Move up a rung on the strategic marketing ladder

Russ Thorne maps a two-stage route to chartered status

How might this lot respond to the idea of a "Mission Led Business" (Getty)

Those wanting to gain a postgraduate qualification in marketing have plenty of choice when it comes to places to study. Courses accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) are available all over the world, from the Australian College of Marketing in Melbourne to Zenith University College in Ghana. In the UK, study options include independent business schools such as those run by BPP and the Oxford College of Marketing, as well as university business schools at Bournemouth, Derby, Salford and many more (a complete list is available from www.cim.co.uk).

The leading postgraduate qualification is the CIM’s chartered postgraduate diploma in marketing. “It’s a challenging, high-level, two-stage marketing qualification that demonstrates specialist professional knowledge across many areas and offers a route to chartered status,” explains Sue Lawrance, head of marketing and networks at the CIM. All students take the first part of the qualification to earn the postgraduate diploma, then have the option of continuing with part two (or returning to it at a later date) to become chartered marketers.

Once qualified (at either stage), students should be able to apply their skills at senior levels of their chosen field, explains Lawrance, by moving into strategic marketing management. They may also contribute to board decisions, she continues, as well as being able to “demonstrate a high level of leadership and influence” within their operation.

Although the postgraduate diploma is open to all those with either a professional diploma in marketing or an undergraduate degree with relevant marketing content, applicants are usually already working in a marketing role, says Christy Traore, head of marketing programmes at BPP Business School. “We tend to ask for senior-level management experience, plus a CIM diploma or a marketing degree or equivalent.

This course won’t teach applicants the fundamentals; at this level they’re expected to be able to conduct marketing and understand it, hence the need for professional experience.”

Courses can be full-time (there are also distance-learning options), although most run part-time in the evenings to accommodate students’ existing careers. Study periods might last a single year with several classes a week, or be spread over two or more years. With students entering from various stages of their careers, classes can be quite diverse, says Dr Julie Robson, director of enterprise at Bournemouth University Business School. “We have a mix of students. Some are young in terms of their experience, while others are a little more mature and want to consolidate their knowledge.”

Teaching can be by traditional “chalk-and-talk” methods, says Robson, but most tuition involves discussing students’ experiences and “looking at real life scenarios and learning from them”. Assessment is by examination, with a final dissertation in the second stage of the qualification (if taken) to earn chartered status.

Building the course into a full-time working life can be hard. “The course is less about pure marketing and more about corporate strategy,” says Traore. “That can be a surprise at first. But it’s the best marketing qualification, so students devote themselves to it.”

This devotion pays off as the qualification is well regarded by employers.

“Those with CIM qualifications have a far better understanding of the wider impact of their roles, and of marketing in the bigger business picture,” says Claire Dickinson, marketing manager of Clarins. “They’re more capable of thinking through the impact of both tactical and strategic work, and are usually better at determining appropriate return on investment measures.”

According to Traore, BPP graduates use the skills acquired on their course “at least six to eight times” during the working week and gain a much clearer understanding of higher level management.

This is no coincidence, says Lawrance, explaining that courses are developed with employers, “who have stated what skills and competencies they expect marketers to have”.

“There’s also a growing recognition that marketing isn’t just about adverts or sales,” says Robson. “It’s more technical than that. A postgraduate qualification in marketing makes you look at how you work within the business and puts you on a par with all the other operational areas.”

Chartered status is a valued brand in itself, she says in conclusion: “People with it are seen to have gone the extra distance in terms of gaining more knowledge, and they’re normally well rounded employees.”