Marketing (Accelerated) MA (Hons)

Edinburgh Business School ranked 1st in Scotland and 4th in UK for marketing in the National Student Survey 2020. Our degree is characterised by three themes which will prepare you for a marketing career of the future - global, digital and sustainable.<br/><br/>The MA (Hons) Marketing degree at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh Business School is designed to develop key knowledge and skills related to professional marketing practices.<br/><br/>The courses you take on this degree will provide you with the platform to thrive in both academic study and the professional practice of marketing.<br/>Your learning will focus on three central themes that we believe will be key for future marketing professionals:<br/><br/>• Global marketing<br/>• Digital marketing<br/>• Sustainable marketing<br/><br/>Teaching on MA (Hons) Marketing is led by our internationally respected faculty who bring marketing theory to life by drawing on their own cutting-edge research and industry experience, and by sharing best practice from business case studies. This approach ensures that everything you learn reflects the current marketing landscape in both business-to-consumer and business-to-business marketing contexts.<br/><br/>As your studies progress through Years 1, 2 and 3 of this accelerated MA (Hons) programme you will study an increasing number of specialist marketing courses.<br/><br/>**Specialist marketing courses**<br/>Leading academics from Edinburgh Business School have worked with business leaders to craft six exciting new marketing courses to ensure your learning is future proofed, and which align with the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s accreditation criteria.<br/><br/>**Global Strategic Marketing**<br/>This course teaches strategic marketing techniques for a global context. You will learn how to conduct competitor analysis, market segmentation, forecasting, and product portfolio analysis.<br/><br/>**Marketing Insights**<br/>This course will teach you how to conduct and analyse market research, and gain useful insights for specific business situations. You will explore the processes and methods of data collection and understand the techniques and applications used to analyse data and gain insights.<br/><br/>**Responsible Marketing**<br/>On this course you will assess the tensions and complexities in marketing and consumer behaviour, and examine the current debates around the benefits, harms and unintentional consequences of marketing and consumer actions today, with a core focus on sustainability.<br/><br/>**Branding**<br/>On this course you will explore the theory of brands and branding You will assess how branding theories are applied in marketing strategies and learn to take a strategic approach to branding.<br/><br/>**Future Issues in Marketing**<br/>On this course you will learn to assess and identify emerging global market trends and utilise a toolkit of marketing theory and principles to scrutinise these trends.<br/><br/>**Digital Analytics for Marketing**<br/>On this course you will examine how digital analytics inform search engine marketing strategy and website design. We will demonstrate how analytics tools work and how they can be applied to monitor marketing performance.<br/><br/>**Marketing project**<br/>As part of this degree, you will spend time working in the marketing industry and put your developing knowledge into practice to gain further understanding that will be beneficial to your future career.

Heriot-Watt are 2nd in the UK for undergraduate employability (Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2024) and 25th in the UK overall (Complete University Guide, 2025). You’ll have lifelong access to their award-winning Careers Service and join the oldest alumni association in the UK with over 166,000 members in 190 countries – The Watt Club.<br/><br/>A vibrant nightlife, eclectic food scene and plenty of shops and green space – Edinburgh has it all. It’s a safe and friendly city and a great place to be a student. That’s why it’s ranked UK’s 2nd best student-friendly city (QS Best Student Cities, 2025). <br/><br/>Moving away from home is a big decision, which is why students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland are offered a £1,500 bursary. This no-strings-attached bursary means you can visit home anytime during your first year (or spend it on something else).<br/><br/>Register for your Heriot-Watt Priority Pass to make sure you are first in line when Clearing opens, or to chat with their friendly team.