Social Marketing PGCert

Overview

Focusing on applying social marketing principles to the key health, environmental and civic issues in contemporary society, the Social Marketing Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) will give you the skills and confidence to plan and manage social marketing campaigns.
The course will be of particular interest to professionals who want to deepen their understanding of social marketing theory and practice, and apply their learning to work-based projects.
The Social Marketing Postgraduate Certificate will develop your ability to:
- plan behavioural change programmes based on an understanding of what moves and motivates people
- apply social marketing theory and concepts to practical behavioural problems
- demonstrate a critical analysis of social marketing strategy, both in practice and policy making settings
- show competence in social marketing planning techniques and the application of behaviour theory to 'live' projects
- manage the complexity and critical reflection required to apply commercial marketing and other management tools to behaviour change programmes.
After completing a compulsory Social Marketing module, you can choose to undertake a work-based project or pick further modules that reflect your particular interests.
Modules are delivered in weekly blocks - a method of delivery which attracts students living significant distances from Brighton.

Course duration
Part-time: 6 months min, 4 years max
Course content

Course structure

The course is designed to fit around your personal and professional commitments, with start dates throughout the year. You may determine the length of the course, which can vary between six months and four years, depending on individual circumstances.
A compulsory Social Marketing module is taught over four consecutive days, with additional supervision and assessment time. On completion of this module you can choose to follow one of two routes:
- work-based route
- modules route.
You will have the opportunity to discuss the best combination of modules and projects with your tutor.
WORK-BASED PROJECT ROUTE
The work-based project can be completed at a pace that suits you and your employer (between six months and four years). It is based around your own professional interests and carried out under the supervision of the course team.
Should you decide to take this route, you will be required to produce a coherent account of an applied social marketing initiative.
The project provides an opportunity to create strategies to overcome the barriers that social marketing professionals face when creating complex behaviour change programmes.You will be expected to:
- identify a social marketing problem of your choice (in consultation with tutors)
- explore relevant social marketing/behaviour change models to provide insight into an audience in relation to the particular issue
- analyse the primary and secondary data, with reference to social marketing theory and literature
- draw sound conclusions from your investigation
- identify realistic and feasible social marketing recommendations, such as the development of a behavioural intervention or a review of the way a public service is provided.
While working on the project you will be offered individual learning support and consultation with the module tutor (face-to-face or by telephone).
MODULES ROUTE
This route allows you to customise the course by choosing two other modules (in addition to the compulsory Social Marketing module) that reflect your particular interests. You have between six months and four years to complete the two modules.
Each module is taught in weekly blocks, with additional supervision and assessment time. Subjects include:
- Meeting the Challenges: Public Health
- Research Methods for Critical Appraisal
- Behavioural Economics
- The Public Service Organisation in its Environment
- Managing Performance in the Public Services
- Planning and Marketing in the Public Services
- Marketing for the Not-for-Profit Sector
Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements
individual offers may vary
For non-native speakers of English:
IELTS 6.5 overall and 6 in writing.
Other:
A short interview, either in person or by phone/email, is required before being accepted onto the course.
Degree and/or experience:
Normally a good honours degree or equivalent is required. A degree in any subject will be considered. Work experience is useful but not essential.
Location

Location Moulsecoomb
Career opportunities

On completion of this course you will have an advanced understanding of social marketing strategy, with skills and knowledge sought after by employers such as national, regional and local government, social marketing consultancies, the NHS and not-for-profit organisations in the UK and internationally.
The course demonstrates your professional credibility to employers, clients and peers.

Visit the careers centre website.
Fees and costs

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2012-13. Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study.

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take. Different rules apply to research degrees - please contact the Doctoral College for advice.

To help you plan for your time here we will be providing further information about what is included in your tuition fee, and any optional costs you may need to budget for, later in the autumn.

Our website wwww.brighton.ac.uk/money provides advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee paying status.

PGCert Social Marketing

Please contact us directly for exact tuition fees for this course.
More details
Who is this course for?

The course is suitable for graduates wanting to develop social marketing skills, as well as experienced professionals interested in accrediting existing social marketing skills.

The Social Marketing Postgraduate Certificate will be of particular interest to:
- professionals with marketing or business experience interested in working in health or environment sectors
- public health, health promotion, commissioning and environmental professionals who are interested in social marketing and behavioural change
- people working internationally within the disciplines of environment, business and social science
- health and environmental professionals who have completed a basic introduction to social marketing course
- communications professionals working in Local Authorities and NHS organisations
- non-profit, voluntary and other public sector managers from charities, social enterprises, fire, police and trading standards.
Professional partnership

We have a close working relationship with The Campaign Company (TCC), a communications consultancy that specialises in political, social and cause related marketing and campaigning. TCC helps organisations build relationships with hard-to-reach groups. Its clients include local authorities and NHS bodies. As visiting speakers, our partners from TCC bring classroom theory to life by sharing real-world case studies, results and pitfalls.

Social marketing unit

The Business School has a dedicated Social Marketing Unit that provides social marketing teaching, consultancy and research services. It aims to integrate marketing, health, environment and social science disciplines to support the development of social marketing in the UK and overseas.

What is social marketing?

Social Marketing is the systematic application of marketing concepts and techniques to achieve specific behavioural goals leading to an individual or social good.

Research is carried out to understand the motivations of the target audience or ‘customer’, when planning programmes to influence, and ultimately change, behaviour. Targeted interventions and campaigns based on ‘consumer insight’ are more likely to be effective, meaning improved public services and the more efficient use of resources.

Social marketing builds on and complements the core discipline of marketing. For health, behaviour change, environment and public communications specialists it is a way of understanding how tools of commercial marketing can help with the development of effective services and interventions based on consumer insight.
Apply online
You should not apply unless you can meet all the entry requirements for this course. Please contact the course team before applying if you are unsure about any of the specific entry requirements.

Entry requirements
For non-native speakers of English:
IELTS 6.5 overall and 6 in writing.
Other:
A short interview, either in person or by phone/email, is required before being accepted onto the course.
Degree and/or experience:
Normally a good honours degree or equivalent is required. A degree in any subject will be considered. Work experience is useful but not essential.
- Social Marketing (PGCert) (Part time)