Business and Marketing Management BA (Hons)

Experience a field that now, more than ever, impacts upon everyone’s lives. Gain the specialist skills and knowledge to prepare yourself for an exciting career in marketing. Graduate ready for the industry with this professionally accredited course.

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Overview

BA (Hons) Business and Marketing Management forms part of our suite of business courses. Compared to the core Business and Management course, it has a greater focus on skills and knowledge related to marketing, including marketing management, planning and strategy, marketing communications, consumer behaviour, and internet marketing. The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and gives you exemption from its first two levels of study and certain modules at the Professional Diploma level. This course allows for a focus on current trends in business and marketing.

CIM Accredited Degree logo

The course focuses on professional and personal development from a range of perspectives addressing elements of ethical, sustainable, responsible, and digital business practices. In addition, experiential learning elements throughout the course will be shaped by industry and learning will be enhanced through the digital and technological approaches.

The course has a range of employability modules across all years which help you strengthen the six key attributes of being capable, enquiring, creative, enterprising, ethical, and global in outlook.

Why us?

We've been shortlisted for Business School of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards 2024
Our Marketing courses are 2nd in the UK for student satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)
We have close links to industry with opportunities for real-life experiences through the Sunderland Marketing Hub
Every module has a link to industry so that you can apply your learning in authentic business scenarios
Cutting-edge topics are covered such as issues around sustainability in business and digital aspects of business in the 21^st century workplace

Our Business and Management courses are 1st in the North East for course satisfaction and teaching satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2024)
Accredited by The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
A strongly vocational course with employability as a key focus with a mix of academic discussion and real-world case studies to expand critical thought and discussion
Course content has been carefully designed with students and employers to enhance your employability

Our partners, accreditations and networks

Course structure

Throughout the course, the focus is on innovative teaching and learning by doing and reflecting. One technique is problem-based learning, where you work within a small team to explore issues or decide how to manage a situation. This helps you to dissect, challenge, and debate issues. Other learning techniques include company visits, guest speakers, and cutting-edge e-learning technologies. These are in addition to a combination of lectures, seminars, debates, tutorials, and workshops.

Our assessment methods often include coursework and are designed to help consolidate learning. Other methods include assessed case studies and business simulations, presentations, reports, essays, tests, and time-constrained assessments.

Course modules

Year 1 (national level 4):

Business Organisations and Society (30 credits)

Take an in-depth look at the influence of digital technology on ways of working. Put a specific focus on ‘Place’ and Society in an international, national and local context. Develop a global perspective on the influence of technologies on working practices and employee behaviour considering historical, ethical, cultural and societal trends.

Business Management Skills Development (30 credits)

Develop a selection of transferable employability skills through a diverse range of experiences. Examine the importance of developing your own professional identity. Place this identity in the context of changing, challenging and dynamic organisations.

Understanding Markets and Marketing (30 credits)

Gain a foundational understanding of the fundamentals of marketing. Examine global case studies and develop a broad knowledge base of markets and marketing. Explore the purpose of marketing in business and organisations.

Fundamentals of Financial Decision Making (30 credits)

Accomplish a good understanding of firm’s investment and financial decision making. Develop techniques to interpret and assimilate accounting information. Benefit from learning the fundamental knowledge of tools of financial decision making.

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Year 2 (national level 5):

Managing Self and Others (30 credits)

Examine the relevant concepts to evaluate professional behaviour and investigate this in the context of success and performance of organisations. Study some of the problems that can arise in the workplace. Analyse cause and resolution strategies to enhance performance and engagement.

Delivering Projects for Organisational Success (30 credits)

Explore some of the fundamental and contemporary components necessary to plan, assess and manage successful projects. Study this in the context of organisational operations, logistics and holistic supply chains. Develop the knowledge and skills of process and human aspects of project management in delivering organisational success.

Integrated Marketing Practice (30 credits)

Build a holistic view of applied marketing through the exploration of contemporary developments, case studies and debates. Analyse and appraise innovations in marketing thinking and practice that are occurring in response to changes in the marketing environment. Examine the need for an integrated approach in contemporary marketing practice.

Analysis and Insight for Marketing (30 credits)

Evaluate the critical importance of contextual and environmental analysis and evaluation in marketing in order to gain real insights that guide marketing decisions and strategies. Understand the transformative forces that are changing and shaping the future of marketing and the wider business. Analyse customer characteristics and behaviour to enhance marketing value.

Optional 48-week placement:

Applied Professional Practice (120 credits)

Gain a strong understanding of a business including the identification and examination of an organisational issue, initiative or process. Examine areas of value to the host organisation. Develop the relevant practical knowledge and skills under the guidance and supervision of an academic mentor and host business.

Year 3 (national level 6):

Strategic Leadership and Collaboration (30 credits)

Establish the relevant skills and understanding related to strategic leadership and collaboration. Engage in a critical exploration of theories on the importance of, and approaches to, strategic leadership in organisations. Understand leadership strategies and their impact on organisational success, resilience and growth alongside the dynamics of personal interaction with colleagues, teams and stakeholders to create collaboration.

Managing Business Continuity and Resilience (30 credits)

Critically understand the management of a modern international business organisation. Consider issues such as crisis management and contingency planning brought about by changing market conditions. Grasp the key factors that are required for business resilience and growth.

Business Consultancy Project (30 credits)

Examine the fundamental components necessary to effectively source, design, research and disseminate business consultancy projects for small to medium sized businesses and larger companies. Incorporate an international perspective on consultancy projects. Consider that the role of a consultancy now requires a blend of both physical and virtual skills.

Branding in the Digital Age (30 credits)

Adopt a strategic perspective to branding and explore the role of brand strategy in communicating messages to current and potential stakeholders. Investigate why building a strong brand is a key objective for organisations in the digital age and as such how they engage with stakeholders is a significant strategic consideration for all brands. Consider some of the challenges and approaches to branding management and explore how technological transformation impacts upon consumer engagement with brands.

More about BA (Hons) Business and Marketing Management at Sunderland

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You can access free Wi-Fi throughout the University campus, so you can work from anywhere. If you don't want to carry a laptop around, just use one of the University’s PCs or Macs. We have hundreds of computers for you to use in the Murray Library, St Peter's Library, and the David Goldman Informatics Centre. If you ever have any technical problems, just ask the friendly helpdesk team.
IT provision
The St Peter’s Library contains over 31,000 books related to business, economics, management, human resources, marketing, strategy and tourism.

Added to this, you’ll benefit from a wide range of journals and periodicals in the St Peter’s Library, many of them in an online format. To help you make the most of the wealth of resources, there’s a full-time librarian who is dedicated to the Business and Tourism sections.

Further resources are available at the main Murray Library, which has a total of over 430,000 books with many more available through the inter-library loan service.
Library Services - business and tourism
Map and directions

Facilities

You’ll be based at The Reg Vardy Centre, at The Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s. This is home to the Sunderland Business School and the St Peter’s Library with thousands of books related to business, marketing and strategy, economics, management and human resources.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is:

Qualification	Minimum grade
High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade: SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement	GPA 3.0 or above and: Sat score of 1100/1600 from SATs AP (Grades 3+ in at least 2 subjects) ACT (score of 26+)

If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.

If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.

Our admissions policy uses a range of flexible options to support you to study with us. This may include a reduced offer of up to 16 UCAS tariff points, (or equivalent). Find out if you are eligible.

If English isn't your first language, please see our English language requirements.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

The annual, full-time fee for this course is:

£9,535 if you are from the UK*/Europe
£16,500 if you are an international student

*Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2025/26 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.

Read more about EU fees and funding in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

This business and marketing management course aims to provide students with opportunities to explore and discover their unique identity and encourage engagement with experiences which will increase self-efficacy and provide tangible evidence of that identity. Our marketing students graduate with sought-after skills and knowledge across all areas of business and marketing management. You'll understand how businesses create success, how to manage business operations, how to make informed decisions, and how to lead change in organisations.

The employability-focused curriculum of the course has been designed in collaboration with a range of employers including CDC Wealth Management, Caterpillar, Nissan, Network Rail, NCC, NHS, Enterprise Rent a Car, Uplift LP, Sedgefield SSP CIC, Castle Howard, and NRL.

Paid placements

The faculty-based employability team will support you in securing an optional paid work placement to further enhance your employability between your second and final year. It effectively becomes a third year of a four-year course and you’ll earn an average salary of £14,000-£18,000 a year depending on your location.

Placements are an excellent opportunity to put your learning into practice and understand the context for your new knowledge. The contacts made during placements can also be valuable for future job offers.

Student Business Society

The University supports student-led initiatives that help you gain practical experience of management. The Business Society organises events and guest speakers, as well as attending tours of various companies. With its professional approach, it’s a great way to put the lessons about how to make organisations function effectively into practice. There's something for every student who's studying a subject related to business.

Guest speakers

Our regular programme of guest speakers from industry allows you to listen to people who are already in the type of management position that you may one day hold. Recent speakers include Maurice Duffy, CEO of Global Blackswan; Mike Johnson, CEO of Castrol and Executive Vice President of BP; Uday K. Dholakia, Senior Partner of Global Consulting; Neil Stephenson, CEO of ONYX; James Ramsbotham, CEO of the North East Chamber of Commerce; as well as other representatives from a number of our region’s largest employers.

Top-up route

A top-up entry option is available to those who've already successfully completed a Higher National Diploma (HND) or Foundation Degree and wish to progress onto the final year of the honours degree course. Topping up your existing HND or Foundation Degree will take one year of full-time study and may open up future career options to you, depending on your chosen career path.

Contact us to find out how you can get credit for your previous learning and top-up your qualification to a range of degrees.

Sunderland Marketing Hub

The Sunderland Marketing Hub allows you to work on real-life marketing projects whilst being supported by our expert academic staff. You'll gain experience working with clients on marketing problems, networking with professional marketers, and presenting solutions to local businesses or organisations.

Meet the students

My advice to prospective students would be to go for it, it is a decision that will change your life

Ahmed Hussein
The support I received throughout the course was brilliant.

Marcus Melton
The experience and opportunities you can gain from this University are endless.

Sasha Copeland
The University has the close-knit, practical learning environment that I thrive in.

Sean Young

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Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Business, Law and Tourism

Page last updated: 19 November 2024

We aim to provide clear, accurate and timely information to prospective and current students. We continuously review and enhance course content in consultation with our students and the information provided on our website is the latest available. If you have received an offer from us to start a course, we will communicate any important changes to you in writing. We will always seek to ensure that our prospective students are fully aware of the basis on which they are accepting an offer.