Master in Marketing

Master in Marketing is one of 6 English-taught Marketing programmes at master’s level in the register, offered by 6 institutions. 6 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 727 to EUR 1,453; this programme lists EUR 727 a year. 2 are at a public university, where EU, EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters. The same programme title is offered at 2 institutions, so compare the content, campus and requirements before you choose.

The Marketing master at IMC Krems is a 120 ECTS programme taught in English over four semesters. It sits in the IMC Business School and mixes hands-on teaching with an international focus. You can hold down a part-time job while you study: courses run on three successive weekdays.

What you study

The core covers strategic and brand management, digital marketing, communication skills and market research. You learn to plan, execute and evaluate marketing activities with a strong focus on business practice.

Semesters 1 to 3 build the core subjects. That means strategic marketing management, location development, customer-focused product and service development using design-thinking methods, marketing processes across the customer journey, consumer analysis and market research methods such as big data and artificial intelligence, conventional and digital media for marketing and public relations, marketing budgets, and the legal and ethical frameworks for marketing strategies.

The Digital Skills module in semesters 2 and 3 covers software for web and mobile apps, plus storytelling and influencer marketing. Creative communication sits in the Personal Branding and Leadership module: personal branding strategies, communication skills for building trust, motivating teams and handling team dynamics and conflicts.

You pick one of three majors, worth 16 ECTS and eight hours per week: Tourism and Hospitality Marketing, Fashion and Lifestyle Marketing, or Retail and Shopper Marketing. Each has its own courses, from Global Tourism Perspectives and Tourism Experience Marketing to Fashion Marketing and Collection Planning, or E-Commerce Business Models and Shopper Marketing and Omnichannel Retailing. All three share Innovation and Project Management and a Marketing Strategy Capstone Project.

How the programme is organised

Every semester has a practical focus. Lecturers with international backgrounds and business experience teach through case studies. In semester 3 you work on real-life customer projects with companies, and Marketing in Action offers excursions to companies where marketing managers explain day-to-day processes.

Semester 4 is mainly for the master thesis, an independent academic analysis of a problem tied to your major. In the same semester the mobility window lets you either do a placement with an employer of your choice or spend a semester at a partner university. There is no compulsory internship. A Dual Degree with the University of Bergamo is possible.

The programme also lets you gain two Austrian Standards personal certifications without extra attendance or exams: P06 Online Marketing Manager and P52 Social Media Manager. The Founders Lab supports start-up ideas alongside your studies.

Who it suits

It fits people who enjoy a creative, international environment and want to plan and implement marketing and communications strategies. The part-time-friendly schedule suits anyone who wants to keep working. Choose the tourism major if you see yourself at destinations, accommodation providers, event or consulting agencies. Fashion and lifestyle suits those drawn to positioning and brand management for fashion and luxury goods. Retail and shopper marketing is for store design, point-of-sale and e-commerce.

Admission, language and next steps

Teaching is in English. Applications go straight to IMC Krems, not through a central portal, and the institution's own page gives the application period and the separate date for non-EU nationals. As a university of applied sciences, IMC Krems sets its own fees; the programme page states the study fee. Check the programme page for the current figures and requirements before you apply.

Marketing management refers to the planning, coordination and monitoring of all corporate activities geared towards meeting customers’ current and future needs. This demands a detailed understanding of consumer behaviour, various marketing tools, as well as creative approaches to developing products and services. The Marketing master programme offers specialist knowledge and enables students to develop the skills and competences they need to work and communicate effectively as a marketing expert in Austria or abroad.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences. Universities of applied sciences set their own application periods and admission procedures, so read them on the programme page. Entrance examination, as the register states it: Admission procedure. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.