Advertising and Digital Marketing BA (Hons)

Undergraduate

Student stood inside the william morris building smiling with circular lights in the background

Develop creative, strategic and digital skills for planning and delivering advertising and marketing campaigns in the media landscape.

Course option

Degree with foundation year

Year of entry

2026-27 2027-28

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time
Sandwich

Duration

3 years full-time
4 years sandwich

UCAS codes

N590

Start date

September 2027
November 2027
January 2028
March 2028
May 2028
July 2028

How to apply

Book an Open Day

Download a prospectus

Your UCAS Guide

Course overview

Step into the world of advertising and digital marketing with a course that combines creative strategy with digital practice. With a strong focus on digital communication and customer engagement, you’ll have the opportunity to explore areas such as:

content marketing and brand storytelling
integrated digital campaigns and omnichannel strategies
community building and social media engagement
big data and marketing analytics for strategic decision-making
crisis communication and reputation management.

The course is designed to support your development as an ethical and socially responsible communicator, with an emphasis on global awareness.

You’ll be encouraged to engage with emerging trends and technologies and to build skills that can support creative and informed decision-making in a dynamic industry.

Rated Gold Overall

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023

5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

Top 5 Student City in England (Coventry)

QS Best Student Cities Index 2026

Why you should study this course

Practice-led learning: design compelling advertising campaigns in a globally connected world. Learn to engage diverse audiences with culturally sensitive, authentic communication that builds lasting brand trust.
Innovative thinking: apply core marketing principles to real-world challenges. Use data analytics to inform digital strategies. Gain confidence in campaign planning, channel management and key areas such as social media marketing, SEO and integrated communications.
Hands-on practice: boost your digital literacy through practical experience in campaign design, execution and evaluation. Work with industry-standard software in our specialist DigiComm Lab to develop the skills employers value.⁴
Networking for the future: connect with international alumni and industry professionals through guest speaker events² and collaborative projects. Build your professional network and gain insights into global career opportunities.

Memberships

AEME – Association for Events Management Education

Coventry Business School is currently an active member of the Association for Events Management Education (AEME). AEME is committed to raising profile of the events discipline through the sharing of education and best practice.

CABS – Chartered Association of Business Schools

Coventry Business School is currently an active member of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, which has a membership of over 120 business schools and higher education providers and supports its members in maintaining world-class standards of teaching and research.

EFMD – European Foundation for Management Development

Coventry Business School is currently an active member of the European Foundation for Management Development, a global membership organisation dedicated to management development, covering over 900 members across 91 countries.

PRME – The Principles for Responsible Management Education

Coventry Business School is currently an active member of The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). PRME is a United Nations-supported initiative founded in 2007 that aims to raise the profile of sustainability in their classrooms through seven principles focused on serving society and safeguarding our planet.

AACSB – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Coventry Business School is currently an active member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). AACSB is the world’s largest network of business schools and organisations committed to advancing business education and making a lasting, positive impact on society to create next generation of great leaders.

BGA – Business Graduates Association

Coventry Business School is currently an active member of the Business Graduates Association (BGA). BGA’s student and graduate benefits have been crafted to enhance your learning experience, providing a range of tools to support professional and personal development.

SBC – Small Business Charter

Coventry Business School is a recipient of the Small Business Charter (SBC) Award. The award is a mark of excellence for business schools, recognising their expertise in supporting small businesses, student entrepreneurship, and effective engagement in the local economy.

Memberships are reviewed on an annual basis and are not guaranteed. Applicants and students will be informed of any changes as soon as possible.

What you'll study

Your first year is shared with students from closely related courses. This approach allows you to learn alongside other disciplines, broaden your perspective and develop strong collaboration skills from the very start.

The common first year also offers flexibility. If you discover a stronger interest in another subject area, you may have the opportunity to transfer to a related course at the end of the year, subject to meeting progression requirements.

Common first year courses:

Advertising and Digital Marketing BA (Hons)
Business Administration BBA (Hons)
Business Analytics and Management BSc (Hons)
Business and Human Resource Management BA (Hons)
Business and Marketing BA (Hons)
Business Management BA (Hons)
Events Management BA (Hons)
International Business Management BSc (Hons)
Marketing BA (Hons)
Sport Business Management BA (Hons)

Modules

People and Organisations – 30 credits

This module aims to provide a holistic view of management and organisation theories and practices, exploring how people interact with each other in the workplace and the role that leaders and managers play in the organisation. Organisational culture, structure and type are examined to consider the impact they have on human behaviour, interactions and organisational outcomes. Examine the role of people management practices and how this affects individual behaviour in the workplace. By introducing concepts such as motivation, engagement and commitment, the module will explore how people work together as a team, and how leaders and managers can understand emotional and psychological responses to work.

Compulsory

Marketing, Digital and Social Media – 30 credits

This module aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of the fundamental concepts in marketing, including digital and social media. Develop an understanding of the role of marketing within an organisation, and the influence of factors in the external environment on marketing decisions including ethics, social responsibility and sustainability. Also develop an understanding of key marketing theories, approaches and strategies related to areas such as buyer behaviour, segmentation, targeting and positioning, branding, digital and social media marketing.

Compulsory

Analytics for Decision-Making – 30 credits

Whether qualitative or quantitative, financial or non-financial, data is everywhere and plays a crucial role in informing decision-making. This module introduces the fundamental concepts and principles of business finance and data analytics, and how they can be applied to measure and analyse organisational and functional performance, and support decision-making. Data analytics is a skill set that is becoming increasingly important for finding actionable insights from data and guiding strategic business decisions. This module is designed to help deepen your analytical mindset, develop your understanding of financial information, and prepare you to use relevant financial management and data analytic tools, techniques, and methods to assist the decision-making process both in the short and long terms.

Compulsory

Responsible Management, Sustainability and Entrepreneurship – 30 credits

This module aims to enable you to engage critically with sustainability and entrepreneurship in the context of management theory and practice. Explore the relationships between organisations and societies and the impact of significant societal change on different types of organisations. Drawing on UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), examine how organisations respond by altering their practices through innovation and entrepreneurial activities. Ethical business practices and sustainability are further explored, requiring you to reflect on your approaches to ideation in creating social and organisational value.

Compulsory

Modules

Research and Insight – 30 credits

This module aims to develop your understanding of how well-designed investigations and research work. Develop your understanding of the research process, including literature review, research methodology and methods, data collection and analysis. This module provides you with the foundation for future research activity and the ability to design research to meet specific research objectives. Develop insight and the ability to understand and critique investigations and research undertaken by others. You will also have the opportunity to evaluate how conclusions are reached and analyse the methods used to get to those conclusions.

Compulsory

Consumer Behaviour – 30 credits

This module aims to provide you with an insight into how consumers make buying decisions and the various factors that influence the decision-making process. Explore and analyse the core theories and frameworks relating to consumer behaviour and apply these in a range of different marketing contexts. Learn the psychological underpinnings of consumer behaviour and how marketers can use this knowledge to enhance marketing performance. Explore the key themes related to business-to-business marketing, including organisational stakeholders, organisational buyer behaviour, and how to create business value through understanding and applying relevant and current marketing approaches in a business-to-business context.

Compulsory

Integrated Marketing Communications – 30 credits

This module will introduce you to Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC). Explore the purpose of marketing communications strategies and plans, and the range of tools available to create effective integrated marketing communications campaigns. Focus on how marketing communications strategies are used in practice. This will involve a significant amount of practical work applying marketing communications knowledge and skills to real-life cases and exercises. This module also aims to examine the importance of ethics within integrated marketing communications.

Compulsory

Creative Marketing – 30 credits

This module aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills required to create successful and innovative advertising and digital marketing campaigns. Explore contemporary issues in advertising and digital marketing, examining advertising and digital marketing tools, techniques, tactics and media, including emerging forms. Moreover, the module covers the role and use of data and analytics in advertising and digital marketing campaigns including how to inform, evaluate and measure the effectiveness of strategies, plans and tactics.

Compulsory

A placement year² provides optional first-hand industry experience and helps you discover where your skills and interests truly lie. Taken between your second and final years, it allows you to step into a professional environment, apply your learning and gain valuable insight into your chosen sector.

By spending an extended period in industry, you should develop confidence, build professional networks and strengthen the transferable skills that employers value most. This experience offers a powerful way to explore career paths and return to your final year with real-world expertise and a clearer sense of direction.

Key opportunities

Complete an approved work placement: gain practical experience aligned with your course and career ambitions, typically lasting at least 26 weeks.
Reflect on professional development: recognise and document the specific skills, knowledge and experience you gain during your time in industry.
Broaden your global perspective: optionally undertake an international work or study placement to experience a different professional or cultural context.

While this optional year is non-credit-bearing, successful completion ensures your experience is formally recognised on your final degree certificate to showcase your expertise to future employers.

Students sponsored by the University who opt for an international work placement must ensure they comply with the UKVI immigration regulations and should contact us for further guidance.

Modules

Sustainable Marketing Management – 30 credits

This module aims to challenge you to develop a realistic, yet innovative, strategic vision for current and future marketing management and devise solutions to problems. Sustainable marketing management includes the three key areas of people, planet and profit. It looks at how these affect marketing decisions, including product and supply chain management, communication, business startups, certifications and reporting. An appreciation of change management lies at the heart of the module, as well as the need to question the very nature of present and future consumption. Develop your understanding of the effects of the sustainability agenda across all types of organisations and their stakeholders and apply project management methodology to develop a sustainable marketing plan.

Compulsory

Applied Project – 30 credits

This module provides you with the opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills to a real-world business issue. You may choose to undertake a research project, a consultancy-style investigation, or a management simulation. Through critical engagement with academic and industry literature, data analysis and reflective inquiry, develop evidence-based insights and propose realistic, practical recommendations. This module encourages independent thinking, problem-solving and analytical capabilities.

Compulsory

Digital Consumer Experience – 30 credits

This module examines how consumer experience and behaviour are impacted by the digital world: social media, mobile apps and other digital marketing channels. These not only provide ‘non-brick-and-mortar’ avenues for consumers to purchase products and services online but also affect how they consume marketing content across digital platforms. While this module focuses on consumer experience and behaviour from a digital perspective, it considers implications for the design and use of more traditional offline channels and for an organisation’s omnichannel strategy to ensure that consumers can shop and consume marketing content consistently and seamlessly across multiple channels. Industry examples from the digital marketing, consumer behaviour and omnichannel fields will be used to teach you the tools and techniques needed to improve the customer journey, create a customer-driven campaign and manage the customer experience holistically.

Compulsory

Social Media and Influencer Marketing – 30 credits

Social media marketing is one of the ways brands promote their products, services, messages and ideas in the digital age. This module explores the use of social media marketing, including the role of influencers in contemporary marketing strategy and investigates the development and future direction of social media. The module examines content creators in general, and influencers more specifically, through the lens of social media marketing and other digital forms of communication. With a balance of theory and practice, this module assesses the tools to evaluate and understand the impact of influencer marketing in an increasingly digital marketing landscape.

Compulsory

We regularly review our course content to keep it relevant and current for our students. Consequently, we may update modules to reflect the latest industry standards.

How you'll learn

Theory and practice-based lectures and seminars aim to develop your knowledge of a range of marketing topics, supported by a suite of industry-based software and hardware⁴.

You may also have opportunities to:

explore consumer behaviour and analysis and have the opportunity to learn how this insight and more can be used to inform the planning and implementation of marketing programmes.
take part in group projects² designed to develop advertising campaigns and hone your analytical skills using simulation games, such as marketing management games designed to develop your understanding and command of the marketing planning process.
expand your skills and knowledge of the development and operation of business markets, entrepreneurship and the management of key resources, including human capital, financial management, strategic management, corporate social responsibility and organisational change.

Teaching contact hours

As a full-time undergraduate student, you will study modules totalling 120 credits each academic year. A typical 30-credit module requires 300 hours of study. Study hours are made up of teaching contact hours and guided and independent study.

Teaching hours

Teaching hours may vary, depending on where you are in your studies, but on average, you will have between 12 and 15 teaching and learning hours each week. You will also have the option to attend additional sessions, including time with a progress coach or to meet with staff for advice and feedback. As you progress through your studies, teaching hours may reduce.

Guided and independent study

Throughout your studies, you will be expected to spend time in guided and independent study to make up the required study hours per module. You will be digging deeper into topics, reviewing what you’ve learnt and completing assignments. This can be completed around your personal commitments. As you progress to the end of your studies, you’ll spend more time on independent learning.

Online learning

As an innovative university, we use different teaching methods, including online tools and emerging technologies. So, some of your teaching hours and assessments may be delivered online.

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module.

Assessment methods may include:

phase tests
essays
group work
presentations
reports
projects
coursework
exams
individual assignments.

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements:

Requirement	What we're looking for
UCAS points	120
A level	BBB
GCSE	GCSE maths and English at grade 4 / C or Functional Skills Level 2, or other equivalent Level 2 awards
BTEC	DDM
T level	Overall grade of Merit in the T level qualification in any subject.
IB Diploma	24 points
Access to HE	The Access to HE Diploma to include 30 Level 3 credits at Merit. Plus GCSE English and Mathematics at grade 4 / C or above.

Other qualifications and experience

Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, each with a unique story. We recognise a breadth of qualifications. If your qualifications differ from the above, contact our Admissions Team who will be happy to discuss your qualifications and routes into your chosen course.

Contextual/Fair Access Offers

If you meet the criteria for our Fair Access Offer, you could automatically receive a contextual offer which is 16 UCAS points lower than our standard entry requirements. View the criteria for our Fair Access Offer.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:

You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.0 overall, with no component lower than 5.5

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

Not got the required grades? We offer this degree with an integrated foundation year.

Fees and funding

Student	Full-time	Part-time
UK	2027/28 fees TBC 2026/27 fees: £9,790 per year	Not available
International	2027/28 fees TBC 2026/27 fees: £17,600 per year	Not available

If you choose to study this course with a professional placement² or study abroad year, you will need to pay a tuition fee³ to cover your academic support throughout your placement year. Students commencing their professional placement in the academic year 2028/29 will pay £1,575 if they are paying UK fees, or £1,900 if they are paying international fees.

For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the table above for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permits an increase in tuition fees, the university may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI), a UK measure of inflation that tracks changes in the cost of living.

If you choose to study this course with a professional placement or study abroad year, the University will charge the tuition fees stated above for those on a placement during Academic Year 2028/29. The University will review professional placement tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study, but such that it will be no more than 5% above RPI.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) you may be charged the tuition fees in force at the time you take that additional period of study, and/or in line with any legislative changes that apply at that time.

We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them. Find out what's included in your tuition costs.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

Any optional overseas ﬁeld trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad) which may include costs of travel, accommodation, equipment or uniform required for the placement and any visa-related costs.

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?

We assess your fee status using the information in your application. This status determines your tuition fees and the scholarships or financial support you can get. The Department for Education sets the rules for who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees in England.

The regulations list which students can pay the home fee rate. Because these rules are complex, the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) provides fee status guidance to help you find the right category. If you meet all the criteria for one category, your institution must charge you the home rate.

Facilities

We have a range of facilities available to support our business and marketing students in putting the theories you are taught, into practice.

Take a virtual tour

DigiComm Lab

Designed to build creative minds, the DigiComm Lab is currently equipped with the latest industry-standard marketing and advertising software and devices to support your creative development.

Three students sat at a desk while lecturer points at screen.

Business Simulation Suite

Coventry Business School's Business Simulation Suite utilises the latest business simulation software to give you the opportunity to improve your business skills.

Group of people sitting around a table talking

Careers team

Our dedicated careers team can assist you in applying for work placements, graduate level jobs and offer skills development workshops. They also aim to organise networking events to introduce you to potential employers and industry contacts².

Facilities are subject to availability⁴. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.

Careers and opportunities

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to:

apply appropriate business concepts, models or techniques to analyse marketing problems.
source, analyse and apply appropriate marketing information to support decision making.
present ideas and findings and communicate effectively to an audience in written, verbal or electronic format, using appropriate business media and IT applications.
identify and analyse relevant sources of marketing information and research techniques across different contexts and cultures.
appreciate current contemporary issues including sustainability, ethics and CSR in marketing and digital marketing.
effectively use specialist tools in digital and social media marketing using appropriate software.
apply appropriate techniques to solve a range of different business management problems, including those of a financial nature.

Our Advertising and Digital Marketing BA (Hons) aims to provide a degree which can easily facilitate entrance into general business management roles or act as a springboard for a variety of marketing roles within areas such as a advertising, branding, product development, category sales, market research and wider marketing.

You can expect to develop a critical and reflective understanding of marketing and its relationship with the wider international business environment. It could lead to potential future specialist career options in such areas as advertising, digital marketing and project coordination, as well as more general roles in business analysis, project management or sales management.

Through completing this degree, you will gain expertise and confidence in key principles of advertising, story-telling, communications and campaigns within a digital context. This could lead to roles working in search engine optimisation, content management, creative integrated communications, social media marketing, big data analysis, campaign planning and channel management.

Where our graduates work

Some of our past graduates have gone on to a range of careers in marketing, advertising, PR, brand management, marketing research, digital marketing, sales and general management, with a wide range of large and small organisations such as Disney, IBM, Warner Brothers, Virgin Media, Dell, PepsiCo and Network Rail.

The graduate destinations listed above illustrate potential career paths. You may need to gain additional qualifications or practical experience, pass professional examinations, complete training, cover associated costs and meet specific visa or immigration requirements to secure employment in these fields.

Further study

Upon successful completion of this degree, you may wish to continue to further your studies at postgraduate level. You can do that right here at Coventry University, with our  Master of Business Administration (Global Marketing). Our MBA with Global Marketing specialism course looks in detail at topics such as strategy, digital and offline marketing, planning and management.

We also offer alternative postgraduate degrees if you decide to take a slightly different route. You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study. 

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How to apply

BA (Hons) with foundation year

Apply via UCAS

C85

Institution code

View our courses on UCAS

Visit UCAS

UK students

You can now register and start your application in your UCAS Hub. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply

How to apply

Apply via UCAS

If you'd like further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.

+44 (0)24 7765 6565

ukadmissions@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form

International students

International codes:
CBLU012

How to apply

For further support for international applicants applying for an undergraduate degree view our International hub.

You can also download our International mini guide for an overview of study options and why you should study with us.

Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.

+44 (0)24 7765 6565

ioadmissions@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form

Disclaimers

Coventry University, Coventry University London, Coventry University Wrocław, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough, and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the University) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.

¹Accreditations, partnerships and memberships

Some of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply. See the relevant body website for more details). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships are subject to successful renewal in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the University maintaining the same high standards of course delivery. If the accreditation, recognition or membership of this course changes, we will notify applicants and students as soon as possible.

²UK and international opportunities

Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or international opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be unpaid and/or subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel, public authority guidance, decisions or orders and visa requirements. Before seeking an overseas placement, read our visa advice page.

³Tuition fees

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first academic year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year.

For UK (home) students, if the Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees annually but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (for example to repeat a year or resit examinations) you may be charged the tuition fees in force at the time you take that additional period of study, and/or in line with any legislative changes that apply at that time.

⁴Facilities

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised. Availability and access may be reduced or restricted when the University is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders or internal health and safety requirements.

Student Contract

By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the University. A copy of the current 2025/26 contract is available for information purposes only. The 2027/28 contract will apply to the 2027/28 intakes and may differ from the current version. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the University will owe to you. You should read the applicable Student Contract carefully before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the University.