The Wits Business School (WBS) is introducing a new masters programme in strategic marketing next year, for which applications are now open.

“The Master of Management in Strategic Marketing programme is designed to give marketers the leverage they need to be able to become chief marketing officers or marketing directors by providing the theoretical tools and the academic qualification to enable this,” says WBS Master of Management in Strategic Marketing programme director Professor Geoff Bick.

He adds that this course also fills a gap in the market, where marketers have been seeking to advance their studies but have had no options for applied marketing theory at master’s level. The programme is a combination of coursework, which accounts for 50% of a student’s final results, and a research dissertation, which accounts for the remaining 50% of the marks.

The coursework covers thought and theory in different aspects of marketing, and the research enables the application of these to a particular topic. It is a two-year, part-time programme, enabling marketers to continue with their work commitments while studying part-time or through block release.

The course is designed for students who have studied marketing at undergraduate level and it provides a comprehensive understanding of advanced business and marketing concepts.

Candidates are required to have a four-year degree in marketing, or an honours degree or equivalent marketing qualification, two to three years’ work experience, compliance with all admission requirements specified by the school, such as a motivation document, verifiable proof of work experience and must successfully complete the WBS admissions test.

The core courses will include group dynamics, accounting and finance, economics for business, strategic marketing theory, applied consumer behaviour, customer equity management, strategic brand management, advanced strategic marketing, and research theory and design, which prepares students for their research dissertation. Two electives are chosen from a list of options including global marketing, advanced marketing research, management of corporate branding and reputation and applied services marketing.

Further, the course includes applied business-to-business marketing, integrated marketing communications, digital marketing and applied competitive intelligence. Students then undertake a major research project.

The research project will entail independently executed research in an area of interest. It will be done with assistance from a supervisor, who will be assigned according to the areas of expertise. Guidance will be provided in the research theory and design (research methodology) course included in the core courses to cover the principles of research, research processes, problem formulation, data collection and analysis, and report writing.

“The WBS has a distinguished reputation for excellence in management education, and this will now be brought into the specialist marketing field as opposed to traditional business administration programmes.

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