How long is the MA in Advertising & Branding?

The MA in Advertising & Branding runs for one year full-time on-campus, or up to two years part-time through online and distance-learning routes, with the dissertation in the final term.

Can I study the MA in Advertising & Branding fully online?

Yes. The MA in Advertising & Branding is delivered on-campus, fully online with weekly live strategy seminars, and by distance learning, all assessed against the same effectiveness capstone.

Is the MA in Advertising & Branding recognised in the UK?

Yes. The MA in Advertising & Branding is a UK postgraduate degree aligned with IPA, CIM and CIPR standards, recognised by London creative agencies, brand consultancies and FTSE marketing teams.

What are the entry requirements for the MA in Advertising & Branding?

A UK 2:2 honours degree (or five years' senior experience), IELTS 6.5, references and a 500-800 word proposal. The MA in Advertising & Branding particularly values direct planning experience.

What does the MA in Advertising & Branding cost and are scholarships available?

Tuition for the MA in Advertising & Branding varies by route and domicile. Means-tested bursaries and merit scholarships are offered each intake — contact LSCT admissions for the current fee schedule.

MA in Advertising & Branding in London | LSCT Online | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MA in Advertising & Branding at the London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a one-year UK postgraduate degree for working strategists, planners and brand managers ready to step into senior agency or in-house roles. The syllabus is shaped by the IPA's effectiveness framework, the System1 / Les Binet evidence base on long versus short, and the working practice of London creative agencies, brand consultancies and FTSE marketing departments.

You will produce a real strategic brief, develop a brand-architecture case, run an effectiveness post-analysis on a published campaign and write a research dissertation. By graduation you can hold your own in an IPA-grade effectiveness review or a senior brand planning session.

You will study in small, tutor-visible cohorts; meet visiting professionals fortnightly; and work to deadlines that mirror professional practice in the media, journalism & communication sector. London remains the operational heart of British media, from broadcasters at White City to the digital-native newsrooms in Shoreditch, and our students use that proximity in coursework, placements and post-graduation hiring fairs from term one onwards.

Key Features

IPA, CIM and CIPR-aligned syllabus, with guest sessions from working London strategy directors and brand planners.
Three study modes — on-campus in London, fully online with weekly live strategy seminars, or distance learning with structured deadlines.
Effectiveness case capstone — students write an IPA Effectiveness Awards-style submission for a published campaign.
Brand architecture module — taught with current London FMCG and challenger-brand material.
Semiotics and culture module — taught with working London cultural strategists.
Research dissertation defended in viva.
Editorial peer review — fortnightly peer-feedback rounds with cohort and a named tutor across the cohort programme.

What You Will Learn

The MA combines strategy, planning, effectiveness and research. You will graduate able to write a strategic brief that briefs, defend it in a planning department, write an IPA-grade effectiveness submission and explain semiotic codes to a sceptical CFO.

Strategic planning — brief writing and challenger frameworks.
Brand strategy — architecture, positioning, equity.
Effectiveness theory — Binet/Field, ESOV, mental availability.
Consumer behaviour and behavioural science.
Semiotics and cultural analysis.
Communications planning across paid, earned and owned.
Marketing science — econometrics primer.
Dissertation and viva.
Audience and platform analytics for editorial decision-making across linear and digital titles.
Story development and pitching as a daily craft to a working editorial standard.

Across every module you keep a structured working portfolio of published work and analytical notes — a single source of truth you can show at interview and continue to maintain after graduation. Programme assessment combines coursework, in-class exercises and a substantial practice-led piece of work assessed by a working journalist or editor.

Who This Course Is For

The MA suits working planners and brand managers.

Strategists and planners at London agencies stepping into senior roles.
In-house brand managers preparing for head-of-brand positions.
International marketing professionals seeking UK strategy training.
Career changers from journalism, research or business into strategic planning.
Returners to work re-entering UK media after a career break or family leave looking for an assessed credential.

Career Pathways

LSCT MA in Advertising & Branding graduates move into senior planning, strategy and brand roles across London agencies, in-house FTSE marketing teams and brand consultancies. Typical destinations include:

Senior Strategist (creative agency)
Brand Planner (consultancy)
Head of Brand (small to mid-cap company)
Effectiveness Lead
Cultural Strategist
Communications Planner (paid, earned, owned)
Audience Strategist or Engagement Editor at a UK in-house publisher

The MA in Advertising & Branding is a strong foundation for doctoral study or onward IPA Effectiveness practitioner pathways.

LSCT careers service maintains a working contact book of UK media employers, hosts at least one industry-careers day per academic year and offers structured one-to-one application support during your final stage. Many graduates also build long-term professional networks through the Royal Television Society, NCTJ and CIPR London engagement events that LSCT students are encouraged to attend throughout their study.

Entry Requirements

A UK 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject — marketing, communications, social sciences or the arts.
Applicants from non-cognate fields may apply with five years' senior professional experience in marketing, communications or research — direct planning experience is particularly valued for the MA in Advertising & Branding.
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
A personal statement, two references and a research proposal of 500-800 words.
Applicants with published bylines, broadcast credits or a working portfolio are particularly encouraged to mention these on the application form for the programme.

Why Study at LSCT

The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom. For brand and advertising students the IPA's Belgrave Square HQ, the major London agency clusters in Fitzrovia and Soho and the brand-consultancy offices in Covent Garden are a weekly working network.

Many of our media students complete weekly site visits to working London newsrooms, agency offices or broadcaster facilities as part of seminar weeks. Students also benefit from our partnership with Harold International College of London, with shared library access, careers-service connections and the option to take a small number of elective modules across the wider Harold International programme catalogue subject to availability.

Whichever study mode you select, you will join a single, intake-aligned cohort with weekly tutor visibility, a named programme tutor for the duration of your studies, an institutional access plan offering peer support and structured careers advice, and the full library and online-resource subscription package of Harold International College of London. Many students travel to London for two short on-campus residentials per academic year — these are optional for online learners but supported by LSCT for students who can attend.

Apply for MA in Advertising & Branding

Specialise at postgraduate level with the MA in Advertising & Branding. Click Enrol Now to apply; admissions teams reply within one working day with scholarship and funding guidance and a short conversation with a planning tutor about your proposal.