Course overview

Do you have an interest in marketing and its role in modern business, but want to differentiate yourself in the workplace by studying more than one subject area? Are you looking for a career in marketing, but have yet to decide whether this is in communications, market research, product management, consultancy or a more general role? Do you see yourself as a marketing specialist working with others from different areas of business? If so, then this course is definitely for you.

Faced with today's highly sophisticated customers, the need for effective marketing is greater than ever. To achieve their aims in the face of increasingly demanding customers and against ever greater competition requires that businesses have a deep understanding of customer needs and the ability to offer highly distinctive and valued products and services in new and interesting ways.

Psychology examines the workings of the mind and how this relates to behaviour, which fits very well with marketing - marketing is concerned with understanding the desires and expectations of customers, consumers and all manner of stakeholder groups, in order to anticipate, influence and change behaviours and perceptions.

BA (Hons) Marketing with Psychology provides you with the exciting opportunity of a study experience which allows you to explore two separate areas of study in one course. You will be able to review how the theory and practice of marketing (as your major subject) in areas such as consumer buying behaviour, marketing research, communications and relationship-building, draws heavily upon psychology (as your minor subject). This is in addition to the psychological aspects of marketing management, including understanding motivations, interactions and psychometrics. They are both distinctive established academic subjects in their own right, which make studying them together an exciting and rewarding experience.

Small-scale, practical research investigations play an important part throughout the degree and the final-year research project gives an opportunity for in-depth research on a topic of your choice. In addition, you are given freedom of choice to undertake a wide range of optional units which contribute towards your study credits, be they from marketing, psychology or other more general business areas such as foreign languages and entrepreneurial development.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) is the leading professional body for marketers worldwide. Alongside your marketing degree studies, you will have the opportunity to gain CIM professional qualifications, which are highly sought after by employers and ensures that we are equipping you with the best opportunities for a successful marketing career.

Course content

Year one

The first year will introduce the main functions of business. Units studied will include:

• Marketing Principles and Practice
• Marketing Analysis
• Understanding Customers and Consumer Law
• People, Work and Organisations
• Key ideas in Human and Animal Psychology
• Psychology of Everyday Life

Year two

The second year is designed to develop your understanding of marketing and builds on the learning from year one. You will study core units in:

• Marketing Research and Planning
• Developing Marketing Communications
• Business Research and Quantitative Methods

You will then have ultimate flexibility and choice as you decide between a further marketing subject or general business option from:

• Digital Marketing Strategies
• Managing Product Portfolios
• Services Marketing
• Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Finance
• A foreign language

In response to student feedback we have additionally given students the ability to tailor which of the psychology units they wish to study in their second year, which include:

• Biological and Cognitive Psychology
• Individual Difference and Psychometrics
• Social and Development Psychology

Placement year

This degree includes the opportunity for a one-year placement working in a paid, full-time role with continuous progression and a suitable level of responsibility. You will return to your studies from your placement with contemporary business experience, which will improve your ability to engage in debate and develop your strategic thinking, and perhaps indirectly boost your degree classification.

With employers now requiring graduates to have the key business competencies and experience alongside a good degree, work experience is more vital than ever. Due to its very nature a placement year is the best and most involving type of work experience you can do during your time at university. As such, a placement will help insure you are as employable as possible upon graduation.

The Portsmouth Business School Placements Office will support you not only during your placement search and the subsequent recruitment processes, but also once you secure your placement and are working away from the University. Our students have gained much from their work placements – listen to some of our students' experiences.

Final year

The final year offers the opportunity for further specialisation in marketing and psychology subjects. Core units include Strategy Marketing and a final-year project which will require you to undertake a piece of independent research in the form of a dissertation, work-based learning project or a business case report project.

In addition to the core units, students have a further choice of marketing and general business options including: Advertising and Public Relations, Developing New Products and Managing Brands, Global Marketing, Managing Marketing Communications, or Professional Selling and Sales Management, Business Enterprise, Cross-Cultural Awareness for Business, or a foreign language.

Plus a choice of two psychology subject core options from the following:

• Forensic Psychology
• Health and Clinical Psychology
• Language and Communication

Teaching and assessment

Here at Portsmouth we place a lot of emphasis on student support. At the start of each academic year you will be assigned a personal tutor, who will be available for regular meetings to discuss your progress, as well as help resolve any problems or questions that you may encounter along the way.

You will encounter a range of teaching methods, from lectures, seminars and tutorials to workshops and team-based projects. You will be taught by experienced marketers with a track record of success in business. Current staff members are drawn from a wide range of industries, including retailing, banking, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, defence, IT, public services, and consultancy.

Most have held senior management positions and have international experience. Several have run their own businesses. All are committed to blending their practical experience with a strong grounding in marketing theory, providing a stimulating and academically challenging learning environment.

Assessments are an integral part of our teaching and learning approach. These will incorporate a blend of annual examinations, individual and group coursework, as well as online activities and practical exercises. We ensure a balance in assessment approaches in order to support the theoretical and practical aspects of the course, to suit the differing learning styles of our students and to prepare them for their graduate career and beyond.

Career prospects

Portsmouth Business School has well-established links with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the UK's professional marketing organisation. Our marketing degrees are recognised by the CIM and graduates benefit from entry to later stages of the CIM professional qualifications.

These degrees are an excellent starting point for careers in marketing and a placement year sets you ahead of other recent graduates when seeking your first marketing position. Career opportunities include product management, marketing research, advertising, public relations, sales, web-marketing, market analysis, competitive intelligence, marketing management, general management, business strategy and new product development.

Rates of employability among Portsmouth graduates are considerably above the national average and our excellent employment record bears testimony to the quality of our courses and most importantly our students.

Facilities and features

You will attend lectures in the purpose-built Richmond Building, where the Business School is located. It offers a computer drop-in and resource centre containing a wireless network access area, as well as printing and photocopying facilities.

The University Library is at the centre of academic life and is only a short walk away. Open from 8am until midnight every day during term-time, it provides a variety of information to help with study and research.

The Library has also invested heavily in the purchase of electronic resources. There are thousands of journals available, and ebooks that can be accessed across campus, from home or wherever there is an internet connection.

For international students we have a dedicated team of advisors to support you as you settle into life in Portsmouth and at the University. One of the team almost certainly has direct experience of your culture and may even speak your language.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) Marketing with Psychology for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).