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If you're looking for a creative and varied degree that opens doors to a huge range of careers, Marketing may be the course for you.

Dr Karen Middleton, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, writes about the jobs you can get with a BA (Hons) Marketing degree, and the skills you can take into the workplace.

Why is Marketing a useful degree?

Almost every organisation or business needs to communicate what they do – whether a charity campaigning for change or a business selling a service. 

That’s why a Marketing degree is so universal and practical.

Not only do you develop transferable skills that every employer wants, but you’ll also develop an in-depth understanding of marketing concepts such as brand building, digital marketing, advertising, and data interpretation. These skills are applicable to marketing jobs in every sector.

What jobs can you get with a Marketing degree?

A Marketing degree can be your launchpad to a wide range of jobs, depending on your interests and strengths.

For example, you could become a copywriter, crafting engaging descriptions of a company’s products. Or you could go into digital marketing, and get a job as a social media executive managing a company’s social media accounts.

If you’re interested in emerging trends and the way people behave, you could get a job doing market research for a company.

Should you work in a company or marketing agency? 

Many marketing roles are in-house in a company selling services or products – for example some of our Marketing graduates have gone on to work for the likes of Microsoft, FatFace, and Sky.

Or if you’d prefer more variety, you could get a job at a marketing agency. Every day at an agency is interesting, as you work on different projects with different clients. You can also share your expertise and skills with large and small organisations. 

As a marketer, you could also set up your own business, specialising in a certain area of marketing or serving clients in a particular industry, like sports or fashion marketing.
What else can you do with a Marketing degree? 

With a marketing degree under your belt, you could work for a cause you’re passionate about and help create change. 

More and more businesses are trying to do the right thing for the environment and people, by balancing purpose and profit. You could take a role helping their customers make sustainable and ethical purchases.

Or you could work for a government body trying to create behavioural change, such as encouraging people to take more action to prevent climate change – or a charity, campaigning to fix social issues in the UK or abroad.

What skills do you learn on a marketing degree?

You’ll develop excellent communication skills on a marketing degree, which are invaluable to any employer – whether talking to and working with others, writing well, knowing what looks good on an advert or web page.

Marketing degrees can also help you understand how professional organisations work and means you can settle into a new job in a business more easily. And you’ll perfect your ability to analyse and interpret qualitative and quantitative data.

On our BA (Hons) Marketing degree, you can also learn about business innovation, economics, people management, consumer behaviour, strategic marketing in a global environment, and advertising. You can choose from many different modules and specialise in an area that interests you. 

A good, practical degree will also give you real-life experience of the marketing industry, often on a placement year. This year of professional experience helps you develop your practical skills and apply what you’ve learned on your Marketing degree. It also gives you a head-start when applying for jobs after you graduate.