Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Digital Marketing with Placement Year

at University of Westminster - Marylebone Campus United Kingdom

Are you ready to unlock your potential to create, innovate and bring business ideas to life? This exciting degree is designed to equip you with the skills, knowledge, ability and commercial insight to take concepts from inception to implementation, turning ideas into new products or services in today’s fast-paced world of business.

What better way to develop your entrepreneurial skills than to learn from the people who’ve done it successfully – from the likes of Dragons Den’s Levi Roots or Founder/Chairman of State of Flux Alan Day, to name just two of our key supporters. They and others regularly contribute to the programme through guest lectures or real projects, which have previously included creating a business concept using market intelligence from Mintel and devising a strategy to expand the customer base software for State of Flux, a global procurement and supply chain consultancy.

You’ll be taught by staff who have established or run their own businesses, and bring professional experience in marketing, IT, retail, project management, talent development, leadership and management. They have worked in various roles for Cable and Wireless, Coca-Cola, Capital Be, the NHS, Pendragon (subsidiary of Jaguar Cars), Visa International and IBM, to name just a few.

Course content is designed to provide you with an understanding of the theories and practices of entrepreneurship; the factors that influence success or failure from the role of the market to creativity, innovation and knowledge.

In addition, you’ll gain a broad-based understanding of business management and essential knowledge of accounting, risk management, data analysis, marketing, HR, supply chain and business ethics. This will prepare you to take the lead on product and business development either in your own business or for existing small, medium or large employers all over the world.

Our graduates have gone on to work as transformation analysts, business growth strategists and managing directors, while others are responsible for establishing a range of highly successful businesses, including Serena Sartorial, which provides bespoke Italian fashion. Some, like Andreas Tassitro for example, have gone on to become serial entrepreneurs. Founder and the first President of the University’s Entrepreneurial Society, Andreas started the Green Van Company in Switzerland whilst studying and is now Founder and CEO at Foodetective.

People are arguably an organisation’s most important (and expensive) resource in a global knowledge economy. To successfully adapt to the fast-paced, competitive environment, businesses must deploy staff effectively, developing their full potential.

Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), this exciting, stimulating and challenging degree aims to provide a solid grounding in business, alongside specialist skills in people management, leadership and development. Benefiting from the shared experiences of staff and students, many of whom continue to work in this profession, you’ll learn to appreciate the organisational, commercial and societal factors that shape company and individual behaviour.

With an emphasis on learning through practice, we consider how human resources (HR) fits into the structure of businesses and management with the functions and systems needed to support these. You’ll hear direct from practitioners currently working in industry. For example, previously lectures have been given by a representative from Save the Children UK and the general secretary of NAPO, the trade union for probation and family court staff.

You’ll develop key human resource skills in planning, organisation and control, gaining hands-on experience of common business computing and software used by HR professionals. Using specialist software in the HR Analytics module, you’ll interpret real-life data, looking for correlations around diversity or absence, for example, as you would in the workplace.

Top reasons to study with us

• Learn to understand human behaviour and how to drive a successful business through its people
• Programmes are delivered by a multicultural and international teaching body, who come from professional practice and/or regularly publish in top international journals
• Excellent industry links and opportunity to undertake an internship which has enabled previous students to gain experience with Disney, Warner Bros, London Fire Brigade, Goldman Sachs, Accenture, HSBC, L'Oréal, Enterprise Rent a Car, McDonalds Head Office, Debenhams, start-ups and charities including Marie Curie and Cancer Research
• Opportunities to participate in field trips to see work in practice, with past students visiting Mintel
• Outstanding facilities and access to the software widely used in industry: Bloomberg, NVivo and SPSS
• Past graduates have secured jobs as HR officers and managers within the retail and leisure sectors, among others

The traditional world of banking and finance has been transformed with the emergence of new technology and the development of new, faster, cheaper and more efficient ways of conducting business. The financial services sector is evolving as FinTech and business data analytics are becoming mainstream global activities.

Technology–led changes in digital finance, along with a plethora of new market regulations and compliance, are seeing the evolution of a transformed landscape that is characterised as a smart financial ecosystem. The revolution in financial markets is rapidly increasing demand for postgraduates with this type of knowledge and learning. Financial services employers seek candidates who can help the business rapidly adapt their services and operations and develop new business models.

Our exciting MSc draws together knowledge of financial markets and institutions along with the education and skills to develop and implement technological solutions to problems in digital finance. Graduates will be equipped with contemporary digital financial and business analytics knowledge and skills to meet and adapt to the changing needs of businesses and digitally astute consumers.

This cross-disciplinary course, capitalising on our links with the School of Computer Science and Engineering, is designed to develop an in-depth understanding of the financial techniques and applications that are transforming the sector and giving rise to a new financial ecosystem. You will learn to apply the computational technologies, products and approaches used in business: blockchain technology, digital currencies, big data, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, machine and deep learning.

Economists tackle anything from interpreting and forecasting market trends or individual business performance by country, region or market, to advising businesses, governments and individuals on everyday and strategic decisions. These can encompass areas as diverse as international trade, profit maximisation, pricing decisions, forecasting revenues or consumer demand, to managing the national health service, tackling unemployment or inequality.

You’ll learn to analyse and predict the impact of economic, social and public policy issues on a variety of stakeholders, including consumers, investors, businesses, and how to source and provide the most appropriate insight to inform future decision-making and strategy.

As the role of data in informing decision-making grows, this degree expands your crucial skills in data gathering, handling and interpretation, quantitative analysis and forecasting. You will use industry-standard software, including SPSS, Excel,Eviews, Minitab and other statistical packages, to analyse data, build models and produce forecasts. You will also develop key soft skills such as communicating complex economic ideas to a non-expert, a logical approach to formulating and solving problems, presentation skills and teamwork.

Our MSc Finance (International Finance pathway) will equip you with the practical and technical skills needed to work anywhere in the world, as a self-employed financial consultant, financial analyst/manager or venture capitalist in a multinational company, financial institution or government setting.

With its strong analytical focus and emphasis on financial institutions and their markets, this course will be of interest if you already work in the financial markets and are seeking career progression, or if you don’t have a traditional background in finance but wish to change careers. You'll study a common first semester, allowing you to make a more informed choice about your specialist pathway (in International Finance or Banking) for the second semester.

In our state-of-the-art Financial Markets Suite (FMS), you'll receive hands-on training and have access to live and historical news and data, experiencing the same Bloomberg platform used by leading global investment banks. You’ll gain a real-world understanding of assets, indices, currencies, derivatives, stocks, shares and interest rates, better preparing you for the business and finance world that awaits.

Underpinned by company visits, field trips and the chance to tackle real-life business challenges, our exciting Master’s programme provides a practice-driven understanding of the global business environment. You’ll study in the heart of London, one of the world’s major cities and international business hubs.

Our comprehensive curriculum will equip you with the competencies, analytical, professional and problem-solving skills needed to successfully manage operations, tactical activities and direct strategy within organisations that are based overseas or trade globally.

You’ll develop your knowledge of a broad range of business and management disciplines in the context of international cultural perspectives, challenges and global contemporary business and commerce practices. Topics covered include economics, finance, international trade, branding, corporate social responsibility, strategy and sustainability, marketing and digital communication, leadership and managing people. The course is ideally suited for recent graduates and ambitious early-career professionals who may not have a business education background, but who are determined to pursue business and management careers.

Our teaching focuses on experiential learning, integrating theory with practice and real-world problem-solving. You’ll interact directly with businesses and be exposed to ‘live’ business situations through field trips, case studies, business simulations, special talks and seminars given by leading business practitioners.

Modern organisations increasingly rely on digital technologies, such as the Internet of Things, Big Data, blockchain, cryptocurrencies and data analytics, to improve their business processes and provide increased value to customers. However, integrating these new technologies into existing operations can prove complex and costly – it requires a unique skillset that combines business acumen and digital competence.

Open to graduates from any subject area, this course is ideal for aspiring digital business professionals who want to enhance their skills and career prospects by becoming business oriented, but with sufficient understanding of the latest technology to envisage, plan and manage digital initiatives successfully. It will prepare you to manage digital business challenges and lead at the forefront of digital transformation. 

This exciting specialist accounting degree is designed specifically to meet the needs of a talent pool for the changing accounting services sector. Education in this subject area is in high demand in a wide variety of sectors and industries where accounting specialists manage budgets, prepare financial and annual reports and also are involved at Board level to inform the development of strategy and guide business decisions. Our degree is the first step to becoming a qualified accounting professional with potential to develop a rewarding career in large and small firms as a consultant or in a business start-up.

This professionally accredited degree offers a rounded business education designed to develop your understanding of accounting theories and practice, together with the business acumen, team-working, problem-solving, communication skills and the commercial awareness needed in a complex global financial world.

Raising your awareness of the global, social and ethical professional environment within which the accounting profession operates, you’ll learn to appreciate accounting issues within the wider business context, able to guide decisions on anything from cost-cutting and outsourcing to operational planning and environmental policy, for example.

Taught by academics with professional experience as accountants and managers, there is an emphasis on learning through practice, so you graduate with the breadth of knowledge and capabilities to respond proactively and creatively to contemporary business issues and challenges. You’ll develop practical skills, receiving hands-on training in specialist accounting software such as Sage, Bloomberg and SPSS. In our state-of-the-art Financial Markets Suite (FMS), you’ll also have access to live and historical financial reports, experiencing the same Bloomberg platform used by leading global investment banks.

Changes in technology and regulation mean that the accounting industry is constantly evolving. On our course, you’ll have the chance to focus your studies from the start, blending a conceptual theoretical framework with practical 'real-world' application as the curriculum progresses from basic to more specialised and advanced applications. Upon completion, you will be part-qualified, eligible to apply up to nine exemptions with ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and up eight exemptions with CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants).

Our programme will equip you with the required skills and attributes needed for an engaging and successful career in accounting or related fields in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. It will assist you in developing excellent conceptual knowledge and technical skills in financial accounting, management accounting, corporate finance, taxation, auditing, and financial analysis, as well as the required attributes to excel in the modern global business environment. Past graduates have gone on to a range of accounting and other professional posts in the private and public sectors, including ACCA and Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) training contracts, and finance posts in the public sector.

Economics is more relevant than ever to understand contemporary events in the global economy and provide the tools and techniques for business and governments to analyse and interpret the issues and problems they face. Reflecting the needs of both private and public sector employers, our highly practical MSc prepares you to assess business problems, interpret public policy and effectively communicate the insights that economic analysis can provide.

Aimed at those with a genuine interest in the application of economics to real-world situations, this course aims to provide you with an in-depth knowledge of the latest theories, practices and key concepts in economics that underpin public sector policy and business decision making. This includes the various scenarios where we explore opportunity cost, equilibrium and disequilibrium, strategic interaction, market failure and the related concept of externalities.

The focus is very much on developing the practical skills needed by a working economist – the ability to apply economic techniques to complex, multi-faceted business problems and provide specialist advice. You’ll gain hands-on experience of the industry-standard computing and econometrics software used to analyse and manipulate data.

Marketing lies at the heart of every successful business. By engaging with and understanding the customer’s needs, marketing managers influence the development of products and services, providing advice on the best point of sale and recommending the most competitive price. They identify and make sure the target market knows what’s on offer – in increasingly more creative and dynamic ways.

You can also boost your employability by gaining additional qualifications with the Institute of Data and Marketing (IDM) and/or the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) – our status as a CIM Graduate Gateway institution entitles you apply for exemptions from modules on its professional qualifications, while you can gain IDM’s Award in Digital Marketing during the Digital Marketing Essentials module.

Top reasons to study with us

• Professionally focused course with chance to gain additional professional qualifications from the Institute of Data and Marketing (IDM) and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
• Digital Marketing Essentials module incorporates a professional Award in Digital Marketing from the IDM
• Marketing degrees share a common first year, giving greater flexibility when choosing your specialism
• Option to spend one semester or one year studying abroad at one of our partner institutions, gain valuable work experience, or a combination of both. For example, one previous student worked as a marketing executive for ICG Medical
• Opportunity to study a foreign language as an optional module in each year of study: one of our students chose to learn Japanese and spent a year studying at Waseda University and working as an intern at SMEJapan in Tokyo
• Hear from experts and mingle with marketing students by joining the student-run Westminster Marketing Society or gain professional experience working for Westminster Business Consultants
• Guest lectures from industry practitioners have previously included speakers on the use of Google Analytics, and speakers from IBM, Tableau, Coca Cola and LinkedIn
• Programmes are delivered by a multicultural and international teaching body, who come from professional practice and/or regularly publish in top international journals