MSc (Marketing Practice)
J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics
Course overview
This MSc has been specifically designed to provide recently qualified marketing graduates with professional marketing experience, while allowing Irish companies to develop and enhance their marketing capabilities. The Marketing Discipline at NUI Galway collaborates with Irish based companies to define job specifications for the marketing graduates. Participating companies come from a wide variety of industry sectors including: manufacturing, software, leisure, telecommunications and social & non-profit.
The MSc (Marketing Practice) is designed for business degree holders with a marketing specialisation, or those who hold a postgraduate qualification in business, with a marketing specialisation. The programme runs from September to July and during this time graduates are based predominately in their host company, while returning to the University to undertake selected courses and modules. Graduates are paid by their host company while on placement. Each year approximately 90% of participants have the opportunity to remain in their host companies on completion of the programme.
- Graduates are paid by their host company while on placement;
- The Postgraduate Director is available in person, by phone, and by email to provide ongoing mentoring and support to graduates throughout their placement. In-company visits are carried out to review and facilitate graduate progress and performance.
Key facts
Entry requirements
Normally a Bachelor of Commerce or equivalent business degree, with a Second Class Honours or higher, and a significant specialisation in marketing. NQA1 Level 8 or equivalent. GPA 3.0 or equivalent.
Duration:
1 year, full-time
Next start date: September 2013
Average intake: 30–35
Closing date: 8 March 2013.
Applications after this date will only be considered if there are still places available on the programme.
Course outline
The programme runs from September to July. Graduates complete a two week induction programme prior to starting a 42-week paid work placement with their host company. During their placement typical tasks undertaken by the graduates include:
- market research;
- event management particularly trade show planning and participation;
- development of promotional material and advertising campaigns;
- online marketing including website maintenance, search engine optimisation and social media management;
- database management and direct mail campaigns;
- strategic marketing planning including market segmentation activities.
Ultimately, the precise nature of marketing activities undertaken will be determined by the nature of the host organisation and the industry context.
During placement graduates return to campus to complete the following four taught modules:
- Professional Development in Marketing.
- Marketing Communications Management.
- Contemporary Marketing Issues.
- Marketing Research and Strategy.
Students also work on an Applied Marketing Project from the beginning of their placement.
Applications and selections
Find out more
PAC code
GYC15
Fees for this course
EU (Total): €6,755
- Student levy: €224
Non-EU (Total): €13,250
Current students
Stephen Moran
"The Masters in Marketing Practice at NUI Galway is a fantastic start to a professional career in Marketing and I highly recommend this course to anyone thinking of pursuing a Masters in Marketing.
The dedicated course director gave great care and attention to finding a placement for me that best matched my skills and interests. I secured a placement at Aró—Internet Business Development where I am gaining invaluable experience in online marketing. I work on a project called 5ive Star London which is a new luxury website aimed at the international luxury consumer visiting London. Through this, I work with international luxury brands including Paul Smith and Harrods as well as leading five star hotels in London that included the world famous Ritz Hotel. I also travel frequently to London where I have the opportunity to develop my business acumen; meeting with senior marketing professionals and developing a professional network.
I really looked forward to returning to campus for workshops throughout my placement. As a small class (the class is limited to 35), we all bonded very quickly and were able to learn from each other’s experiences on placement. The small class size also meant that workshops were always interactive, interesting and hugely relevant to our placements. I took away so much from each workshop that I was able to apply to real-world marketing in my placement. We were lucky to have a great variety of guest speakers who varied from recent graduates now working with companies including Google and LinkedIn, to experts in professional development.
The course assignments were designed to be relevant and add value to my company, therefore management in my company took great interest in my assignments which was very encouraging. My confidence grew greatly through class presentations and personal development workshops where only the very best guest speakers are invited to speak, ensuring that we got the most out of our time on campus.
The MSc in Marketing Practice has been the highlight of my education to date and I am now confident to enter the workforce with a solid understanding of Marketing in the real world. I have also been offered full time employment with my placement company, which is a credit to this course when so many graduates are finding it difficult to secure employment."
Past students
Nicola Barrett
(Graduate), Marketing Manager - Innovation Category (Domestic Ireland) at Irish Distillers
“This is a fantastic course that opens doors to a career in Marketing. It gives you the opportunity to gain excellent practical experience in the marketing profession. It is a wonderful springboard for anyone who wishes to pursue a career in Marketing”.
