Combining insights from international marketing, branding and strategic communications, this course will equip you with the skills needed to build strong brands and deliver effective marketing communications across diverse cultural and market contexts.
You’ll learn about advanced level theory and practice in branding and communications, including brand strategy, communication planning and responsible consumer behaviour.
The course focuses on understanding global consumers, transnational brand positioning and the impact of digitalisation on worldwide markets.
The industry placement or research year is a great way to gain valuable professional or academic experience and provides an opportunity for international students to study in the UK for two years instead of one. We offer a two-year international study visa route to support applications for this course.
Brighton Business School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) – an accreditation achieved by fewer than 6% of business schools globally.
Find out about postgraduate events
Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb
Full-time 1 year or 2 years with placementPart-time 2–3 years
September and January start dates
This new course is subject to validation. This means it’s in the final stage of development and some changes may still be made to the curriculum. Check back for the latest information.
After you apply, we’ll let you know about any changes to the course through Student View.
Apply now for your place
Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for this course are not currently available but will be added soon.
International requirements and visas
We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.
View our English language courses
For pre-sessional English preparation courses.
Visit our International College
For degree preparation courses.
Visas and immigration advice
Applying for a student visa
Check out our step-by-step guidance.
Top reasons to study this course
Syllabus
*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.
Work or research placement
In today’s job market, a masters degree alone isn’t always enough; employers want to see that you can apply what you’ve learned. That’s why we’ve built real-world experience into the heart of this programme. Full-time students can choose to take a placement or research year. This means that your course will take two years, but you will graduate with real experience of your subject in action.
Our work placement partners include some of the world’s most recognised brands, including BMW, Bosch, Deloitte, Disney, Hewlett Packard, HSBC, IBM, Ipsos Mori, L’Oréal, Nike, Panasonic, PwC, Renault and Warner Brothers, alongside a number of dynamic, smaller businesses and local enterprises.
The research year is an opportunity to undertake in-depth independent research on campus in a subject aligned with the expertise of the course team. You will gain advanced research skills to prepare you for further study or research-led professional roles.
Our dedicated Placements and Employability team will support you in finding the right opportunity, offering help including CV reviews and mock assessment centres to fast-track interviews and interview coaching.
Find out more about how we can support you finding a placement.
Course leader
Dr Rodrigo Lucena
Dr Rodrigo Lucena is the course leader for our postgraduate marketing suite of degrees and has been a lecturer at the University of Brighton since 2013.
He has a Tourism Marketing PhD from the University of Brighton and an International Hospitality Management MSc from Manchester Metropolitan University.
Rodrigo combines a solid academic background with expertise in service management. He made a career at the InterContinental Hotels Group and has a deep knowledge of marketing strategies and operations.
His research interests include consumer behaviour, service marketing, customer relationship marketing, tourism and hospitality marketing, marketing for families, gender and sexuality in marketing and qualitative research methods.
Find out more about Rodrigo Lucena.
Career prospects
Our Global Branding and Communications MSc will help you to specialise and stand out in today’s competitive job market. It will equip you with both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary for a successful career.
The course has been designed for people wanting a rewarding career in sectors including advertising, branding, communications, digital marketing, direct marketing, event management, public relations and sales.
This MSc is also ideal preparation for continuing your studies at MPhil or PhD level or working as a professional researcher in marketing.
AACSB accreditation
The University of Brighton is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
AACSB-accredited schools lead business and management education, industry engagement and impactful research, and enable you to collaborate with academics in other world-leading universities.
Currently, fewer than 6% of business schools globally are AACSB accredited. By gaining AACSB accreditation, the university has achieved its ambition to join a group of institutions considered to be the best business schools in the world.
Skills development
Alongside traditional lectures, you will gain practical experience by working on live client projects, case studies from visiting alumni and industry experts to prepare you for a career in marketing.
You’ll have the opportunity to apply the theories you learn in class to real business situations. These projects could involve launching new products, creating expansion strategies or advising on marketing approaches.
Working on real business projects helps you strengthen your research, communication, teamwork and presentation skills, while also building your confidence in presenting ideas and recommendations directly to clients. This practical experience is highly valued by employers and will help you stand out when applying for graduate roles in marketing.
Work-related experience
Our dedicated Placements and Employability team provide a huge portfolio of employers offering business-related placement opportunities and will support you in finding a placement.
They offer several services to improve your employability, including CV and cover letter reviews, mock assessment centres, fast-track interviews and interview practice sessions.
They will also support you throughout your placement and act as referees if you are offered a permanent role.
You will also have access to our Careers Connect portal where you can book careers appointments and events, look for full- and part-time jobs and find placements/internships.
Placement fairs are held twice a year, involving companies including well-known names such as Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, Enterprise-Rent-a-Car and IBM, through to smaller and more local businesses.
Our regular Employability Weeks offer activities designed to enhance your employability, including LinkedIn workshops, sessions on working abroad, advice from the university’s volunteering service and support from the Careers team.
Starting your own business
Beepurple is the university’s entrepreneurship support network. They offer free support for any student or graduate with their business ideas, freelance plan or social enterprise project.
Beepurple run events throughout the academic year, designed to equip you with skills that will improve your employability and help you grow a successful business.
By taking part in beepurple activities, you will meet like-minded people, hear how other recent graduates have set up their own businesses and gain key enterprise skills that will help you stand out from the crowd.
For more information visit beepurple.
Course fees
UK (full-time) 11,502 GBP
International (full-time)18,792 GBP
Placement year 1,958 GBP
We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.
Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.
Our Marketing MSc courses, full-time and part-time, are eligible for the government’s postgraduate masters loan scheme.
The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2026–27.
You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.
UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or the Consumer Price Index (RPI), whichever is higher.
If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.
Find out more
Campus where this course is taught
Two miles north of Brighton seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus and student village. Moulsecoomb has been transformed by a recent development of our estate. On campus you’ll find the Students’ Union events venue, and sports and fitness facilities, alongside the library and student centre.
Over 900 students live here in our Moulsecoomb Place halls and the new Mithras halls – Brunswick, Goldstone, Hanover, Preston and Regency.
Moulsecoomb has easy access to buses and trains so you can access all the exciting things happening in our home city.
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Accommodation
We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So, if you apply for halls by the deadline, you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence. Almost all (98%) of students starting their course with us in 2025 got their first or second room choice.
We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes or very nearby.
You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:
We can help – find out more about private renting.
Find out more about your accommodation options
Student bedroom at Moulsecoomb
Relaxing in halls near the campus
Student Union social space at Moulsecoomb
Local area
One of Time Out’s 50 best cities in the world
“Brighton has … all the important parts of a sprawling cosmopolitan metropolis (connections to London in under an hour, an array of properly excellent restaurants, energetic late-night spots) … with the easy-breezy beachy attitude to life that makes you feel welcome in an instant.” Time Out’s 50 Best Cities in the World, 2025
The city of Brighton & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You’ll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.
Recently named the start-up capital of the UK, Brighton is a leading centre for creative media technology.
The city is home to more than 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector contributes over £1bn a year to the local economy – about as much as tourism.
All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning – this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.
It’s only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.
Maps
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Support and wellbeing
Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You’ll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness to managing stress and accommodation issues.
Our Brighton Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you’ll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.
As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You’ll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well as having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more about how we support your wellbeing.
Sport at Brighton
Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition.
Find out more about Sport Brighton.
Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.
Find out more about sport scholarships.
Brighton Cricket Academy
Develop your cricketing skills in the UK’s largest indoor cricket facility alongside studying for a degree. Whether you can already play or you’re new to the game offers the opportunity to train with top coaches in our world-class training environment.
Find out about the Brighton Cricket Academy.
Take a tour of sport facilities on our Falmer campus
Richard Huck
“I was always drawn to marketing since completing my undergraduate degree in event management at the University of Brighton. I really wanted to explore that world more, so applied for a masters to help accelerate that. My experience was absolutely fantastic. It was so hands-on, practical and applicable to actual industry work.
“My lecturers were the most integral part of that experience. Their knowledge and diversity was such a gift and showed me so many aspects of marketing and what my career could be after graduating.
“It was thanks to one of my lecturers that I became aware of Magenta Associates and the executive role that I now find myself in. My degree set me up to be able to enter a business with the most up-to-date industry knowledge and be able to apply that in the real world. I couldn’t be more thankful to all of my lecturers who helped me on this journey!”
Richard Huck, Marketing (Branding and Communications) MSc graduate
MJ Tuttle
“Course leader Rodrigo Lucena was such an invaluable resource. Not only did I learn so much in his module, but I was able to get feedback from him with regard to placements.
“My placement at Brandwatch has been so beneficial for me and my team; I’ve learned far more than I could have imagined and I’ve gained such valuable real life work experience. I’ve strengthened my time management skills, my collaborative skills and my abilities as a marketer.
“As an international student, having UK work experience is paramount, and this also was my first experience in a marketing role (as I went directly from my undergraduate degree to a masters degree). I’ve actually just signed an offer letter for full-time permanent employment with them, which is very exciting!”
MJ Tuttle, Marketing (Branding and Communications) MSc graduate
Maja Godziszewska
“I first started working in marketing back in high school, and it was an area that fascinated me. I felt that this MSc would complement my design background, while also giving me the opportunity to further develop my passion and skills in the field.
“That’s why I chose to focus on branding and communications; not only did it build on my previous education but also offered me a broader career path. I truly enjoy creating, exploring and finding innovative solutions. It felt like the perfect fit.
“The modules have taught me a great deal and opened my mind to new ideas, and we were taught by outstanding lecturers, whose engaging and insightful teaching style made their classes especially inspiring and enriching for me.
“One module was particularly important to me because it gave us the opportunity to work with well-known UK plumbing company, Dyno-Rod. We were able to ask questions directly to the client and work with their brief to deliver a live presentation. Together with my team, we created ideas and a presentation that won first place.”
Maja Godziszewska, Marketing (Branding and Communications) MSc graduate
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