Careers Brief - Marketing FdA
Overview
The Foundation degree in Marketing offers opportunities for progression onto Honours degree programmes 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 industrial 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 Resources links below for job profiles and further information.
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 main Job Applications and Job Search sections of this Careers Guide.
Further Study
Shortened Top-up degrees are designed as a progression from a Foundation degree to Honours degree. You can also continue into a third year industrial placement or final year of a degree course with similar content. Entry point would depend on your grades, experience and overlap between courses.
Use the Links on the HE Home page for information on the BA (Hons) Marketing degree, BA (Hons) International Leisure Marketing (Top-up), BA (Hons) International Retail Marketing (Top-up) and other related degree programmes at Bournemouth University.
Institutions offering top-up degrees with marketing:
Bradford College (Associate of Leeds Metropolitan University); University of Brighton; University of Central England in Birmingham; University of Greenwich; Harper Adams University College; University of Huddersfield; Kingston University; Leeds Metropolitan University;
Manchester Metropolitan University; Newcastle College; New College Nottingham; University of Northampton; Nottingham Trent University; Southampton Solent University; Staffordshire University; University of Sunderland; University of Teesside; West Herts College (Associate of University of Hertfordshire); University of Worcester.
Use www.ucas.com/search (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK) to find out relevant courses. 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? Use the website www.aimhigher.ac.uk for information on student support.
Go to the main section on Further Study of this Guide for more information and help.
Resources
www.prospects.ac.uk
Graduate Prospects is the national careers/employment website for higher education students in the UK:
- Drop down 'Careers advice' and click on 'Use your qualification' for 'Your Foundation degree...what next?'
- Drop down 'Communities' and click on 'What jobs would suit me?' for Prospects Planner
www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles
Learn Direct - national learning advice
www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u
Jobs4U Careers Database - click on 'Job Families & Articles'
http://targetjobs.co.uk
GTI (publisher) graduate jobs and careers
www.get.hobsons.co.uk
Hobsons (publisher) Graduate Employment and Training
jobseekers.direct.gov.uk
Careers database and links to jobs nationally. Search by either clicking on 'careers' and 'choosing a category' or typing in job title.
www.think-direct.com
Institute of Direct Marketing careers site for graduates and students
www.mrs.org.uk/careers/career.htm
Market Research Society
www.aqr.org.uk
Association for Qualitative Research - click on 'JOBS' for 'Graduate pack'
www.cim.co.uk
Chartered Institute of Marketing
www.ismm.co.uk
The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management
www.ipr.org.uk
Chartered Institute of Public Relations
www.adassoc.org.uk
Advertising Association
www.marketinghandbook.co.uk
Marketing Handbook - sales & marketing services guide online
