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 range of careers 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. Key personal skills such as: interpersonal social skills, 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 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 career 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.
Go to the website links below to find out more.
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 a one-year top-up honours degree or final year honours degree, 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, though entry may be selective.
Alternatively, you could transfer onto a related Honours degree. Entry point would depend on your grades, experience and overlap between courses but could be the final year.
Go to http://onlineservices.bournemouth.ac.uk/courses/ for information on the BA (Hons) Marketing Top-up and other courses at Bournemouth University.
Other institutions offering Top-ups with 'marketing' include:
Birmingham City University; University of Bolton; Bradford College; University of Brighton; University of Hertfordshire; University of Huddersfield; Manchester Metropolitan University;
University of Northampton; Northumbria University; Nottingham Trent University; Southampton Solent University; University of Sunderland; University of Worcester.
To search 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 may 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 postgraduate study and finance, go to the national online directory at www.prospects.ac.uk/study.htm .
Go to the main section on Further Study of this Careers Guide for additional help.
Useful Links
www.prospects.ac.uk/starting_out.htm
Graduate Prospects - national careers website for HE students studying in the UK:
Drop down 'Job sectors' and click on 'Marketing, advertising and PR'
Drop down ''Jobs' and click on 'What jobs would suit me?' to use Prospects Planner
http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/
Government Careers Advice service
www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u
Jobs4U Careers Database - click on sub-heading 'Job Families & Articles'
GTI Media publication for graduate jobs and careers advice - click on sub-heading 'careers advice'
GTI Media graduate careers publication - Advice by graduate career area
http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/
Government Careers database and links to jobs nationally. Search by either clicking on side-heading 'Careers' and choose a category or type in job title.
The Institute of Direct Marketing
Student site for direct, database and digital marketing - click on sub-heading 'Want a job?'
www.mrs.org.uk/careers/career.htm
Market Research Society - careers section
The Association for Qualitative Research - click on sub-heading 'Jobs' for 'Graduate Pack'
The Chartered Institute of Marketing
The Institute of Sales & Marketing Management
The Institute of Direct Marketing
Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Creative Choices - click on left button 'Advertising'
The Advertising Association
Hollis PR - the PR Industry website for PR consultancies
www.marketingmanagerinfo.co.uk/
Marketing handbook
The Direct Marketing Association
Go to the Job Applications section of this Careers Guide for additional help and advice with making applications.
