Masters in Marketing & Digital Transformation creates digital marketing strategists

Why did Vlerick decide to revise the Masters in Marketing Management?

Philippe Baecke, Professor of Marketing: “In the first instance, this decision responds to the increasing demand from the labour market. Research has shown that the demand for digital marketers far exceeds the supply. Digital transformation is one of our key knowledge domains, so it is logical for us to integrate it more effectively into the curriculum for our Masters students, as has already been the case for some time with our management programmes.”

Wendy Lisarde, Senior Career Adviser: “With this new Masters, we are more specifically responding to the demand for people who not only have digital marketing skills but can also play a managerial role. They don’t need to master every little detail of the digital tools, but they do need to know how to use them efficiently.”

Which aspects of the programme will change?

Philippe Baecke: “We have changed half the curriculum and are focusing more on strategy and the digital aspects. People who graduate from this Masters will have all the skills expected of a future Chief Marketing Officer or Chief Digital Officer.”

But will it still be a typical Vlerick Masters programme?

Philippe Baecke: “Definitely. This new Masters is also permeated with the Vlerick DNA: action learning and personal development remain the recurring theme throughout the academic year. For example, students will develop a digital marketing campaign from A to Z: from the strategy and plan right through to distribution and promotion via digital channels such as Google and social media.”

Digital marketing is a very broad concept. As a student, can I opt for a more specific angle?

Philippe Baecke: “From March onwards, you will be able to refine the marketing skills of your choice by means of an elective and a three-week bootcamp. If you would like to work for Unilever or P&G, for example, you can combine the FMCG bootcamp with electives in business development & sales. If you dream of a career as a data analyst, the coding bootcamp and AI and big data electives might be right up your street. This allows you to design your curriculum à la carte, so to speak.”

What are the job prospects for graduates?

Wendy Lisarde: “Many different opportunities are available. Our marketing graduates often work for multinationals such as Unilever, P&G, Coca-Cola, AB InBev, Uniqlo, Accenture etc. During their study trip to Dublin, they also come into contact with tech giants such as Google, Salesforce and Oracle. But we also note a major demand for Vlerick talent among start-ups and scale-ups. Our graduates play equally diverse roles: marketing strategy, digital advertising, branding strategy, sales and strategic marketing planning.”

How does Vlerick supervise students in their search for a job?

Wendy Lisarde: “We connect students and potential employers through our recruitment platform. We also organise three job fairs: in October because this is primarily when FMCGs recruit, in February for ‘regular’ companies and in March because start-ups and scale-ups usually wait a little longer to recruit. Career services also pays particular attention to personal coaching, workshops and assessment simulations. This not only gives our students a better idea about themselves, but also their ideal employer.”