Study marketing management in Groningen and learn how to do marketing that contributes to consumer well-being, and use digital analytics responsibly to continuously improve marketing strategies.
How can effective marketing strategies be aligned with sustainability goals to create a positive impact on consumer well-being, brand reputation, and society as a whole? How can marketers ethically use psychological triggers in their campaigns? And how can managers make better decisions using relevant data in a responsible way?
Studying MSc Marketing - Marketing Management track is about understanding strategic marketing decision-making, consumer well-being, and creating meaningful connections that resonate in a fast-paced, interconnected world facing major challenges. During the one-year programme in Groningen, you will discover the power of branding, understand why and how consumers make decisions and gain expertise to use data for customer insights. Marketing is not a static discipline, it is a dynamic and interdisciplinary field and our professors and industry experts will share their knowledge on the latest technological advancements, consumer behaviors, and market trends to prepare you for your career. For example, you learn about using ethical and environmentally conscious campaigns that resonate with today’s mindful consumers and contribute to solving the societal challenges that we face.
Putting into practice what you learn is at the core of our programme. You will have plenty of opportunities to work on real-life business cases, join a market simulation game, and meet marketing professionals during the many guest lectures. From day one, you will join the close-knit and active student community where you can join social activities and work on your professional skills.
Whether you are interested in consumer well-being, brand management, digital marketing, market research, advertising, or retail marketing, the Marketing Management track opens doors to a wide range of career opportunities.
You start by learning about strategic marketing and the role of
marketing in an organization. You will apply the strategies and
theories you learn in an interactive simulation game. In the
marketing research methods course, you will work with datasets to
generate customer insights and use them to optimise marketing
strategy and customer journeys. Furthermore, understanding consumer
psychology is necessary for this field and we will teach you about
consumer behaviours and motivations, (un)conscious processes,
emotions, and social influence.
You can tailor the programme depending on your interests and career
aspirations. Marketing management electives in branding, consumer
well-being, retail marketing, customer experiences, and B2B
marketing can help you specialise further in these fields. You also
have the opportunity to take electives from other fields and gain
knowledge about business ethics, digital marketing intelligence,
innovation and entrepreneurship, and challenges in healthcare.
Check below the full list of electives.
Semesters | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
CoursesCourse Catalog > | 1a | 1b | 2a | 2b |
MM - Marketing Research Methods (5 EC) | ||||
MM - Strategic Marketing (5 EC) | ||||
MM - Electives A (15 EC) A few examples are: Building Brands for Impact; Marketing and Consumer Well-being; Managing Customer Experience and Value; Marketing Communication. The full list of electives can be found on Ocasys. | ||||
MM - Electives B (10 EC) A few examples are: Business Ethics; Foreign Market Entry Strategies; Strategic Collaboration in Healthcare; Digital Marketing Intelligence; Behavioural Finance; Challenges in Healthcare. The full list of electives can be found on Ocasys. | ||||
MM - Consumer Psychology (5 EC) | ||||
MM - Master's Thesis (20 EC) |
Programme options |
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Double Degree Master International Business and Finance (Shanghai) (specialization) Are you interested in an international career in or involving China? Study in Shanghai after your FEB Master's programme in Groningen and gain first-hand knowledge and experience of China and the economy, finance and culture. |
Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence Focus Area (specialization) Focus on the digital transformation within our society and understand how to successfully implement digital transformation in business. A successful digital transition allows businesses to conquer markets, witness industries converging, and step into the realm of winner-takes-all dynamics, like dominating tech-giants like Google and Facebook. |
Master Internship (specialization) Opportunity to gain work experience by doing an internship in the second semester of your study. You will be rewarded 15 ECTS on top of your programme. Your thesis will be postponed to the third semester. |
Healthy Society Focus Area (specialization) Focus on tackling problems that impact healthcare providers and their societal partners in their day-to-day work. Issues such as scarce human resources combined with a higher, more complex demand for care, and more demanding citizens require solutions, which you will think about and design. |
Future Prosperity and Sustainability Focus Area (specialization) Focus on the sustainable developments in our current society by the increasing influence of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. The upcoming impact of the SDGs force companies to redefine their purpose and seek a path for meaningful contribution. But, what are companies responsible for, and who bears the burden of the consequences? Your skills and knowledge will prepare you to actively contribute to the strategic developments in this dynamic field. |
Specific requirements | More information |
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previous education |
To be eligible for admission to this Master, you need to hold an academic Bachelor's or Master's degree from a research university in one of the following - or closely related - fields: Business Administration, Econometrics and Operations Research, Economics and Business Economics, International Business. To assess whether your educational/academic background meets the specific programme requirements, we will consider the level and curriculum of your previous studies. For more information, please visit: https://www.rug.nl/feb/apply-msc. Not meeting the pre-education requirements for direct entry? Please read more about our Pre-Master programmes: https://www.rug.nl/feb/premaster |
other admission requirements |
The information about entry requirements is an indication of your admissibility. Every application will be reviewed individually by the Admissions board so the admission decision may differ from the indication in this table. |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Business Administration | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
Econometrics and Operations Research | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
Economics and Business Economics | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
International Business | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
Industrial Engineering and Management | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
Psychology (NL) | University of Groningen |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of In addition to your BSc programme, you need a customised entry package of 20 EC. For more information, visit https://www.rug.nl/feb/education/study-programmes/pre-msc/customized-entry-packages/msc-marketing |
Sociology | University of Groningen |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of You need to first complete the 45 EC (or less) Pre-Master's programme. For information about the Pre-MSc application and entry requirements, please check https://www.rug.nl/feb/premaster. |
Communication and Information Studies | University of Groningen |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of In addition to your BSc programme, you need a customised entry package of 25 EC. For more information, visit https://www.rug.nl/feb/education/study-programmes/pre-msc/customized-entry-packages/msc-marketing |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Econometrics and Operations Research | Erasmus University Rotterdam | No additional requirements |
Economics and Business Economics | Erasmus University Rotterdam | No additional requirements |
Fiscale Economie | Erasmus University Rotterdam |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of You need to first complete the 45 EC (or less) Pre-Master's programme. For information about the Pre-MSc application and entry requirements, please check https://www.rug.nl/feb/premaster. |
International Business Administration | Erasmus University Rotterdam | No additional requirements |
Business Administration | Erasmus University Rotterdam | No additional requirements |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Business Analytics | Maastricht University | No additional requirements |
Business Engineering | Maastricht University | No additional requirements |
Econometrics and Operations Research | Maastricht University | No additional requirements |
Economics and Business Economics | Maastricht University | No additional requirements |
Fiscale Economie | Maastricht University |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of You need to first complete the 45 EC (or less) Pre-Master's programme. For information about the Pre-MSc application and entry requirements, please check https://www.rug.nl/feb/premaster. |
Global Studies | Maastricht University |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of You need to first complete the 45 EC (or less) Pre-Master's programme. For information about the Pre-MSc application and entry requirements, please check https://www.rug.nl/feb/premaster. |
International Business | Maastricht University | No additional requirements |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Accountancy | Nyenrode New Business School |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of You need to first complete the 45 EC (or less) Pre-Master's programme. For information about the Pre-MSc application and entry requirements, please check https://www.rug.nl/feb/premaster. |
Business Administration | Nyenrode New Business School | No additional requirements |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Business Administration | Radboud University Nijmegen | No additional requirements |
Economics and Business Economics | Radboud University Nijmegen | No additional requirements |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Econometrics and Operations Research | Tilburg University | No additional requirements |
Fiscale Economie | Tilburg University |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of You need to first complete the 45 EC (or less) Pre-Master's programme. For information about the Pre-MSc application and entry requirements, please check https://www.rug.nl/feb/premaster. |
Economics | Tilburg University |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of You need to first complete the 45 EC (or less) Pre-Master's programme. For information about the Pre-MSc application and entry requirements, please check https://www.rug.nl/feb/premaster. |
Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation | Tilburg University |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of You need to first complete the 45 EC (or less) Pre-Master's programme. For information about the Pre-MSc application and entry requirements, please check https://www.rug.nl/feb/premaster. |
International Business Administration | Tilburg University | No additional requirements |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Actuarial Science | University of Amsterdam |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of You need to first complete the 45 EC (or less) Pre-Master's programme. For information about the Pre-MSc application and entry requirements, please check https://www.rug.nl/feb/premaster. |
Business Analytics | University of Amsterdam | No additional requirements |
Business Administration | University of Amsterdam | No additional requirements |
Econometrics and Data Science | University of Amsterdam | No additional requirements |
Economics and Business Economics | University of Amsterdam | No additional requirements |
Fiscale Economie | University of Amsterdam |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of You need to first complete the 45 EC (or less) Pre-Master's programme. For information about the Pre-MSc application and entry requirements, please check https://www.rug.nl/feb/premaster. |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
International Business Administration | University of Twente | No additional requirements |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Economics and Business Economics | Utrecht University | No additional requirements |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Management and Consumer Studies | Wageningen University | No additional requirements |
Economics and Governance | Wageningen University |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of You need to first complete the 45 EC (or less) Pre-Master's programme. For information about the Pre-MSc application and entry requirements, please check https://www.rug.nl/feb/premaster. |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Business Analytics | VU University Amsterdam | No additional requirements |
Econometrics and Operations Research | VU University Amsterdam | No additional requirements |
Econometrics and Operations Research | VU University Amsterdam | No additional requirements |
Economics and Business Economics | VU University Amsterdam | No additional requirements |
International Business Administration | VU University Amsterdam | No additional requirements |
Business Administration | VU University Amsterdam | No additional requirements |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Public Administration Science | Leiden University |
Via a pre-master with a maximum of For students following the profile Economics, Public Administration and Management: You need to first complete the 45 EC (or less) Pre-Master's programme. For information about the Pre-MSc application and entry requirements, please check https://www.rug.nl/feb/premaster. |
Computer Science | Leiden University |
No additional requirements More information:For profile Computer Science & Economics. |
Students with a Dutch diploma can apply directly to Studielink. In Studielink, please register for the specific track (Marketing Management or Marketing Analytics and Data Science). If you are a current FEB student and you want to re-enrol, please contact transfer.feb@rug.nl. More information on the steps to apply .
Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
---|---|---|
Dutch students | 01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
15 October 2025 | 01 February 2026 | |
01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 | |
15 October 2026 | 01 February 2027 | |
EU/EEA students | 01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
15 October 2025 | 01 February 2026 | |
01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 | |
15 October 2026 | 01 February 2027 | |
non-EU/EEA students | 01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
15 October 2025 | 01 February 2026 | |
01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 | |
15 October 2026 | 01 February 2027 |
Specific requirements | More information |
---|---|
previous education |
To be eligible for admission to this Master, you need to hold an academic Bachelor's or Master's degree from a research university in one of the following - or closely related - fields: Business Economics, Business Administration, Econometrics and Operations Research, Economics and Business Economics, International Business, Technology Management. To assess whether your educational/academic background meets the specific programme requirements, we will consider the level and curriculum of your previous studies. For more information, please visit: https://www.rug.nl/feb/apply-msc. If you have any questions concerning admission to this programme, please contact our Admissions Office: https://www.rug.nl/admissions. |
language test |
IELTS Academic overall score 6.5 (Speaking 6, Writing 6.5); TOEFL internet-based overall score 90 (Speaking 20, Writing 24); Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency (overall score 176, Speaking 169, Writing 176). |
other admission requirements |
Important: The MSc Marketing is a selective programme. All applicants need to meet the GPA requirement based on their education background and write a motivation letter. Read more about the application deadlines and entry requirements. |
Students have to apply via Studielink and the Progress Portal (replacing the previous system, Online Application System OAS) of the University of Groningen. In Studielink, please register for the specific track (Marketing Management or Marketing Analytics and Data Science). After you apply for the programme of your choice, the Admissions Office will evaluate your educational background and assess your eligibility. Your application will be assessed on an individual basis. More information on how to apply.
Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
---|---|---|
Dutch students | 01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
15 October 2025 | 01 February 2026 | |
01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 | |
15 October 2026 | 01 February 2027 | |
EU/EEA students | 01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
15 October 2025 | 01 February 2026 | |
01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 | |
15 October 2026 | 01 February 2027 | |
non-EU/EEA students | 01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
15 October 2025 | 01 February 2026 | |
01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 | |
15 October 2026 | 01 February 2027 |
As an MSc Marketing Management graduate, you have a wide range of promising career prospects across various industries. You can work in consultancy and be responsible for developing and executing strategies to build and maintain strong brand identities. If you are interested in the retail world, you can oversee the development, marketing, and performance of specific brands, products, or product lines. Digital marketing and advertising are also popular fields in which our alumni work.
The competencies set acquired during the programme, including data analysis, market research, and strategic thinking, are highly transferable and valuable in today's competitive job market. This will allow you to explore diverse career paths in various industries, ranging from consumer goods and technology to retail and consulting.
Our research-driven education is strongly rooted in business practice and society. At the heart of our teaching approach is (interdisciplinary) research and in collaboration with external partners, students, and professors conduct projects on societally relevant topics such as healthy society and the economics of healthcare systems, digitalisation, and how AI is shaping business and societies, leadership and governance, future prosperity and sustainability, climate change and how to tackle the shift to renewable energy. From day one of your degree, we care about making a real impact.
The Customer Insights Center of the University of Groningen (RUGCIC) connects scientific research and practice and brings together the marketing knowledge and expertise of students, researchers, and businesses.
You can also read more about our Marketing research institute that focuses on three main disciplines in the field of marketing: strategy, modeling, and consumer behaviour.
Would you like to study advanced data engineering and marketing analytics? Check the Marketing Analytics and Data Science track.
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