Online Marketing Master's Degrees from UK Universities

Marketing is a broad subject with many specialisations and skill sets, from branding to quantitative analysis. On a taught master’s in marketing, courses are typically structured with core or compulsory modules that cover the fundamentals, followed by a choice of specialist modules covering a skill set or career area in greater detail.

Example Core modules

• Principles of Marketing
• Consumer behaviour
• Marketing Strategy
• Market research methods
• Marketing analytics and Quantitative research

Example optional modules

• Digital Marketing
• Pricing strategy
• Social media marketing
• Business-to-Consumer Marketing
• Business-to-Business Marketing
• Brand Strategy
• Reputation Management

Universities generally look for an undergraduate degree at 2:1, its international equivalent, or higher. However, some universities will accept a lower grade if applicants have relevant work or career experience.

Some master’s degrees in marketing are designed for applicants without marketing experience. However, if you already have a background in marketing from your work or previous education, a course that specialises in a particular area of marketing that aligns with your career goals would be more suitable. When you are comparing courses, if you are unsure about the areas covered and target students, we always recommend contacting the admissions team, and they will be able to help or, in some cases, arrange for you to speak with one of the tutors on the course.

Graduating with a marketing MA or MSc can lead directly to a broad range of roles covering a number of disciplines that are all in demand by in-house marketing departments to advertising, branding and PR agencies. Roles directly related to the qualifications include,

• Digital Marketing
• Media Buyer
• Market researcher
• SEO Specialist
• PPC Specialist
• Social Media Manager
• Public Relations Officer
• Marketing Manager
• Brand Manager
• International marketing

Marketing also plays an important role in many job functions that might not sit directly within a marketing team. A postgraduate qualification in marketing can also lead to these types of positions.

• Business Development Manager
• Copywriter
• Events Manager
• Website Content Manager
• UX Specialist
• Product Manager
• Customer Marketing Manager

Yes, many UK university business schools now offer a marketing MSc online. Learning online is perfect for marketing professionals looking to boost their career trajectory or use a professionally recognised UK qualification to change careers.

Online courses are now an established method of teaching and learning. This means you can gain a marketing qualification from a top-ranked UK university from any location in the world without putting your existing marketing career or family commitments on hold.

Distance learning materials and techniques are now being incorporated into on-campus courses as they have proven effective. Online courses can now have more tutor contact time than their on-campus equivalents.

You can find online courses ranging from one year of full-time to 5 years part-time. Each university will have a slightly different course structure, with some offering more flexibility than others. Depending on your goals and the time you have available to dedicate to study, you may prefer an intense one or two-year course with fixed deadlines to keep you motivated and on track. Or you may require greater flexibility to study at your own pace over a longer period as you fit study around your existing commitments.

If you plan on taking a digital marketing MSc online over two years, you will need to be able to dedicate around 15 hours a week to study. Each person learns in their own way and may need to allocate more or less time to the course at different points in the year depending on the topics covered, assignment deadlines and confidence with a particular topic.

Once you have narrowed down your search, we recommend asking the admissions team about the time commitments the universities recommend to understand the commitments you will need to make.

An MA would have more of a focus on creative skills and innovation. In contrast, an MSc would focus more on analytics, marketing metrics and data-driven decision-making.

In both types of courses, you will cover marketing theory in areas such as marketing communications, strategic marketing and marketing management giving you a solid foundation and in-depth understanding of the subject. Again, we strongly recommend that once you have narrowed down your choice of course that you compare the syllabus and learning outcomes and pick the online master’s that suits you best based on that rather than pay too much attention to the certificate title.