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Advertising and Marketing Communications BA (Hons)

Develop an in-depth understanding of marketing communications tools and activities, buying behaviour, target audience analysis and campaign planning on this course.

Overview

This accredited course is designed to give you an in-depth understanding of marketing communications tools and activities, the strategic side of marketing, and the creative side of advertising.

Modules such as Advertising and Promotion will teach you how to develop an integrated marketing campaign similar to those required by industry. You will also learn how to develop communication messages and undertake digital and traditional media planning.

You will also benefit from a strong academic and theoretical background through modules such as Brand Management, which aims to equip you with an understanding of the models and frameworks necessary to develop and grow brands in a variety of organisational contexts.

Key features

  • DMU is a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Accredited Study Centre and an Institute of Data & Marketing (IDM) Key Educational Partner, meaning you can earn exemptions from CIM and IDM professional qualifications in addition to your degree.
  • Our DMU Works team offer support to help you gain the skills and qualities that today’s employers are looking for through placement opportunities with local, national and global companies. Past students have worked at Next, DHL, Pfizer, FedEx, Rolls-Royce and Walgreens Boots Alliance.
  • With the support of our careers and employability team, our graduates have gone on to careers in globally renowned organisations. Recent successes include TJX Europe, Marks and Spencer, Ocado and Vodafone, with graduates landing roles such as digital community executive, strategist, product marketing coordinator and marketing executive.
  • Enjoy an international experience linked to your studies with our DMU Global programme. In the current environment, we are offering virtual experiences, for example with our own campus in Dubai. Previous trips have also included New York, Copenhagen, Paris, Athens, India, Berlin and San Francisco. Online global learning opportunities are being sought for the 2022/23 academic year.
  • This course covers a wide variety of modular content, such as Principles of Marketing, Advertising and Promotion, International Marketing, Campaign Planning, Social Media Marketing and E-Marketing.

 

Scholarships

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

International student scholarships

Find out about available international scholarships or visit our fees and funding page for more information.

 

  • UK
  • EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course codes: N561

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with a placement.

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

Find out more about additional costs and optional extras associated with this course.

Institution code: D26

UCAS course codes: N561

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with a placement.

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for international students: £15,750

 

Find out more about additional costs and optional extras associated with this course.

Entry criteria

Entry criteria

  • A typical offer is 112 UCAS points from at least two A-levels or equivalent (eg BTEC)
  • Five GCSEs grades A–C including English Language and Maths
  • Pass Access with 30 Level 3 credits at Merit (or equivalent)

    English (Language or Literature) and Maths GCSE required as separate qualifications at grade C

    We will normally require students to have had a break from full time education before undertaking the Access course

  • International Baccalaureate: 26+ Points

 

Mature students

We welcome applications from mature students with non-standard qualifications and recognise all other equivalent and international qualifications.

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.

UCAS tariff information

Students applying for courses starting in September will be made offers based on the latest UCAS Tariff.

Contextual offer 

To make sure you get fair and equal access to higher education, when looking at your application, we consider more than just your grades. So if you are eligible, you may receive a contextual offer. Find our more about contextual offers.

 

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessment

Accreditations

 

Year 1

  • Principles of Marketing
  • Financial Decision Making 
  • Employability, Professionalism and Academic Study Skills 
  • Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Enterprise 
  • Introduction to Work and Organisations
  • Marketing Information and Decision Making
  • The Digital and Social Media Context of Business 

Year 2

  • Advertising and Promotion
  • Brand Management 
  • Direct and Digital Marketing*
  • Marketing Research
  • Buyer Behaviour 

Plus option modules from the following indicative list:

  • International Marketing

Year 3

  • Campaign Planning 
  • Contemporary Issues in Advertising in Advertising and PR 
  • Marketing Dissertation or The Brand Portfolio

Plus option modules from the following indicative list:

  • E-Marketing
  • Global Marketing Strategies 
  • Customer Management
  • Marketing Planning and Management
  • Social Media Marketing

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.

*Essential for progression towards the IDM Certificate in Direct Marketing

Teaching and assessment

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. Assessment is through coursework (presentations, essays and reports) and usually an exam or test, which is typically weighted as follows in your first year:

  • Exam: 21%
  • Coursework: 79%

These assessment weightings are indicative only. The exact weighting may vary depending on option modules chosen by students and teaching methods deployed by the academic member of staff each year. Indicative assessment weighting and assessment type per module are shown as part of the module information. Again these are based on the current academic session.

Teaching contact hours

This is a full-time course. Each module is worth 30 credits. It is expected that student will spend a total of 300 hours of study for each module. You should be prepared to devote approximately 10 contact hours a week to your studies and additional independent hours of study in order to succeed. Teaching is through a mix of lectures, tutorials, seminars and lab sessions and the breakdown of these activity types is shown in each module description.

Other: In addition, each module provides a two-hour surgery each week for individual consultation with the lecturer. You will also have timetabled meetings with your personal tutor and careers and/or subject meetings scheduled throughout the year.

Self-directed study: In order to prepare for, and assimilate, the work in lectures and seminars you will be expected to use our on-line resources, participate in flipped or virtual classroom discussions on our virtual learning environment (VLE) and engage in personal study and revision for approximately 25 hours per week.

Accreditations

  • Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Accredited Study Centre
  • Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Dual Award Status, providing you with exemptions from half of the CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing (subject to module selection) 
  • Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM) Key Educational Partner, enabling you to study the IDM Certificate in Direct and Digital Marketing alongside your degree (subject to module selection) 

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 and learning zones

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 the Virtual Learning Environment, 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.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

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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Placements

During this course you will have the option to complete a paid placement year, an invaluable opportunity to put the skills developed during your degree into practice. This insight into the professional world will build on your knowledge in a real-world setting, preparing you to progress onto your chosen career. For Instance, Esther Sodeke spent a year with the global interactive entertainment publishing company Electronic Art's UK, where she was able to apply advertising and marketing theory and put it into practice.

Our careers programme DMU Works can help to hone your professional skills with mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and an assigned personal tutor will support you throughout your placement.

Previous students have taken up placements in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, including some international posts, with leading companies such as Volvo Group, DHL, Pfizer, FedEx, Rolls Royce, Bosch, Nike and Electronic Arts.

Jacob completed his placement year at BMW’s head office. Now he’s working at a prominent UK brand. Find out more.

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DMU Global

Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich studies, broaden cultural horizons and develop key skills valued by employers. 

Through DMU Global, we offer an exciting mix of overseas, on-campus and online international experiences, including the opportunity to study or work abroad for up to a year.

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

Advertising and Marketing Communications students have recently visited India to enhance their studies on the Brand Management module, as well as visiting one of the biggest advertising agencies in New York as part of a DMU Global trip.

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Graduate careers

A degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications opens up a whole range of career opportunities such as account management, digital marketing, brand management, advertising and marketing communications, public relations, customer insight or market research.

You could find yourself developing new products, planning social media campaigns, deciding the future marketing strategy for many household names or developing a digital communications campaign for a big brand.

Recent graduates have progressed to professional roles such as product marketing manager at NaturalMotion, CRM executive at Hearst Magazines, marketing analyst at Bank of Ireland, and account executive at We Launch. 

A marketing degree at DMU helped Brennan Cross start a role as a senior sales data insight analyst at Verizon Media following a successful year at the same company. Find out more.

Take your next steps

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