MA Communication and International Marketing

Entry standards

Entry is open to applicants with a UK First or Upper Second class honours degree or equivalent. 

English language requirements

Non-native speakers of English without a first degree in English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5  or above with 7.0 or more in writing (or equivalent) and a minimum of 6.0 in all other components (or equivalent).

Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.

MA Communication and International Marketing - structure and modules

Module Titles

Compulsory Modules 

• Introduction to Research Methods: Answering Questions with Evidence 
• Interpersonal Communication 
• Marketing  
• Marketing Communications 
• Strategy 
• The Language of Advertising

Optional Modules*

• Global Diversity in Language and Communication 
• Globalisation, Communication and Postmodernity 
• Communication in Professional Settings
• International Marketing Management

*May be subject to change

Assessment and Module Summary

Most modules are assessed by written assignment and some by a combination of assignment and examination. Some programmes also include projects and group work. For the Masters stage, you will complete a 10,000 to 12,000-word dissertation on a topic of particular interest to you. 

Compulsory Modules 

Compulsory modules will normally include: 

Introduction to Research Methods: Answering Questions with Evidence 

This module provides an introduction to some of the principal tools of social research in preparation for the dissertation. 

Interpersonal Communication 

This module considers conversational implicature, speech act theory, frames and footing, politeness, conversation analysis and conversational style. 

Marketing 

This module provides you with a comprehensive framework for understanding the contextual, strategic and operational issues of marketing, and develops your ability to link theory with practice. Theory and case studies are used to analyse environmental conditions, marketplace trends, market characteristics, consumer behaviour, marketing strategy, marketing planning, tactics and operations, and the growing influence of technology. 

Marketing Communications 

This module introduces the theory and practice of marketing communications (Marcoms) in an international context. You will cover the management of marketplace trends, strategic and operational objectives, and planning and implementation of marketing communications practice in a global setting. 

Strategy 

This module will provide you with a theoretical and practical understanding of corporate strategy as an interdisciplinary activity, within the context of a competitive market economy, leading to corporate decision making. 

The Language of Advertising

This module will teach how to apply concepts from linguistics, in particular pragmatics, and semiotics to the analysis of advertisements. It will examine how advertisement designers exploit linguistic and visual means in order to communicate messages and to persuade their recipients. It will consider advertisements in various media, including newspapers/journals, radio, TV and the Internet, and will examine the effect of culture on the production and perception of advertisements.

Optional Modules*

Optional modules will normally include: 

Global Diversity in Language and Communication 

This module investigates the ideological, social and historical bases of communication that shape today’s globalised world.

Globalisation, Communication and Postmodernity 

This module deals with issues of postnationalism and the relationship between globalisation and bureaucratic change. It pays particular attention to the role of counter-cultural and sub-cultural forms associated with postmodernity and generated as part of the globalisation process, with particular reference to gendered discourses.

Communication in Professional Settings

This module will introduce students to concepts and issues within the study of communication in professional settings, including topics such as computer-mediated communication and lingua franca communication. The module will also familiarize the students with some of the main theoretical and methodological approaches to conduct a small research study.

International Marketing Management 

This module will provide you with a comprehensive initiation into the theory, concepts, issues and practice of international marketing. The module identifies processes, contexts and influences associated with international marketing strategies. It develops your appreciation of strategies and plans for different economies and of the implications, monitoring and control of the international marketing process. 

*May be subject to change

MA Communication and International Marketing - entry standards

Entry standards

Entry is open to applicants with a UK First or Upper Second class honours degree or equivalent. 

English language requirements

Non-native speakers of English without a first degree in English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5  or above with 7.0 or more in writing (or equivalent) and a minimum of 6.0 in all other components (or equivalent).

Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.

Planned intake

Up to 30

Start date

Programme director

• Dr Rosina Marquez Reiter

• Dr Eva Ogiermann

MA Communication and International Marketing - fees and funding

Fees

Communication and International Marketing (full time):

UK/EU - £5,740 
Overseas - £12,705

www.surrey.ac.uk/pgfees/2012

MA Communication and International Marketing - professional context

Accreditation

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business 

AACSB International offers a set of standards that are relevant and applicable to all business programmes globally and which support and encourage excellence in management education worldwide. 

AACSB International accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Institutions that earn accreditation confirm their commitment to quality and continuous improvement through a rigorous and comprehensive peer review. AACSB International accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in management education worldwide. 

AACSB International accreditation assures stakeholders that business schools: 

• Manage resources to achieve a vibrant and relevant mission 
• Advance business and management knowledge through faculty scholarship 
• Provide high-calibre teaching of quality and current curricula 
• Cultivate meaningful interaction between students and a qualified faculty 
• Produce graduates who have achieved specified learning goals 

The University of Surrey achieved its accreditation in November 2005 after a rigorous application and assessment process, culminating in a visit from an accreditation panel. 

Less than 15 per cent of the world’s business schools are accredited by the AACSB; so the Surrey Business School was especially proud to join the elite group of less than 100 business schools in Europe holding AACSB accreditation. Further information on the AACSB can be found at: www.aacsb.edu

Careers

Many of our graduates have gone on to find employment in a wide range of international organisations and businesses. Others have chosen to take research degrees in their subject. 

Recent graduates of the MA Communication and International Marketing have undertaken the following careers: 

• Competitor analyst 
• Business associate in a private company 
• Investment manager in a Chinese government-run company 
• Two graduates have set up their own advertising agencies 

Research students have undertaken projects in the following areas:

• Political communication 
• Communication theory
• Cross-cultural and intercultural communication

MA Communication and International Marketing - teaching

Academic Support

Academic Support 

As a student of the Department of English, you will benefit from the expertise of a vibrant, multidisciplinary group of academics. You will also have access to a number of conferences, seminars and workshops hosted throughout the year. These events cover a range of topics to broaden your thinking in the fields of literature, language and linguistics, cultural studies and creative writing. 

The marketing element of the programme will also allow you to benefit from the close affiliation with the Surrey Business School, a leading provider in internationally recognised postgraduate vocational management degrees. The School has strong links with industry and has established a number of high-profile partnerships with multinational organisations. You will be supported by a team of international staff with a wealth of global experience and specialist expertise. Surrey Business School modules are fully accredited by AACSB International.

Staff perspective

Dr Rosina Marquez Reiter

Both programmes will provide you with the theoretical tools to help understand current communicative practices and to develop considerable expertise in intercultural communication and international marketing. 

On both programmes you will receive training in research methods, which will enable you to complete an independent piece of research in an area of specific interest.

Our degrees will also help you into the world of work: you will gain a detailed knowledge and understanding of intercultural communication and international marketing, welcomed by many international organisations, as well as a broad range of transferable skills, valued by all employers.

You will also benefit from the wide variety of our student cohort – our classes normally include students from many different parts of the globe. Students from all over the world bring a wealth of knowledge into the classroom. This makes the programmes truly international and enabling the establishment of communication networks and firsthand experience of how to deal with contemporary communication issues at grass-root level.

MA Communication and International Marketing - learning

MA Communication and International Marketing - graduate profile

Graduate Profile: Yusuf Aliyu Addy

MA Communication and International Marketing

I am an international student from Nigeria. I found out about Surrey on the web, and fell in love with the scenery and green campus. It’s been years since my first degree so I was looking not just for a school but also a home that would enable me to study hard and enjoy all that the UK offered. 

I would recommend Surrey to as many prospective students as possible. The relationship I built up with my lecturers and supervisors made the course interesting and fulfilling, and the town and the campus were so good that I did not miss home so much as I thought I would. 

I have learnt to combine communications and public relations with the economic drive of international marketing. I have also learnt the value of constant analysis and the use of a communications plan in highlighting the positive image of any socio-economic or political entity. 

I currently work for the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of Federation. With the new insight I have gained at Surrey, I am looking to work for an international organisation as a Communication and Marketing Strategist.

MA Communication and International Marketing - more

English Language Support for All 

Programmes available to all students include:

• Oral Skills 
• Academic Listening 
• Contemporary British Society 
• Pronunciation 
• Critical Thinking 
• Legal English 
• Dissertation Writing 
• Academic Reading and Note Taking 
• Grammar Revision 
• Essay Writing 
• Essay Writing for Native English Speakers 
• Thesis/Dissertation Writing 

Other postgraduate programmes which may interest you: 

MA Intercultural Communication with International Business

MA Communication and International Marketing - apply

• MA Communication and International Marketing - Full-time - starting September 2012