MSc Strategic Marketing with Brand Leadership with Placement Year

Why choose Herts?

Industry Connections: you’ll benefit from our connections with local organisations, including Ocado, Tesco, and Amazon. Many local business organisations are amongst the biggest in the country and contribute to our programmes as guest lecturers and attend careers fairs for our students
Industry-Focused Content: you can look forward to working on real projects and cases. These will familiarise you with the working environment, boost your confidence within your field, teach you teamwork while improving your leadership qualities and enhancing soft skills such as communication, logical and analytical thinking
Employment Prospects: our marketing graduates possess the top skills looked for by employers and as a result, many go on to work as brand and marketing specialists in a range of sectors including charities, government and large international/multinational organisations.

The entry requirements for this course are an honours degree (at least 2:2 or above) in any discipline, a degree equivalent professional qualification or appropriate work experience combined with a relevant qualification.

All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency. The following qualifications and grades will be considered:

GCSE English language grade A-C
IELTS 6.5 (with no less than 5.5 in any band)


Institution code	H36
School of study	Hertfordshire Business School
Course length	Sandwich Placement, 2 Years
Location	University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Employability
Careers

Keen to get ahead in the dynamic marketing industry? This course will boost your career prospects, equipping you with the expertise, skills and practical experience for a range of multi-sector positions and disciplines.

Typical career paths include:
- account management
- brand and digital brand management and consultancy
- content marketing
- copywriting
- marketing
- market research
- product management
There is a focus on working with market research to understand trends and respond to consumer demands, and you will develop the creative and project management skills needed to produce innovative and original ideas and to execute and evaluate campaigns.  

There is the opportunity to extend the programme to gain direct industry experience boosts your employability further.

Work placement

A Placement year is available on this course as well as the MSc Strategic Marketing with Brand Leadership (Experiential Learning)
Students can go out on a work placement year approved by the Careers and Employment Team within the University of Hertfordshire.

Professional Accreditations

You will benefit from our strong links with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). The Business School is a CIM Strategic Partner and hosts the regional CIM Club that our students can attend and network. The partnership makes our Herts graduates particularly attractive to employers.

CIM qualifications can be gained alongside student memberships.

About the course

This MSc Strategic Marketing with Brand Leadership with Placement Year is designed to develop master’s level knowledge and skills within the branding discipline and to enhance employability within this field.   

The programme offers three award routes that you can choose to study: 

One-year full-time MSc Strategic Marketing with Brand Leadership
Two-year full-time MSc Strategic Marketing with Brand Leadership with Placement Year
Two-year MSc Strategic Marketing with Brand Leadership (Experiential Learning)

The two-year full-time MSc Strategic Marketing with Brand Leadership welcomes you for a September entry only. 

The course offers you the opportunity to explore branding in several areas. It deepens your marketing knowledge and understanding by laying a foundation through modules covering competitive advantage, integrated marketing communications, strategic customer engagement, and contemporary marketing.  You also cover entrepreneurial marketing as we recognise that marketing in small organisations is different to that in large organisations.   

You will have the opportunity to enhance your knowledge in branding by focusing on strategic brand leadership, campaign management and global luxury branding. You will also explore entrepreneurial marketing. There will also be the opportunity to conduct either an independent major research project within your area of interest or an applied marketing project. 

You will also build a strong network of marketing contacts. Some will become your close friends, and a few may even become your future colleagues. 

Who is the course for? 

This MSc Strategic Marketing with Brand Leadership with Placement Year has been designed for:  

graduates who have an undergraduate degree in marketing and want to specialize further while focused on brand leadership 
graduates who have an undergraduate degree in another discipline but want to specialise in marketing while focused on brand leadership
marketing professionals who want to specialise even further within the discipline of brand leadership.

Why choose this course?

Our Postgraduate studies are sector leading amongst over 100 Higher Education Institutions in the UK as evidenced by our extraordinary achievement:

6th in Business and Management in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES, 2024)
1st for Skills Development, 2nd for Support, Resources, Community and Assessment (Advance HE, 2023)

This course provides a world-recognised master’s degree, together with relevant practical experience, giving you a unique combination of sought-after skills that are transferrable to a wide range of sectors.

Our close connection with industry allows students to meet and learn from industry experts, with wider networking opportunities available through the larger community of students and faculty.

The one-year full-time programme is a great opportunity for students wanting to pursue traditional postgraduate study in the UK. The two-year full-time programme is a great opportunity for those who want to dive even deeper into the world of marketing by experiencing practice within the field.

All pathways provide the opportunity to: 

study a range of branding subjects in a marketing context
engage in a wider university curriculum with extra-curricular activities within our diverse community, enhancing employability
personalise your study through research options that include a dissertation or an applied marketing branding project.

Level 7

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Preparation for the Workplace	0 Credits	Compulsory
The module is designed to support postgraduate students in their search for work placements and their applications. Students are given an overview of the employment market, and information on what employers will be looking for when selecting. During their study, students will analyse current recruitment and selection methods used, and the module provides students with support to prepare for these.
Work Placement Portfolio	0 Credits	Compulsory
Undertaking a sandwich placement provides students with the opportunity to set their academic studies in a broader context. It also provides an opportunity to gain practical experience of the professional workplace, and to strengthen key employability skills. The Work Placement Portfolio module requires students to reflect on the learning gained throughout their placement, both in relation to their personal development, and their learning from their programme of study.
Integrated Marketing Communications	15 Credits	Compulsory

Strategic Customer Management	15 Credits	Compulsory

Contemporary Marketing	15 Credits	Compulsory

Entrepreneurial Marketing	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module provides an excellent opportunity for the student to increase their self-direct learning, providing opportunities to explore the challenges in taking ideas into plans to start their own business, or work with others in an entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial context. Students may realise that start-ups are not for them, but that they can offer services to entrepreneurs by being intrapreneurial and helping develop a new enterprise or scale up an existing one. Live project work will offer opportunities to network and engage with external stakeholders and help to develop their skills for transitioning into work.
Strategic Brand Leadership and Campaign Management	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module explores brand planning as a strategic discipline that focuses on how value is created for consumers and firms. It examines how market research and consumer insight are used to develop brand strategy and evaluates market development techniques such as brand positioning in order to understand how consumers relate to the emotional and rational elements of a brand in competitive marketplaces. Using a broad range of tools, techniques and theories that help to build brand equity and drive performance, the challenges of developing and managing successful brands will be fully examined in differing contexts (small business, international and not for profit brands). The effectiveness and challenges of digital branding applications and the corresponding shift to brand stewardship from brand ownership will be fully explored.
Global Luxury Branding	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module explores luxury brand marketing and branding. It focuses on the impact of emotional luxury value that is tagged on luxury product and services and analysing it through the lenses of diverse cultural and international factors from the perspectives of the consumers and luxury firms. Examining luxury brand positioning in order to understand how consumers relate to the emotional and rational elements of a luxury brand in competitive borderless marketplace. This module incorporates and integrates the theories and practice of luxury marketing campaign covering the influencing factors of consumer s emotional values, cultural and international beliefs.
Effective Marketing Management	15 Credits	Compulsory
Marketing remains an under-represented discipline on the Boards of many organisations, especially in Western economies. This module explores the many challenges associated with managing marketing in a range of organisations and sectors, before considering the key skills and attributes marketing managers need to have impact. Real world examples are used to examine examples of marketing management and leadership.
Professional Work Placement	60 Credits	Compulsory
Undertaking a placement year provides students with the opportunity to set their academic studies in a broader context, to gain practical experience of the workplace, and to strengthen key employability skills. The Professional Work Placement module provides opportunities for students to reflect on the learning gained throughout their placement, and to prepare themselves for articulating their experiences and enhanced skills when applying for future employment.
Marketing Dissertation	60 Credits	Optional

Applied Marketing Project	60 Credits	Optional

Key staff

Senior Lecturer Alex Lee

Find out more about Senior Lecturer Alex Lee

Programme Leader Dr Diane Morrad

Find out more about Programme Leader Dr Diane Morrad

Lecturer Jessica Lau

Find out more about Lecturer Jessica Lau

Further course information

Course fact sheets
MSc Strategic Marketing with Brand Leadership (Sandwich)	Download
MSc Strategic Marketing with Brand Leadership (Sandwich)	Download

Programme specifications
MSc Strategic Marketing with Brand Leadership (Sandwich)	Download
MSc Strategic Marketing with Brand Leadership (Sandwich)	Download

Additional information
Sandwich placement or study abroad year	n/a
Applications open to international and EU students	Yes

Student experience

At the University of Hertfordshire, we want to make sure your time studying with us is as stress-free and rewarding as possible. We offer a range of support services including; student wellbeing, academic support, accommodation and childcare to ensure that you make the most of your time at Herts and can focus on studying and having fun.

Find out about how we support our students

You can also read our student blogs to find out about life at Herts.

Funding and fees
Other financial support

Find out more about other financial support available to UK and EU students

Fees 2024
UK Students
Full time
- £14805 for 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 inclusive
EU Students
Full time
- £17950 for 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 inclusive
International Students
Full time
- £17950 for 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 inclusive
Fees 2025
UK Students
Full time
- £15720 for 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 inclusive
EU Students
Full time
- £18800 for 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 inclusive
International Students
Full time
- £18800 for 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 inclusive
*Tuition fees are charged annually. The fees quoted above are for the specified year(s) only. Fees may be higher in future years, for both new and continuing students. Please see the University's Fees and Finance Policy (and in particular the section headed "When tuition fees change"), for further information about when and by how much the University may increase its fees for future years.

View detailed information about tuition fees

Living costs / accommodation

The University of Hertfordshire offers a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

View detailed information about our accommodation

Read more about additional fees in the course fact sheet
How to apply

International/EU applicants without pre-settled status in the UK

Apply through our international/EU application portal

Home and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK

2025
Start Date End Date Year Location Link
26/09/2025 31/05/2026 1 UH Hatfield Campus Apply online (Sandwich)
2026
Start Date End Date Year Location Link
26/09/2026 31/05/2027 1 UH Hatfield Campus Apply online (Sandwich)

Search everything:

Book your Open Day

Apply now

MSc Strategic Marketing with Brand Leadership with Placement Year

Why choose Herts?

Careers

Work placement

Professional Accreditations

About the course

Why choose this course?

Key staff

Further course information

Student experience

Other financial support

Fees 2024

UK Students

Full time

EU Students

Full time

International Students

Full time

Fees 2025

UK Students

Full time

EU Students

Full time

International Students

Full time

Living costs / accommodation

International/EU applicants without pre-settled status in the UK

Home and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK

2025

2026