MSc

Strategic and Digital Marketing

MSc Strategic and Digital Marketing at the University of South Wales helps you turn your ambition into impact, with live briefs, real industry collaboration and the strategic, digital and AI-driven skills to lead bold brands in today’s fast-moving global marketplace.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Cardiff

  • Campus Code

    B

Fees

  • Home students

    £11,060*

  • International students

    £17,900*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
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Think critically, innovate, and build your confidence in applying AI-driven marketing strategies to real work-based challenges, grounded in core studies of sustainable marketing and experiential marketing design.

DESIGNED FOR

MSc Strategic and Digital Marketing is for graduates and professionals looking to progress or transition into marketing, this course attracts applicants from business, communications, creative, IT and related fields, alongside those with relevant experience. Ideal for ambitious individuals, it builds strategic, digital and AI-driven skills to accelerate progression into leadership-focused marketing roles.

Accredited by

  • Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
  • Institute of Data and Marketing (IDM) (the professional training arm of the DMA)
  • Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) 

Career Paths

  • Marketing Executive or Marketing Manager 
  • Social Media Manager
  • Public Relations Manager
  • Content Creation Specialist
  • PPC Executive 

Skills taught

  • Insight led Strategy and Planning
  • Leadership and Management of self, work and other  
  • Brand and crisis management
  • Analysis and evidence-based decision making
  • Campaign planning, management and measurement. 

We make a difference in practice, not just on paper. Our courses are designed by people who offer jobs - and taught by people who have real work experience.

Undergraduate marketing student Chloe Buckley student smiles widely while using their laptop and sat at a desk in the Postgraduate Centre at USW Treforest
Exterior view of the University's Cardiff Campus.
A student smiles while sat at and leaning on a desk in the Postgraduate Centre at USW Treforest

Course Highlights

Professionally recognised

Accredited by CIM and the IDM (the professional training arm of the DMA), and aligned with PRCA standards, this programme delivers industry-recognised knowledge and professional competencies employers value and trust.

Real-world, practice-led learning

Work on live briefs, simulations and consultancy-style projects that reflect the pace and expectations of modern marketing practice.

Real-world, practice-led learning

Work on live briefs, simulations and consultancy-style projects that reflect the pace and expectations of modern marketing practice.

Shape your specialism

Tailor your degree by specialising in AI analytics, sustainable and circular marketing, or experiential marketing and design.

Graduate with a portfolio, not just a degree

Leave with a professional portfolio that showcases your strategy, creativity and leadership, ready to show employers exactly what you can do.

Module Overview

Across the year, you’ll develop advanced strategic thinking, digital skills and knowledge and leadership skills through live industry projects and hands-on learning, building the confidence and practical experience to succeed in modern marketing environments.

Marketing Leadership and Professional Growth 
Build the mindset and skills to lead effectively in modern marketing environments. Strengthen your leadership and self-management capability, complete a structured skills audit, and create a personalised development plan supported by a professional portfolio evidencing your growth. 

Insight-led Marketing Strategy 
Turn insight into strategy. Analyse consumer, market and organisational data, apply behavioural thinking, and create evidence-based marketing strategies that deliver value and build sustainable competitive advantage in fast-moving, complex markets. 

Audience Insights and Storytelling 
Explore what drives audience behaviour through consumer psychology and applied research. Use insight to shape compelling stories and meaningful experiences across digital and physical channels, engaging and influencing audiences in a dynamic communication landscape. 

Brand Management in the Age of Uncertainty 
Learn how to build strong brands in fast-changing and uncertain markets. Create integrated campaigns, plan effective crisis responses and embed sustainability into your strategy to build trust, resilience and long-term brand value. 

AI Analytics and Smart Campaigns (Option 1) 
Discover how AI and data analytics are reshaping marketing strategy. Gain hands-on experience with analytical tools, turn data into actionable insight, and design ethical, data-driven campaigns that improve customer engagement and business performance in a digital world. 

Sustainable Futures and the Circular Economy (Option 2) 
Evaluate how sustainability and innovation are transforming marketing in a global economy. Apply circular economy principles, assess environmental and social challenges, and develop responsible strategies that deliver commercial success while creating long-term positive impact. 

Experiential Marketing and Design (Option 3) 
Explore how strategy and design thinking combine to create powerful brand experiences. Design immersive physical, digital and hybrid interactions, apply sustainability principles, and develop innovative experiential marketing strategies that deliver emotional impact, social value and commercial results. 

The Portfolio 
As the final core module, you will combine your learning into a digital professional portfolio designed to strengthen your market profile. Your portfolio will showcase your strategic thinking, innovation and professional credibility with confidence to recruiters, employers and industry stakeholders. 

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

Learn through structured seminars and workshops that build your professional skills and reflect real industry conditions. Work on industry co-designed projects that connect you directly to current marketing practice. Use a blend of digital, physical and experiential learning resources, with inclusive teaching approaches that support different learning styles and help you perform at your best.

How you'll be assessed

You will complete professionally aligned assessments that reflect real marketing practice, delivering integrated projects such as strategic plans with presentations or reports with reflective commentary. Balance collaborative work with clear individual accountability, evidencing your contribution through individual outputs alongside group work.

Facilities

Studying at our Cardiff campus, you will enjoy modern, thoughtfully designed spaces that balance learning and socialising, right in the heart of the city. 

You will have opportunities to collaborate with top employers across South Wales and use the latest industry standard tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Hootsuite in professional grade facilities. 

Our Hydra simulation suite at the Newport and Glyntaff campus lets you experience real world crisis management through simulated scenarios, bringing your learning to life. 

With dedicated support for academic skills, digital literacy, and career development, you will have everything you need to connect, create, and succeed while studying in a dynamic, career focused environment.

Accredited By

*subject to re-accreditation

Careers and Employability

Graduate Careers

Our graduates build careers across agencies, government, finance, technology and the creative industries, or launch their own ventures. You could move into digital marketing, brand management, content or communications roles. Alumni work with organisations including the Welsh Government, Football Association Wales and the Royal Mint, supported by strong industry networks and professional body connections.

Careers support

You’ll be supported throughout your studies and beyond by dedicated careers advisers with experience in strategic and digital marketing. You’ll have access to one-to-one guidance, CV and portfolio support, interview preparation, career assessments, and an employer database of over 2,000 organisations, plus regular job alerts.

Industry partners

Past industry partners have included the Football Association of Wales, Welsh Cycling, Newport Business Club and Starling Bank who have provided live briefs and networking opportunities. You’ll also benefit from practitioners and guest speakers such as Luan Wise and collaborate with innovative start-up like Amotio, gaining real-world insight across sport, media, business and technology sectors.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

A minimum UK 2:2 Honours degree or recognised international equivalent qualification. Applicants with relevant industry experience will be considered on an individual basis.

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 4 overall and a minimum of 4 in each component or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£11,060

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£17,900

per year*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Busaries Alumni Discount

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

*Obligatory

Students will be required to contribute to the costs of field trips.

Cost: Up to £100

Cost: Up to £204

Students are encouraged to undertake a period of work placement. Students undertaking placement may incur costs associated with travel and expected workplace attire will vary according to the placement. However, they are not guaranteed and are determined by supply, timing and suitability.

Texts and online resources are available from the library, but students may wish to purchase their own copies.

Cost: £50

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Studying at USW

Our courses are designed with industry leaders and provide the practical skills and experiences industry demands. Our flexible courses reflect the need for life-long learning. If you value education in practice, not just in theory, then USW is for you.

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Postgraduate fees and funding
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Cardiff Campus
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How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).

International admissions

Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

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Next Steps

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