Undergraduate Course

BSc Marketing

(Including Foundation Year)

Now In Clearing

Overview

The details

Course: Marketing (Including Foundation Year)

UCAS code: N505

Start date: October 2022

Study mode: Full-time

Maximum duration: 4 years

Location: Southend Campus

Based in: Essex Pathways

BSc Marketing (including foundation year) is open to Home and EU students. It will be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entrance requirements for the three-year version of this course and you want a programme that increases your subject knowledge as well as improves your academic skills.

This four-year course includes a foundation year (Year Zero), followed by a further three years of study. During your Year Zero, you study four academic subjects relevant to your chosen course as well as a compulsory English language and academic skills module. You will spend Year Zero of your four year degree studying at our Colchester Campus. For your second, third and fourth year of study, you will be based at our Southend Campus.

You are an Essex student from day one, a member of our global community based at the most internationally diverse campus university in the UK.

After successful completion of Year Zero in our Essex Pathways Department, you progress to complete your course with Essex Business School.

This highly practical marketing course combines marketing theory with interactive projects, group work and business simulation games to explore the major issues facing marketers today. We develop your creativity, analytical and strategic decision making skills so you can maximise business performance in fast-moving, digitally connected and international markets.

You study topics such as:

digital marketing and social media
the principles of markets, marketing and selling
marketing strategy and planning
services marketing
business-to-business marketing
consumer behaviour
marketing communications

Your first year provides an introduction to essential business topics such as entrepreneurship, accounting, finance, management and marketing. Upon graduation, you have the flexibility to continue your career in marketing, or pursue roles in other areas of business.

You undertake an independent research project in your final year, where you explore an area of marketing of your choice to build your marketing portfolio before you enter this fast-paced sector.

The University of Essex is one of just three UK universities to have received Q-Step Affiliate status, including for our BSc Marketing, to support the way we develop the quantitative skills of our graduates.

This means we can provide work placement bursaries to develop your skills in evaluating numerical evidence, analysing data and designing research. We also offer the opportunity to follow a specialised degree path, where you graduate with enhanced quantitative skills. These are evidenced on your degree transcript, to help give you the competitive edge in the graduate job market.

Years one to three of this course are taught at Essex Business School in Southend, one of the most entrepreneurial counties in the UK. Our research-led teaching ensures you learn about the latest academic thinking on issues affecting today’s business world. We’re focused on responsible management and sustainable business, with our students and staff joining us from all over the world.

Taster Session

Find out more about our teaching style at Essex Business School, watch Dr Marta Fernandez de Arroyabe Arranz’s introduction to undergraduate courses at our Southend Campus:

Professional accreditation

This course is accredited by The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

This accreditation means that you will be able to gain industry-recognised qualifications at an accelerated pace once you graduate. You'll earn exemptions during your studies on this programme to reduce the number of assessments you must take to gain a CIM qualification.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) is the world’s leading professional body for marketing, with a global membership base made up of studying and professional members and Chartered Marketers.

Female student sat in the corner of a sofa holding a cup of tea and chatting to another student slightly out of view in the left of the image.

Chat to our staff and students

Find out what it's like to live and study at Essex from those who are already here.

Why we're great.

We are ranked in the Top 200 for Business and Economics in THE World University Rankings by Subject 2022.
You undertake a research project exploring an area of your choice instead of a dissertation.
Guarantee your place on your chosen course if you successfully complete your foundation year at Essex.

Our expert staff

Our academics have a global understanding of business, specialising in both established and developing markets. They are at the forefront of entrepreneurship research and challenges effecting Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and use this knowledge in their teaching to ensure your education is at the cutting-edge of real-world business issues.

Our staff specialise in areas including:

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)
business-to-business relationship marketing
branding
marketing management
innovation and new product development
social entrepreneurship

You’ll be guided by our expert staff for your studies in Marketing. Dr Kholoud Mohsen, lectures in in marketing and international business and her research focuses on; the international marketing strategies of emerging market firms, emerging markets MNEs and intra-firm integration mechanisms and their influence on marketing performance (effectiveness, adaptiveness, efficiency and creativity).

Specialist facilities

You will spend year zero (the first year of your four year degree) studying at our Colchester Campus. For your second, third and fourth year of study, you will be based at our Southend Campus.

Our BSc Marketing is based at our Southend Campus, in the heart of the Thames Gateway, one of the Government’s key areas for economic growth and a fitting location for entrepreneurial study. Essex has the highest number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK, meaning you are ideally located for launching your business or gaining inspiration to take back home.

Southend-on-Sea combines the charms of a traditional seaside resort with the attractions of a vibrant, modern town. The town centre location gives you easy access to transport links, a host of restaurants, bars and shops, and is just a few minutes’ walk from the beach and world-famous mile-long pier. London Southend Airport is 15 minutes by taxi, but you can also reach it in just 5 minutes by train.

We are just an hour’s train journey from London which is, and always has been, a bastion of innovation. It fosters a creative climate with business incubators and accelerators feeding into Europe’s largest concentration of tech companies. 37 percent of Europe’s total unicorn companies are in the capital city which is one of the world’s richest and most open data cities.

When you choose our Southend Campus for your studies, you’ll have access to excellent, dedicated facilities, including:

24-hour computer suites and study pods
extensive library
employability support, events and initiatives
study skills advice
GP, dental practice and multi-faith chaplaincy
our cosy SU Lounge, with pool tables and large-screen TV for socialising and relaxation!

The Hive Enterprise Centre is located close to Campus, providing access to networking events and business meetups that offer finance and marketing support for startups.

Your future

Skilled marketers are in high demand in the graduate labour market, therefore, we embed a series of core and specific skills into our undergraduate curriculum for BSc Marketing to ensure that our graduates are suited to careers in marketing, management and leadership roles.

All of our taught modules embed elements of our skills map which emulate the skills which are required by employers of marketing graduates, these generally include:

Academic and cognitive skills
Research skills
Technology skills
Communication skills
Data analysis skills
Soft skills

We embed a structured approach to student development and skills support throughout the curriculum and through additional support from the Essex Business School Learning Team.

Our students have gone on to become business analysts, marketing managers, account managers and management trainees, with recent graduate destinations including:

Buyer at the John Lewis Partnership – the high-end department chain store
Affiliate Marketing Analyst at KidStart – a save as you shop app for parents and children
Head of Analytics, Insight and Reporting at Commercial Risk Solutions, RSA - global insurance and risk management experts
Digital Marketing Executive at Premier Labellers - a machinery manufacturer based in Essex
Delivery Consultant at RED - The Global SAP Solutions Provider - a specialist recruitment firm
iX Business Consultant at IBM – the multifunctional information technology conglomerate

Our marketing graduates enjoy successful careers in their fields.

Additional to the skills development offered by Essex Business School, BSc Marketing students can also take advantage of the University of Essex Careers Service which focuses in particular on supporting the development of undergraduate employability, including: careers fairs, career mentoring, skills development, careers advice and guidance, placement year support, job opportunities, start-up support and more.

“Before university, I spent 20 years working as a singer/songwriter. I was self-employed, so I had some marketing experience, but I wanted to enhance my skills and learn more about the wider areas of business. Coming to Essex as a mature student, I found the support from students and staff really encouraging. I gained a placement as a Frontrunner, managing social media and marketing for the School of Health and Human Sciences.”

Claire Parry-Witchell, BSc Marketing (2016)

Entry requirements

Clearing entry requirements

Specific entry requirements for this course in Clearing are not published here but for most of our degree courses you will need to hold a Level 3 qualification. If you are interested in applying and have already received your results, use our Clearing application form to apply for 2022 entry and find out if you are eligible. You will be asked to provide details of your qualifications and grades.

English language requirements

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 5.5 overall. Specified component grades are also required for applicants who require a Student visa to study in the UK.

Other English language qualifications may be acceptable so please contact us for further details. If we accept the English component of an international qualification then it will be included in the information given about the academic levels required. Please note that date restrictions may apply to some English language qualifications

If you are an international student requiring a Student visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Additional Notes

Our Year 0 courses are only open to UK and EU applicants. If you’re an international student, but do not meet the English language or academic requirements for direct admission to your chosen degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College.

Structure

Course structure

The course structure is designed to balance a practical and in depth experience of marketing with a broader look at key business and management topics.

Year zero provides with you the necessary skills and knowledge in order for you to progress onto your chosen area of study. Successful completion of year zero guarantees you entry to the first year of your undergraduate degree course.

In the first year you will cover the fundamentals that every business manager needs to know including topics such as entrepreneurship, economics, accounting, finance, management and an introduction to marketing. Then in second and final year you’ll get hands-on with marketing with a mixture of compulsory and optional modules to make the degree your own.

We offer a flexible course structure with a mixture of core/compulsory modules, and optional modules chosen from lists. Please be aware that we are planning changes to our first year to make it more relevant to your chosen course.

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, or in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Components and modules explained

Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose.

Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits.

In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available.

Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code. For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

100

The department or school the module will be taught by.

In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.

The module number.

The UK academic level of the module.

A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course.

A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules.

A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.

The term the module will be taught in.

AU: Autumn term
SP: Spring term
SU: Summer term
FY: Full year
AP: Autumn and Spring terms
PS: Spring and Summer terms
AS: Autumn and Summer terms

COMPONENT 01: CORE

(30 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 02: CORE

(30 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 03: CORE

(30 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 04: CORE

(30 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY

Business Creation and Growth

(15 CREDITS)

If you’re looking to start your own business, or to help an existing business to grow, then this module provides the essential knowledge you’ll need. You develop a greater understanding of the various aspects involved in new venture creation and growth, from opportunity identification, evaluation and implementation through to continued growth and management. Using practical exercises, case studies and videos, you learn about the business life cycle from start-up to growth and maturity and explore business development from economic and behavioural perspectives.

View Business Creation and Growth on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY

Business Economics

(15 CREDITS)

This module introduces you to key economic theories and concepts, covering highly topical issues affecting the business world. Using real-life case studies, you explore the key microeconomics principles and concepts that can help to explain why economic activities occur and explore whether it is possible to improve economic situations for society.

View Business Economics on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 03: COMPULSORY

Introduction to Accounting and Finance

(15 CREDITS)

It’s essential that every aspiring entrepreneur, manager and leader understands the basics of accounting and finance. In this introductory module you’ll explore the principles of financial and management accounting; the recording of transactions; the preparation of financial statements and their analysis; the principles of cost accumulation and decision making in businesses; techniques of cost control; the management of working capital; the sources of funding and investment appraisal. You’ll explore the key theories, carry out problem-solving exercises and learn how to apply these within companies.

View Introduction to Accounting and Finance on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 04: COMPULSORY

Principles of Markets, Marketing and Selling

(30 CREDITS)

This module provides a broad introduction to marketing at national and international levels. You explore the marketing of both products and services in organisations of different sizes, with a particular focus on entrepreneurial organisations. You explore the marketing environment for new ventures and the challenges of marketing in regional, local and global marketplaces. Other topics include the use of marketing information and research, strategic marketing planning and the marketing mix.

View Principles of Markets, Marketing and Selling on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 05: COMPULSORY

Introduction to Quantitative Analysis

(15 CREDITS)

Throughout your career you’ll likely need to make use of a wide variety of quantitative techniques, many of which can provide essential information to aid decision-making. In this module you gain a basic understanding of the wide variety of techniques available for analysis in business management. This is especially relevant in today's data-driven society, where large, complex data sets are widespread across many different sectors.

View Introduction to Quantitative Analysis on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 06: COMPULSORY

Introduction to International Business

(15 CREDITS)

At Essex Business School we’re proud of our international community, bringing international expertise into the classroom. In this module you are introduced to the global business environment and how this impacts upon corporations and their decision to operate internationally. You explore the different strategies organisations can adopt when entering international markets and examine aspects of managing multinational corporations, such as marketing, human resource management and global supply chain management.

View Introduction to International Business on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 07: COMPULSORY

Professional and Academic Development

(15 CREDITS)

The Professional and Academic Development module helps you build a foundation in core academic skill requirements to help you improve the standard of your academic work across all of your first year modules. This module also introduces you to the themes of career planning and employability skills and establishing a career path.

View Professional and Academic Development on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY

Managing Innovation

(15 CREDITS)

Explore the relationship between the innovation process and the use and management of technology, together with its links to the development of business strategy, dynamic interactions with innovation networks, learning processes and government support for innovation.

View Managing Innovation on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY

Consumer Behaviour

(15 CREDITS)

Examine the various determinants of consumer behaviour, the theories of consumer behaviour and their application to managerial decision-making. You also gain an appreciation of understanding consumer behaviour in areas of new product testing, and advertising, distribution and pricing research.

View Consumer Behaviour on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 03: COMPULSORY

Business-To-Business Marketing

(15 CREDITS)

Discover the importance of studying and understanding buyer behaviour in the business to business market, and distinguish the marketing strategy, planning and implementation for the same from buyer behaviour in consumer markets. You build an awareness of multiple stakeholder groups in business markets and the notion of managing networks, alliances and partnerships across the diverse stakeholder groups.

View Business-To-Business Marketing on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 04: COMPULSORY

Business Research Methods

(15 CREDITS)

This module introduces a number of business and management research methods, with a particular focus on entrepreneurship and small business. You explore philosophical research issues, such as selecting appropriate research methods and judging the quality and value of findings. You learn how to write a research proposal and design and plan quantitative and qualitative research. This includes collecting data, analysing findings and presenting results.

View Business Research Methods on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 05: COMPULSORY

Professional and Academic Development 2

(15 CREDITS)

This module will give you a clear understanding of feedback, Dweck`s concept of a `growth mindset`, and how you can use these to improve your studies and career. We want you to have a passion for learning, a willingness to challenge yourself, and an eagerness to learn from mistakes, so this module will help you to understand group work and presentations and to acquire the relevant skills to successfully undertake both. The module also serves as a bridge for your final year, so that students should be able to understand the expectations of the final year and the possible career paths you can take after you graduate, and how you can use summer vacations to get ahead.

View Professional and Academic Development 2 on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 06: OPTIONAL

(30 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 07: OPTIONAL

(15 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY

Business Strategy

(30 CREDITS)

Enhance your understanding of the concepts and nature of strategy and its interactions with the macro environment, industries/sectors and business operations. You develop your skills analysing opportunities and threats, managing strategic capability and resources, understanding competitive advantage, competition and collaboration, directions and methods of business development, as well as managing strategic change.

View Business Strategy on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY

Research Project - Marketing

(15 CREDITS)

This module gives you the opportunity to draw upon the knowledge acquired throughout your course to produce an independent marketing research project. Your project must be approximately 8,000-10,000 words and can draw upon a range of research methods, including surveys, questionnaires, interviews and content analysis. You review appropriate literature to construct a research framework, develop a research methodology, collect data and draw upon relevant empirical findings.

View Research Project - Marketing on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 03: COMPULSORY

Marketing Communications

(15 CREDITS)

This module introduces the role of communications in marketing. You explore communication theories and models and learn how to produce a marketing communications plan. You examine the marketing communications mix, including tools such as advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, public relations and sponsorship. You learn how packaging and merchandising contribute towards corporate and brand identity, as well as the impact of word of mouth. You examine the impact of rapid technological change on marketing communications and the challenges of changing market conditions and public perceptions.

View Marketing Communications on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 04: COMPULSORY

Services Marketing

(15 CREDITS)

This module introduces key concepts, issues and trends in services marketing and explores the differences between promoting products and services. You learn how consumer behaviour is central to effective service design and examine how customer relationships are developed and maintained. You gain an understanding of how services are distributed online and through traditional channels and examine how service quality and productivity can be improved. You also look at complaint handling and how marketing communications channels can be employed to recover a service in the event of issues.

View Services Marketing on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 05: OPTIONAL

(30 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 06: OPTIONAL

(15 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 07: COMPULSORY

Career Skills in Business

(0 CREDITS)

This module will help you to understand the interests, skills and competencies which are relevant to your future career choices. You will learn how to find the graduate-level roles and career paths available to business students and you will learn about the skills necessary to successfully compete in the graduate labour market after you graduate.

View Career Skills in Business on our Module Directory

Teaching

Teaching includes a combination of lectures, seminars and computer-based lab sessions
Modules delivered by experts in the field as well as guest speakers
Contribute and interact in lectures through the use of smart technology
Lecture presentations and notes are uploaded online beforehand to help you prepare in advance
Complete your final-year project in consultation with a personal supervisor

Assessment

Assessed through traditional methods of end-of-year exams and multiple choice questions in class tests and essays
Plus more innovative and creative assessments include laboratory work, poster presentations, real-business case problems and group presentations
Your first year marks do not count towards your final degree

Fees and funding

Home/UK fee

£9,250

International fee

£17,700

Fees will increase for each academic year of study.

Home/UK fees and funding information

International fees and funding information

What's next

Our events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex. We run a number of Open Days throughout the year which enable you to discover what our campus has to offer. You have the chance to:

tour our campus and accommodation
find out answers to your questions about our courses, student finance, graduate employability, student support and more
meet our students and staff

Check out our Visit Us pages to find out more information about booking onto one of our events. And if the dates aren’t suitable for you, feel free to book a campus tour here.

2022 Open Days (Southend Campus)

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Find out more

How to apply during Clearing

Once you’ve checked that we have the right course for you, applying couldn’t be simpler. Fill in our quick and easy Clearing application form with as much detail as you can. We’ll then take a look and get back to you with a decision.

Find out more about Clearing
Get to know us better at our Clearing events

Interviews

We don’t interview all applicants during Clearing, however, we will only make offers for the following courses after a successful interview:

BA Multimedia Journalism
BSc Nursing (Adult)
BSc Nursing (Mental Health)
BA Social Work

The interview allows our academics to find out more about you, and in turn you’ll be able to ask us any questions you might have. Further details will be emailed to you if you are shortlisted for interview.

Apply now

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The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications. The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.

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