Business and Management (Marketing) with Year Abroad

Business and management with a marketing specialism combines the breadth of a general business education with focused expertise in one of its most dynamic and creative functions. Marketing sits at the interface between organisations and the people they serve, encompassing market research and consumer insight, brand development, advertising and communications, digital strategy, and the analysis of what actually makes customers decide to buy, stay loyal, or switch. It is both a science, involving rigorous data analysis and evidence-based decision-making, and an art, requiring creativity, empathy, and the ability to craft messages that resonate.

At the University of Reading, this four-year programme with a year abroad gives you a thorough grounding in the core business disciplines, including finance, operations, human resource management, and strategy, while the marketing specialism develops your expertise in consumer behaviour, marketing communications, digital marketing, and brand management. The year abroad component places you in an international academic or business environment, developing cultural fluency and a global perspective that marketing roles increasingly require. Reading's business school has strong industry connections, and the degree reflects the current state of marketing practice, including the use of data, social media, and digital platforms alongside more traditional communications channels.

Marketing is one of the most common graduate career destinations, with roles available in companies of every size across every sector. Brand management, digital marketing, market research, product management, and advertising and communications are the most direct pathways. Agencies, both traditional and digital, provide a different route, working across multiple clients.

The year abroad often opens connections that lead to international roles or to careers with multinational organisations. Some graduates move into business development or strategy roles where the understanding of customers and markets developed in a marketing degree is a core asset, while others continue to postgraduate study in marketing, business, or a related field.