MSc Digital Marketing with Extended Professional Practice

University of Hertfordshire

The module is designed to support postgraduate students in their search for work placements and their applications. Students are given an overview of the employment market, and information on what employers will be looking for when selecting. During their study, students will analyse current recruitment and selection methods used, and the module provides students with support to prepare for these.

Undertaking a sandwich placement provides students with the opportunity to set their academic studies in a broader context. It also provides an opportunity to gain practical experience of the professional workplace, and to strengthen key employability skills. The Work Placement Portfolio module requires students to reflect on the learning gained throughout their placement, both in relation to their personal development, and their learning from their programme of study.

Undertaking a placement year provides students with the opportunity to set their academic studies in a broader context, to gain practical experience of the workplace, and to strengthen key employability skills. The Professional Work Placement module provides opportunities for students to reflect on the learning gained throughout their placement, and to prepare themselves for articulating their experiences and enhanced skills when applying for future employment.

This module aims to equip you with a critical understanding of the rapidly evolving field of digital marketing and its strategic integration into global marketing planning. You will explore how data, technology, and consumer insight shape digital marketing strategy and performance across diverse markets. Emphasis is placed on developing your ability to design, implement, and evaluate data-driven, ethical, and culturally sensitive digital marketing strategies that drive engagement, value, and sustainable business growth in a global context.

On this module you will learn about the psychological, social, and cultural drivers of consumer behaviour, while also exploring how data and analytics are used to understand and predict consumer actions. You will gain a deeper understanding about how consumers make decisions, form attitudes, and respond to digital marketing stimuli, and how marketers, in response, use behavioural insights and analytical tools to craft effective strategies.

This module develops your ability to design and implement creative digital communications strategies that are both creatively driven and strategically informed. Grounded in established theoretical frameworks, the module fosters critical analysis and decision-making in digital contexts. You will learn to integrate artificial intelligence with content marketing, social media, and the strategic management of paid, owned, and earned media. You will explore the dynamic role of storytelling, social media ecosystems, and online communities in shaping brand–consumer relationships and integrated media practices.

On this module, you will undertake an independent study by critically examining and applying various research methods integrated with relevant digital marketing frameworks. The module fosters critical thinking and creativity and you will write and present from the perspective of a marketing professional, to create an applied and integrative report. You will carry out an independent research on a complex digital marketing problem by exercising analysis and judgement in the selection of relevant data, interpretation and synthesis of findings to make appropriate recommendations for implementation.

Success at university requires a full understanding of institutional expectations as well as the development of key academic, personal and professional skills needed to enable students to fulfil their potential. This module will provide a structured step-by-step guide along the student journey to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to best achieve their goals. Using engaging and interactive content, this module aims to provide students with all the tools and a strong foundation upon which to build successful academic and professional experiences.

This module will immerse you in emerging, disruptive, and future-facing developments that are reshaping the marketing landscape and global economies. You will study how value is created and exchanged in a digital-first world and develop the strategic competence by fostering critical awareness of technological innovation as a driver of marketing transformation. You will explore various trends, such as AI and Automation, Metaverse & Web3, VR/AR, Blockchain, Digital Trust, Cybersecurity, Human & Machine Creativity and Innovation, Experimental and Agile Marketing, Digital Biometrics and Emotion AI.