What can you do with an online marketing master’s?

A master’s in marketing is a postgraduate level 7 qualification which provides in-depth knowledge and understanding of key marketing concepts and topics such as brand management, international marketing, content marketing etc. With a marketing master’s degree, you can gain the skills to apply it to your work, yielding results and enhancing your reputation. In turn, you can expect a positive effect on your career whether that’s career progression, increase in salary or gaining more trust, responsibility and respect at work. So, if you’re considering an investment into your career prospects, and asking ‘what can you do with an online marketing master’s’, this blog breaks down the key benefits of studying an MSc in Marketing and the job opportunities that could result.

A master’s in marketing could open up new job opportunities in a variety of marketing and communications roles. If you’re at the start of your marketing career, a postgraduate degree could give you the edge when it comes to competing for desired job roles. If you’re already a few years into a marketing role, it could give you the confidence and skills to go for more senior or management job positions.

Either way, studying the theory covered by an online marketing master’s means you will be able to consider the following job roles*:

Marketing executives and marketing managers create, execute, and manage integrated marketing campaigns to promote their organisation’s products, services, or ideas. Sometimes they work with external agencies or sometimes campaigns are created completely in-house. They require a good understanding of key marketing concepts including integrated marketing, brand management, content marketing and will understand the customer and the customer journey. Marketing managers will take on more senior responsibilities, which could include overseeing campaigns, more strategic work and may manage a team.

Average salaries for a marketing executive range from £20,000 to £45,000 depending on their seniority and experience. Marketing managers can earn up to £60,000 but this depends on the location, company, seniority, and experience. (Source: Prospects)

A brand manager is responsible for building and protecting a company’s brand. They do this through several ways including but not limited to:

• Creating/supporting on strategies to position a brand
• Managing affiliate partnerships
• Competitor analysis on similar brands
• Research into how their brand is perceived
• Consumer trends
• Working on campaigns to build brand awareness

Understanding how to develop brand strategies and brand management are key skills of the brand manager. They will likely work with several other marketing professionals such as marketing managers, marketing executives, social media, and market research teams.

Average salary for a brand manager is around £40,000 (source Indeed) but depends on the company, location, and experience.

The social media executive and social media manager are responsible for the organisation’s online presence through their social media channels. The social media executives tend to look after content creation, scheduling, analysis, reporting, managing and replying to comments. They will have strong digital marketing skills and an understanding of brand management.

The social media managers will look at social media strategies, reporting to executive team, managing content creation projects, managing paid social campaigns, analysing KPIs, monitoring competitor activity, and working with other teams / stakeholders such as a brand manager, marketing manager or product managers. They may also manage people such as a social media assistant or executive. Excellent project, analytical and digital marketing skills are important for the social media manager.

Average salaries for social media executive start around £18,000 rising to £35,000 for more senior executives (source Indeed). Social media managers’ salaries range between £25,000 to £45,000, increasing to above £60,000 for experienced heads of social (source Prospects)

Marketing directors oversee the general marketing strategy of the brand/s and direction of marketing. They will formulate a long-term plan working closely with their business and sales counterparts, making sure their marketing plan is in line with the company’s business plan and objectives. The director of communications has similar strategic responsibilities, but their work lies in the remit of communications, messaging, and content management. Both types of marketing roles require strong leadership skills with the ability to oversee several teams, campaigns, and projects at the same time.

According to Indeed, the average salary in the UK for a Marketing Director is £68,869 and for a Communications Director, it is £69,695.

*This is not an exhaustive list and work experience, as well as proven past successful campaigns, also count particularly in more senior roles.

You can think of the skills you’ll gain from a MSc in Marketing generally in two ways: marketing skills and transferable soft skills.

On our online MSc in Marketing, the marketing acumen you will gain includes:

• international marketing techniques
• market opportunities and brand strategies
• digital marketing tools and techniques
• consumer behaviour

Transferable skills gained through a marketing master’s degree include:

• research and critical thinking
• creative thinking
• leadership and management
• project management
• communication
• working independently and as part of a team

In the field of marketing, it’s imperative to stay on top of the latest trends in digital technology, buyer behaviour and marketing case studies. A marketing MSc can give you these insights, as well as how they can used within your own workplace.

On the ARU online MSc Marketing course, you’ll explore:

• latest global business challenges
• consumer and data protection laws
• marketing problems that have been faced by current brands and organisations
• examples of digital, viral and experiential communications
• emerging consumer psychology research

Key to the postgraduate degree is the research project. The marketing master's major project is an opportunity for you to engage with a substantial research project of your choosing that benefits your place of work or an area of particular interest to you, or both.

You’ll have seen that studying a marketing master’s degree can bring many benefits from upskilling to enhancing your career prospects.

If you’re already working and juggling family commitments, the idea of taking on a postgraduate degree can be daunting. ARU’s distance learning degrees make it possible through flexible online learning with great support from both academic tutors and dedicated distance learning support team.

Find out more about the online MSc Marketing course at ARU.