Marketing
BA/BSc (Hons)

The highlights

• Spend the first year covering all aspects of marketing to find out where your passions and talents lie. From year two, you can continue on a general marketing pathway or choose from one of the following:
  • Marketing (Consumer Psychology) 
  • Marketing (Data Insights)
  • Marketing (Digital) 
  • Marketing (Management)
  • Marketing (PR and Advertising)
• This marketing degree is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), meaning if you graduate with a 2:2 or higher, you’ll gain exemptions towards CIM Certificate and Diploma modules to help fast-track your professional marketing career
• You will tackle real marketing projects for employers and then develop this experience through placements and internships

What will your marketing specialism be?

Marketing is exciting and fast-paced and is now relevant to almost all organisations, whether they operate in the private, public or third sector. Every business has a requirement to market their goods or services. Some have in-house teams that create campaigns, and others outsource them to creative agencies. However, all have a requirement to plan, implement, and monitor marketing activity if a business is to be successful or profitable.

With the rise of digital media, the number and variety of marketing channels has grown. This increasingly complex landscape has had a knock-on effect on jobs, creating a need for more specialist roles in sub-sectors such as content marketing, affiliate marketing, social media management, search engine optimisation, and data analysis. 

We have responded to these changes in the profession, by offering you specialist pathways on this degree — in Digital Marketing, PR and Advertising, Consumer Psychology, Data Insights, and Management. This enables you to build more in-depth skills in an area that interests you, but still gain a solid grounding in all of the key marketing disciplines. So whichever pathway you choose, you won't be closing any doors.

We equip you with the skills, confidence and creativity to shape an organisation’s marketing strategy and help it develop a customer-led approach to business opportunities. You’ll learn how to combine all elements of the marketing mix and how to get the best from in-house teams or outsourced agencies.

About the pathways

All students take the same core modules in the first year to gain an important foundation in all aspects of marketing, including marketing and advertising fundamentals, an introduction to digital marketing, brand management, design and creativity, business acumen and entrepreneurship. After that, you can choose one of the specialists pathways or continue on the core marketing route.

Core Marketing pathway — BA (Hons) Marketing

On this pathway, you will develop a broader, rounded skillset and have the freedom to choose two or three optional modules each semester, which can be from any of the specialist pathways.

BSc (Hons) Marketing (Consumer Psychology)

On this pathway, you'll learn to apply the science of consumer psychology to build stronger relationships with customers, consumers and clients. You will develop an understanding of cognition and cognitive processes and then learn how to apply them to media and messages in attention-grabbing ways. 

BSc (Hons) Marketing (Data Insights)

An understanding of data has become increasingly important in marketing. In the digital age, data analysis is an important tool that can help marketers understand and target prospects more effectively. It's also crucial to measuring the value and success of their campaigns. This pathway enables you to delve deeper into these technical aspects of marketing, covering quantitative data analysis and the management of IT.  

BSc (Hons) Marketing (Digital)

Develop the skills, vision and confidence to apply digital techniques as part of any integrated marketing and communications strategy. From social media engagement and viral marketing to content management and digital analytics — you will work with digital technologies, tools and platforms to help organisations get their message across, and you can undertake Adobe and Google certification as part of this hands-on pathway.

BA (Hons) Marketing (Management)

Build up your knowledge and skills in marketing along with important expertise in the management of people, finances and assets. On this pathway you’ll gain the skills and positive attitude needed to manage in-house teams or outsourced agencies, to achieve your business goals.

BA (Hons) Marketing (PR and Advertising)

If you want to focus on the integrated management of marketing, marketing communications, PR and advertising, this is the pathway for you. You’ll be fully prepared to plan and execute effective communication campaigns that deliver the right message to the right people at the right time. 

CIM accreditation

This degree is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the leading professional body for marketers worldwide. This means that CIM has independently assessed our marketing degree and is happy that it reflects their priorities and high standards. CIM accreditation is a quality mark that employers look for.

Real-world experience

On this marketing degree, we take you beyond the classroom, giving you opportunities for real-world experience. Thanks to our strong links with employers, you'll get the chance to work on real marketing projects, meeting clients and presenting your proposed solutions to their challenges. Recently, our students found themselves drawing up plans to:

• promote new events
• raise a company's profile through social media
• attract more visitors to a destination, and
• create a brand identity for a pub-based arts venue

Using our industry contacts, we'll support you to find internships and placements, provide a varied programme of interesting guest speakers and draw on fascinating real-world case studies to bring marketing concepts and principles to life.

Year in industry and study abroad

In addition to the 30 hours of work experience that everyone is expected to undertake in their second year, you also have the opportunity to take a placement year between years two and three of your degree. This would super-charge your employability and your prospects after graduation. We can help you find a placement and provide support during your year away. 

Or why not study abroad for a semester? It's a great chance to experience a different country and culture, perhaps develop an additional language, make new connections and bring back new ideas. 

Marketing – your questions answered

In the below video, Senior Lecturer, Devi Gill, answers some of the most frequently asked questions about Marketing at the University of Derby. You can also watch exclusive subject content by signing up to Derby on Demand.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

Our teaching methods will be varied, interactive and engaging. You will take part in:

• Lectures and seminars — led by our own tutors as well as occasionally, by guest speakers from the marketing world
• Individual and group-based practical assignments, such as creating advertising slogans, blogs, infographics, social media profiles, videos and TV commercials. Many of these will be for real company briefs
• Visits to exhibitions, trade fairs and companies
• Placements and internships
• Research projects

How you are assessed

You will be assessed through coursework, which will incorporate individual assignments as well as group tasks. These focus on applying what you have learned to real business scenarios and producing the kind of work that might be expected in a marketing role, for example:

• Written reports based around research, including data and case studies
• Visual presentations
• Creative outputs such as infographics, short advertisements, films or bespoke projects for clients
• Online assessments

At levels 4 and 5, you will take part in a lot of group work, which prepares you for the marketing workplace, but at level 6, you will be working independently more so you can deepen your research and critical analysis skills.

Who you'll meet 

Dr Devi Gill is the pathway leader for Consumer Psychology and Management. Devi teaches across a range of modules in the areas of digital marketing, branding, market sensing, and design and creativity for marketers. Her research interests lie in the areas of brand heritage, authenticity and corporate social responsibility.

Tracy Powell is the pathway leader for Digital. Her background is in Strategic Management specialising in Marketing and Operations. Tracey still works in practice as a business mentor, working on a range of strategic projects applying digital marketing and consumer behaviour theories to improve business performance.

Dr Kuldeep Banwait is the pathway leader for PR and Advertising. Kuldeep is passionate about interactive learning where the academic and students co-create knowledge. The modules he teaches utilise guest speakers, up to date case studies and research, to encourage students to draw links between marketing research and practice.

Dr Amir Modjtahedi is the pathway leader for Data Insights. Amir teaches modules in the areas of marketing operations management, marketing research skills, data analysis, and quality management systems. His research interests lie in improving productivity for organisations by adapting existing technologies and considering the impact of emerging technologies.

2022 entry

These are the typical qualification requirements for September 2022 entry.

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.0 (with at least 5.5 in each skills area)

2021/22 Fees (August 2021 - July 2022)

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to.

Additional costs and optional extras

Contact us

If you need any more information from us, eg on courses, accommodation, applying, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.

† Additional information about your studies

If you wish to join at Stage 2 or Stage 3, please email onlineapplication@derby.ac.uk.

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Additional costs and optional extras

We’re committed to providing you with an outstanding learning experience. Our expert teaching, excellent facilities and great employability prepare you for your future career. As part of our commitment to you we aim to keep any additional study costs to a minimum. However, there are occasions where students may incur some additional costs.

Please also note that due to the current Covid-19 situation, if your course offers fieldtrips, the location of these may change or be cancelled. If this happens, you will be communicated to in advance and we will do our very best to seek out other practical opportunities to ensure your experience is not affected.

The information below is correct for entry in the academic year September 2021 - August 2022 only. Entry for future academic years may be subject to change.

Included in your fees

• Opportunity to take a CIM module exam at the end of the second and third year (exam fees paid for first sit only)
• Opportunity of part funded trips, optional with limited places available
• Access to Finance Lab
• Access to a range of software on university lab PCs

Please note: Our courses are refreshed and updated on a regular basis. If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.