Graduates 2024: Declan: Marketing Management BSc(Hons)

Declan has just completed his final year studying Marketing Management BSc(Hons) with an additional placement year.

In this blog, he will share his experience of the course, why he chose Brighton and how his degree will help him to excel in his career.

Studying a marketing management degree at Brighton

I was already working in marketing and sales in real estate before I came to university, the Marketing Management BSC(Hons) at the University of Brighton made a lot of sense to stimulate some career growth and give me an opportunity to move away from home.

The city is fantastic, the beach is convenient, and the School of Business and Law presented itself as a solid option against other potential business schools in the country.

My highlights of the course

The academic support and the people I met on the course made it enjoyable. The Academic staff see you as colleagues, and the environment is highly collaborative, which helps you stay motivated.

I really enjoyed the final year modules of Consumer Psychology, Futurism and Marketing Communications. They were all structured to have real world applications, and I have been able to talk about them when dealing with clients outside of university to share the things I’ve learnt and the skills I’ve picked up from each module.

Campus facilities and teaching environment

Elm House is fantastic; the facilities echo a progressive shared working space that you might expect to see in London or Silicon Valley. Brighton fosters a highly collaborative teaching environment, where students are expected to debate and disagree during class discussions, meaning you really quickly get to pick up on critical thinking as a standard skill which helps with writing essays and projects.

Support from academic staff and wellbeing

The course team are the reason I managed to make it out the other end with so many opportunities (and good grades!!). Dan and Liz really helped with my professional career outside of university, helping to guide and advise on entrepreneurial activity that I had been working on during my final year. All of the teaching staff were switched on and deeply knowledgeable about the subject, including current approaches to tackling problems in the industrial environment.

Taking a placement year

I decided to take a paid placement year in my third year and went to work for SEED marketing agency as a campaign assistant. This gave me the chance to work for brands such as Spotify, Amazon, Jack Daniels, and Major League Baseball to name a few. I spent a year living in London which really accelerated my career and gave me access to a strong network that I have available today.

Supporting my development and career

Brighton set a high expectation as soon as I arrived and smashed it beyond the call of duty. Being at university has opened so many absurd opportunities that I couldn’t have foreseen and has helped me grow and develop as a person. Combined with the opportunity to do a placement year, I’ve genuinely had the best four years of my life.

I will graduate with my CIM accreditation alongside my degree, giving me a solid push in the right direction to access a career in marketing.

My plans after graduating

My plans after graduation is to stay in Brighton. I started a small marketing operation when I was in first year that has developed some decent traction over the last four years, so I’m planning on continuing in self-employment and look to start scaling over the next year or so.

If money wasn’t a factor, I’d be straight in doing my masters because I have caught the knack for education now, but I’ll probably have to be patient and do so in good time!

Find out more about studying a degree in marketing at Brighton.