General OverviewDigital marketing is the practice of incorporating platforms and customers’ experience through a digital channel using traditional marketing theory & practice. It offers the opportunity to grow and further develop the communications and relationships between companies’ current and prospective customers or clients through, social networking sites, instant messaging systems and mobile device platforms. Digital marketing is now established as a priority for local, national and international businesses because of the ever-increasing digitalisation of consumer activities, and the business opportunities that arise in a dynamic online marketplace. For these reasons, it is essential to provide advanced study in this area.
The Econsultancy/ Marketing Budgets 2017 Report revealed that 71% of global businesses plan to increase their investment in digital marketing compared with 20% looking to increase their offline marketing spend. In addition, a 2018 report looking into content marketing in the UK by the Content Marketing Institute revealed that 94% of respondents use the tactic in their campaigns. This surge in demand for digital marketing professionals from companies looking to quickly step up their game in this space has inevitably led to a skills shortage across the marketing sector. The limited number of experienced and skilled candidates seeking a job are thus highly employable.
This programme has strong focus upon the practical requirements currently expected for digital marketing graduates, underpinned by relevant academic theory. Assessments based on live case studies will provide students with insights into the issues facing companies and enable students to achieve high level of employability in the digital marketing field.
The MSc in Digital Marketing, which sits within the wider Marketing, Innovation, Events and Tourism MSc Suite, has been designed to take account of the demands of the industry which it serves and the requirements of the Operational Plan of the School of Business and Creative Industries (SBCI) and the Corporate Strategy of the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). As such the programme is designed to produce critically informed, operationally capable practitioners through a flexible, student-centered delivery model.
The aims of the programme are:
- Develop and demonstrate a critical understanding of the theoretical, practical and conceptual body of knowledge relating to the growth of digital marketing management, the communication of the digital products or services.
- Develop critical, analytical problem-based learning skills and transferable skills to prepare the student for post-graduate employment in the field of Digital Marketing Management.
- Facilitate a systematic understanding of current digital marketing theory and practice and future developments in the UK, and internationally
- Inspire students to adopt an analytical and creative approach to study and to develop the ability to argue rationally, communicate clearly, and form sound judgements, using advanced digital marketing theory and practice.
- Develop and demonstrate a range of complex analytical skills and abilities, including research skills, in order to critically examine existing practices within the digital marketing industry.
The exit qualifications are:
- Postgraduate Certificate Digital Marketing (completion of 3 x 20 credits = 60 credits)
- Postgraduate Diploma Digital Marketing (completion of 6 x 20 credits = 120 credits)
- MSc Digital Marketing (completion of dissertation plus 6 x 20 credits = 180 credits)
Students, upon completion of the course, will have attained a Masters level qualification and may pursue additional postgraduate study or doctoral level both within the University and at other Higher Education Institutes.
Modules within the programme, with exception of professional practice and dissertation modules, share a standard delivery model based around four hours of contact time per module per week, two hours of which are provided online as recorded materials and two hours of which are face to face delivery as a workshop or tutorial. These sessions will make use of a variety of teaching tools including case studies, student-led presentations, discussion tasks and practical activities designed to enable students to take responsibility for their own learning and develop a rounded understanding of the subject matter. Each module is supported by further online content hosted on virtual learning environments (VLEs). This will include access to directed readings, online discussions, and embedded content from a variety of other settings. Students will be encouraged and expected to take responsibility for their own learning by contributing to the activities provided, making decisions about which additional content to access and uploading their own additional materials for distribution and discussion among the student body.
The ethos underpinning assessment for the MSc Digital Marketing is that, wherever possible, assessment should be linked not only to the demonstration of theoretical and conceptual knowledge and skill-sets appropriate to the level of study but also that it should aim to assess these in a context which reflects to practical nature of the industry into which students will graduate. As such, the MSc Digital Marketing programme makes use of a range of practical-focused assignments, asking students to work on reports, case studies, portfolios, presentations and other assessment formats which will replicate the types of practice graduates will be expected to undertake in their typical working life upon completion of the programme.
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