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Advertising and Public Relations Management MSc

This postgraduate qualification is based on the latest theory and practice in the advertising and PR profession. With a strong practical element, this course will equip you with the knowledge and confidence needed for a successful management career in the ever-evolving advertising and public relations (PR) sector.

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Overview

The Advertising and Public Relations Management MSc programme enables you to learn, develop, and apply the best-practice skills and knowledge required to pursue a career in Advertising and Public Relations Management, to a range of relevant company or communication environments.

The research and contextual-based learning approach enables students who are either new to the area of marketing, or experienced at an undergraduate level, to understand and apply management-level communication practices, in a global situation.

Focusing on a management approach within advertising and PR, this course aims to enhance your understanding of the discipline and develop your managerial skills. You will gain knowledge and expertise in topics such as advertising strategy, consumer futures, corporate and brand PR, media planning, budgeting and control, with emphasis on how marketing communications activities interact with other functional areas within organizations and a wider range of stakeholders. The course is focused on two important areas of marketing communications and encourages the development of critical and analytical skills in all key areas of advertising and public relations. Through exposure to the wider business environment, you can also gain a rounded and thoroughly integrated view of the advertising and public relations functions.

Industry-informed and relevant modules will develop your understanding of the cutting edge of advertising and public relations, and how these disciplines are influenced by the rapidly changing external environment. You will also face a final challenge to your emerging expertise in the form of a Marketing Consultancy Project or Dissertation.

Key features

  • This is a career entry course for those who have no previous qualifications or work experience in marketing or advertising and PR.
  • This course will help equip you with the skills needed to work in areas such as communications, advertising, marketing, PR and media agencies.
  • Develop professionally and personally during the course, which will help you gain an advanced understand of the key marketing issues facing organisations and place you in a strong position to embark on a career in this sector.
  • Benefit from Education 2030, where a simplified ‘block learning’ timetable means you will study one subject at a time and have more time to engage with your learning, receive faster feedback and enjoy a better study-life balance.

Scholarships:

DMU offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and bursaries to help you realise your academic ambitions.

International Scholarships

Find out about available scholarships and country specific fee discounts for international students. 

 


More courses like this

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Marketing Management MSc

 

 

 

  • UK
  • EU/International

Programme code: N5P272

Start date: September

Duration: 12 months full-time

Fees and funding:

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £10,450

Find out more about course fees and available funding.

Programme code: N5P272

Start date: September

Duration: 12 months full-time (September intake)

Fees and funding:

2024/25 tuition fees for EU and international students: £17,950

Find out more about course fees and available funding.

Entry criteria

Entry criteria

Applicants will normally hold an undergraduate degree in any subject with a minimum pass of 2:2, or equivalent overseas qualification, or an equivalent professional qualification.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

 

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessment

Accreditations

 

Course modules

  • Block 1: Contemporary Advertising and Communication Strategy 
  • Block 2: Consumer Futures: Socio-cultural, Ethical and Psychological Contexts 
  • Block 3: Corporate and Brand PR 
  • Block 4: Contemporary Media Choice: Planning, Budgeting and Control 
  • Block 5 & 6: One of the following:
    • Dissertation 
    • Marketing Consultancy Project 

See more detailed module descriptions

 

Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

Teaching and assessment

The 4 core modules will focus on the development and application of your academic and practitioner skills in relation to advertising and public relations, which culminates in a marketing consultancy project or an academic dissertation. You will be taught through a combination of lectures, workshops, guided learning, independent learning, problem-based learning and resource-based learning approaches.

There will be a range of formative and summative assessments used in the modules. Completion of these will help the students' evaluation of their progress throughout the programme.

Teaching contact hours

This is a full-time course and in total you should be prepared to devote approximately 2 hours of lectures, 6 hours of workshop and 2 hours of asynchronous activity each week. 

Accreditations*

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Chartered Institute of Marketing

This is one of a small number of marketing courses in the UK that is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) for a Dual Award. This Dual Award means that while you are studying for your qualification you also have the opportunity to work towards achieving the CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing as part of your degree programme, an enhanced qualification that is sought after by employers.

In addition, if you successfully complete the elective Direct and Digital Marketing module you will benefit from significant exemptions from the Certificate in Direct and Digital Marketing awarded by the Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM). Most of our students opt to take the additional exam required and leave with this professional standard certificate alongside their marketing degree.  These additional professional qualifications make you more marketable by distinguishing you from other candidates and form another important step in your career development.

Chartered Institute for Public Relations (CIPR)

CIPR is the industry’s professional body which represents PR professionals in the UK. The accreditation provides brilliant opportunities for current students looking to pursue a career in PR and communications, including free bitesize training, access to the regional and sector networking groups and many CPD opportunities.

The mentorship available to CIPR student members can help you expand your network by speaking to members of the institution and taking part in career development opportunities. Students can apply for CIPR student membership at a cost of £36 per student per annum.

* These accreditations are subject to approval from the professional bodies.

Facilities and features

Hugh Aston Building

You will have access to our purpose-built Hugh Aston Building, equipped with lecture theatres and classrooms, break-out spaces for group work, quiet study zones for individual work and IT labs. Wherever possible, students will be given home access to specialist software.

You’ll also have access to the building’s new £5.5 million extension called The Yard, which provides more than 22,000 square metres of extra space. This is designed to facilitate your learning experience with large and airy breakout spaces, a new Student Advice Centre, and a balcony on the top floor. The Yard also features more comfortable classrooms and self-study spaces, allowing you to carry out independent study as well as group work.

Library services

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including Learning Zone, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

Learning zones

Our Learning Zones and The Greenhouse also provide space for group or individual work and study.

There are 1,600 study places across all library locations, more than 700 computer stations, laptops to borrow, free wi-fi and desktop power outlets.

You can also book rooms with plasma screens, laptops and DVD facilities for group work and presentations, secure an individual study room with adjustable lighting or make use of our assistive technology.

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
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DMU Global

This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.

Through DMU Global, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

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Graduate careers

There are numerous career opportunities in marketing communications and this degree will help you prepare for many of them. Graduates may go into advertising or PR agencies or take jobs client-side with the companies that employ the agencies. Alternatively, they may take the entrepreneurial approach and play a key role in a new venture such as a new division, a new brand or a company start-up. Whatever you decide to do, this degree will give you the skills you need to be a successful manager within this specialist field. 

Recent graduates are now working for a variety of UK and international companies including IBM, Toyota, Candi, Schroders Investments, Saudi Industrial Development Fund and Sudan International University. Recent agency and media appointments include WPP, DDB Hong Kong, Leo Burnett Cyprus, Razorfish, Punch Communications, Creare Design, The Station Agency and Big Communications.

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