Careers Brief - Marketing FdA

Overview

The Foundation degree in Marketing offers you the opportunity for progression onto an Honours degree programme and direct job entry, although the advantages of being an Honours graduate can be significant.

Success in your course will have given you the knowledge and skills for a variety of career opportunities in business and marketing, as well as being of value for most careers. You will have demonstrated key transferable skills and competencies in demand by employers, such as team working, written and verbal communication, problem solving, IT, numeracy and time management. You can further your prospects by gaining appropriate level work experience (or work placement).

Most organisations need to publicise and promote their activities, in order to attract users or customers. This creates marketing opportunities across all industry sectors, commerce and public sector, both large and small organisations and consultancies.

A career in marketing incorporates the related fields of advertising, direct marketing, market research, promotion and public relations. Job titles include: account executive; marketing executive; market researcher/analyst; sales promotion account executive; media analyst; publicity/PR agent; sales advisor/consultant; export manager; appeals organiser; advertising manager.

Use the website links below to find out more.

You should be aware that many of the multinational companies start recruiting Honours graduate trainees from the Autumn Term of the final year. If you plan to continue onto one-year Top-up Honours degree courses, you should be prepared for job-hunting before you start your final year.

Go to the Job Applications section of this Careers Guide for help and advice.

Further Study

You will be able to apply for a Top-up degree. Top-up degrees are designed as a direct progression from a Foundation degree to achieve an Ordinary or Honours degree.

Alternatively, you could transfer into a related Honours degree. Entry point would depend on your grades, experience and overlap between courses but could be into the final year.

Use the Links on the HE Home page for information on the BA (Hons) Marketing degree, BA (Hons) International Leisure Marketing Top-up degree, BA (Hons) International Retail Marketing Top-up degree and other courses at Bournemouth University (click on sub-heading 'Courses').

Other institutions offering Top-ups with marketing, include:

Birmingham City University; University of Bolton; Bradford College; Harper Adams University College; University of Hertfordshire; University of Huddersfield;

University of Lincoln; Manchester Metropolitan University; Nottingham Trent University; Northumbria University; Southampton Solent University; Staffordshire University; University of Sunderland; Teeside University; University of Worcester.

To search for degree courses go to www.ucas.com/ (UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK). Use the university/college links for course details.

You will need to use UCAS to apply for courses. Contact the Course Tutor of your chosen course to find out your position, before you make your formal application.

Find out how much this will cost you. Where is the funding coming from? Go to the university/college website for information on costs and finance and to www.direct.gov.uk/uni/ for additional help with student support.

With a good Honours degree (First or 2.1), you could progress onto an appropriate higher level Masters and/or PhD doctorate. This could be to develop your area of study to a more in-depth practical and/or academic level or to gain other specialist training.

For information on all postgraduate courses and research, go to the national online directory at www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pgstudy/ .

Go to the main section on Further Study of this Careers Guide for additional help.

Resources

www.prospects.ac.uk/

Graduate Prospects - online national careers service for HE students studying in the UK:

Drop down 'Careers advice' and click on 'Use your qualification' for 'Your Foundation degree...what next?'
Drop down 'Sectors' and click on 'Marketing, advertising & PR'
Drop down ''Jobs & work' and click on 'What jobs would suit me?' for Prospects Planner

http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/

Careers Advice Service

www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u

Jobs4U Careers Database - click on sub-heading 'Job Families & Articles'

http://targetjobs.co.uk/

GTI publication for graduate jobs and careers intelligence - go to sub-headings 'Career sectors' + 'Careers advice'

www.get.hobsons.co.uk/advice/

Hobsons/GTI graduate careers publication - Careers advice section

http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/

Careers database and links to jobs nationally. Search by either clicking on side-heading 'Careers' and choose a category or type in job title.

www.urthebrand.co.uk/

Student site for direct, data and digital marketing - go to 'Want a job?'