Overview

The details

Course: Marketing

UCAS code: N501

Start date: October 2025

Study mode: Full-time

Duration: 3 years

Location: Southend Campus

Based in: 糖心Vlog Business School

How are marketing campaigns planned and managed? How does marketing to other businesses differ from promoting products and services to consumers?

The global economy is undergoing unprecedented integration. Today's marketers must thrive in crowded and rapidly changing markets. They must identify and respond to emerging customer trends in order to compete.

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 糖心Vlog 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.

This course is taught at 糖心Vlog 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.

BSc Marketing can also be taken with an optional study abroad or placement year.

Professional accreditation

Accredited by The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) for the purpose of gaining CIM qualifications through the Graduate Gateway.

Why we're great.

We are ranked in the Top 175 for Business and Economics in THE World University Rankings by Subject 2025.
You undertake a research project exploring an area of your choice instead of a dissertation.
You'll take part in interactive projects, group work and business simulation games.

Study abroad

The four-year version of this course enables you to study abroad during your third year. In all other areas, this version of the course remains identical to the standard three-year variant.

You can study abroad with one of our exchange partners in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, the Middle East, Hong Kong and Japan. In doing so, you experience other cultures and languages, meet new people, and gain intercultural skills that are sought-after by employers.

Placement year

A placement year provides an alternative option, enabling you to develop your practical business skills by working for an external organisation. During your time away from study, you can build key industry contacts that will be invaluable as you progress in your career.

The Student Development Team can offer bespoke support throughout the process of researching, applying and interviewing for placements. However, it is your responsibility to apply, prepare for and secure your own role. In recent years, our students have gained placements with organisations such as BMW, Samsung and Greater Anglia.

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 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

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 business study. 糖心Vlog has the highest number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK, meaning you are ideally located for launching your own 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 centre 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
dental practice
faith centre
our cosy SU Lounge, with pool tables and large-screen TV for socialising and relaxation!

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 糖心Vlog 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 鈥� the high-end department chain store
Affiliate Marketing Analyst at 鈥� a save as you shop app for parents and children
Head of Analytics, Insight and Reporting at - global insurance and risk management experts
Digital Marketing Executive at - a machinery manufacturer based in 糖心Vlog
Delivery Consultant at - a specialist recruitment firm
iX Business Consultant at 鈥� the multifunctional information technology conglomerate

Our marketing graduates enjoy successful careers in their fields.

Additional to the skills development offered by 糖心Vlog Business School, BSc Marketing students can also take advantage of the 糖心Vlog 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.

鈥淏efore 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 糖心Vlog 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.鈥�

Claire Parry-Witchell, BSc Marketing

Entry requirements

Clearing entry requirements

We currently have places available in Clearing across a range of courses, with most offers at BBC–CCD (112–88 UCAS tariff points) or equivalent. Grade requirements may be lower in some cases, and some courses may also have subject specific requirements. We consider each application individually so get in touch if your grades are below those outlined here.

English language requirements

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall, or specified score in another equivalent test that we accept.

Details of English language requirements, including component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found

If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.

English language shelf-life

Most English language qualifications have a validity period of 5 years. The validity period of Pearson Test of English, TOEFL and CBSE or CISCE English is 2 years.

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

Pre-sessional English courses

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.

Pending English language qualifications

You don鈥檛 need to achieve the required level before making your application, but it will be one of the conditions of your offer.

If you cannot find the qualification that you have achieved or are pending, then please email ugquery@essex.ac.uk .

Requirements for second and final year entry

Different requirements apply for second and final year entry, and specified component grades are also required for applicants who require a visa to study in the UK. Details of English language requirements, including UK Visas and Immigration minimum component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found

Additional Notes

If you鈥檙e an international student, but do not meet the English language or academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the Year 2 Final Year

COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY

New Venture Creation

(15 CREDITS)

If you鈥檙e looking to start your own business, or to help an existing business to grow, then this module provides the essential knowledge you鈥檒l 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.

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.

COMPONENT 03: COMPULSORY

Introduction to Accounting and Finance

(15 CREDITS)

It鈥檚 essential that every aspiring entrepreneur, manager and leader understands the basics of accounting and finance. In this introductory module you鈥檒l 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鈥檒l explore the key theories, carry out problem-solving exercises and learn how to apply these within companies.

COMPONENT 04: COMPULSORY

Foundations of Modern Marketing

(15 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 05: COMPULSORY

Introduction to Business Analytics

(15 CREDITS)

Introduction to Business Analytics will allow you to develop core knowledge and skills in the domain of business analytics and data science. You鈥檒l focus on different tools and approaches to support data analysis and decision making in business environment. The module is designed to enhance your ability of data analysis to uncover embedded information useful for decision making.Learn how to valuate the potential of data analytics in supporting complex decision making in real-world business environment.

COMPONENT 06: COMPULSORY

Introduction to International Business

(15 CREDITS)

At 糖心Vlog Business School we鈥檙e 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.

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.

COMPONENT 08: COMPULSORY

Contemporary Marketing Strategies & Implementation

(15 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY

Applied Business Analytics and Decision Making

(15 CREDITS)

This module will provide you with an overview of applications of business analytics for real world business problems.Business examples and case studies will be used to explain the variety of decision-making issues that can be solved using analytics to gain business intelligence. Useful business analytics software (like R, Python or similar) will be discussed in this module. With this understanding you can learn how to select one or more business analytics tools and appropriate software for solving specific real-world problems.

COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY

BE516-5-AU

(15 CREDITS)

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.

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.

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.

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.

COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY

Research Project - Marketing

(30 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 4,000-5,000 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.

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.

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.

COMPONENT 05: COMPULSORY

Digital Marketing and Social Media

(15 CREDITS)

This module focuses on the impact of 'digital' on the world of Marketing. You explore the changing nature of business and consumer behaviour, communication, and market research. You will investigate current practical and theoretical issues within Digital Marketing and Social Media. You will study the academic field concerned with marketing and digital media and the challenges and opportunities it affords to marketers, consumers, organisations and society at large. Marketing practices have dramatically changed with the rise of social media, mobile apps and new technological developments in devices, platforms, and applications. We will explore together the rapid evolution of the digital environment presents new opportunities and challenges for marketers.

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.

Placement

On a placement year you gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

Year abroad

On your year abroad, you have the opportunity to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

Teaching

Undergraduate students at the Department of 糖心Vlog Business School typically have 12 hours of teaching time per week.
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 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

£9,535 per year

International fee

£21,525 per year

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 糖心Vlog. 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鈥檛 suitable for you, feel free to book a campus tour here.

2025 Open Days (Southend Campus)

Saturday 11 October 2025 - Southend Open Day

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 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

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.

Students giving each other a piggy back on the beach

Want to live in a central city location, with state-of-the-art facilities at your finger tips? Southend is the perfect environment for living and learning in a close-knit international community.

If you're joining our School of Health and Social Care, East 15 Acting School, or 糖心Vlog Business School, you may well be studying at our Southend Campus.

Find out more

View from Square 2 outside the Rab Butler Building looking towards Square 3

If you live too far away to come to 糖心Vlog (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360 degree virtual tours allows you to explore our University from the comfort of your home. Check out our and to see accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.

At 糖心Vlog we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.

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 . 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.

The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.