The International Marketing and Business Strategies MSc provides students with the opportunity to develop a critical understanding of marketing concepts that drive organisational growth and internationalisation. The programme is suited to students who want to think strategically about the relationship between business dynamics and marketing. You will also have the opportunity to pursue an industry-based consultancy project, apply marketing knowledge and skills to real-world cases, and participate in business simulations.
- Study marketing in a strategic context, to gain a broader understanding of how marketing relates to business and management.
- Explore the challenges of the digital economy, networked marketing and platformization.
- Be well-equipped to pursue consultancy roles in the changing international marketplace.
Study options
- Starting in
- September 2025
- Location
- Mile End
- Fees
- Home: £15,250
Overseas: £33,500
EU/EEA/Swiss students
What you'll study
Through assessments, project and problem-based activities, this programme aims to enable students to:
- Plan and conduct market research informed by literature in marketing, international management and strategy disciplines.
- Criticially appraise marketing insights from literature, qualitative and quantitative data.
- Develop the skills to present analysis and recommendation of marketing practices and strategies.
Structure
- Seven compulsory modules
- Choose ONE elective (from four optional modules).
- Compulsory dissertation module (with a choice between a Marketing Consultancy Dissertation and a Dissertation for Marketing).
Compulsory/Core modules
The module Relationship and Network Marketing provides students with an overview of important aspects of business-to-business marketing. For this purpose, students will explore crucial underlying concepts of relationships and networks as well as develop a sense of business marketing practices. The module fosters an understanding of how organisations are embedded in an interdependent net(work) of business exchanges. Using collaborative and cooperative relational management provides firms within such net(work)s with the possibility to mobilise important external resources via business partners.
This module will give you a basic introduction to research methods for marketing, starting with problem definition and question formulation, continuing onto selecting and designing appropriate research methodology and collecting data in various marketing circumstances, and finishing with essential data analysis with modern tools, and interpretation of that data. Finally, we will also work on essential tools for putting all of this together: how to communicate these ideas and findings to a broad audience in the form of a research report and oral presentation.
The dissertation forms an important part of the assessment of the MSc Marketing Programme, carrying a weighting of 60 credits. The dissertation involves demonstration of ability to execute a research plan and independent investigation. The investigation can rely on primary data collected by the student, on secondary data available in the literature, or a mix of both. The dissertation will reflect skills of formulating research questions, synthesising information and analysing data, drawing insights and conclusions, and written communication.
This module provides an outlook on marketing as a sub-discipline of management studies. It offers students (MSc in Management and Management and Organisational Innovation) a theoretical foundation of marketing concepts (e.g., consumer behaviour, pricing, product management, branding) and different ways that these concepts can be integrated within the broader field of management. Special emphasis is given to understanding practical implications of marketing and consumer behaviour theories.
Marketing communications has a global perspective and there are implications in creating, developing, and implementing a marketing communications programme on a global scale or in different countries. This module draws extensively on international communication case studies and contexts.
This module considers, discusses and evaluates the market orientation concepts and processes necessary for gaining sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. Emphasis is placed upon identifying key strategic issues, competitive positioning and strategy formulation. Marketing strategies are examined from a strategic perspective with a particular focus on Segementation, Targeting and Positioning, Branding and Relationship marketing strategies.
This module is designed to expose students to the latest advancements in sustainability issues and research in the marketing discipline. The module will cover the roots of sustainability marketing as a field of research, and introduce the range of research on sustainability, from the theoretical to the empirical, and from the classic to the current. The core of this module will be boosting students' ability to integrate sustainability into the theory and practice of marketing. Readings in each session incorporate theoretical and empirical studies, giving students an opportunity to explore different ways of pursuing answers to current sustainability, CSR and ethical challenges.
This industry-based consultancy project allows students to apply their knowledge and skills to a real-world consulting problem while also developing their professional and practical marketing management skills. This project leverages independent work and is designed for students to carry out a case-based research plan and apply frameworks and theories taught in the programme through formulating a research question, reviewing relevant literature, collecting primary and/or secondary data, analysing, and reporting findings and proposing evidence-based strategies for a specific problem. For the group work element (i.e., group presentation) students will have the opportunity to fill out a peer-assessment form.
The 20th-century surge in strategy and management consultancy is a pivotal success story in the modern business world. It is therefore crucial for students to grasp strategy and management consulting theories and frameworks. The module will explore theoretical and practical approaches explaining managers' market choices in a networked, globalized, digitized, and competitive environment. It covers contemporary strategies like practice-based, scenario planning, and the importance of strategy processes and business ecosystems. The principles of effective consultancy are also introduced, alongside the barriers to successful intervention. Examining diverse organizational contexts and international markets, the module prepares you for potential consulting roles and as informed consumers of consulting services.
Elective modules
The services sector has become one of the most important sectors from both an economic and a managerial point of view. Besides pure services providers an increasing number of 'new' services providers emerge, usually offering hybrid offerings that include goods and services components. This module provides students with an overview of important aspects of services management; outlines relevant frameworks, concepts, tools, and processes to improve the understanding of service design, management and commercialisation.
This module integrates the theory and practice of innovation and entrepreneurship. The module draws together the learning from several functional areas that students will have already covered in the past - marketing, strategy, finance, law etc. - and place these within the larger context of innovation and entrepreneurship. While we will discuss many tools, models, and frameworks that can assist innovation and entrepreneurship processes, a core focus within the course is to critically analyse and apply these ideas.
The aim of this module is to explore the theory and practice of planning, effectively designing social marketing strategy, implementing and evaluating social marketing campaigns, and understanding the theory, uses and impacts of behavioural science and behavioural economics on society for its common good and social justice.
In this module, students will explore the important role of metrics in an organisation's business strategy and its implementation. Students will learn the principles of business performance evaluation using analytic tools.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Assessment
Learning outcomes are assessed using a mix of coursework, essays, projects, presentations and exams. There will be variation across modules, and some are wholly examined by coursework. Teaching staff will aim to provide students with constructive feedback on assessments.
Dissertation
Compulsory with choice between Dissertation for Marketing or Marketing Consultancy Dissertation.
Teaching
Teaching will be conducted by research and scholarship-oriented staff and supplemented, where appropriate, by visiting lecturers with professional expertise in sectors such as communications, advertising and public relations.
Students typically have 3 contact hours per week in each module. Within these three hours, each module has its own pattern of lectures, seminars/classes and other activities. Students could take part in a range of different teaching and learning activities, including one-to-one tutorials, guest lectures, group work, independent studies, research projects and team group learning.
—“Embarking on the International Marketing and Business Strategies (IMBS) Programme has been an enlightening voyage, seamlessly merging my interests in marketing and business strategy. Through a comprehensive curriculum, the programme adeptly delved into fundamental marketing elements—like brand identity and communication—as well as indispensable strategic management principles—such as embracing the Blue Ocean Strategy.
This immersive experience not only broadened my perspectives on marketing and entrepreneurship on a global scale but also struck a perfect balance between creative exploration and strategic acumen. Its forward-thinking approach towards examining the future trajectory of marketing worldwide has been particularly eye-opening.
Coming from a legal background, I found the transition to be seamless, thanks to the programme's inclusive structure accommodating individuals from diverse academic and professional backgrounds."
Soba Dakuku Peterside, International Marketing and Business Strategies MSc, 2023
Where you'll learn
Facilities
- ThinkPod interactive collaboration space with presentation, recording and video conferencing facilities.
- Media suite with industry-standard design and editing software (QUBE).
- Brand new Graduate Centre, offering purpose-built study spaces and an exclusive rooftop common room.
- 24-hour library on campus.
Campus
Teaching is based at Queen Mary’s Mile End campus, one of the largest self-contained residential campuses in the capital. Our location in the heart of London’s East End offers a rich cultural environment.
We have invested £105m in new facilities over the past five years, to offer our students an exceptional learning environment. Recent developments include the £39m Graduate Centre, providing 7,700 square metres of learning and teaching space.
The campus is 15 minutes from Central London by tube, where you will have access to many of the University of London’s facilities, such as the Senate House library.
About the School
School of Business and Management
The School of Business and Management has a reputation as a socially engaged management school, with an innovative, multidisciplinary, mindful and responsible approach. We invite our students to ask incisive questions, to challenge their assumptions, and to search for solutions to real-world challenges.
We ensure students experience innovative and engaging educational pathways, alongside supportive staff and excellent research facilities.
The School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which ensures that the highest standards of excellence in teaching, research, curriculum, and learner success are met.
In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), the School of Business and Management dramatically moved up the Times Higher Education rankings. Among 108 UK business schools, the School now ranks:
- 22nd for overall research quality (up from 39th in REF2014)
- 28th for research outputs (up from 34th)
- 12th for research impact (up from 24th)
- 21st for research environment (up from 59th)
Queen Mary is also part of the Russell Group - a body of leading UK universities dedicated to research and teaching excellence.
Career paths
This programme is particularly well-suited to students who wish to go into consultancy which focuses on how marketing can help business growth. It would also suit students hoping to work in global marketing-led organisations or family businesses.
The School works closely with the Careers Service to support students with finding internships, making applications and preparing for interviews and assessment centres.
—“The International Marketing and Business Strategies programme is designed to equip students with critical strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, which are invaluable for students looking to enter the consulting industry. The programme offers a wide range of modules that are carefully prepared to help students thrive in their future roles. The consultancy dissertation enables students to work directly with London-based businesses to apply their learnings to a hands-on project. This practical experience ensures that graduates are well-prepared for a successful consulting career”.
Jack Casey, Co-Founder & CEO of Impact Consulting
Fees and funding
Full-time study
September 2025 | 1 year
- Home: £15,250
- Overseas: £33,500
EU/EEA/Swiss students
Conditional deposit
Home: Not applicable
Overseas: £2000
Information about deposits
Queen Mary alumni can get a £1000, 10% or 20% discount on their fees depending on the programme of study. Find out more about the Alumni Loyalty Award
Funding
There are a number of ways you can fund your postgraduate degree.
- Scholarships and bursaries
- Postgraduate loans (UK students)
- Country-specific scholarships for international students
Our Advice and Counselling service offers specialist support on financial issues, which you can access as soon as you apply for a place at Queen Mary. Before you apply, you can access our funding guides and advice on managing your money:
Entry requirements
UK
Degree requirements
A 2:1 or above at undergraduate level in any subject.
Find out more about how to apply for our postgraduate taught courses.
International
English language requirements
The English language requirements for our programmes are indicated by English bands, and therefore the specific test and score acceptable is based on the band assigned to the academic department within which your chosen course of study is administered. Note that for some academic departments there are programmes with non-standard English language requirements.
The English Language requirements for entry to postgraduate taught in the School of Business and Management falls within the following English band:
Band 4: IELTS (Academic) minimum score 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each of Writing, Listening, Reading and Speaking
We accept a range of English tests and qualifications categorised in our English bands for you to demonstrate your level of English Language proficiency. See all accepted English tests that we deem equivalent to these IELTS scores.
Visas and immigration
Find out how to apply for a student visa.