (IMC) and will cover topics such as campaign strategy and planning, creativity, product placement and celebrity endorsement.
This module is designed to help you understand what markets are, how they work and - most importantly - identify the actors and practices that make markets happen. You will learn how markets are constructed through the patient, multiple and distributed efforts of many different market actors - for example - suppliers, distributors and retailers. You will learn how the network of connections spreads out to shape what markets become and how they begin to involve a whole host of important mediators such as consumer guides, rating agencies and regulators.
This module is developed to teach you marketing strategy through a hands-on marketing simulation experience. The marketing ‘game’ provides you with an integrated overview of the concepts, techniques and skills used in marketing strategy and management.
This module will provide you with a managerial and critical understanding of how brand strategy integrates a variety of perspectives - the social, psychological, managerial and creative aspects of branding.
You will learn the language of brand strategy, discover how branding fits with the other activities of an organisation. You will learn how this knowledge can be applied in the managerial context.
The overall aim of this module is to develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of consumer experiences. In particular, the course will focus on the important role of consumer experiences in the lives of individuals and unpack how as marketers, students can develop consumer experiences that are simultaneously aesthetically fun and ethically inclusive and accessible for all consumers.
This module considers international retail marketing activity from two thematic perspectives: the internationalisation of the retail firm and the globalisation of markets. The first theme looks at the way in which firms expand into international markets through consideration of the organisational and marketing challenges they have to address. This includes market selection and entry mode decisions as well as brand strategy and format innovation. The second theme looks at the changes that occur in global markets and how this creates a dynamic environment for both domestic and international retailers.
The aim of this module is to provoke critical thinking about marketing’s role in society. It also provides an opportunity for students to consider alternative approaches to the study of marketing. We seek to contemplate not 'how to do marketing', but to consider the effects, both positive and negative, of the marketing discourses that circulate in society and how these mould consumer subjectivities and impact upon our lives in deep and profound ways.
Location | Full Time (per year) | Part Time (per year) |
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Home | £15,650 | n/a |
International | £31,500 | n/a |
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small College Membership Fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2023 and 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
For most taught postgraduate applications there is a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until this fee has been paid, as advised on our online secure payment system. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.
For some of our courses you will need to pay a deposit to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in your offer letter if a deposit is required and you will be given a deadline date when this is due to be paid.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
If you are studying on a programme of more than one year’s duration, the tuition fees for subsequent years of your programme are likely to increase each year. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.
Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.
If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.
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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.
Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.
Join our on-campus open day this February to talk to students and lecturers and find out how and when to apply.
Book my placeThe information on this site relates primarily to 2024/2025 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.
We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.