MSc Strategic Marketing QS Ranking feature

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For the second year in a row, Imperial’s MSc Strategic Marketing has ranked second in the world in the 2020 World University Rankings, Masters in Marketing. It also tops the ranking on thought leadership and career success. This is a wonderful achievement, with the programme ranked overall second best out of a 76 programme long-list representing 18 countries around the globe.

Dr Omar Merlo, Academic Director of MSc Strategic Marketing said, “Our continuous success in the ranking is largely due to the attention we pay to industry needs and marketing requirements. This has led to a programme that blends a rigorous science-driven approach with strong managerial and practical relevance. Consequently, our programme enjoys a very strong reputation among recruiters, and our graduates tend to find employment extremely quickly.”

The announcement of this ranking coincides perfectly to share the news that we are launching an online offering of the MSc Strategic Marketing programme in 2020 (subject to College approval). Dr Merlo said:

“In light of the success of our students and given the increasing demand for skills in strategic marketing worldwide, we are launching an online version of the programme. This will enable students who cannot take a full year off to attend the programme on campus in London to do it in a blended fashion from anywhere in the world. We will combine the rigorous academic learning outcomes with a delivery method that takes further advantage of our innovative and exciting online learning tools.”

How the programme ranks: thought leadership and employability

QS calculates the ranking on the following criteria: employability, alumni outcomes, value for money, thought leadership and diversity. We are very pleased that the programme scores the highest in the world in thought leadership at 92.9%.

Thought leadership is an integral part of our programmes at the Business School. MSc Strategic Marketing features a popular speaker series in the Contemporary Marketing Practice module. This module consists of lectures and workshops on cutting edge marketing practice, delivered by both internal and external expert speakers.

The programme also scores highly for employability at 92.6%. This ranking draws on data from the MSc Strategic Marketing class of 2017-18. Our employment data on this class shows that 45% of students gained employment in the UK, with 24% employed in the FMCG/Luxury Goods/Retail industries.

The employability of our students is a testament to our Careers service, who ensure students achieve their career goals through one-on-one career coaching sessions.

Julia Neuhold, an MSc Strategic Marketing student in the class of 2017-18, utilised the Careers service at the Business School to the fullest. She said

"“I am extremely thankful for Careers at Imperial College Business School as they really put a lot of effort into each individual. During my time at Imperial, I have made use of their services with one-on-one appointments to discuss my career goals, my CV, cover letters, and upcoming interviews. The Career Consultants were always very helpful and forthcoming in putting in the extra work.” "
Julia Neuhold
MSc Strategic Marketing 2017-18

Student employability is also indicative of the practical nature of the programme that equips our graduates with the skills desired by employers in the workplace. One example of this is the Consulting Project module, pairing students with companies to solve a real business problem from them in a consulting capacity.

Students have the opportunity to work with employers across a variety of industries including Barclaycard, eBay, Givenchy, Proctor & Gamble and Unilever to name a few. You can find out more about a previous project with Johnson & Johnson here.

Students can also opt to do a work placement in lieu of a consulting project which allows them to apply problem-solving techniques to a challenging business situation in which they are fully immersed.

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About Nicole Pires

Content Marketing Manager
Nicole is the Content Marketing Manager for Programmes Marketing.