MSc in Digital Marketing
Academic City, United Arab Emirates
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
AED 78,750 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* rolling admission
** all tuition fees inclusive of VAT
Key Summary
Overview
Our MSc in Digital Marketing enables students to transition to a digital marketing career by combining an accelerated introduction to marketing with a detailed consideration of digital marketing concepts and techniques.
There are eight taught courses (divided equally over two semesters) and a digital marketing dissertation in semester 3. Part-time students register for 2 courses per semester and progress to the dissertation at the end of the second year. Assessment is specifically designed to develop professional career readiness and include collaborative projects with industry partners.
There are two sets of mandatory courses. The first set provides the foundations of digital marketing (Digital Customer Experience and Digital Marketing Analytics). The second set delivers core marketing knowledge (International Strategic Marketing, Contemporary Consumer Behaviour, Branding and Communications and Research Philosophy and Practice).
You can customise your degree to match your interests or career pathway by selecting two-course options, one each semester. Courses reflect digital marketing skills (social media management, database design, website development) and digital management competencies (strategy, entrepreneurship, consumer psychology, legal aspects, project management).
In Semester 3 the digital marketing dissertation is the capstone course where students 'deep-dive' into their chosen area of digital marketing. Students will demonstrate their mastery of the subject area by developing new insight from analysis of valuable primary research.
The MSc in Digital Marketing forms part of a suite of specialist programmes at Heriot Watt University designed to meet the demands of the growing digital economy. The 'digital ready' masters programmes include MSc Digital Leadership, MSc Managing Innovation, MSc Information Technology (Business), MSc Business Information Management, and MSc Business Analytics and Consultancy.
Students will learn to respond to changing customer attitudes, receive tips on making meaningful connections and be trained to be successful marketers in a rapidly changing environment. The programme also focuses on training students to use a range of digital tools that prepare them to better interact with consumers and stakeholders.
Accreditation
The MSc is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) within the Graduate Gateway programmes. This provides graduates with a credit for prior learning upon completion of their degree or the choice of self-study for a CIM qualification during their programme of study. This would require registration one additional CIM training course to gain a CIM certificate or two additional courses to gain a CIM diploma.
Specialist mandatory courses
Semester 1
Digital Customer Experience
Each online interaction between the customer and the organisation combines to form the overall digital customer experience. This course examines the components that form the basis of digital customer experience management. Upon completion, students will understand the customer journey, recognise the role of customer insight, understand omnichannel marketing strategy and be aware of legal and ethical issues. The course provides knowledge that underpins Chartered Institute of Marketing accreditation.
Semester 2
Digital Marketing Analytics
Digital analytics is the collection, measurement, analysis, visualisation, and interpretation of digital data illustrating user behaviour on social media, websites, mobile sites and mobile applications. Understanding digital analytics enables marketing managers to understand how their digital activities are being accessed and used. Students will develop an understanding of the theory and foundations of digital marketing analytics and gain experience of evaluating content marketing plans. Upon completion, students gain industry recognised certification, for example, Google Analytics for Beginners. The course provides knowledge that underpins Chartered Institute of Marketing accreditation.
Within the degree programme, there are six mandatory courses, two options and the mandatory capstone digital marketing dissertation.
Course Content
Semester 1 (September - December)
Mandatory courses
- International Strategic Marketing
- Contemporary Consumers
- Digital Customer Experience
Optional Courses (Choose one)
- Strategic Innovation Management
- Entrepreneurship and Creativity
- Contemporary Business Technology
- Databases and Information Systems
Semester 2 (January - April)
Mandatory courses
- Branding and Communications
- Digital Marketing Analytics
- Research Philosophy and Practice
Optional Courses (Choose one)
- The Legal Context of Marketing
- Project Management
- Social Media Marketing
- Psychology for Marketing
- e-Commerce Technology
Semester 3 (May-Aug)
- Digital Marketing Dissertation
Digital Marketing mandatory courses - in detail
Digital Customer Experience
This course explores the customer journey and teaches you to recognise the role of customer insight, understand omnichannel marketing strategy and be aware of legal and ethical issues.
Digital Marketing Analytics
On this course, you will develop an understanding of the theory and foundations of digital marketing analytics and gain practical experience in evaluating content marketing plans.
Digital Marketing Skills course options
Social Media Marketing
This course provides an understanding of theories and applications of social media marketing alongside a critical evaluation of the social, cultural and technological impact of social media technologies upon consumer behaviour and the business environment.
Databases and Information Systems
This course provides students with both practical experience and a critical understanding of the processes and methodologies required for the specification and construction of database and information systems and the inter-relationship between these systems.
e-Commerce Technology
On this course, you will gain a critical understanding of different types of e-Commerce business and revenue models and business systems. You will also gain practical knowledge of the use of web-related technologies for e-Commerce.
Foundational Marketing mandatory courses
International Strategic Marketing
This course identifies choices in marketing strategies for local and international brands, focusing on operating a global business.
Contemporary Consumers
On this course you will learn about the conceptual, theoretical and practical approaches to studying consumer behaviour.
Branding and Communications
This course helps you to master the key principles of brand management by learning how integrated marketing communications create a valuable brand with strong, effective messaging.
Research Philosophy and Practice
This course provides training in a range of research skills that prepares you for the dissertation project and provides the foundation for roles in market insight and business consultancy.
Digital Management Competencies course options
Strategic Innovation Management
On this course, you will discuss different scenarios for innovating and relate them to business issues and consumer/technology trends in a way that deepens your understanding of the modern business context.
Entrepreneurship and Creativity
This course provides an understanding of the nature and value of entrepreneurship in economies and encourages thinking about ideas including ideas development and refinement, considerations of the commercial world, creativity and innovation.
Contemporary Business Technology
This course examines the relationships between evolving and developing markets, products and technologies.
The Legal Context of Marketing
This course provides you with an in-depth and extensive knowledge of the regulatory framework governing aspects of marketing and marketing communication at a domestic and international level.
Psychology for Marketing
This course introduces the foundational psychological theory and applies these approaches to different stages of the consumption process.
Project Management
This course provides an appreciation of required professional project manager knowledge and skills and develops competence in using a generic set of quantitative and qualitative project planning tools and techniques.
Dissertation Project
Over the summer the master’s dissertation enables you to deepen your knowledge of digital marketing through research into a topic of your choice. You will gather and analyse data from companies or consumers which directly relates to your ambitions and interests.
Examples of topics within this discipline are:
- The impact of reviews and ratings on purchase amongst French and UK Airbnb customers
- Perceptions of international marketers of the effectiveness of Twitter Chat for branding
- International differences in online advertising trust: UK and China
- Strategy in crisis: Developing a Fairtrade organisation’s e-commerce strategy during Covid-19
- The impact of Influencer Marketing on Millennial Purchase Decision Making Towards Fashion Apparel: A Comparative Study between UK and Malaysia
An MSc with industry demand
Digital Marketing MSc graduates will enter a job market with a growing choice of specialist digital marketing roles, that provide job mobility and good promotion prospects. Reports identify that, during COVID-19 lockdown, digital skills enabled many businesses to continue operating and boosted online consumption behaviour. When there is a turbulent business environment, organisations need to fill managerial roles with candidates who have advanced problem solving and critical thinking abilities – skills that masters-level study develops and test.
Heriot-Watt is a global university and classes are shared with students from a range of MSc programmes and nationalities providing opportunities for professional networking that will be of benefit in professional life. Students gain experience in online collaborative working, business presentation creation, report writing and business research techniques. Students also can become involved in the Heriot-Watt Marketing Society, a student-run society which hosts speakers from industry and organises social events.
The MSc is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) within the Graduate Gateway programmes. This provides graduates with credit for prior learning upon completion of their degree or the choice of self-study for a CIM qualification during their programme of study. This would require registration on one additional CIM training course to gain a CIM certificate or two additional courses to gain a CIM diploma.