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Digital Marketing

MSc

Find out more about our courses by joining a live master’s webinar

Start dates: January 2025 / September 2025 / January 2026 / September 2026

Full time: 1 year or 2 years in sandwich mode which includes 1 year's full-time paid supervised work experience (work placement).

Part time: 24 months for UK/EU students (teaching normally structured to provide 1 whole day or 2 half days each week in the semester).

Location: Headington

Department(s): Oxford Brookes Business School

Overview
Course details
Careers
Entry requirements
How to apply
Tuition fees

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Overview

A clever digital ad campaign can influence millions of people. The right visual identity can transform brands and inspire loyalty. A social media post could start a revolution. On our MSc Digital Marketing at Oxford Brookes, we’ll show you how your ideas can drive profits for businesses and make a positive contribution to society at the same time.

You might be joining us after an undergraduate degree or maybe you’ve been working in a business and want to move across to digital marketing. Perhaps you’re launching your own company and know how valuable these specialist skills are. Whatever your reasons, we’ll give you a strong foundation to build on for an exciting career.

While the theory is important, we believe a practical experience is even more valuable. Throughout the course you’ll learn digital marketing by doing digital marketing. Experiment with analytics tools using real data from real organisations. Develop the online customer experience. Test the latest marketing apps. And learn in our specialist social media suite – it’s not just the sciences that get their own labs.

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Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Business Challenge Week

    Cross-faculty student teams working with local companies to address real-world business challenges.

  • Responsibility at the heart 

    The course is framed around the UN Sustainable Development Goals so you can help future employers address global challenges through your work.

  • Employability throughout 

    We focus heavily on practical skills – whether that’s how to use website analytics with real client data or how to put together a good CV.

  • Marketing and Social Media Lab

    Work on real-world marketing projects. Develop the skills that employers are looking for and become confident using industry software such as Brandwatch, Sprout Social and Adobe Creative Cloud.

  • A great location

    Oxford is home to many exciting businesses, as well as historical and cultural sites like Blenheim Palace. You’ll experience these throughout the course.

  • Accreditation(s)

    Chartered Institute of Marketing, Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing

    • Chartered Institute of Marketing
    • Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing

Course details

Course structure

Many of the course modules cover the fundamental skills you’ll find useful in any marketing role. And the specialist modules cover digital marketing topics that will allow you to become a real expert in areas like social media marketing or marketing analytics. You’ll get to use a Marketing and Social Media Lab equipped with industry standard software like Adobe Cloud, Hootsuite and Google Analytics.

We’ve made sure the course features truly global content. You’ll learn skills that apply all over the world. You’ll learn alongside an international cohort from a wide range of countries. And you’ll be inspired by our international teaching team who have experience in all sorts of organisations.

One of our biggest aims with this course is to help you become a responsible practitioner of digital marketing. We want you to help transform businesses so they can in turn transform lives for people and communities around the world. Much of our content aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals to make sure we’re addressing global challenges that are important right now.

Two Students Listening to a Lecture

Learning and teaching

Most of the teaching on this course takes the form of interactive workshops. You will strengthen your practical analysis and decision-making skills with:

  • lectures
  • discussions
  • role-play exercises.

These are linked with selected case studies and assessments.

Structured group assignments and an online group-based marketing simulation will develop your skills in working as part of a team.
 
By undertaking live research projects for an organisation you’ll gain practical experience. This allows you to put your knowledge of marketing approaches and theories into practice. In addition, you will benefit from the insight of teaching staff at the Business School. They are engaged in academic research or come from an industry background.

You’ll participate in leading edge discussions and specialist events due to the input of visiting speakers from the world of business, consultancies and research bodies. 

A voluntary International Business in Practice study trip module is included. 

Assessment

You will be assessed in a number of ways which will encourage your creativity. These include: 

  • individual and group reports and presentations
  • portfolios
  • reflective statements 
  • examinations
  • open briefs. 

Classroom activities will prepare you for the assessment process.This is through structured engagement with both peer and tutor feedback. You will be supported by a tutor in a supervisor role, who will provide regular feedback on your progress. 

The dissertation and client project allows you to focus on a marketing communications management topic.Both activities are self-managed. 

Field Trips

The International Business in Practice Study Trip module allows you to experience ideas and practices of global business. During the trip you will have direct interaction with management executives and practices. You will: attend presentations from local management executives and experts go on site visits to major corporations and agencies. This study trip is voluntary and you will need to fund all costs associated with the trip. It is not linked to university assessments in any way.

We also run a study trip to Chengdu, China. If you choose the study trip (which runs in July), we will give you all the details by March so that you can make your decisions ahead of the trip in July.

If you successfully complete this non-credit bearing module, it will be recorded on your transcript as International Business in Practice: Study Trip.

Start this course in January or September

You can start this course in January if a September start doesn't suit you or is not currently offered for this course.

If you start in January you will study a range of modules between January and May. During the summer months of June, July and August you will study further modules and begin work on your dissertation. Between September and December you will complete your final modules and focus on your dissertation.

Find out more about January entry

Study modules

Be industry ready when you graduate

By undertaking an optional work placement you can gain valuable and relevant industry experience and develop transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, networking and problem solving. A work placement can help you decide on your long-term career objectives and may lead to a job offer after graduation (would require visa sponsorship for international students).

The WAVES (Work and Voluntary Experience Service) or Careers Office will provide you with support and advice to get ahead in your career, and help you with your CV and applications. The team has access to a wide range of small, medium and large employers that offer postgraduate student work placements.

If you wish to pursue a placement at a particular company, our WAVES team can support you in making an approach to the company. Our Careers Office can also provide you with advice on how to use professional social media channels to pitch yourself to prospective employers.
 

Taught modules

Compulsory modules

  • Digital and Social Media Marketing Strategy

    Digital technologies have transformed marketing, they offer new sources of customer insight, they have dramatically changed customer behaviour, enabled new business models and impacted how organisations interact with their customers and key stakeholders. This module aims to take a strategic perspective of the digital and social media environment. It focuses on the interaction between consumers, businesses and other organisations and how thinking digitally can assist in effective marketing. Web based media, mobile platforms, social media and digital tools, including AI latest applications, are reviewed, practised and critically evaluated to identify successful performance and to create contemporary digital marketing strategies.

  • Customer Insight and Engagement

    This module explores how to acquire and retain the appropriate share of good customers, as well as how to prioritise customers. It is based on the premise that customers are the essence of the organisation, as, without customers, the organisation would fail. The module takes a customer-centric approach and acknowledges the hyper-connected environment in which organisations operate today. Technologies like AI and Big-data, and methodological approaches to obtain customer insights and to build detailed customer profiles are discussed. Moreover, the module considers how to engage with customers in ways that add value to both parties. The module uses real case studies, and a wide range of analytical approaches to obtain insights from datasets but also students' own experiences as customers.

  • Professional Development for Marketers

    This module will help you to become a lifelong learner and enhances your employability. Starting with a focus on how to achieve your best academically, you will then develop your skills for employment and career planning. You will work through a self-development plan, taking the lead in your own learning and development. You will be coached in identifying, engaging in and reflecting on how you can gain from developmental activities within the university and externally.

  • Research Methods for Marketing

    You will develop the skills to conduct marketing research independently. Students on the MSc programmes are expected to undertake effective research drawing upon a range of secondary and primary data sources in the preparation of coursework. It is important that you are exposed to a range of methodological issues, data collection techniques and study skills. In addition, this Research Methods module is geared towards the preparation for, and successful completion of, high quality, rigorous and systematic research for business and management.

  • Responsible Marketing in a Global World

    This module introduces the key principles of responsible marketing by studying the theories that underpin ‘Better Marketing for a Better World’ which works towards achieving the UN Sustainability Goals. The module will explore the marketing environment including the changing needs of customers, and how brands make choices about the marketing mix to meet those needs in a long-term sustainable way. This includes the ways in which marketers plan, manage and implement marketing programmes in the context of the international interconnected global environment of the twenty first century.

  • Sustainable Consumer Behaviour

    You will critically appraise the behaviours of customers and their interactions with marketing. Informed by behavioural science, you will analyse why customers behave as they do and how marketing activity influences their behaviours. This analysis informs your critical understanding and implementation of both strategic and responsible marketing practice. An innovative dimension of this course is the investigation of change agents that will significantly influence the behaviours of customers in the future, for example neuroscience, climate change and technology innovation. This is a module that utilises research evidence to inform evaluation, behavioural and communications research.

  • Sustainable Global Marketing Strategy

    You will build on the Principles of Marketing module, and explore the global marketing environment. There is a particular emphasis on internationalisation and the creation and development of global markets. You will understand the principles, influences, and institutions affecting the development of international trade and global marketing strategies. You will analyse opportunities and constraints in the context of global marketing strategy, and the associated organisational and control issues associated with the development of global markets. This includes an appreciation of the importance of ethical and social issues.

Optional modules

Digital Content Marketing Management

It explores digital content marketing as a new managerial approach in creative and digital marketing communications. Working with a real-life company, students will learn about all the key stages of digital content marketing management. This entails processes such as developing an in-depth understanding of the brand and its digital target audiences. The module also helps students to develop specific content marketing objectives and strategies, and then to create engaging branded content with the help of AI and social media influencers. Furthermore, students learn how this content is then distributed and promoted via relevant digital communications channels. 
 

Digital Marketing Analytics

You will explore different analytical approaches to address marketing problems and find optimal solutions . You will use digital technologies for marketing management and for implementing and executing a digital marketing campaign. In addition, you will examine ways in which digital information is used to make strategic marketing decisions and evaluate and improve marketing performance. You will develop skills in problem-solving, critical reasoning, market research design, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, the use of technology in marketing management, and the analysis and interpretation of marketing.

Final project

Compulsory modules

  • Marketing Research Project

    This is your opportunity to undertake a substantial independent marketing research project by applying and extending your study, knowledge and practical skills that you've gained in other modules. You will be able to demonstrate a wide range of skills such as research, critical thinking, project planning, problem-solving and writing/presentation skills. You will choose from four different research project options, so you have the opportunity to explore in detail a particular area that interests you . Your options are;
    • Dissertation
    • Client Project
    • Group Consultancy (places limited)
    • and Synoptic Enquiry.

Optional Work Placement year

Optional modules

Marketing Work Placement

This module is a great opportunity to gain one year’s supervised full time paid work experience in the UK or internationally in a marketing role. You will investigate a digital marketing challenge in a commercial or non-profit organisation. Throughout this module, you apply the practical concepts you have learned on the course. When you are working for the organisation, you will be responsible for managing a large proportion of your own learning, including tracking and recording your progress.

We provide lots of support to help you find a paid work experience and gain connections with various organisations. Our placements team (WAVES) has a database which records work placement opportunities and they run numerous placements fairs where you could meet potential employers. Securing a work experience placement is your responsibility and does take a lot of effort, but this gives you valuable experience. You would need to cover your own living and travel costs throughout this duration.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Research

Studying for your MSc in Marketing or Events Management at Oxford Brookes Business School offers you a first class experience to engage with our excellent researchers. They investigate core challenges facing contemporary societies, ranging from sustainable tourism and events management to pro-environmental behaviour in a changing world. We also have expertise in Coaching and Mentoring (leadership development) and Diversity (gender, ethnicity, class) and are keen to include students into our projects where possible. Please visit our research pages to learn about our three research centres: The Centre for Business, Society and Global Challenges; The Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice and the International Centre for Coaching and Mentoring Studies (Research in the Oxford Brookes Business School). Being a master student offers great opportunities to be part of research culture and to discuss your own research ideas with us.

Researcher with laptop and notes

Careers

Your business skills and specialist digital marketing knowledge will be useful for an exciting career in a range of areas such as:

  • digital marketing
  • social media marketing
  • brand management
  • content development
  • market research
  • analytics
  • media management.

Our graduates are working at major organisations and agencies all over the world, with names like LEGO, Lidl, LinkedIn, and Leo Burnett. Roles include:

  • content manager or strategist
  • SEO specialist
  • email marketing specialist
  • social media executive
  • paid media manager
  • digital marketing officer.

This course includes an optional placement year. It’s a great opportunity to put your skills into practice, with lots of support from Oxford Brookes staff.

Many students join the course with a particular career goal in mind. Others know the importance of digital marketing and want a Master’s that will be useful in a range of roles. If you’re not quite ready to specialise, you might also be interested in our MSc Global Marketing course which includes many of the same modules as MSc Digital Marketing.

Student profiles

Jamila Okoro

"So it was nice to know that I'd be joining a course where the lecturers not only share their passion for marketing, they also want to make sure that you achieve the very best that you can. "

Read more about Jamila
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Related courses

Related course
Global Marketing
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Entry requirements

International qualifications and equivalences

How to apply

Application process


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Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£11,350
Home (UK) part time
£5,675
Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,100
International full time
£17,650
International sandwich (placement)
£2,100
Home (UK) full time
£11,950
Home (UK) part time
£5,975
Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,200
International full time
£18,950
International sandwich (placement)
£2,200

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Tuition fees

2024 / 25
Home (UK) full time
£11,350
Home (UK) part time
£5,675
Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,100
International full time
£17,650
International sandwich (placement)
£2,100
2025 / 26
Home (UK) full time
£11,950
Home (UK) part time
£5,975
Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,200
International full time
£18,950
International sandwich (placement)
£2,200

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

The full-time fees quoted are for the taught Year 1. Fees will be charged for the placement year in Year 2 and are available on request from finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk. For approximate fee levels of the placement year see the placement fee above.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support. 

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Funding your studies

Financial support and scholarships

Featured funding opportunities available for this course.

Postgraduate Master's Loan - England International Student Scholarship - CAS ready

All financial support and scholarships

View all funding opportunities for this course

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.