Postgraduate Course
Digital Marketing MSc
Develop your skills to become a digital first marketer. With focus on continued professional development, you will finish this course career ready.
Learn about the value of, and methods for, determining return on investment of internet marketing programmes. You will cover online visitor and buyer behaviour, customer journey mapping, mobile marketing, and social media. You will develop an understanding of the issues relating to digital marketing, which will enhance your skills to develop sustainable individual and organisational potential.
London campus
- Duration – 1 year full time, 2 years full time with Professional Experience, 2 years part time, 3 years with Professional Experience. Part time study is only available to UK applicants.
- Start date – February 2025
- School – London
Minimum entry requirements
2:2 honours degree in a related subject
Interview if your honours degree is in an unrelated subject
Tuition fees
UK 2024-25 £9,300 full time
International 2024-25 £11,300 full time
Course overview
On this course you will learn how to blend digitally focused tactics alongside more traditional marketing tools and practices to capture new customers, build customer loyalty, and provide superior customer service. You will explore the latest digital tools as they become available and assess their relevance. The course includes a module on continued professional development, along with an applied research project to further develop your insights into the application of digital marketing and analytics in practice.
Learning from academics and student peers from around the world will give you an invaluable perspective. You will cover issues and challenges facing marketers in today’s global business environment. You will learn the key skills, processes, and practices of marketing. During the course you will find solutions to real problems while discussing and analysing them within the learning community with the support of tutors and fellow learners.
Course structure
How you will study
You can study this postgraduate course full time or part time. This allows you to fit your studies around other commitments.
If you choose to study full time the course will take 1 year to complete. You will study:
- 7 compulsory modules
If you choose to study with Professional Experience the course will take 2 years to complete. If you choose to study part time the course will take 2 years to complete and the modules will be split across both years.
You can find out which modules are available in each term in the Course Specifications.
Modules
Credits: 20
Compulsory module
Enhance your knowledge of existing theories and concepts. Critically assess the use of the core 5 tools of digital marketing strategy:
- Social media
- Website design
- Online advertising
- Online public relations
You will specifically focus on the drivers for increased online customer engagement through these digital avenues. You will develop the skills and knowledge required to develop strategic marketing plans using marketing simulation software.
Credits: 20
Compulsory module
Each organisation is unique. Explore how to define an organisation's objectives, identify the most valuable tools and appreciate the complexities of marketing communication application. Learn to construct strategic management and marketing plans to build successful brands. Make judgements on financial and creative aspects needed to achieved objectives. You will also develop a critical and theoretical knowledge of the main communications planning frameworks and promotional tools.
Credits: 20
Compulsory module
Many organisations now invest in digital marketing resources and innovation to gain a competitive edge in the market. During this module you will cover subjects such as:
- Website marketing and usability
- Online PR
- Social media
- Email marketing
You will gain skills you need to manage marketing information and plan, undertake and present results from market research. Learn how to create accurate analysis reports using digital marketing concepts and metrics. You will evaluate current approaches to developing future ready digital marketing strategy and tactics.
Credits: 20
Compulsory module
During this module you will explore digital innovation, and its ability to give organisations valuable insight into their market and competitors. You will gain knowledge and understanding of the concept of innovation and the range of digital and social innovations which are available. Topics you will cover include:
- Process of innovation
- Understanding customer needs
- Establishing design principles
- Ethics, professional conduct and social responsibility
Credits: 20
Compulsory module
On this module you will focus on the transition to the workplace by highlighting the importance of digital technologies. You will also investigate how these skills are essential for organisations who want to capitalise on the contemporary digital market. Develop your professional skills such as communication, self-management, project management and critical reflection. These will all enhance your future employability.
Credits: 20
Compulsory module
The success or failure of a marketing strategy heavily depends on the quality of decision-making. During this module you will take a global marketing perspective by critically evaluating marketing theories across local, national, and international environments.
You will consider how and why data is used to inform marketing decisions and how the fact-based decision-making process can lead to higher value outcomes for businesses. In doing so, you will evaluate the importance of visualising and understanding data, looking at how representing data in a meaningful way is essential for decision making, formulating solutions and forecasting the future.
Credits: 60
Compulsory module
This module runs for the duration of your studies and is mostly self directed study. You will learn about research methodology and data analysis which is then developed through individualised project supervision. During this module you will:
- Refine academic study skills
- Develop professional project management skills
- Develop strong project proposals, grounded in evidence based reasoning
- Create methodical data collection strategies
- Demonstrate professional communication
Teaching and assessment
Teaching and learning
All of your modules will be delivered using a variety of different teaching sessions. This includes:
- Lectures
- Workshops
- Seminars
- Debates
- Discussion forums
- Tutorials
Each module has a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), where you and other postgraduate students will benefit from online debate and collaborative approaches to learning.
Our teaching draws on both our research and professional experience. This means your learning is informed by the most current thinking in the subject area. You can find out more about our research and backgrounds by visiting our staff pages.
Assessment
We use a wide variety of assessment types, which help you to develop skills relevant to the workplace. This includes:
- Reflective portfolios
- Continuous professional development logs
- Marketing plans
- Presentations
- Project based research
You will receive feedback on your work throughout each module. We will advise you on developing your skills in areas such as of research, subject knowledge and professional practice. Continued professional development is an important aspect of this course and will be included within the course.
Professional Experience
Choosing this option can give you a competitive edge in your future career. It is an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills you have learned in the workplace. Our London Student Opportunities team will support you in your search for a placement.
You will be on placement for a full academic year, after you have successfully completed all of the taught modules.
Entry requirements
Qualifications
Minimum entry requirements
2:2 honours degree in a related subject
Interview if your honours degree is in an unrelated subject
International students
If you are an international student you will need to show that your qualifications match our entry requirements.
Information about international qualifications and entry requirements can be found on our International pages.
If English is not your first language you will need to show that you have English Language competence at IELTS level 6.0 (with no skill below 5.5) or equivalent.
Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)
If you do not have traditional qualifications, you might be able to provide evidence of professional experience in the subject as an alternative way to meet the entry requirements. This is called Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL). Appropriate references and records of employment would need to be presented to support your case for admission.
Terms and conditions
Our terms and conditions, policies and procedures contain important information about studying at York St John University. You can read them on our Admissions page.
Fees and funding
UK
The tuition fee for this postgraduate course without Professional Experience in the 2024 - 2025 academic year is:
- £9,300 for full time study
- £5,150 per year for part time study (£9,300 in total)
The tuition fee for this postgraduate course with Professional Experience 2024 - 2025 academic year is:
- £10,695 for full time study
- £9,300 per year for the first year full time, and £1,395 for your professional experience year (£10,695 in total)
- £5,150 per year part time, and £1,395 for your professional placement year (£10,695 in total)
These costs apply to all UK, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man students.
Postgraduate loans are available to help you pay for your master’s course. Find out more about funding your postgraduate studies.
International
The tuition fee for this postgraduate course without Professional Experience 2024 - 2025 academic year is:
- £11,300 for 1 year of full time study
The tuition fee for this postgraduate course with Professional Experience 2024 - 2025 academic year is:
- £11,300 for your first year, and £3,600 for your Professional Experience year (£14,900 in total)
These costs apply to all students living outside the UK.
Due to immigration laws, if you are an international student on a student visa, you must study full time. For more information about visa requirements and short-term study visas, please visit the International Visa and Immigration pages.
Find out more about funding your postgraduate studies.
Tuition fees
UK 2024-25 £9,300 full time
International 2024-25 £11,300 full time
Alumni Scholarships
If you are alumni of York St John University we have scholarships available to help you continue your studies.
Additional costs and financial support
Course-related costs
While studying for your degree, there may be additional costs related to your course. This may include purchasing personal equipment and stationery, books and optional field trips.
Accommodation and living costs
You will need to consider the cost of accommodation in London. There are many student accommodation options throughout the city. More guidance on finding accommodation in London is available on our dedicated Study in London page.
Career outcomes
Where could Digital Marketing take you?
This degree will help you to to prepare for a PhD or develop your career prospects within humanities or the criminal justice system. It could also take you in a completely different direction, using the many transferrable skills you will develop. These include problem solving, developing arguments, analysing and evaluating information, collaboration, independent working, communication and more.
This will give you an advantage in careers such as:
- Communication
- Marketing
- Stakeholder engagement
- New product development
- Customer services
Stand out from the crowd with postgraduate study.
Far fewer people have postgraduate degrees than undergraduate qualifications. This gives you something extra to set yourself apart in a competitive graduate job market. Those with a postgraduate qualification will earn an average of £6,500 a year more than those with only an undergraduate degree (Department for Education Graduate Labour Market Report 2022).
Our careers service, LaunchPad, provides career support tailored to your ambitions. Through this service you can access:
- Employer events
- LinkedIn, CV and cover letter sessions
- Workshops on application writing and interview skills
- Work experience and volunteering opportunities
- Personalised career advice.
This support does not end when you graduate. You can access our expert career advice for the rest of your life. We will help you gain the experience and confidence you need to succeed.