Overview
With the rise of new, predominantly online, distribution and communication channels, and the ability of consumers to impact on brand reputation, more businesses than ever are identifying value in effective brand management strategies to protect and enhance their brands.
The MSc Digital Marketing and Brand Management course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). CIM accreditation means that when you successfully complete the course, it's easier to gain a Professional Diploma in Marketing. Two of the Diploma modules will be waived, and to gain the CIM Professional Diploma, you’ll only need to undertake two CIM modules rather than the usual four, giving you a competitive edge in your career.
Our research-led teaching combined with a focus on practical applications is a key strength of this course. Our approach is not just about transferring knowledge, but also about providing you with the confidence to learn independently while developing a wide range of skills relevant to the workplace. In addition to engaging with academic and practitioner literature through readings, tasks and module assessments, the course gives you opportunities to apply concepts, theories and frameworks to ‘real world’ situations. During your studies, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with a variety of organisations including not-for-profit, third sector and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
We are AACSB accredited
The University of Stirling is accredited by AACSB International in recognition of our excellence in business education. This puts the University of Stirling Management School among the top 6% of business schools globally.
Preparing business leaders of the future
Postgraduate education at the University of Stirling Management School goes beyond textbooks and lecture rooms, we also focus on your personal and professional development.
Our unique Flying Start Leadership programme equips you with the awareness, knowledge and techniques essential for building a successful career. These range from practical skills, such as effective public speaking, to developing ways to work under pressure in difficult situations and manage conflict.
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.
Entry requirements
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
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.
See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements.
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.
Course details
There are three 20-credit modules in Semester 1, which will provide you with the key frameworks and relevant knowledge in Digital Marketing and Brand Management alongside an understanding of contemporary practice in the important area of Text Analytics.
In Semester 2, you’ll take two compulsory modules plus one optional module. You’ll practice the quantitative and qualitative Data Analysis Techniques required in marketing, and discuss current thinking and practice relating to the Consumer and User Experience. Additionally you can choose to study either Omnichannel Marketing or Visual Communication Design to improve your knowledge and awareness in these areas.
Over the summer, you'll then complete the course by showcasing your learning through a business Consultancy Project in the area of branding and marketing.
Modules
The module information below provides an example of the types of course module you may study. The details listed are for the academic year that starts in September 2024. Modules and start dates are regularly reviewed and may be subject to change in future years.
Course Details
The taught modules of the course are delivered using a variety of methods such as lectures, tutorials, case studies, computer simulations, guest speakers and company projects. There is a good balance between theory and practice.
Consultancy project
You’ll have the opportunity to gain first-hand practical experience by working on a consultancy project with external clients over the summer. The Marketing and Retail Consultancy module gives you the opportunity to gain knowledge and increase your confidence working on a ‘live' marketing topic as you operate within the management boundaries and budget of an external client organisation.
Each group has a client organisation that sets a real-world task, and asks the group to explore that topic before presenting solutions. The projects cover a host of subjects, from identifying potential customers through to developing digital marketing or communication plans, and identifying the opportunities for international expansion. It’ll be up to you, working with a mentor, to set up the study, investigate the issues that arise and present your findings back to the client.
The combination of academic frameworks and theories within the constraints of what can feasibly be done by the organisation within its own resources will prepare you for similar tasks that’ll be required of you in your future career. In some cases, a student conducting a project has been employed subsequently by the organisation with which they partnered during the module.
Be a successful team member
There’s a significant amount of team work required on the course, as this is how you will work in the ‘real world’. You’ll be encouraged to become more effective communicators and supportive team members in a professional business environment. You’ll receive feedback from other group members through formal peer assessment procedures and you’ll write reflective statements that consider why and how you made certain decisions and how they relate to the concepts you’ve been learning.
Much of the assessment is continuous and may include essays, briefings, management reports, case analysis, debates, literature reviews, marketing communication plans, and presentations. Group work is considered important as it contributes in developing teamwork and communication skills.
In your final semester, you’ll undertake a consultancy project and submit a reflective learning piece of work that considers what you’ve learnt over the year and any areas where you still need to develop further skills or experience for your future career.
You can expect to have around 40 contact hours per 20-credit module each semester. This can add up to between 10 and 15 hours of classroom contact in any week. Please remember, you’ll be expected to work, either on your own or in a group, for at least another 20 hours a week to be able to complete all of the tasks expected of you. A timetable for all classes will be made available shortly before each semester begins.
Dr Mona Moufahim is a Senior Lecturer and the course Director for the MSc Marketing and Brand Management. She is also involved in teaching on the course. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has been teaching a range of marketing-related modules. Her research interests include: religion, travel and consumption; cultural heritages sites and pilgrimage; identity (organisational, ethnic/racial, religious or political); immigration and extreme right politics. Her research has been published in top-rated international academic journals in marketing and Management. She has also contributed a number of chapters to scholarly books on political marketing, critical marketing and Islamic marketing; and in 2022 she published a book on Political Branding in turbulent times (Palgrave Studies in Political Marketing and Management).
Professor Tinson’s research interests focus on generating insight into youth consumer behaviour. This research is both international and national as evidenced in her published work and conference presentations. Wider dissemination of and interest in her research has also been demonstrated by invited presentations as well as media attention and exposure. For example, in addition to providing expert opinion to practitioner publications, she is often in the press e.g. The Times, The Scotsman, The Herald, Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday and on radio (e.g. BBC Business, You and Yours and BBC Radio Scotland, BBC News drive). She also appeared on Channel 4 SuperShoppers in May 2019. Her research is motivated by an interest in how transition impacts consumption and identity formation within families/groups. The contexts for this work have included rituals e.g. high school prom, as well as sport fandom and music. Her work often involves practitioners (e.g. The National Wallace Monument), and she has been successful in securing project funding from a range of organisations including Barclays, Associa, Tpoll and Channel 4.
Dr Keri Davies is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing and a member of the Institute for Retail Studies at the University of Stirling. He is currently the Programme Director for the MSc Marketing. In addition to his academic credentials, Dr Davies has worked for the Town and Country Planning Association and he was elected to the Scottish Regional Board of the Cooperative Group in 2011-2012. His research interests include the retail change in Pacific Asia, and the development and role of community and food cooperatives in different regions of the world.
Dr Ines Branco-Illodo is a Lecturer in Marketing and teaches the Brand Marketing module for postgraduate students. She has previously worked for Nottingham Trent University, and the University of Nottingham, Prior to my academic job, she worked in the real estate industry. Her main area of expertise is on consumer research, with a main focus on gift giving behaviour, its different manifestations and the diverse contexts where gift giving happens. She is also interested in consumer coping, evolutionary marketing and the application of attachment theory to consumption contexts. She has published her research in the Journal of Travel Research, Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing and Industrial Marketing Management and regularly present her work at international events including the AMS World Marketing Congress and the ACR North American conference.
Fees and funding
University of Stirling alumni will automatically be awarded a fee waiver for the first year of Masters studies through our Stirling Alumni Scholarship.
Applicants from the UK or Republic of Ireland who hold a first-class honours degree or equivalent will automatically be awarded a £2,000 scholarship through our Postgraduate Merit Scholarship.
If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees.
If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Eligible students could receive a scholarship worth between £4,000-£7,000. See our range of generous scholarships for international postgraduate students.
If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees.
If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Postgraduate tuition fee loans
This course is eligible for a postgraduate tuition fee loan from one of the UK’s governments. See the Scholarships and funding section, below, for more details.
Additional costs
There are some instances where additional fees may apply. Depending on your chosen course, you may need to pay additional costs, for example for field trips. Learn more about additional fees.
Funding
If you have the talent, ability and drive to study with us, we want to make sure you make the most of the opportunity – regardless of your financial circumstances.
Learn more about available funding opportunities or use our scholarship finder to explore our range of scholarships.
Postgraduate tuition fee loans
Scottish students may be eligible to apply to the Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for loans of up to £11,500 to cover tuition fees and associated living costs.
English students can apply for a loan of up to £12,167 each year as part of the Postgraduate Masters Loan Scheme.
Welsh students can apply for financial support of up to £18,770 as a combination of grant and loan from Student Finance Wales.
Northern Irish students can apply for a postgraduate tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 from Student Finance NI.
International students may be able to gain additional funding from loan providers.
If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income.
International (including EU) students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support.
We aim to be as flexible as possible, and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments. Learn more about how to pay
After you graduate
Brand Managers are central to brand protection in many organisations across a wide variety of industries and sectors, with glassdoor.com reporting the average Brand Manager salary in the UK as £43,286 in 2024.
Career opportunities exist not only in manufacturing and services but increasingly in public, social and non-profit sectors. There’s high demand for marketing professionals with specialist qualifications throughout the world across virtually every sector of business. As a Stirling graduate in Digital Marketing and Brand Management you have excellent career prospects.
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)
