The principles of marketing are essential in the business world
Options with marketing
Marketing is one of the most popular graduate careers, making entry extremely competitive, but there are many routes you can take with your marketing degree…
Jobs directly related to your degree include:
Jobs where your degree would be useful include:
Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here. To find out what jobs would suit you, log in to My Prospects.
The principles of marketing are essential in the business world
The nature of the marketing sector is such that skills and contacts built up outside your studies can give you a real advantage. Organising society or department events, writing newsletters, managing budgets and standing on committees all show the good communication and project management skills you'll need for a job in marketing. Similarly, showing how you developed organisation and time-management skills through combining studies, social life and part-time work will help your application.
If your course involves a work placement or internship, use it to make contacts in marketing departments. Showing initiative at this stage could really pay dividends in the future.
Your interests can also offer a way into a marketing career - if you're passionate about sport, the environment or music, for example. To continue to build on your subject knowledge outside academia, consider marketing or publicity roles in specialist organisations. For instance, charities, sports or arts organisations may value your drive and commitment even if you don't have marketing experience.
Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.
Specialist marketing, advertising and PR agencies are not the only major employers of marketing graduates. Marketing is a core element of all organisations and, therefore, opportunities exist across all industry sectors - private, public and voluntary. These can range from the financial, consumer and information technology industries to not-for-profit organisations, such as charities, local government and higher education institutions.
Find information on employers in marketing, advertising and PR and other job sectors.
As well an ability to anticipate customer demand, identify target markets and communicate effectively with them, a marketing degree will also provide you with an essential range of transferable business skills, including:
Postgraduate courses in marketing tend to fall under the remit of business schools and will usually focus on a more theoretical understanding of marketing, such as customer psychology or branding. Although these types of qualification can be helpful for graduates in non-business subjects, they are not essential. Also worth considering are management degree courses that include marketing as part of a wider curriculum.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) lends its name to a range of well-regarded vocational certificates and diplomas in marketing, all of which are mapped to government occupational standards.
For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see postgraduate study in the UK and search courses and research.
Around 70% of marketing graduates are in employment six months after completing their course, with more than a third of those employed in marketing, sales or advertising positions.
For a detailed breakdown of what marketing graduates are doing six months after graduation, see What Do Graduates Do?
Graduate destinations data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
