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MARKETING

Master's Degree Programme

About the programme 
Language: English  (See language requirements)  | Place of study: Aarhus  |  Commencement: August / September (no winter intake)

Introduction

The Marketing programme focuses on consumer insights and customer needs in order to provide products and services of value for the target market and target customer group that the company is serving. It thus includes an all-important approach to management decision-making and covers a set of business functions, taking into account the company’s business portfolio, the competitors behaviour in the market, and the trends in the macro-environment. Customers are central to marketing, and the main aim is to make brand promises and create high expectations to customers, and then reliably meet or exceed the expectations thus created, in order to achieve customer satisfaction and support brand loyalty. This is accomplished through the firm's own value creation activities, but also through support for the value creation process of customers, channel members and other stakeholders. These activities and processes are often naturally international in scope. The international aspect of marketing is also reflected in the international faculty and study body, as well as in the possibility to study abroad for a semester. 

Thus, the marketing programme provides you with the analytical and academic skills of a research-based higher education, thus preparing you for a wide range of national and international management careers within the private and public sector, including:

  • Consumer and market research
  • Product and brand management
  • Communication or advertising
  • Consulting
  • Entrepreneurial and innovation management

Admission Requirements

Legal right of admission

Applicants with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Administration (HA) from Aarhus University have the right to be admitted to the Master's degree programme in Economics and Business Administration (cand.merc.) at Aarhus University on the condition that application is made for admission to the Master’s degree programme no later than three years after completion of the Bachelor’s degree programme. The legal right of admission requires receipt of the application by Aarhus University within the appropriate period of time.

Bachelor's degrees with direct admission

The following Bachelor’s degrees fulfill the admissions requirements for the Master’s degree programme in Economics and Business Administration at Aarhus University but are not automatically secured a spot at the programme:

  • Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with supplementary subject (erhvervsøkonomi med tilvalg) at study plan 2017 and onwards from Aarhus University.
  • Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Commercial Law (Erhvervsøkonomi-erhvervsret (HA jur.)) from Aarhus University.
  • Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Administration (HA - general business economics) from one of the Danish universities.*
  • Applicants a Bachelor´s degree in Economics and Business Administration (HA) from Aarhus University who no longer have legal right of admission.*

* With a diploma older than 2000, your Bachelor’s degree will be assessed according to the specific admission requirements described under the section: “Students that hold a degree from another university”. 

Students that hold a degree from another university

Other Bachelor´s degrees can provide admission to the Master’s degree programme. When you apply the university will access if your Bachelor´s degree corresponds in level, extent and content to a BSc in Economics and Business Administration/HA from Aarhus Universitet. The assessment will prioritize the sufficient content of the following subjects and ECTS-points:    

Subject

ECTS

Methods*

15 ECTS

Marketing

7,5 ECTS

Finance

7,5 ECTS

Accounting

7,5 ECTS

Organisation- and Leadership Theory

7,5 ECTS

Microeconomics

5 ECTS

Operations Management

5 ECTS

Additional ECTS points within the abovementioned areas

25 ECTS

Total ECTS within Economics and Business Administration

80 ECTS

*Please note, applicants must have at least 15 ECTS within methods including at least 10 ECTS within quantitative methods or statistics.

Admission to the MSc in Economics and Business Administration for applicants with a professional bachelor’s degree (professionsbachelor)

In order to meet the admission requirements for the MSc programmes in Economics and Business Administration, applicants with a specific professional bachelor’s degree must have completed specific elective courses as part of their qualifying exam. In this table the requirements for elective courses are laid out.

Language requirements

As English is the language of instruction in all subjects, all applicants are required to provide evidence of their English language proficiency.
Please see the page on language requirements.

Download appendix for your application

If you apply for admission with an international Bachelor's degree, you must fill in this appendix and upload it in the application portal. The appendix serves to help the Admission Board assess your Bachelor's degree in regard to the admission requirements. 

Download appendix

Restricted admission from 2022

As from the intake 2022, the Master’s degree programmes in Economics and Business Administration (cand.merc.) only admits a limited number of students each year. Therefore, meeting the admission requirements does not in itself guarantee admission to the programme. 

Please note, for programmes with restricted admission special rules regarding supplementary Bachelor’s courses apply. Therefore, we no longer offer pre-assessments for the programme in Economics and Business Administration (cand.merc.).

Read more about supplementary Bachelor’s courses.

Selection criteria

If there are more qualified applicants than available seats, the Admissions Committee assesses each applicant based on the average mark (i.e. GPA) of the Bachelor’s degree at the time of application. Marks/grades obtained after the application deadline will not be included in the GPA. The Admissions Committee assesses each applicant’s marks based on the information provided by diplomas and transcripts.

Programme Structure

ACADEMIC REGULATIONS

Below is an outline of the courses:


The study programme consists of two semesters in the first year which cover the compulsory courses in the programme specialisation and two semesters in the last year which are reserved for the student's own specialisation.

In the first semester you follow the prerequisite courses that form the methodological and academic basis for the further study programme.

In the second semester you follow the specialisation courses of the programme.

In the third semester you can choose elective courses within your areas of interest. The courses can either be taken at Aarhus BSS during the semester, at the Summer University or at one of our more than 300 partner universities abroad. You can also participate in project-based internship programmes either in Denmark or abroad.

The fourth semester is devoted to the final thesis. You may choose the topic of the thesis freely and so get a chance to concentrate on and specialise in a specific field of interest. The thesis may be written in collaboration with another student or it may be the result of your individual effort. 

Student Life

Learning in an International Context

At Aarhus BSS, we conduct research at the highest academic level.

All researchers employed are engaged in research projects covering a wide range of different subjects and focusing on knowledge and skills considered essential for professional business activities in the global marketplace. All faculty have both research and teaching responsibilities which means that our teaching is continually based on the latest research results.

Aarhus BSS is very internationally oriented. The broad scope of our research activities and educational programmes enable us to attract researchers, teachers, and students from all over the world, and this creates an international environment for research and learning in which academic views are exchanged, experiences are gathered and friendships are formed.

Aarhus University is a leading university in Denmark in building student exchange opportunities. The university encourages all students to spend time studying abroad. Every year, more than 700 students from Aarhus BSS go abroad to participate in exchange programmes around the world at our more than 300 partner universities. About the same number of students from all over the world come to participate in the exchange programme in Aarhus, and this contributes to a truly international learning atmosphere.

Follow the student life at Aarhus University

-experienced, photographed and filmed by the students themselves.

With thousands of pictures #AUInternational, #AarhusUni gives insight into the everyday life as a student at AU; the parties, procrastination, exams and all the other ways you’ll spend your time at university.

The photos belong to the users, shared with #AUInternational and #AarhusUni.

Career

Tasks as a Graduate

The chart shows the five most common types of work for graduates 1-2 years after finishing their degree. The data is derived from a survey made by Epinion for the Ministry of Higher Education and Science and Aarhus University in 2020.

JOB PROFILE

The specialisation in Marketing gives you the skills to fill a position as 

  • Marketing manager
  • Product or brand manager
  • Communication manager
  • Positions focusing on strategic
    market orientation
  • Positions in market research
  • Marketing strategy and planning
  • Relationship management (Key Account Manager)
  • Market-oriented product management (development)
  • Strategic market development among others. 

PROFILE OF COMPETENCIES

The MSc programme in Marketing qualifies students in state-of-the-art approaches to each of the following strategic marketing areas: innovation, channel management, product/market selection, pricing and profit planning, marketing research and consumer insights, customer and brand relationship, and communications management. These areas are taught in individual courses and integrated into an advanced course on marketing management and strategy.

More specifically the programme will provide students with analytical competences in relation to: the study of customer behaviour, identification and choice of targets, suppliers and competitors, the design and selection of appropriate marketing studies and models, and the development of marketing plans encompassing the most complex issues of concurrent marketing trends. For instance, students will be able to:

  • Understand and explore the complex and interrelated factors impacting customer behavior, as a basis for deriving market-oriented business strategies
  • Create and manage profitable processes of customer value creation, communication, delivery and exchange and build and grow customer relationships
  • Contribute to future business growth entailed in market trends and changes, as well as to the creation of value for society as at large

Regarding communicative, cooperative, cultural and persuasive competences, the marketing programme will enable students to develop, present, plan, recommend and evaluate marketing scenarios and strategies for national and global business and non-business organisations.

The marketing programme hence prepares students for a wide range of management careers in the private and public sectors including consulting, entrepreneurial management, innovation management and communication management, all of which are currently in heavy demand.

From Studies to the First Job

"The analytical courses of the masters in marketing gives you a strong foundation of what you need to push yourself into an exciting career. Combine that with curiosity, hard-work and experiences obtained during studies and you have a strong profile ready to take the world head on." (Msc in Marketing).

Studying Marketing at Aarhus University has given me the skillset to engage in entrepreneurial ventures and projects with value creation and relevant markets in focus; allowing me to capitalize and engage with the market from launch. (…) It taught me that marketing is not just sales and advertising; it is the notion of creating value. (…) The marketing studies at Aarhus University covered a broad range of relevant topics that has allowed me to reach out in many directions, both in terms of occupations I can fill and the industries in which I can operate in.” (Msc in Marketing).

We want to help our students find successful careers. Students can always contact our Career Services for advice and assistance with getting onto the Danish labour market. Check out our careers page to see the range of services we offer.