Transition into a new career with an MSc in Marketing

As an international student, Carly Eppler did the MSc in Marketing to transition into a new career in marketing while an internship during the programme has helped her step forward with her career aims.

Prior to starting the MSc in Marketing at the University of Strathclyde Business School, I had taught high school English in the US before working in Higher Education in career services. Through that role, I was able to do some basic marketing of programmes and realised marketing was what I wanted to do. However, in applying to jobs, I realised that I wasn’t that qualified for true marketing positions, which made me realise a one-year master's degree in the UK would be the perfect opportunity for me. Not only would I be able to finish my degree quickly, I would save a significant amount of money by attending a UK programme.

When I was initially looking at various marketing programmes in Scotland, the University of Strathclyde stood out to me for several reasons: it was marketed as an option for those without business experience, making it the perfect opportunity to help me transition into a new career. Further, their curriculum emphasised project-based learning, which I find to be an excellent way to apply your knowledge, rather than just sitting in lectures and filling out an exam at the end of the year.

Overall, the programme was incredibly helpful in building a strong foundation of marketing knowledge, including strategic marketing, brand management, and consumer behavior. This foundational knowledge was well-structured and made the transition into a new industry much easier than I anticipated. My professors were incredibly approachable and encouraged participation in classes. Not only that, but in the first semester, we were already doing project-based learning, which enabled us to practice what we were learning, cementing our knowledge and building a repertoire of examples to draw from as I began to apply to jobs.

In the second semester, we were able to choose several electives based on areas of interest, allowing us to gain insight into areas like digital marketing, tourism, B2B, retail, and marketing communications. This was incredibly fun and allowed us to focus on areas that best served us. The culminating projects for this semester allowed us to demonstrate our knowledge and challenged us to think outside the box, a requirement of the marketing industry. While this was challenging at times in terms of workload, I found it incredibly beneficial.

During the course of the programme, we had a few guest speakers that provided real-world insight into the concepts we were learning, allowing us the opportunity to ask questions and connect with marketing professionals.

The marketing programme offers two dissertation options – one is a traditional dissertation, while the other is a 'Marketing Works' project, where you partner with a local organisation and tackle any number of objectives the company has. For my year, Partick Thistle FC, a local football club, was one of the partners. I am eager to work in sports upon graduation, so I was thrilled to partner with them for my dissertation project. It has been incredible to meet with various members of staff to gain insight into daily operations and challenges they face. This has also been a great opportunity for me to create something with real-world applications which is invaluable in the job market.

The project-based approach to learning has been a highlight and has allowed me to receive real feedback on ideas, which is more valuable than any exam result would be. Not only does it ask us to think critically and execute our ideas, but it also requires us to implement skills that we will use once employed.

Through this programme, I was able to gain essential marketing skills, including strategic planning, brand management, marketing analysis, integrated marketing communications, data analysis, data collection, competitor analysis, campaign design, and more. These have prepared me for a variety of marketing jobs upon graduation, enabling me to apply to a variety of positions.

During the course of the programme, I was able to secure an internship in marketing and be able to apply my digital marketing skills, earning valuable experience prior to applying to the job market. Because I am an international student, I was a bit nervous about applying to jobs, but both professors and career services provided helpful advice to ensure I was ready for the UK job market. Strathclyde career services has been incredibly valuable – not only do they host workshops specific to your degree, they also offer cover letter, interview, and resume resources and individual appointments to ensure you’re ready for the job market. The focused workshops allow you and your classmates to ask questions that are specific to your industry and receive tailored feedback and advice during the course of your programme. My internship is within the University of Strathclyde and has allowed me to develop marketing strategies, utilise my digital marketing skills, and track data to ensure my team can make informed decisions. All of this is building my confidence and skillset within marketing, making it easier to make the transition into my new career.

Overall, I would recommend this programme to someone without a business or marketing background, especially as a way to transition into a new career after already working. From this programme, you can gain practical knowledge and skills needed to work in the marketing field. Post-graduation, I will apply for a graduate visa and then apply to jobs in the UK.

About Carly Eppler

Carly Eppler is an MSc in Marketing student at Strathclyde Business School.