Masters in Marketing Strategy

Design of the programme

Marketing strategy fundamentals

• Shape strategies that win through customer insight, strong brands, smart pricing, and commercial impact.

The strategic use of technologies and data analytics in marketing

• Turn data and technology into sharper insights, stronger experiences, and smarter marketing.

Marketing strategy and creative ideation

• Create ideas that stand out by spotting trends, understanding customers, and challenging the status quo

Career enhancement opportunities (optional) 

• Career Acceleration Track  

You can opt for our Career Acceleration Track, which includes an internship of up to 6 months, allowing you to gain relevant industry experience and stand out from the competition. 

• Double Degree  

If you’re looking for extra international experience, you can opt for one of our two double degree options. You can either choose a Double Degree with the Darla Moore School of Business (USA) or opt for a Double Degree with the Hong Kong School of Science and Business (Hong Kong).

Get a detailed overview of all courses 

Action learning: from theory to practice:

At Vlerick, you don’t just learn, you put knowledge into action. Tackle real-world challenges, apply what you learn, and build the experience that matters.

• Learn from faculty with extensive business experience, bringing real-world insights into highly interactive and pragmatic classes
• Company challenges, such as a collaboration with Nescafé Dolce Gusto
• Hands-on experiments with marketing technologies and data tools – such as virtual reality and IOT
• Gain insights through company visits to organisations such as TBWA, Coca-Cola and Barco, seeing first-hand how analytics and AI are applied in business
• Visit leading marketing companies like Google, LinkedIn and Microsoft through an International tour to Dublin
• NextGEN ideation marketing battle (business game): Leverage customer psychology insights and decision-journey mapping to deploy innovative marketing approaches and engage NextGen audiences efficiently
• In-company project: Over three months, you’ll apply everything you’ve learned to a real business challenge of your choice which could range from multinational corporations to SMEs or non-profits

Personal development: from student to business leader

Beyond hard skills, you will develop the mindset, confidence and skills to grow, lead and shape your career:

• My Vlerick Development Portfolio: Reflect on your strengths, address weaknesses, and take ownership of your growth path
• Management Skills: Three days dedicated to responsible leadership and digital-age management skills
• Presentation & Communication Skills: Career Coaching: Align personal goals with global job market opportunities
• Networking Opportunities: Build meaningful connections with peers, alumni, and industry leaders
• Exchange opportunities: At the beginning of the academic year, students can apply for an international exchange  at emlyon business school (Lyon, France).

Practical information

The Masters in Marketing Strategy is an intensive, full-time programme. It runs for 10 months, from early September to the end of June and is worth 60 ECTS credits. Classes typically run from 9am to 5.30pm, and attendance is mandatory. 

• Make strategic marketing and business decisions: Master the art of bridging data, technology and creativity to evolve from execution to a strategic decision-maker.
• Build practical AI Skills:  Combine analytics, platform activation and AI Tools with human-driven judgement, customer psychology and creative problem solving.
• Tackle hands-on, Real-world challenges: Work on active business cases alongside industry leaders like Nespresso, Coca-Cola and TBWA, turning insights into measurable impact.
• Accelerate your career: Put your strategic capabilities to work in our in-company project, an extended, full-time consultancy project or market research initiative solving a real challenge for a client.
• Develop direct corporate experience:  Customise your career trajectory by joining the Vlerick Sales Club or pursuing targeted marketing internships.
• Leverage the diverse and global community: Collaborate with a highly international cohort, gaining fresh perspectives and challenging your strategic thinking alongside peers from around the world.
• Gain international exposure: Expand your global perspective with an exchange at emLyon (France) or earn a double degree with Darla Moore School of Business (USA) or with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong)

Curious to find out what life at Vlerick is really like? Discover what it’s like to study in Belgium – and get practical information on how to organise your stay. 

We offer individual support, helping you to identify your strengths, reflect on your career and make a plan for where you want to go. You’ll also have access to our job board and opportunities to connect with top employers.

Find out more about our career services

Career Paths

• Marketing Consultant & Marketing Analyst: Combine strategic thinking and data-driven insights to help organisations understand their market, optimise campaigns, and make informed growth decisions.
• Business Development & Sales: Drive growth by building relationships, identifying new opportunities, and converting prospects into long-term clients.
• Brand Manager & Product Manager: Shape and grow brands and products by aligning customer needs with business strategy, managing the lifecycle from concept to launch and beyond.
• Management Traineeship or Graduate Programme: Launch yourself into leadership by rotating, learning and leading across company departments. Through this type of full-time paid position, you’ll gain practical experience, tailored training and mentoring from day one.

Take a look at some the employers of our Masters in Marketing & Strategy graduates.

Are you: 

• An aspiring marketer who wants to create real impact?  
• Keen to learn how think critically and act decisively? 
• Looking for hands-on, real-world experience? 

Then this one-year, full-time Masters is perfect for you. It’s a specialist, practice-oriented route to becoming the strategic marketer our fast-changing world needs. 

Our recent cohorts of diverse, ambitious students looked like this: 

Start date: 1 September 2027
Duration: 10 months (from September until June) 
Location: Ghent  
Application deadline non-EU citizens: 30 April 2027

The tuition fee for this Masters programme is €21.500.

This includes:  

• Dublin study tour programme and accommodation)   
• One year of access to the full Adobe Suite, such as Photoshop, Premiere Pro, InDesign, Acrobat, etc.
• One year of full online access to the Financial Times and The New York Times

The fee does not include the cost of travelling abroad (f.e. flight and airport transfer) for the Dublin tour, any visa costs or living expenses or the costs for any optional modules abroad you may choose as part of your programme. 

Financing your Masters 

Joining a Vlerick programme can be a significant financial investment. But there are many financing options available to help towards your tuition fees – and we’re here to help you explore what types of support you might be eligible for. We process applications for our Masters programmes on a rolling basis as of October, for the September intake. If you want to be considered for one of our full scholarships, make sure to submit your scholarship application together with your programme application before February.

Academic Excellence Scholarships

Academic Merit Scholarship

• Purpose: Reward students with an excellent academic track record
• Requirements:
  • Belgian degrees: Study results equal to great or greatest distinction at Bachelor’s level.
  • Non-Belgian degrees: Study results within the top 20% of the class at Bachelor’s level.
  • Outstanding GMAT/GMAT Focus (> 700/> 655) or GRE (> 164 quantitative and > 163 verbal) scores.
• Scholarship: Up to 50% of the tuition fee.
  

Diversity & Equality Scholarship

Equal Opportunity Scholarship: 

• Purpose: Encourage social diversity and individual commitment.
• Requirements: Represent diversity (e.g., minority group, underprivileged community) or actively promote diversity and inclusion by engaging in long-term initiatives that have a clear social impact.
• Scholarship: Up to 50% of the tuition fee, with a chance to receive one full scholarship sponsored by alumnus the Jan Toye fund. Applicants who fit the criteria will be automatically considered for this full scholarship.

European Talent Scholarship: 

• Purpose: This scholarship specifically aims to promote educational mobility within Europe and to strengthen cultural diversity among our student population.
• Requirements: For students with citizenship in an EEA country (outside of Belgium) or in Switzerland
• Scholarship: This is an automatic scholarship amounting to 4000€ and combinable with other scholarships. To be considered, candidates must tick the consent box in the application form and submit before 30 April 2027

Need-based Scholarship

Financial need scholarship: 

• Purpose: Support students with financial need.
• Requirements:
  • A realistic financial plan.
  • Proof of financial need (e.g. previous scholarships or grants).
  • This scholarship can be combined with any other scholarships
• Scholarship: Amount and allocation decided on a case-by-case basis. Full scholarships sponsored by MGM1973 alumni, and 3d Investors. Applicants who fit the criteria will be automatically considered for this full scholarship.

If you're planning to apply for a scholarship, make sure you apply early and submit your scholarship applications alongside your application file. Please check the application form for full conditions.

Loans 

You may consider getting a loan to cover your programme fees. 

• Regular loans: A loan from your bank could cover your tuition fees – get in touch with them for more information.  
• Lendwise loans: Lendwise provides loans to international students at the world’s top business schools. Lendwise loans cover your living expenses and up to 100% of your tuition fees minus your course deposit (which must be paid by you), less any scholarship you may be awarded. Click here to learn more.
• Boost your Vlerick journey with Lendorse: Lendorse offers German students at Vlerick Business School between €3,000 and €20,000 to cover tuition and/or living costs. In return, you commit to repaying a fixed share of your future income. Learn more

Paying in instalments   

You can choose to pay your tuition fees in four separate instalments in October, November, January and March.

If you want to pay by instalments, you need to sign a contract and pay an admin fee of €250. 

There are four steps to start your Vlerick journey: 

1. Check your eligibility 

What you need: 

• Candidates studying in Belgium need a Masters degree from a recognised institution  
• Candidates from outside Belgium can apply with a Masters degree or a 3 to 4-year Bachelor degree from a recognised institution (there may be additional requirements too)

Our Masters programmes are designed for young graduates, with an average age of 23 and little-to-no professional experience. If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact our admissions team. 

2. Submit your application 

We process applications on a rolling basis from October for the 2027-2028 September intake. If you need a visa to study in Belgium, we expect your application by 30 April at the latest.

Complete your personal details and upload all necessary documents to our application tool. If you don’t need a visa to study in Belgium, you have until June to apply. However, we advise early application as we allocate places on a first-come, first-served basis.

3. Take your admissions test 

There are two elements in your admissions test:  

1. Online test: We accept our own in-house abstract reasoning test (and numerical reasoning if applicable), GMAT (minimum 555) or GRE (157 verbal and 158 quantitative). 
2. Interview: We will look at your motivation, fit and knowledge of marketing, strategy and analytics. Show us clear goals, curiosity for management, and awareness of business news. This interview also takes place online and lasts about 30 minutes.

Want to prepare for your admissions test? Discover our tips and tricks.   

4. Register for the programme 

We’ll let you know within a week of your interview whether you’ve been admitted. You can request feedback on your application, whatever the outcome. Once you’ve been admitted, you can go ahead and register.

Discover what it’s like to study in Belgium – as well as practical information on how to organise your stay.