Marketing and Public Relations (PR)
Marketing and Public Relations (PR) are closely aligned subjects. The main difference is that marketing focuses on selling or promoting a product or service, whereas PR is concerned with maintaining a positive reputation for a company, organisation or person as a whole.
Marketing is a wide ranging subject including areas such as digital marketing, brand, advertising, retail, marketing communications, research and analytics, supply chain and consumer behaviour.
PR includes public communications theories, strategic public relations planning, media relations, public diplomacy and strategic communication, digital media, public affairs and advocacy, and research methods.
Marketing and Public Relations courses at Stirling help you to prepare for a career in the rapidly-shifting professional landscape in an age of 24/7 connectivity. Our range of courses include Marketing, Retail Marketing, Event Management and PR, with many offering work experience or consultancy project opportunities.
Marketing and Public Relations courses
Courses labelled are available for online study only.
| Course | Start date |
|---|---|
| BA (Hons) Marketing | September 2022, January 2023 |
| BA (Hons) Retail Marketing | September 2022, January 2023 |
| Course | Start date |
|---|---|
| MSc Marketing | September 2022 |
| MSc Marketing Analytics | September 2022, January 2023 |
| MSc Marketing and Brand Management | September 2022 |
| MSc Strategic Communication and Public Relations (Joint Degree UPF Barcelona) | September 2022 |
| MSc Strategic Public Relations (Online) | September 2022, January 2023 |
| MSc Strategic Public Relations and Communication Management | September 2022 |
3rd in Scotland
and Top 10 in the UK for Marketing
Complete University Guide 2022
Top 5 in Scotland
for Business, Management and Marketing
The Guardian University Guide 2022
Graduate careers in Marketing and Public Relations
Graduates can head towards a specialist career in marketing, PR or events management, or can take a more general route to a management career in the public, private or voluntary sectors. The skills gained from a marketing or PR course at Stirling give you a wide range of analytical, problem-solving and professional skills which are highly valued by employers.
Graduates from Stirling have gone into roles such as:
- Digital Marketing Manager
- Marketing and Sales Executive
- Press Officer
- Visual Merchandiser
- UK Retail Marketing Graduate Programme
- Graduate Management Scheme
- Public Relations Officer
Our graduates have gone on to work for organisations such as Adidas, Tesco, Heineken, Scottish Media Group, Marks and Spencer, BBC, Nestle and Hewlett Packard.
Marketing and Public Relations research
The University of Stirling’s research in Marketing and Retail looks at consumptions patterns and consumer behaviour in an evolving social landscape.
The Consumers, Cultures and Society research group specialises in bringing the experiences of consumers (and those driving the market) to wider audiences through the evolving character and social structure of the 'consumer society'.
The Institute for Retail Studies is involved with local, national and global research, exploring topics such as how the retail brand has evolved, the processes involved in retail internationalisation and different retail spaces. They carry out many research projects for public and private sector bodies.
Public relations research at the University of Stirling is carried out by the Communications, Media and Culture division. They are committed to wide-ranging research which crosses boundaries between arts and humanities, social sciences and management.
Postgraduate research opportunities
Our Marketing and Retail PhD programme is accredited by the Economic and Social Research Council and is affiliated with the prestigious Business and Management Pathway of the Scottish Graduate School. Our expertise in Public Relations has helped us build strong links with industry, giving PhD students the chance to both learn from and contribute to the latest thinking in the arena. See our PhD and MPhil opportunities in: