MA Marketing

1 Year On Campus Masters Program

University of Sunderland

Program Overview

The MSc Digital Marketing and Analytics at Sunderland teaches you how to master today’s online marketing world — from making data-driven decisions to running real campaigns and understanding e-commerce. If you’re curious about how companies reach customers online or want to build a career in digital marketing, this degree gives you the modern tools, insight, and experience you need.

Curriculum Structure

Foundations & Core Digital Marketing
Right from the start, you’ll dive into Integrated Marketing Strategy and Digital Marketing & Analytics. This means you learn not only how to plan a complete marketing approach — including market targeting and sustainable marketing mix — but also how to use data and analytics to shape online campaigns.
Digital Channels, Social Media & E-commerce
As you move forward, the course takes you deeper into the world of social media, influencer marketing, and online retail. You explore modules like “Social Media, Influencers & Creators” and “E-commerce and Digital Optimisation – Analytics & Metrics,” giving you hands-on understanding of online consumer behaviour, platform-based marketing, and how to boost visibility and sales through digital marketplaces.
Capstone – Practical Project
For the final stage you’ll complete a full-scale Digital Marketing Project — a real-world-style brief or consultancy task that asks you to apply everything you’ve learnt (strategy, analytics, digital tools, campaign planning). By the end of the year you’ll have a solid project in your portfolio, demonstrating you can deliver real digital marketing work.

Focus areas:
“Digital marketing strategy; digital analytics; social media & influencer marketing; e-commerce and online retail optimisation; data-driven marketing decisions; customer behaviour online.”

Learning outcomes:
“You’ll graduate able to design and run effective digital marketing campaigns, interpret online consumer behaviour through analytics, manage social media and influencer-driven marketing, optimise online retail performance, and deliver consultancy-grade digital marketing solutions — ready to step into modern marketing roles.”

Professional alignment (accreditation):
The degree is accredited by a leading marketing body, giving you a qualification that’s recognised by employers — which adds credibility to your CV and helps you stand out when applying for jobs in digital marketing, analytics, or e-commerce.

Reputation & Real-World Relevance:
This course is built with employer engagement in mind: live clients, industry-informed teaching, company visits and guest speakers ensure that what you learn matches what companies expect. That makes your skills relevant, usable from day one and attractive to employers who want marketers with real digital know-how.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

One of the best things about studying Digital Marketing and Analytics at Sunderland is that you don’t just sit in lectures — you’re constantly putting your skills into practice. The course is designed so you can experiment, test ideas, work on genuine marketing challenges and build confidence using the same tools and thinking that real digital-marketing teams rely on today. Plus, the university gives you access to strong facilities, digital resources and industry-focused opportunities that make your learning feel real and relevant.

And because everything is built around practical application, you’ll get hands-on experiences such as:

Working with real businesses through the Sunderland Marketing Hub: You’ll get to help companies with things like social-media planning, marketing audits, digital-strategy development and market research — it feels very much like acting as a junior consultant while you’re still a student.
Access to modern digital facilities and tools: You’ll use university computer labs (PC and Mac), specialist software, and campus-wide IT resources to work on analytics, content creation and digital-campaign projects.
Practical, industry-aligned modules: Subjects like Digital Marketing and Analytics, Social Media, Influencers and Creators, and E-commerce and Digital Optimisation are purposely designed to get you analysing real cases, experimenting with digital tools and solving marketing problems that companies face right now.
A substantial Digital Marketing Project: Your 60-credit final project lets you dive deep into a topic you’re passionate about — whether it’s consumer behaviour, analytics, campaign performance or a specific digital challenge. It’s a great opportunity to produce something polished that you can show employers.
Career-focused interactions: Guest speakers, business-linked activities and opportunities through the Marketing Hub let you meet people working in the field and understand what marketing roles are actually like.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Finishing the MSc in Marketing at Sunderland sets you up with the kind of practical, up-to-date marketing skills employers genuinely look for. Because the course blends real client-style work with strong theoretical grounding, graduates often move into roles such as Marketing Executive, Digital Marketing Manager, Brand Manager, or Market Research Analyst. It’s a degree built to help you step confidently into modern marketing roles — and grow quickly once you’re there.

And once you’re part of Sunderland, you benefit from a strong support system that helps you plan your next steps and actually reach them:

Career and graduate support that continues after your degree: The university’s Employability & Enterprise Hub offers one-to-one guidance, CV reviews, interview prep, job-search support and access to employer networks — even after graduation.
A programme designed with real industry needs in mind: Sunderland highlights that the course gives you the professional and practical marketing skills that employers actively look for, which strengthens your job prospects immediately after the course.
Accreditation that adds credibility: The MSc is aligned with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), which gives you an edge as you pursue professional recognition or aim for senior marketing roles over time.
Practical experience that boosts your employability: With applied projects, hands-on assignments and engagement through the University’s Marketing Hub, you’ll graduate with experience you can actually talk about in interviews — not just theory.
Support for entrepreneurial paths too: If you’re thinking about freelancing or starting a marketing-focused business, the university’s enterprise team can guide you on business planning, funding routes and early client development.

Further Academic Progression:
If you decide to continue your studies after the MSc, you could explore more advanced qualifications — such as further CIM professional training, research-focused postgraduate routes, or specialised development in niche areas like digital strategy, consumer analytics or brand leadership.