Course Overview
Course summary
Internationalisation and evolution of markets have created opportunities for companies to focus on marketing from a global perspective. On our degree, you’ll explore the complexity and diversity facing marketers in the highly competitive and continually evolving world marketplace, incorporating the latest marketing strategy, tools, and techniques.
You can also boost your employability by gaining additional qualifications with the Institute of Data and Marketing (IDM) and/or the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). Our status as a CIM Graduate Gateway institution entitles you to apply for exemptions from modules on its professional qualifications, while you can gain IDM’s Award in Digital Marketing during the Digital Essentials of Marketing module.
Focusing on marketing within an international context, you will gain awareness of the global, cultural, social, economic, and ethical professional environment within which marketers now operate, and the connections with other functional business areas needed for overall corporate success.
Our comprehensive curriculum covers developing an international marketing strategy, global strategic management, managing brands, developing products, and implementing, coordinating, and controlling the international marketing effort. Acknowledging the importance of digital techniques and social media marketing, you’ll have access to our new digital marketing lab, Switch 23, which is set up to mimic a creative agency.
You’ll gain hands-on experience working on live client briefs from external marketers, analysing performance and customer research, as well as using relevant internet-based technologies for marketing. Previously, for example, students have worked on a project for a small brewery to develop a marketing plan to sell its designer ales from a mobile bus.
You’ll graduate with the knowledge, skills, and capabilities to pursue careers worldwide and with international organisations in areas such as strategic marketing planning, market research, marketing communications and brand management.
Top reasons to study with us
- Professionally focused course with chance to gain additional professional qualifications from the Institute of Data and Marketing (IDM), the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), and the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI)
- Located in Central London presenting an unrivalled opportunity to network, grow your work experience and enhance your employability
- Option to spend one semester or one year studying abroad at one of our partner institutions, gaining valuable work experience, or a combination of both. For example, one previous student worked as a marketing executive for ICG Medical
- Opportunity to study a foreign language as an optional module in each year of study
- Hear from experts and mingle with marketing students by joining the student-run Westminster Marketing Society or gain professional experience working for Westminster Business Consultants
- Guest lectures from industry practitioners have previously included speakers on Google analytics and from organisations such as IBM, Merkle, Tableau, Coca Cola and LinkedIn
- Programmes are delivered by a multicultural and international teaching body, who come from professional practice and/or regularly publish in top international journals
Course structure
Designed to meet the needs of industry by combining academic knowledge with work-based learning, you’ll gain expertise in international marketing management and strategy, culture, consumer behaviour and language. You’ll also have the opportunity to tailor your degree by choosing specialist modules such as business-to-business marketing, services marketing, brand management and sustainability.
The following subjects are indicative of what you will study on this course.
You are introduced to key marketing theories, concepts and emerging marketing tools and techniques. We focus on the customer, examining buyer behaviour and the factors which affect perceptions and purchase decisions. In this international degree, you will also be introduced to the complex and diverse political, economic, social and technological environments and how these shape and influence organisations operating internationally.
Subjects of study include:
- Understanding Consumers
- Fundamentals of Marketing
- Employment Academic Skills
- Digital Marketing Essentials
- International Business Environment
You will also have the opportunity to take an option module that broadens your skills or helps you to gain more in-depth knowledge of your specialist area: your option module may be a foreign language.
Credit Level 4
You’ll learn how companies internationalise and how they develop various strategies to cater for various markets with different macro and micro environmental influences. You will also develop your knowledge and understanding of the increasing role and use of data analytics in international marketing. Consumer insights will take you on a journey into market research while considering potential difficulties in accessing market samples, possible language barriers, cultural issues, or the restrictions of discussing taboo topics. You’ll design appropriate research, understanding primary and secondary data, conducting both qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and using the findings to improve marketing decision-making. Optional modules allow you to choose topics that interest you most. For example, ethical & social responsibility in marketing consider the wider role of organisations in society beyond profit making. In B2B [business-to-business] marketing, you’ll be introduced to the complex buying and selling relationships between organisations and B2B consumers, notably the difference between business-to-consumer marketing and how this impacts the marketing process, including, key account management and supply-chain ethics.
Subjects of study include:
- Global Market Strategies
- Consumer Insights
- Data Analytics
Plus, three options from: Ethics and Social Responsibility in Marketing, Marketing B2B, Marketing Services, Global Consumer Engagement or other areas of business including languages.
Alternatively, in place of the option modules listed above, you may be able to take the WBS Study Abroad Experience (subject to eligibility) or the WBS Work Experience.
Credit Level 5
Professional experience or Study Abroad year
Between Years 2 and 3 you may choose to study English-taught courses for a year at one of our overseas partner institutions. Currently, you can take a Year Abroad studying (or combining work and study) in Berlin, Copenhagen, Madrid, Paris, and other locations including Brisbane, Sydney (Australia), Hong Kong, Japan, Canada and the USA. There are also many opportunities for those with appropriate language skills to study in the local language in France, Germany, and Spain, among others.
You can also choose to split your year abroad into a first semester exchange and a second semester work placement, both conducted overseas. Or undertake a placement year overseas.
Alternatively, between Years 2 and 3 you can undertake a one-year, full-time business placement as a Professional Experience Year within the UK. Past students have completed placements in a variety of prestigious organisations, including Barclays Bank, British Airways, Disney UK, IBM and the NHS, as well as in smaller businesses.
Find out more about the costs involved in taking a study abroad or placement year.
You continue to expand your knowledge of international marketing planning strategy and consider the diverse communications channels open to marketers, considering, for example, how customer needs might differ and the perceptions of foreign brands in different countries. You have the opportunity to undertake a dissertation where you will research a topic of your choice. As an example, you might analyse how a brand has repositioned in a foreign market or consider an example of a ‘glocalised’ company, which develops and distributes globally, but adjusts its product, services, and marketing to accommodate local markets. You will also further your knowledge in an international context by studying the cross-cultural studies in marketing module, where you will explore local culture, foreign business and meet alumni.
Subjects of study include:
- Cross Cultural Studies in Marketing
- International Market Planning and Strategy
- Marketing Communications
- Final Major Project
Plus two options from: Interactive and Digital Marketing, Managing Brands, New Product Development, and Sustainability Marketing or other business areas including languages.
Credit Level 6
Professional recognition
As a Graduate Gateway Institution with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the content of our degree has been mapped against CIM qualifications to enable exemptions for modules. This provides a unique opportunity to gain a professional qualification or award alongside your marketing degree and means that for most qualifications, you only have to take one assessment instead of the usual three. The Institute of Data and Marketing’s (IDM) Award in Digital Marketing can also be gained during the course’s Digital Essentials of Marketing module.
The International Marketing BA Honours is accredited by the Digital Marketing Institute. Our marketing degrees have been mapped for DMI certification. The partnership offers DMI professional certification opportunities when students enrol as DMI members.
For more details on course structure, modules, teaching and assessment Download the programme specification (PDF).
To request an accessible version please email [email protected]
Get your copy of the University of Westminster prospectus and browse the range of courses on offer.
Contact us for general course enquiries:
+44 (0)20 7911 5000 EXT 65511
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Careers
If you’re seeking a career within the marketing function of an organisation, our degree, with its focus on international marketing, will prepare you for a broad range of roles working abroad or for companies that trade all over the world. It is designed to develop your analytical and problem-solving, providing you with a breadth of knowledge in business, along with the specialist knowledge required to carry out strategic marketing in challenging new contexts.
Past graduates of this degree have found successful employment in marketing roles such as: management trainee, retail manager, marketing trainee, market research assistant, advertising trainee, PR assistant, sales promotion executive, trainee brand manager, global brand assistant. Increasing numbers of students progress to further study on graduation: either taking professional qualifications or staying on for postgraduate study.
The University's Careers and Employability Service has built up a network of over 3,000 employers around the world, helping all our students explore and connect with exciting opportunities and careers.
Develop your innovation and entrepreneurial skills
Develop your innovation and entrepreneurial skills in The Big Idea competition, sponsored by Santander.
Kickstart your career
Learn how to use social media in your job hunt or LinkedIn to kickstart your career.
Develop your CQ
Develop your cultural intelligence – or ‘CQ’ – studying alongside students and staff representing more than 100 nationalities.
Industry links
As well as the links the institution and individual staff have with professional bodies, including the CIM and IDM, many of the staff who currently teach on this course have extensive professional experience in a range of business sectors with many staff maintaining links with industry through consultancy and training work.
During the course you will have numerous opportunities to hear from guest speakers and through our Alumni Voices series, where former postgraduate Marketing students will share experiences, including those who work for global media groups or have established their own marketing consultancies.
Job roles
The course will prepare you for a wide variety of roles in business in an international context.
Examples of these from our recent graduates are:
- Advertising executive
- Brand manager
- Management trainee
- Market researcher
- Marketing associate/manager
- Product development officer
- PR officer
- Social media executive/manager
Westminster Employability Award
Employers value graduates who have invested in their personal and professional development – and our Westminster Employability Award gives you the chance to formally document and demonstrate these activities and achievements.
The award is flexible and can be completed in your own time, allowing you to choose from a set of extracurricular activities.
Activities might include gaining experience through a part-time job or placement, signing up to a University-run scheme – such as mentoring or teaching in a school – or completing online exercises.
Read more about our Westminster Employability Award.
International Opportunities
Many of our courses offer international study and work experiences, and the University provides other global opportunities that all students can apply for - so whatever you're studying, you'll have the chance to go abroad.
Opportunities could include:
- Taking part in semester or year-long exchanges at institutions around the world
- Attending an international summer school or field trip
- Developing your CV through volunteering or work placements abroad
International experience broadens horizons, boosts self-confidence, and improves global understanding, alongside being fantastic for your career.
Find out more about our international opportunities, including funding options and where you can go.
Course Leader
Kevin Heffernan
Senior Lecturer
As a seasoned Senior Lecturer with extensive international experience in both industry and academia, I have a proven track record of excellence in teaching a broad range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules. My commitment to education has been recognised with multiple awards, including recognition as an Outstanding Tutor at the University of Westminster and accolades for implementing authentic assessment strategies. Most recently, I was honoured at the 2024 Go-Westminster Awards for Excellence.
In pursuit of continuous professional development, I have earned certification from the Digital Marketing Institute through the CDMP program and have recently joined the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. These endeavours reflect my dedication to staying at the forefront of the ever-evolving digital and international marketing landscape.
Passionate about embracing new cultures and experiences, I bring an open-minded approach to teamwork, especially when engaging with our diverse student body. I am a strong advocate of lifelong learning, which I believe is essential in today’s dynamic and challenging world, particularly for enhancing student employability.
Course Team
Many of the staff who currently teach on this course have extensive professional experience in a range of business sectors; many staff maintain links with industry through consultancy and training work.
Marketing courses
Learn more about Westminster's Marketing courses from our students and staff. Find out about their experience studying at Westminster, including what it's like to study at the University's Marylebone campus in the heart of central London.
Why study this course?
Combine theory and practice
Link theory to global practice through real-life case studies, guest lectures and live marketing projects.
Build connections
Build connections with peers, marketing professionals and future employers through our links with the CIM and IDM.
Multicultural and international teaching staff
A multicultural and international teaching body, who come from professional practice and/or regularly publish in top international journals.
Entry Requirements
- A Levels – BBC (112 UCAS Tariff points)
- T levels – 112 UCAS Tariff points
- International Baccalaureate – 112 UCAS Tariff points from all components of the Diploma Programme. International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme will be considered on a case-by-case basis
- BTEC Extended Diploma – DMM
- BTEC Diploma – D*D*
- Access – 112 UCAS Tariff points from the Access course
In addition to one of the above, you should have:
- GCSE English Language grade 4/C – IB grade 4 Higher level, GCSE Maths grade 4/C – IB grade 4
If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS of 6.0 overall, with 5.5 in each component.
We also welcome applications from students who are taking a combination of qualifications listed above. For further information, please contact Course Enquiries.
- International Baccalaureate – 112 UCAS Tariff points from all components of the Diploma Programme. International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme will be considered on a case-by-case basis. You can refer to the UCAS calculator to determine your point score
- We accept a wide range of international high school level qualifications. Please see information on Country-specific entry requirements
- We work in partnership with Kaplan International College London who provide International Foundation Certificate courses for students who don’t meet our entry requirements. Upon successful completion, you can progress to your chosen degree at the University of Westminster. Find out about a range of university preparation courses that are accepted for entry.
English language requirements
- If your first language is not English, you should have an IELTS score of 6.0 overall, with a score of 5.5 in each component. Please note we accept a wide range of English language qualifications and assessments. Find out more at English language requirements.
- If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, then we offer online and on campus pre-sessional English programmes to help develop your English language skills to the required level before you start your course. Find out more about our pre-sessional English programmes.
More information
What our students say
Selimira Dimitrova
International Marketing BA Honours - 2018
Digital Marketing Intern | Peak Shift Inc.
My placement was the best possible start I could have had to my professional life.
The brilliant and creative people on my team taught me so much about work ethic and teamwork. The most memorable moment was when we all went to Trinidad and Tobago, where we were organising a networking event with local professionals and students looking to get into a marketing or technology career. It was a really valuable experience.
Doing my placement helped me to confirm that I want to work in the Marketing field and focus on strategy and helping international brands develop variable products.
Achille Piana
International Marketing BA Honours - 2018
Retailer Academy Industrial Placement, Bentley Motors
I worked for Bentley Motors in the Sales and Marketing department, with the Retailer Academy Team. I had the opportunity to actively participate in training events and plan for product launches. I took part in a training event in Germany, went to the Geneva Motorshow and met a lot of people from all around the world. This experience opened up many opportunities for the future and raised my skills to a level which would not have been possible if I didn't take a placement year.
Sophie Ann Cook
International Marketing BA - 2024
I study International Marketing and have particularly enjoyed learning about cultural differences and how this affects consumer behaviour. It has given me an insight into marketing that goes further than what is familiar and has really broadened my knowledge.
Learn new skills
Develop your creativity
Develop your creativity to think outside the box.
Learn to critically evaluate
Learn to critically evaluate the strategies that managers use to help organisations adapt in an uncertain or complex environment.
Improve your problem-solving skills
Improve your problem-solving skills to better understand and tackle people management issues.
Westminster Business School blog
Read our blog and get an insight into life and studies at Westminster Business School.
Fees and Funding
UK tuition fee: £9,250 (Price per academic year)
When you have enrolled with us, your annual tuition fees will remain the same throughout your studies with us. We do not increase your tuition fees each year.
Find out how we set our tuition fees.
Funding
As well as tuition fee loans, there is a range of funding available to help you fund your studies.
Find out about undergraduate student funding options.
Scholarships
The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible undergraduate students, which cover all or part of your tuition fees.
Find out if you qualify for one of our scholarships.
Additional costs
See what you may need to pay for separately and what your tuition fees cover.
International tuition fee: £17,000 (Price per academic year)
When you have enrolled with us, your annual tuition fees will remain the same throughout your studies with us. We do not increase your tuition fees each year.
Find out how we set our tuition fees.
EU Qualifications Welcome Award Scheme
If you are an international student accepted on an undergraduate programme starting in September 2024 or September 2025 at level 3 (Foundation) or level 4 (first year) on the basis of an eligible EU qualification only, you will be awarded a tuition fee reduction which will align your fee more closely to the one for UK students. For more information, see the EU Qualifications Welcome Award Scheme.
International student funding
Find out about funding for international students.
Additional costs
See what you may need to pay for separately and what your tuition fees cover.
Student work
In September 2019, during the first week of term, first-year marketing students spent the day visiting the Tower of London, exploring over a thousand years of history at this famous attraction. The main objective was to bring together new students across all of the University’s marketing programmes, including Marketing Management BA, Marketing Communications BA, International Marketing BA and Business Management (Marketing) BA.
Students were also given a series of marketing challenges to undertake, all relevant to their areas of study. These involved developing marketing plans and promotional campaigns to build awareness of the Tower of London across the world and attract more visitors. As well as making friends and developing their teamwork skills, students had a taste of what it’s like to work as a marketing manager or for an advertising agency.
Find out more about this field trip on our WBS blog.
Teaching and Assessment
Below you will find how learning time and assessment types are distributed on this course. The graphs below give an indication of what you can expect through approximate percentages, taken either from the experience of previous cohorts, or based on the standard module diet where historic course data is unavailable. Changes to the division of learning time and assessment may be made in response to feedback and in accordance with our terms and conditions.
How you'll be taught
Teaching methods across all our undergraduate courses focus on active student learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, problem-based and blended learning, and where appropriate practical application. Learning typically falls into three broad categories:
- Scheduled hours: examples include lectures, seminars, practical classes, workshops, supervised time in a studio
- Placement: placement hours normally include placement opportunities, but may also include live projects or virtual activity involving employers
- Independent study: non-scheduled time in which students are expected to study independently. This may include preparation for scheduled sessions, follow-up work, wider reading or practice, completion of assessment tasks, or revision
How you'll be assessed
Our undergraduate courses include a wide variety of assessments.
Assessments typically fall into three broad categories:
- Practical: examples include presentations, videos, podcasts, lab work, creating artefacts
- Written exams: end of semester exams
- Coursework: examples include essays, reports, in-class tests, portfolios, dissertation
Data from the academic year 2023/24
Supporting you
Our Student Hub is where you’ll find out about the services and support we offer, helping you get the best out of your time with us.
- Study support — workshops, 1-2-1 support and online resources to help improve your academic and research skills
- Personal tutors — support you in fulfilling your academic and personal potential
- Student advice team — provide specialist advice on a range of issues including funding, benefits and visas
- Extra-curricular activities — volunteering opportunities, sports and fitness activities, student events and more
Facilities
Course Location
Our Marylebone Campus has benefitted from a multi-million-pound refurbishment resulting in new workshops, digital studios and development of the Marylebone Library. The campus is home to Westminster Business School and our award-winning Architecture, Planning and Tourism courses. For more details, visit our Marylebone Campus page.
Westminster Business School
Based in the heart of London's political, media and financial services, Westminster Business School has excellent industry links and a strong commitment to social enterprise.
Our courses are accredited by professional bodies including the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Our practical teaching relates learning to the real world, and we develop graduates who are ready to respond to contemporary business challenges.
Contact us
Call our dedicated team on:
+44 (0)20 7911 5000 ext 65511
Opening hours (GMT): 10am–4pm Monday to Friday
Opening hours (GMT): 10am–4pm Monday to Friday
More information
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