BA(Hons) Marketing (with Foundation Year)
Page last updated 1 May 2025
This course is open for applications
Introduction
BA(Hons) Marketing is a flexible, practice-focused course enabling you to develop marketing and business knowledge and skills, so you'll graduate 'career ready' for a range of marketing roles.
Accreditations and partnerships:
Why study marketing?
In an ever-evolving global environment, marketing is vital for organisations to communicate about their brand values, products, and/or services. It offers creative and exciting career opportunities across multiple sectors.
Why UWE Bristol?
BA(Hons) Marketing is a flexible, practice-focused course enabling you to develop marketing and business knowledge, so you'll graduate 'career ready' for a range of marketing roles.
You'll learn about communication, understanding consumers, and co-ordinating and managing marketing based projects from start to end in line with targets. Plus, you'll study specialist marketing modules in the key areas of contemporary marketing, learn how to create a brand, undertake market research, and respond to briefs. You'll take part in fieldwork, pitches, and industry guest lectures all to enrich your learning experience and take advantage of the many networking opportunities.
You'll develop a diverse skillset including technical competencies, digital literacy, critical thinking, ethical values, entrepreneurial and communication skills. You'll graduate ready to embrace the emerging technologies and artificial intelligence that are rapidly transforming modern business and understand the importance of ethical and sustainable practices in shaping a more sustainable future.
We encourage you to take a sandwich placement after your second year, either in the UK or abroad, as this is a valuable opportunity to gain real-world experience to enhance your employability. Our students have secured placement roles with wide range of companies including Aon, Airbus, British Airways, Disney, Hays Recruitment, and L'Occitane, to name just a few. Previous placement roles have included working as a marketing assistant, marketing executive, account executive, social media strategist, plus many more across various sectors in the UK and some have chosen placements in USA and Australia.
Where can it take me?
Our students have secured roles with companies including the BBC, Deloitte LLP, JCB, plus a range of SMEs, working in roles such as marketing executive, marketing manager, social media manager, marketing communications manager, and more. You could work across a range of sectors from business, charity, social enterprise, or government.
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Content
The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.
Year zero (foundation year)
All foundation year students in Bristol Business School study together on 'Year Zero' and take the below compulsory modules, which includes an introduction to university-level academic and study skills. This will ensure that you have the necessary grounding, enabling you to develop a range of perspectives and skills that will enrich your learning at Year one and beyond.
You'll study:
- Foundational Concepts in Business and Law
- Foundations in Professional and Personal Development Planning.
You normally need to pass your foundation year before going into Year one.
Year one
You'll study:
- Entrepreneurial Decision Making for Marketing and Events
- Management and Organisation Behaviour
- Marketing Trends in Global Economies
- Professional Knowledge: Marketing Principles
- Using Financial Information for Marketing.
Year two
You'll study:
- Consumer Behaviour
- Creative Marketing Communications
- Managing People for Marketing Professionals
- Professional Skills: Applied Market Research
- Strategy, Innovation, and Operations for Marketing.
Placement year (if applicable)
If you study on the four year (sandwich) course, you'll spend a year away from the University on a work placement or study year abroad after year two.
You'll complete the Practice Based Learning or Study Year Abroad Learning module, as appropriate.
See the Placements and Fees sections for more information.
Final year
You'll study:
- Professional Development: Creating New Products
- Socially Responsible Marketing Practice.
Plus, one optional module from:
- Agency Insights: Pitch Perfect
- Marketing in a Digital World.
Plus, one optional module from:
- Brand Evolution: Identity, values and market edge
- Corporate Connections: Succeeding in B2B Marketing
- Project Management with Data Analytics.
Plus, one optional module from:
- Cross Cultural Learning*
- Work Based Learning.*
*These modules are not available to study if you complete the sandwich year.
The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we'll inform you.
Learning and Teaching
Learning and teaching on this course emphasises active participation and learning by doing, supporting you to gradually become more independent in your learning as you progress through the course. Each module is inspired and informed by a learning and teaching approach that enables you to prepare for and participate in your classes and practise your skills.
You'll prepare by engaging with suggested materials, such as pre-recorded lectures, to gain background knowledge. This will support you to participate in timetabled interactive sessions, applying your knowledge to develop your understanding and skills. Finally, you'll practise applying your knowledge to real-world business challenges.
Learn through a mixture of lectures, tutorials, and workshops, involving both individual and group work. You'll explore a variety of course materials and activities, such as case studies, live briefs, portfolios, pitches, presentations, online exercises, and simulations. You'll also interact with guest practitioners and speakers and undertake field visits.
See our glossary of learning and teaching terms.
Study time
In a typical week, you could expect to be timetabled with academic staff for an average of 12 hours. You'll also engage with a range of additional academic and professional development activities, and work on practice and assessment tasks through independent self-study for 28 hours per week on average.
The balance between taught sessions and independent study hours may vary between modules and at points across the academic years. This enables both the development of new skills, concepts, and knowledge and to facilitate the space to produce assessment tasks.
Assessment
Our assessment strategy focuses on developing subject knowledge, practical skills, and professional attributes within key business environments, including your chosen area of specialism. The scaffolded structure ensures your assessments progressively challenge you as you advance through each year of the course.
You'll be assessed through a broad range of methods, such as written assignments, presentations and posters, projects, case studies, reports, examinations and set exercises.
Throughout the course, you'll also complete a professional practice portfolio of evidence, alongside a reflective workbook to document your own personal development. Your portfolio will demonstrate that you have developed the required professional skills and attributes for a career in business.
In your professional practice modules, you'll be encouraged to engage in collaborative learning and contribute to group tasks as part of your assessments. These modules will include support through mentor groups to facilitate your collaborative learning.
Learn more about assessments.
Features
Professional accreditation
This course is accredited by by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).
Placements
You'll have an opportunity to undertake a placement on your course to gain real-world experience to increase your employability. We have a strong, growing network of placement organisations to offer placement experience. Past students have secured placements with companies including Aon, Airbus, British Airways, Disney, Hays Recruitment, and L'Occitane, plus a range of SMEs.
Study year abroad
You'll also have opportunities tostudy overseason courses that are taught in English and relevant to your degree. The study year abroad isn't a paid placement, and selection is through a competitive process. You'll be supported by our Study Year Abroad team and tutor to get the most from your experience.
You'll be supported during your sandwich year by the placements team and Global Centre at UWE Bristol to get the most from your experience.
Study facilities
The Bristol Business School School has modern facilities in its £55 million building, including financial trading rooms.
The course collaborates with the University Future Space at Frenchay Campus, which provides growth space for start-ups in robotics, biosciences, and biomedicine.
The Business School building features learning spaces for individual and group study, conference rooms, and collaboration areas for students and business.
Our specialist library and learning hub supports you with vast collections, workshops, and study skills resources.
The library and Business School offer group study spaces, access to books, press, journals, and databases.
Take a personalised virtual tour of the Marketing facilities and experience what a typical day could look like here for you.
Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources.
Life
Accommodation
An excellent range of options for all of the Bristol campuses and the city centre.
Bristol
A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.
Sports, societies and activities
There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.
Health and Wellbeing
We provide support in the way you need it.
Campus and facilities
Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.
Careers
Careers / Further study
Our students have secured roles with companies including the BBC, Deloitte LLP, JCB, as well a range of SMEs. Previous graduates have secured roles as marketing executive, marketing manager, account executive, social media manager, marketing communications manager, campaign executive, and more. You could work across a range of sectors from business, charity, social enterprise, or government.
Get inspired
Our award-winning Careers Service helps you develop your employment potential through career coaching, a vacancy service for internships, placements, jobs, global opportunities, volunteering and community activity plus support for entrepreneurial activity, and access to employer events.
Learn more about our graduate destinations.
Fees
Full-time; Sandwich
Indicative Additional Costs
Supplementary fee information
Your overall entitlement to funding is based on how long the course is that you're registered on. Standard funding is allocated based on the standard number of years that your course lasts, plus one additional year.
You'll apply for funding each year that you study and Student Finance will take into account how long the course is in each year that you apply. So if you register for the five year course and then transfer to the four year course, the number of years you can apply for funding will change. Student Finance will reassess your funding based on how many years you have been in study, not just those years for which you received student finance.
Always seek advice before taking any action that may have implications for your funding.
Additional costs
This refers to items you could need during your studies that aren't covered by the standard tuition fee. These could be materials, textbooks, travel, clothing, software or printing.
Entry
Typical offers
You will need to meet the following Level 2 requirements:
- GCSE: Grade C/4 in English and Mathematics, or equivalent.
In addition to the above Level 2 qualifications, you'll need to achieve the published tariff points from your Level 3 studies prior to entry. Below is an indicative list of the main qualification types. However, we will consider any Level 3 qualifications towards meeting our entry requirements.
- Tariff points: 48
- Contextual tariff: See our contextual offers page.
- English Language Requirement:
International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you'll need in our English Language section. Please visit our English language requirements page. - A-level subjects: No specific subjects required.
- EDEXCEL (BTEC) Diploma: No specific subjects required.
For information on required Guided Learning Hours please see our minimum entry requirements page.
- Access: No specific subjects required.
- Baccalaureate IB: No specific subjects required. We accept the IB Career-related Programme in conjunction with other Level 3 qualifications.
- Irish Highers: No specific subjects required.
- T Levels: No specific subjects required.
Entry requirements
If you exceed the entry requirements you may be eligible for BA(Hons) Marketing.
International applicants
If you are an international student your recommended route of study for this degree is through our International College, which upon successful completion to the required level and with good attendance, guarantees entry to Year one of the degree.
Read more about entry requirements.
How to apply
Read more about undergraduate applications.
For further information
- Email:
UK applicants
Admissions@uwe.ac.ukInternational/EU applicants
International@uwe.ac.uk - Telephone:
UK applicants
+44 (0)117 32 83333International/EU applicants
+44 (0)117 32 86644