Digital MarketingMA

Develop your understanding of marketing, grow your social media skills and use industry data to analyse and interpret the world you work in on this digital marketing Master's. 

Build on your general business background and prepare for your career in marketing. Discover marketing concepts and theories in classroom sessions and apply your learning and skills with practical industry projects and simulations. 

You do not need to have studied marketing to apply for this course. You'll train in all aspects of digital marketing and choose specific marketing topics to specialise in. 

You’ll explore topics including big data, customer experience, social media marketing, brand identity and reputation, and marketing ethics and sustainability. 

Learn to apply your knowledge to real world situations through case studies, simulations and business projects. By working with live clients and other students on your Collaborative Marketing Project you'll develop and apply your technical and practical skills to industry problems. 

You'll use the same data sources you’ll use in the workplace, with access the data such as Mintel, Statista, MarketLine, Euromonitor International’s Passport and WARC, and graduate ready for your career in marketing. 

To get the most out of this course you should be curious about what is happening in the world and why. You'll be interested in people and how they think, what they feel, and how they make decisions. You’ll learn to think like potential customers and consumers, and use this experience to inform your work on the course and in your career.

Eligibility

This course accepts UK, EU, and International students.

Changes to course content

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Companies are always looking for business aware students with a good understanding of marketing and strong digital skills.

Almost every industry needs digital marketing experts and when you graduate, you'll have the knowledge and practical skills to take on roles in areas such as e-commerce, marketing, advertising and social media.

You'll complete a Collaborative Marketing Project during your studies in a small team where you'll work with companies and university departments to understand their situations and recommend marketing improvements and initiatives.

You'll also have access to resources from the Marketing Industry Advisory Board. The Board may give talks as part of a module or employability events, judge competitions, or have been involved in designing your course content. 

Graduates of this course have gone onto roles such as:

• Digital marketing
• Social media
• E-commerce
• Mobile advertising

Career outcomes shown are sourced from the latest available graduate outcome surveys. The data shows career outcomes at 15 months after graduation.

You could also decide to start your own digital-based business. We'll be on hand to give you help, support and advice, whatever you decide to do next. You can even access specialist support from our Entrepreneurs in Residence.  

You can attend employability events throughout the year to hear recruiters discuss what they look for in graduates and get advice on every aspect of getting a job after you graduate.

9 reasons to do a Master's

Career planning

During your course you'll have expert career support from our Careers and Employability Centre, your tutors and our Business and Law Career-Ready Programme. This support will continue for 5 years after you graduate.

We recognise that you'll probably be juggling more demands when you do your Master's degree, as you may be working or you may have family responsibilities.

We'll give you as much indication here as we can of how much time you'll need to be on campus and how many hours you can expect to spend in self-directed study, but please note that these indications are always subject to change. You should receive your full timetable several weeks before you start with us.

Course structure

You can study this course full-time over one year, or part-time over two years.

Each 15-credit module will include about 150 hours of study time, with roughly 25 scheduled classroom hours.

If you study full-time you should expect:

• two staff-guided teaching semesters, followed by a student-led independent study period
• classes spread over three or four days for the first two semesters
• to study for 30 to 40 hours per week, including independent study time
• about 12 hours of contact time and classes each week

You'll complete your major project during your independent study period. 

If you study part-time, you should expect

• to study for 15 to 20 hours per week, including independent study time

Teaching

Master's study is deeper and more specialised than an undergraduate degree. This means you'll focus on something that really matters to you and your career as you work closely with academics committed to the subject.

You'll spend more time in independent study and research than you did for your undergraduate degree, but the majority of your teaching time will be in-person and face-to-face.

Teaching methods on this course include:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Collaborative sessions with peers in our Technology Enhanced Active Learning (TEAL) room

You can access all teaching resources on Moodle, our virtual learning environment, from anywhere with a web connection.

Assessment

You’ll be assessed through coursework including presentations, assignments and projects. 

During your second semester you’ll work on your Collaborative Marketing project with other students. Alongside this project you’ll start working on your major independent project.

With support from your supervisor, you'll research your topic for your independent project and write your submission. You’ll submit this project at the end of your third semester, which will be in either September or May depending on when you started the course.

Throughout the course you'll get feedback on all of your assessments.

Full details of assessment can be found in the modules in the 'What you'll study' section.

Term dates

September start

The Master's academic year runs from September to the following September. There are breaks at Christmas and Easter. Over the summer you'll be writing your project / dissertation.

January start

Courses that start in January have the same amount of teaching as September-start courses, but they normally run over a longer time period.

January-start courses normally run between 14–18 months, beginning in January and ending in the spring / summer of the following year. There are breaks at Christmas, Easter and in the summer. In the last few months you’ll be writing your project / dissertation.

See key dates

Master's study is more focused on independent learning than undergraduate study, but you'll get lots of support via video, phone and face-to-face from teaching and support staff to enhance your learning experience and help you succeed. You can build your personalised network of support from the following people and services:

University of Portsmouth graduates may receive a 20% alumni tuition fee discount. 

Fees are subject to annual increase. Read our tuition fees terms and conditions.

You'll be able to pay your fees in instalments. Find out how to pay your tuition fees.

Funding your studies

Explore how to fund your studies, including available scholarships and bursaries.

If you're a UK student, you may be eligible for a Government Postgraduate Master's Loan, which you can use to help with course fees and living costs.

If you're a UK student who achieved a first in your undergraduate degree you may be eligible for a £3,000 University of Portsmouth scholarship.

Additional costs

These course-related costs aren't included in the tuition fees, so you'll need to budget for them when you plan your spending. Additional costs could include:

• Accommodation: Accommodation options and costs can be found on our accommodation pages.
• Recommended reading: You can borrow key texts from the library and if you choose to purchase these texts they may cost up to £60 each.
• General costs: Such as photocopying, memory sticks, printing charges, binding and specialist printing. We suggest budgeting £75 per year.
• Final project transport or accommodation: where necessary, which related to your research activities. The amount will depend on the project you choose.

Read more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover.

Eligibility

This course accepts UK, EU, and International students.

Unlike undergraduate applications, which go through UCAS, applications for this Master's course are made directly to us.

There's no deadline for applications to this course. We accept applications right up until the start dates in September and January, as long as there are places available. If you wait until your start month to apply, you may find that the course is full. 

If you're applying as an international student, remember that you'll need to leave plenty of time to get your visa organised.

You can find more advice about applying in our Master's application checklist. International students and current students and recent graduates of the University of Portsmouth also have some different application options, which are detailed below.

Ready to apply?

After you apply

Once we receive your application, we may ask you for further information. We will then either make you an offer or suggest alternatives if your application is unsuccessful.

You'll usually get a decision within 10 working days, so you shouldn't have to wait too long. Some courses have an interview stage – we'll let you know if you need to prepare for one.

Learn more about how we assess your application.

Admissions terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.