Course overview
Study at Teesside University International Business School
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You consider a wide range of marketing theory and critically evaluate how all aspects of digital marketing link into the strategic marketing planning process.
You examine the disruptive nature of technology and how it challenges traditional marketing methods and practices – exploring new ways of working across infrastructure, processes, people and culture to support the marketing function within a business.
Across all digital channels, every click, interaction, journey and registration is tracked – the learnings from this can enhance marketing and business return on investment. You take the guesswork out of what drives return on investment, examining and applying digital marketing metrics with the aim of increasing online customer engagement/user optimisation.
The course has been devised in collaboration with a number of the region’s leading digital agencies, giving you contemporary practice-based understanding.
Top 3 reasons to study digital marketing with us:
- Industry input: we work with brands including Coca-Cola, Apple, Adobe, Microsoft, KPMG, Ernst & Young, and Johnson & Johnson to give you experience of working with global organisations.
- Entrepreneurial opportunities: our students have created 500 new business start-ups through Launchpad and Microbiz – a start-up community who provide support and advice for students looking to start a new business venture.
- United Nations’ PRME initiative – we’re a proud signatory of the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative, which aims to globally raise the profile of sustainability and responsible leadership to equip current and future leaders with the skills to deliver positive change for business and society.
- Financial awards: study this course and you may be eligible for a £2,500 Dr Keith Skeoch postgraduate scholarship.
Course details
Course structure
Core modules
You gain an understanding and knowledge of digital marketing communication techniques, platforms and strategy. The module will focus on the critical analysis of integrated marketing communications and associated consumer behavioural foundations. You will explore issues that influence digital marketing communication and how these impact organisations, consumers and policy-makers.
Digital Innovation and Change Management
The focus of this module is to develop a critical understanding of leadership, innovation and change and will include analyses of the leadership of innovation and change related to digital marketing and market changes. You examine the impact of disruptive technologies that challenge traditional business methods and practices and explore new ways of working across infrastructure, processes, people, culture and sustainability to support the marketing function within a business. You are encouraged to use your own experience of leadership, innovation and change to inform discussion, enquiry, critical thinking and reflection. In addition you develop your interpersonal skills and apply core leadership techniques to persuade others and drive change to the benefit of the organisation.
Digital Optimisation, Analytics and Metrics
Digital marketing can take much of the guesswork out of what’s really driving return on investment, but only if marketers understand the possibilities, are confident in the language and have the right questions to ask. In these most measurable of media channels every click, interaction, journey and registration is tracked; and in the right hands the learnings from this can enhance marketing and business return on investment. In this module you will be encouraged to consider and apply digital marketing metrics with the aim of increasing online customer/user optimisation.
Professional Marketing Project
This module articulates the relationship between you, the University and the workplace in a collaborative process of knowledge generation and use, bringing together specific key elements of learning to demonstrate accumulated knowledge and understanding of digital marketing, and its application in a work-based project context. The composition, content and context of your project will be unique to you. Reflective practice, the paradigm of work-based learning will demonstrate a commitment to continual learning and development. The module will be front-loaded with research methods to provide you with the requisite knowledge to successfully complete your project.
You develop the skills and knowledge required to develop strategic digital marketing plans that relate to organisational contexts. Providing relevant theory and concepts of planning and control, finance and marketing planning, this module will challenge you to consider a wide range of marketing theory and critically evaluate how all aspects of digital marketing should link into the strategic marketing planning process
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
The overall aim of this course is to develop postgraduate students who possess the required knowledge and practical, professional and key transferable skills required to make an impact at a strategic level in relation to an organisations digital marketing and wider business activity.
The learning strategy encourages progressive acquisition of subject knowledge and skills in a flexible practice-led manner, where you are expected to act as an independent learner. You will be exposed to a variety of learning methods – ranging from workshops, action learning sets and a variety of interactive learning, utilising various learning technologies, such as Microsoft teams, sway and collaborate ultra (virtual classrooms). A range of relevant marketing platforms will be engaged with that are common place in digital marketing roles, such as Google AdWords, Google Analytics, various social media platforms and WordPress, amongst others.
Learning is a blended model of delivery where you acquire knowledge through online lectures via the virtual learning environment; face-to-face contact time will be workshop-focussed, encouraging debate and discussion.
The programme is delivered by the core academic team, and is supported by regular input from practitioners from the School’s extensive network of business relationships. Practitioner input and business engagement is a core aspect of the course delivered by professional digital marketers. Your assessments are applied in nature, meaning they are linked to either your current employment setting or live project businesses.
The course culminates in your professional marketing project where you work closely with your academic supervisor to undertake research into an aspect of digital marketing in the context of your own organisation, or a live case study. You will be introduced to key aspects of research methods through an intensive research methods workshop, and supported by your supervisor to further develop your research knowledge and skills as you progress your project. You plan, conduct and evaluate a significant project that mirrors the stages of development required in professional project work and activity.
You are encouraged to attend practice-based workshops led by industry professionals addressing key aspects of digital marketing best practice and developments, which supplements and signposts your learning to support continuous professional development. You also have the opportunity to access study support, including academic writing and research skills to enhance your career development in the field of leadership and coaching.
How you are assessed
You are assessed by a range of formative and summative assessment methods to suit the demands and requirements of the applied nature of the programme. These include case study analysis, presentations, self-diagnostic assessments, reflective reports and a research proposal and associated dissertation.
Entry requirements
You must be an honours graduate of any discipline, with a minimum of a 2.2 obtained from a recognised university, or hold an equivalent professional qualification acceptable to Teesside University Business School.
If you do not have an honours degree, but significant marketing or management experience, you are encouraged to apply.
Advanced standing
Applicants who have completed a recent Level 7 business-related professional qualification may be offered advanced standing onto the programme. Given the diverse range of professional qualifications and the diverse range of credit value for these qualifications, applications will be considered on an individual basis following the University’s Recognition of Prior Learning process.
For general information please see our overview of entry requirements
International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting Your Country
Employability
Career opportunities
You work on live briefs with real-world employers, giving you first-hand experience of working to meet client needs. Recent students have worked with digital transformation company NetMinds. They were really impressed with the plans and recommendations students developed: ‘We managed to improve and update our services from the work undertaken by Teesside University International Business School students. We are certain that this collaboration will continue and we will keep working with students on developing some new methods and tools for process and products design. By studying this course students are able to merge their academic knowledge with practical experience of working in the field."
Information for international applicants
Qualifications
International applicants - find out what qualifications you need by selecting your country below.
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Useful information
Visit our international pages for useful information for non-UK students and applicants.
This course is accredited by 
MSc Digital Marketing
MSc Digital Marketing
MSc Digital Marketing
