Digital Marketing and Brand Management

The MSc Digital Marketing and Brand Management will provide you with a comprehensive knowledge of core marketing principles, along with an additional focus on brands and branding, that will prepare you for a career in marketing and brand management. The course has been designed to develop your knowledge and understanding of the strategic importance of branding at both national and international levels. At the end of the course you'll be able to:

• assess and develop brands in a variety of different market settings, organisation types and policy situations;
• analyse and apply marketing and brand communication theories;
• consider the social, political and cultural context of brands and the role that they can play in areas such retail, social marketing, and marketing ethics;
• recognise the ethical issues that arise from marketing activities and to understand the impact marketing has on society in general.

Industry connections

The University of Stirling Management School has excellent links with local and national organisations. Guest speakers from across the private, public and third sectors regularly engage with our Masters students, providing a practical perspective on contemporary topics through a series of guest lectures and workshops.

Students have recently worked on projects with representatives from the National Wallace Monument, Strathearn Strategic Consulting, Stirling Albion Football Club, EASA Training Ltd, Snowsports Scotland, Scottish Biomedical, Blueberry Hill Meals, Niselo Probiotic Ltd, Stirling Art, and Waterski Scotland.

You’ll also participate in our Consultancy Project module to provide you with an experience similar to an industry placement, helping you prepare for a future career in marketing. You'll gain knowledge and increase your confidence working on a ‘live' marketing topic, operating within the management boundaries and budget of a client organisation.

Developing your brand

You'll be encouraged to reflect on your overall strengths, identify weaknesses, and explore the directions in which you want to develop. You will learn about:

• your approach to decision-making;
• your key strengths and weaknesses in working relationships;
• your value to the team;
• your communication style;
• You'll then develop your personal brand to be marketed to future employers.

Our Masters course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the world’s leading professional marketing body, and counts towards the CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing. Graduates of the course gain exemption from half of the CIM Professional Diploma modules.

The University of Stirling is accredited by AACSB International in recognition of our excellence in business education.

You’ll work on real-world projects with organisations who are using digital marketing and brand management strategies within their businesses. Our network of external organisations across all sectors provides opportunities to build your knowledge, skills and experience for a successful career in a variety of marketing roles.

80% of our research impact in Business and Management Studies is classed as world leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021).

Our research is driven by our mission to use marketing to shape a better future for people and places.

We focus on three research areas:

• communities and identities
• health and wellbeing
• shaping the marketplace

Our expertise is in:

• consumer behaviour and consumer research
• retailing and the supply chain, and
• transformative technologies.

Members of our academic staff regularly publish in journals such as:

• British Journal of Management
• Psychology and Marketing
• Journal of Marketing Management
• European Journal of Marketing
• Journal of Political Marketing
• Journal of Business Ethics
• Interntional Journal of Market Research
• International Review of Retail Distribution and Consumer Research
• International Journal of Sport Marketing and Sponsorship
• Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services
• Tourism Management

Our staff regularly serve as conference and track chairs at international marketing conferences and hold editorial posts across a wide variety of academic journals. Members of staff regularly provide consultation to industry in high-profile issues such as the horse display of unhealthy food products in supermarkets, the adoption of technology amongst older adults, and the issues facing the high street retailers across the UK.

A minimum of a second class honours degree or equivalent. Applicants without these formal qualifications but with significant appropriate/relevant work/life experience are encouraged to apply. No background in business is required but you will need to have a strong interest in marketing and brand management to get the most from the course.

Other routes of entry

If you don't currently meet our academic requirements, INTO University of Stirling offers a variety of preparation programmes that can earn you the qualifications and skills you need to progress onto some of our courses. Explore INTO University of Stirling to see the pathway and pre-masters routes available.

International entry requirements

View the entry requirements for your country.

If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:

• IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each sub-skill.
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) 60 overall with a minimum of 59 in each sub-skill.
• IBT TOEFL 78 overall with a minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing.

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner INTO University of Stirling offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.

Find out more about our pre-sessional English language courses.

See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements.

You'll have the opportunity to gain first-hand practical experience by working on consultancy projects with external clients. The University of Stirling Management School has a dedicated Employability Manager and from the very beginning of the course your career is our focus.

Typical roles for graduates with this qualification include Marketing Manager, Brand Manager, Brand Marketing Executive, Product Marketing Manager or Consultant.
Graduates from our existing MSc Marketing have gone on to work with well-known brands and with organisations in countries such as Japan, China, Netherlands, Australia, South Africa, Switzerland, Germany, Mexico, and India.

MSc Marketing graduates in the past three years are currently employed as:

• Marketing and Communications Officer, Stirling Council (UK)
• Sales Consultant, Yves Saint Laurent (UK)
• Marketing Communications Associate, Eugenides Foundation (Greece)
• Global Sales, Karma Medical Products (Taiwan)
• Social Media Manager, Liquorice - Digital Innovation for Brands (South Africa)

Building on that foundation, alumni of the University of Stirling's MSc Marketing course who graduated between five and ten years ago have since advanced into some of the following positions:

• Brand Manager, Unilever (Greece)
• Senior PR Specialist, National Education Association (USA)
• Sales and Marketing Executive, Alma Lasers (Japan)
• Senior Marketing Specialist, Symantec (Mexico)
• Account Manager, Cheil (Taiwan)
• Account Executive, McCann Erickson (Greece)
• Senior Lecturer, University of Roehampton (UK)

Some of our more established alumni are currently leading and shaping marketing strategy across many different sectors:

• Marketing Manager, Nestle (Greece)
• Supply Chain Manager, Aibel Pte Ltd (Singapore)
• Director of Marketing and E-Business, Elsevier (Hong Kong)
• International Sales Manager, Importaco, S.A. (Spain)