Introducing your course
Find out what it's like to study Marketing and Design at Lancaster University Management School.
2nd for Employability for Marketing and PR
The Guardian University Guide (2024)
2nd for Product Design
The Guardian University Guide (2024)
3rd for Marketing and PR
The Guardian University Guide (2024)
Are you highly creative? Do you want to understand business and marketing as well as the design process? This joint-honours degree offers you the chance to study a degree in business with a creative focus.
Delivered by our Design and Marketing departments, with BSc Marketing and Design, you will develop a distinctive expertise in both fields and develop a solid understanding of their complementary and contrasting theoretical lenses.
You will develop a solid theoretical grounding in design principles and applications, learn how to produce design briefs, commission design work and manage marketing for any area, from packaging to online advertising. You will also gain design experience by responding to a range of design briefs, and you will be introduced to a range of creative industry-standard software packages to assist you in developing strong visualisation skills.
Throughout your three years, you will work alongside marketing and design majors, and the lively discussion between marketers and contemporary designers forms an important part of your course.
In your first year, you will learn about business models, new technologies, product development, sustainability, and how design interacts with social media. We also explore areas ranging from consumer behaviour to marketing research, customer relationship management to marketing communications. You will also study another subject of your choice from social sciences, the Management School or another University department.
The second year covers subjects such as routes to market – in particular retail – the application of design thinking and marketing research methods. Our final-year consultancy projects see you work with a real-life client, conducting research and putting theory into practice, strengthening your professional consulting abilities.
The relationship between design and marketing is becoming increasingly more strategic and business-driven, and this degree gives you the skills to succeed, whichever career path you choose.
This course is approved and accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). This allows you to gain a professional qualification or award alongside your degree through the prestigious CIM Accredited Degree programme.
As part of our accreditation, students who study on this course will also gain exemptions from professional CIM qualifications. You would only need to pass one module to complete the CIM Certificate in Professional Marketing or Professional Digital Marketing or two modules to complete the CIM Diploma in Professional Marketing or Professional Digital Marketing. This gives you the chance to further stand out in the job market with a professional qualification alongside your degree.
Learn more about the Chartered Institute of Marketing accreditationThanks to the high quality of our graduates, starting salaries and employment prospects are above average and most move on to successful careers in design management, advertising, media planning and buying, qualitative and quantitative research, and marketing communications.
Some of our Marketing graduates have moved into high-profile managerial positions in the top UK advertising agencies, including Ogilvy & Mather, Grey Advertising, and Leo Burnett. Others work at leading market research companies, such as Millward Brown and NOP.
Our alumni have also recently chosen to work in Marketing functions in industry, for Asda, BT, the BBC, Disneyland, ICI, Marks and Spencer, Boots, Barclaycard, Renault, IBM, Unilever, The Body Shop, Ernst and Young and Sainsbury's, among others.
Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring you not only gain a highly reputable degree, you also graduate with the relevant life and work-based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which offers you the opportunity to complete key activities such as work experience, employability awareness, career development, campus community and social development. Visit our Careers section for full details.
Lancaster Management School has an award-winning careers team to provide a dedicated careers and placement service offering a range of innovative services for management school students. Our high reputation means we attract a wide range of leading global employers to campus offering you the opportunity to interact with graduate recruiters from day 1 of your degree.
A Level AAB
GCSE English Language grade B or 5
IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component. For other English language qualifications we accept, please see our English language requirements webpages.
International Baccalaureate 35 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects
BTEC Distinction, Distinction, Distinction
We welcome applications from students with a range of alternative UK and international qualifications, including combinations of qualification. Further guidance on admission to the University, including other qualifications that we accept, frequently asked questions and information on applying, can be found on our general admissions webpages.
Contact Admissions Team + 44 (0) 1524 592028 or via ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk
Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
Through a combination of design practice and lectures, this module introduces and explores design in a broad sense, emphasising design as an engine of innovation and a force for social good. You will develop a range of key design skills that include: developing your ability to critically evaluate design, conduct design research, generate multiple ideas, prototype and iterate physical and digital designs, use a range of industry-standard design software, visualise your ideas creatively, collaborate effectively and present your design work in an engaging manner. During this module, you will develop both your practical designing skills as well as your awareness of how design affects and can address personal, social and environmental wellbeing.
This practical studio module is designed to help you face the industry challenges of the future. The module is a mix of Human-Centred Design, Graphic Design, User Interactions and Experience (UI/UX). You will be introduced to various analogue and digital techniques that enable you to develop responses based on changing industry briefs rooted in a deep understanding of user needs. Upon successfully completing this module, your portfolio will demonstrate your knowledge of human-centred design and your ability to progress research into viable and meaningful design solutions.
This practical studio module builds upon Fundamentals: Design Studio (part 1) by encouraging you to further develop your skills in human-centred design, prototyping and visualisation. You will apply appropriate visualisation tools and techniques to produce a portfolio and prototype incorporating user research, concept development, iteration, and relevant theoretical sources.
This module is designed to give you a broad and critical introduction to the subject of marketing through a series of lectures and seminars. A comprehensive range of topics is taught at foundational level which you will then explore further in your second and final years. Subject areas that you will study include Understanding Markets, which examines how markets are created and sustained, Consumer Behaviour, Marketing Communications, Marketing Research and Innovation.
Throughout the year, you will be asked to consider how theory works in practice, by examining your own experience of marketing as well as current stories from the press and marketing media. Assessment consists of coursework including an individual essay and a group-based business report, and a summer exam which is largely essay-based. As part of your studies on this module, we will help you to develop all of the necessary academic skills to succeed in your first year at university and throughout your degree.
This module is all about personal development and is taken by all students in the Marketing department. It is designed to help you develop academic skills to support your studies at University, and employability skills to help you achieve your future career goals.
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. The lectures initially focus on consumers as individuals and then consider more closely the influence of our social experiences on behaviour. The workshops provide a chance to focus on a specialist topic within the field, focusing upon improving academic reading and analysis skills.
This module provides an overview of the knowledge and expertise design management brings to organisations. Design Management refers to a broad range of theories, methods and practices by which an organisation can employ design principles, activities and methods for internal or external purposes. This module introduces past, present, and emerging practices, methods and principles of Design Management. Through lectures and seminars, you will develop an appreciation of the contribution of Design Management for strategy, product development and customer relationships. This module prepares you to work successfully with designers on strategic design issues.
This practical studio module aims to develop your skills in a range of approaches and software tools for designing new and imaginative 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional visualisations. Through design studios and software labs, you will learn about the ways in which designers creatively use visualisation tools and visual thinking to develop their ideas, explore possible interventions and communicate possible futures to different audiences. You will develop competencies in a range of 2-dimensional approaches that draw on theory and techniques from graphic design and information design and you will build on this foundation to develop competencies in visualising 3-dimensional objects and spaces that draw on architectural and product design principles. The module will encourage you to develop an iterative and disruptive approach to generating visualisations, which actively engage with contemporary design issues and contexts.
This module runs alongside your academic studies to help you with academic and employability skills.
This module introduces the key concepts and techniques in marketing research and the analysis of marketing problems. The main aim is to prepare you for future roles as marketing, product, brand and advertising managers by giving you the skills needed to commission, manage, interpret and use marketing information. It will also prepare you for practical market or advertising research projects conducted in your final year (e.g. MKTG310 & MKTG331). The module covers both qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as how to run and manage research projects. For the quantitative part of the unit, you will be introduced to SPSS.
The Marketing Simulation gives an integrated overview of the concepts, techniques and skills used in marketing management. This is done via a computer simulation exercise known as “Markstrat”. The objective of the course is to allow participants to develop skills in applying marketing knowledge, running an analysis and planning system, and dealing with the problems arising from working in groups and managing a business under conditions of uncertainty.
In this module, you will learn about the decisions, actors and actions involved in transforming a product from its raw state to one desired by consumers, and how brand owners work with retailers to ensure shoppers’ access to the product.
This understanding is important to all marketers since it allows marketers to communicate with other areas of the organisation (such as manufacturing or logistics) over issues such as new product launches and promotional initiatives.
We will focus on the retail end of the route to market and how brand owners coordinate with retail (possibly also wholesale) actors to ensure optimal product placement and communication at the point of purchase, using real-life examples.
You will gain vital understanding and perspectives to equip you for entry-level jobs in areas such as trade marketing, customer marketing, shopper marketing, category management and areas of retail. In many companies, graduate entry-level jobs in these areas are the only route to a career in brand management. The thinking is “if you can’t manage retail partners, you can’t manage brands”.
Throughout the module, we will consider the international contexts of routes to market, ethical questions in routes to market, modern techniques and shopping behaviour and ICT use in routes to market.
This module introduces you to principles and processes for designing digitally interactive products, services and systems, which are applicable to a wide variety of scenarios. You will have the opportunity to gain a historical and theoretical understanding of designing for interaction, while also being encouraged to develop your practical digital interaction design skills. You will explore how to use paper-based and digital software tools to prototype novel interactions and iteratively evaluate them with potential audiences. The aim is to identify strengths and weaknesses that can help improve both your prototypes and your process. With emphasis on responsible interactions, you will explore how to creatively and critically design interactions that seek to benefit people and the planet.
This practical studio module helps you develop practical digital making skills using a range of different materials through experimentation and the development of design responses to particular problems. This module is taught though a series of design exercises including laser cutting, 3D scanning, 3D design and printing, and simple electronics with Arduino. These exercises enable you to develop understanding of how materials and technology inform and influence the development of design artefacts and how construction methods and associated technologies constrain and support the development of artefacts, both physical and digital in nature. This module allows you to consider how a specific design problem may be explored through a particular lens and/or given constraints.
This practical studio module focuses on people as being both the recipients and potential creators of design. You will learn how to use methods and tools that enable you to gain insight into the diversity of user groups (the individual, community, young, old, etc.) that may be both designed for and with. You will develop and apply practical design skills such as concept development, creative problem solving and visualisation. You will develop a deep awareness about the user experience by conducting primary and secondary research that includes gaining empathy with potential users, prototyping, testing and iterating potential design solutions. This module allows you to develop a portfolio piece that demonstrates your ability to conduct robust user research and transform that research into a design solution that can generate positive user experiences as well as help tackle some of the big issues facing society.
This module will provide you with a managerial and critical understanding of how brand strategy must integrate and balance a variety of perspectives such as the social, symbolic, and material dimensions of contemporary consumer culture with the managerial and economic determinants of organisations.
You will master the language of brand strategy, discover how the brand function fits with the other functions of an organisation, and learn how this knowledge can be applied in real marketplace contexts. We will also critically evaluate the role of branding in society and we will trace the history of “the modern brand”. A range of theories, concepts, strategies and practices designed to build, evolve and sustain brands will be addressed across a range of categories, product types and industries. You will be encouraged to think for yourself about the possible future brands and the necessity of branding in a changing world.
This module allows you to work in a team and undertake a practical design consultancy project with a real-world client. You will learn what Design Consultancy is and how to become a design consultant. Throughout this project, you will work closely with your client, teammates and tutors to address some of the challenges your client is facing by designing a product or service based on robust design research. Projects vary in nature since they respond to the client's needs but may take the form of a design audit, a new product development, design guidelines, brand positioning/strategy or UX research. Your project will be defined through a negotiation between you and your client that responds to the client's needs and aligns with your team's abilities. During your design consultancy project, you will develop skills in problem definition, data collection and analysis, design conceptualisation, visualisation or making, presentation and report writing. You will also gain professional experience that can help you to develop your employability skills. The Design Consultancy module develops your ability to manage the realities and complexities of design research problems whilst developing your teamwork skills and building your confidence in working directly with clients.
This module explores the complex relationship between innovation and design with a particular emphasis on the need for successful design to engage with networks of innovation that include a broad range of stakeholders. You will develop your understanding of innovation as a discipline, and identify and evaluate some of the different modes of innovation. This module also allows you to explore practically the relationship between innovation and design and develop design concepts that employ ‘innovation’ thinking.
In the final year this module focusses primarily on perfecting your employability skills to get the graduate job you want.
This optional module provides advanced, theoretical perspectives for design interactions, building upon the general framework for designing interactive products and systems, introduced in the second year Design Interactions module. You will extend your knowledge and understanding of the theory, research and practice of design interactions into specialised areas, which may include human-computer, human-human, human-place and human-system interactions. Advanced Design Interactions allows you to consider the role that design plays in these different types of interactions, and introduces you to specific methods or ways that you might research design interactions that are interesting to you. This module draws directly from the research expertise of staff in ImaginationLancaster, our globally recognised design research lab, so that you are exposed to cutting-edge concepts in these fields. As such, Advanced Design Interactions provides you with an understanding of some of the most up-to-date issues and challenges facing those who design interactions today. The module also gives you the opportunity to design a research project or interaction, which further gives you some skills that will be helpful if you wish to pursue design research as a graduate.
This module aims to provide you with the opportunity to critically review existing research and theory as it relates to a number of current consumer research specialist topics. You will apply and adapt existing theoretical frameworks to real consumer contexts, and engage with the research interests of the marketing department staff.
The module adopts a topic-based model; a typical syllabus would include:
The overall aim of this module is to develop an appreciation and understanding of the fast-moving and multi-faceted world of advertising from both a theoretical and managerial perspective.
We will focus on advertising within the private sector and cover a number of contemporary issues in advertising, including social and ethical issues, international advertising and advertising regulation. On completion of this module, you should be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of advertising theory, strategy and execution.
In this module, we bring to the forefront this often less visible but vast area of marketing to help you develop a more holistic understanding of how markets work and how they are created and shaped. We explore marketing concepts familiar to you as a marketer but broaden them by looking at the multiplicity of actors involved in marketing and in market making. Specifically, we unpack the activities in which organisations are involved and deployed to engage in markets. The module considers marketing in a range of contexts and critically discusses contemporary trends in B2B marketing practice and theory.
The module concerns the communications strategies and techniques used by new social movements, brands and people. We will study a spectrum of tools and media of communications, such as lobbying, design, sustainable communications (and greenwashing).
You will use action learning to develop a campaign strategy and creative work for a major UK government campaign. We will examine how protesters and social activists use communications, and you will be encouraged to think critically about how communications shape societies and human values.
This practical studio module considers contemporary issues (ecological sustainability, health and wellbeing) or ‘wicked problems’ through the exploration of a specific context (space, place or practice). Typically, this is an intensive design project that lasts for ten weeks. You will develop skills in critically evaluating a particular context to inform the development of appropriate design responses, which you will visualise to a professional standard. You will conduct design research and apply practical design skills that respond to the findings of your contextual analysis. Your portfolio piece will demonstrate your ability to understand not only the opportunities and constraints presented by a particular context but also the ways in which design interventions may affect that context.
This Speculative Design studio helps develop your ability to think critically by considering how emerging technologies might affect our lives in the future. You will develop a world-building approach to consider the potential futures of a chosen emerging technology (e.g. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Robots, Diamond Batteries, Biomimetic Materials, etc.) by creating a range of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional artefacts that help to domesticate and concretise such a future. In doing this, you will be able to explore and critically evaluate the potential societal implications of particular futures based on current weak signals in the present - and you will learn how to practically represent your vision for the future to an external audience in a manner that is both plausible and engaging. This module therefore results in a portfolio piece that demonstrates critical, imaginative and futures-focused thinking and designing.
The module gives you a unique opportunity to engage with the key academic and industry-led questions at the forefront of digital marketing practice. It will stimulate your understanding around the following questions:
As well as engaging with academic perspectives, you will practice real-life integrated digital campaign planning using industry-leading global data from Similarweb. An external industry expert session ensures that you also gain further insight into relevant careers and the practice of digital marketing.
As marketing activities become more internationally focused, firms are increasingly looking for prospective employees with the knowledge and skills to address the new challenges and opportunities associated with globalisation. This module combines the latest research in the field of international marketing; providing insights, theories, concepts and tools that enable students to navigate the global market. Students will take part in interactive lectures and assessment-centred seminars to examine trends in global marketing management. The module will also pay special attention to emerging markets and the roles they play in invigorating marketing theories and practice.
This module introduces theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence of contemporary innovations in markets and an exploration of marketing activities that support them. You will be given time and opportunity to reflect on your learning and to discuss your emergent understanding. You will have the opportunity to explore challenges faced by managers of innovation, as well as comparing potential outcomes of marketing management decisions in real-world scenarios.
The module begins by identifying marketing innovations, followed by exploring the issues of why firms are thought to either typically succeed or fail in business. From here you will be encouraged to explore the changing business environments within which firms must survive.
The module is organised around six themes:
We see how Social Innovation, Innovations for Emerging Markets and Sustainability-led Innovation are emerged and contribute to the global markets.
This module gives you the chance to explore various forms of social media in the context of digital marketing and online consumer culture. You will develop awareness and gain insights into a diverse range of topics such as:
As part of the module, you will also explore current and potential trends in the digital environment.
This module aims to equip you for a career in strategic marketing management in various industries, which may include among others fast moving consumer goods and retailing, automotive, consulting services or the luxury sector.
It is essential for students to obtain a solid understanding of various perspectives on strategy and to develop the ability to evaluate, design and implement sustainable and profitable marketing strategy. The module combines a critical academic perspective on strategy research with applied and practicable models and frameworks essential to developing strong marketing plans. The module aims to stimulate the student's thinking around such questions as:
The key theme of this module is to learn how to negotiate and make sustainable business deals. Strategic negotiations are highly relevant in today’s interconnected business landscape. Companies need to negotiate with multiple stakeholders, such as suppliers, customers, agencies, governments and authorities to be able to access the resources that they need. A strategic deal that companies would need is not a fixed entity but rather the outcome of long and time-consuming negotiations that affect further negotiations.
The module will examine:
In this module, we explore how marketing activities are managed in businesses, organisations and markets. Our focus is on three levels- namely, individuals, organisations and market place. Our understandings of marketing management are to a large extent shaped by theories and evidence on consumer behaviour in various markets. With this module, we turn our attention to managers and how they should make sense of and take action towards creating values for consumers and clients, their own businesses and organisations, and society at large. We approach this management question from multiple theoretical perspectives- namely, organisational and institutional theory, behavioural sciences, and marketing. We critically review these perspectives to understand how they construct and study the tasks of judgement and decision-making for marketing managers. We then employ these perspectives to identify and evaluate the opportunities and challenges contemporary marketing managers face within businesses, organisations, markets and society. These relate to technological advances and innovation, globalisation and its discontents, the inclusivity and exclusivity of consumption, marketing ethics, sustainability and climate change.
Our annual tuition fee is set for a 12-month session, starting in the October of your year of study.
Our Undergraduate Tuition Fees for 2024/25 are:
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£9,250 | £24,113 |
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.
In addition to travel and accommodation costs, while you are studying abroad, you will need to have a passport and, depending on the country, there may be other costs such as travel documents (e.g. VISA or work permit) and any tests and vaccines that are required at the time of travel. Some countries may require proof of funds.
In addition to possible commuting costs during your placement, you may need to buy clothing that is suitable for your workplace and you may have accommodation costs. Depending on the employer and your job, you may have other costs such as copies of personal documents required by your employer for example.
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.
Fees are set by the UK Government annually, and subsequent years' fees may be subject to increases. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.
You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status:
Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.
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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.
BSc Marketing and Design, 2019
You might go into a perfect job for your degree where you use what you learnt every day, and you might not, but I promise you that your time at Lancaster will not be a waste and you will learn and gain so much to help you in your career and life.
BSc Marketing and Design, 2022
By being involved in Lancaster University life on various projects, committees and events I was able to build a better picture of the value I contribute and gain more confidence in myself and my abilities.
The 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.
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