CIM Chartered Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing
The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing is a high-level two-stage qualification that demonstrates specialist professional knowledge and skills across many subject disciplines. It is also a primary route to Chartered Marketer status.
The qualification's focus is on the strategic aspects of marketing management and is therefore suited to marketers who have gained a significant level of experience and/or knowledge in marketing.
Key Information
- Experienced marketers bring real-world scenarios to the classroom
- Flexible mix of part-time teaching or online distance learning
- Our links with the business world provide networking opportunities
- Personal tutor support via email or telephone outside classroom hours
- Part-time timetable fits around your schedule
- Free careers service offers specialist, one-to-one advice
Gain Chartered Marketer status
The Chartered Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing is the pinnacle of Chartered Institute of Marketing qualifications and the primary route to Chartered Marketer status. Designed for senior-level marketing managers who work at a strategic level, you'll learn specialist knowledge and skills across the latest marketing disciplines.
It's ideal if you:
- want to significantly enhance your credibility as a marketer
- want to move from a mid to senior-level position
- are an experienced professional building on your understanding of marketing management and business strategy.
Flexible study options
Our CIM courses are designed for busy professionals. Taught part-time to fit around your schedule, they combine distance learning and face-to-face classes one evening a week. You can complete our CIM courses part-time in 12 months – the Chartered Postgraduate Diploma also has a practical assignment (Stage Two) which can be taken as part of Professional Development (PD) and count towards your Chartered status.
For all the courses, there are four start dates a year in January, March, June and September.
How the course is taught
Our CIM tutors are experienced academics and marketing practitioners, with excellent track records of teaching the CIM syllabus. Using state-of-the-art teaching methods and industry software, they're dedicated to helping you pass your exams and gain valuable skills that you can take straight into the workplace. You'll be supported at every stage with one-to-one sessions, phone and email contact.
How you'll be assessed
Modules are assessed either by an assignment, a case study exam or an unseen three-hour exam (except for Stage Two which is a work-based project). Assessments are held four times a year – usually in March, June, September and December – and you'll be fully prepared with mock exams and one-to-one coaching.
BPP extras
Our free careers workshops provide additional skills training beyond the syllabus, showing you how to use your CIM marketing qualification for your desired career. BPP also offers a unique Pass assurance scheme.
CIM courses tailored to your organisation
Your business can get even more out of our teaching with a tailored CIM course for groups of eight or more. BPP is the sole provider for some of the world's largest companies, with over 35 years of professional training experience in our CIM courses.
If you would like to book a CIM course for your business contact out Client Services Team.
Dates and prices
We offer four start dates a year in January, March, June and September. View a full list of start dates and locations. June 2012 our fees will be:- Online Classroom £1,795
- Part time Stage 1 £2,470
- Part time Stage 2 £1,580
- Emerging Themes (Assignment) £90
- Analysis and Decision (Exam) £90
- Marketing Leadership and Planning (Assignment) £90
- Managing Corporate Reputation (Assignment) £90
- Leading Marketing (Assignment) £360
Term Dates
June 2012
London
Wednesday 13th June - Wednesday 29th August
Manchester
Thursday 14th June - Thursday 30th August
Online classroom
Monday 18th June - Monday 27th August
Stage One
Stage One consists of four modules to attain a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing.
You can complete Stage One part-time in 12 months by studying one module per assessment period. We recommend studying in the following unit order:
- Unit 1 – Emerging Themes
- Unit 2 – Analysis and Decision
- Unit 3 – Marketing Leadership and Planning
- Unit 4 – Managing Corporate Reputation
Unit 1 – Emerging Themes
On completion of this module you will be able to:
- Critically evaluate a range of key emerging macro-environmental themes and make a critical assessment of their significance for a specific sector or industry
- Propose strategic marketing responses to the key emerging themes judged to have the greatest potential impact on a specific sector.
- Responses should reflect contemporary marketing practice (i.e. marketing’s new ground) and demonstrate creativity
Unit 2 – Analysis and Decision
On completion of this module you will be able to:
- Undertake a strategic marketing audit, assessing an organisation’s competencies, competitive advantage, market performance, customers, competitors, product and service portfolios, positioning, value proposition and market impact to assess the impact of these factors on an organisation’s strategic intent and direction
- Utilise the strategic marketing audit to critically evaluate a range of strategic marketing options available to an organisation, including innovation, mergers, acquisitions, partnering, alliances, environmental sustainability and CSR, in order to deliver best-value growth and expansion opportunities
- Utilise a range of financial and other measurement tools to assess the financial and non-financial benefits of recommended strategic marketing decisions
- Utilise a range of risk assessment tools to critically assess the risk of strategic market decisions and their impact upon an organisation
Unit 3 – Marketing Leadership and Planning
On completion of this module you will be able to:
- Critically evaluate ways of delivering an organisation’s corporate mission and vision effectively
- Develop marketing strategies to establish competitive and sustainable marketing and relationship strategies to achieve an organisation’s strategic intent and deliver its value proposition
- Utilising a synergistic planning processes, develop strategic plans, taking account of different planning frameworks, ensuring they are within the resource capabilities of an organisation
- Determine the most appropriate organisational structures for market-orientated and/or changing organisations, whilst evaluating the resource implications and requirements
- Develop sustainable competitive advantage through suitable approaches to leadership and innovation in order to generate stakeholder value and contribute to organisational success
Unit 4 – Managing Corporate Reputation
On completion of this module you will be able to:
- Critically evaluate the way organisations develop their identities and how some organisations use these to form images and assign reputational status
- Critically analyse the elements that contribute to the identity that an organisation projects to its stakeholders, sometimes through a corporate brand
- Critically evaluate linkage between how an organisation wants to be seen and how it is seen, namely corporate communications
Stage Two
Stage Two is a work-based project that develops your ability to implement research and business projects – completing Stage Two achieves the full Chartered Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing.
Unit 5 – Leading Marketing
This qualification comprises a work-based project, designed to develop your professional skills and competencies to successfully implement research and business projects.
Part of the process will be to evaluate the role of these skills in the project and the extent of the achievement of the intended outcomes. It will also enable you to evaluate your own behavioural changes in order to develop skills for interaction at a higher level, i.e. at a strategic and board level.
If you wish to achieve this top-level qualification, you will need to hold the Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing and be suitable for MCIM status, which ensures you have a significant amount of relevant management experience.
Ways to study
You can study at one of our UK, in your own time via our Online Classroom, or with our online and paper-based distance learning packages. Whichever option you choose, we'll keep you focused on what you need to know to pass your exam.
NEW - Online Classroom
A dynamic study experience that combines the flexibility of distance learning with the support of a traditional classroom. Available for all papers, it's ideal if you can't commit to fixed study sessions. You also get Free Pass Assurance. Learn more about BPP Online Classroom.
Flexible learning
Our Chartered Institute of Marketing courses are designed for busy professionals, so we offer flexible, part-time study that lets you balance work and home with gaining a world-class professional qualification.
You'll study each module with a mix of:
- face-to-face learning (24 hours per module)
- workshops
- online distance learning.
Face-to-face
Taught classes take place from 6pm to 9pm one evening a week – over a period of nine to 11 weeks leading up to your assessment. These classes focus on key syllabus topics, practical application and exam or assignment technique to get you fully ready for your assessments.
Online learning
Our distance learning course enables you to study at a time, pace and place that suits your lifestyle. This option gives you added flexibility, but it still covers all aspects of the syllabus, so you don't miss out on core subject areas. Throughout your studies, expert support is also available from our experienced tutors.
In the modules requiring exams, there are opportunities to practice and improve your exam technique. In addition to this, a mock exam allows you to practice your technique under exam conditions.
All exams are marked by your tutor who will provide you with feedback, ensuring you are able to provide the examiners with exactly what they are looking for in a good script.
Assessment workshops
Our experienced CIM tutors will give you time management tips and question techniques to help you excel in all your assessments. Each workshop reinforces your understanding of the key theories and scrutinises frequently-examined areas, using past exam questions and assignment models.
Assessment workshops include:
- One day of face-to-face tuition per module
- Intensive question and answers forums
- Exam or assignment technique practice
You'll also have mock exams to practice your technique under real exam conditions. Your tutor will give you detailed feedback so you know exactly what the examiners are looking for.
Self-study
NEW - Online Classroom
A dynamic study experience that combines the flexibility of distance learning with the support of a traditional classroom. Available for all CIM modules, it's ideal if you can't commit to fixed study sessions. You also get Free Pass Assurance. Watch our Online Classroom introudction below.
Entry requirements
For our Chartered Postgraduate Diploma you need to meet one or more of the Chartered Institute of Marketing's admissions criteria:
Stage One
You are recommended to have one of the following qualifications as a minimum prerequisite:
- CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing (either the 2003 syllabus or the 2009 syllabus) or the CIM Advanced Certificate in Marketing
- A business or marketing Bachelors or Masters degree (or an equivalent qualification) where a minimum of half of the credits come from marketing (i.e. 180 credits in Bachelor degrees and 90 credits in Masters degrees)
In addition to:
- A range of experience working at senior marketing management level, giving you the ability to meet the learning outcomes of the CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing if required to do so and pass the Entry Test onto level Seven
Stage Two
You will need to have completed Stage One or a previous version of the CIM Postgraduate Diploma.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language, you'll also need to provide evidence of at least IELTS 6.5 or Trinity ISE III or Trinity ISE IV.
How to apply
- You can apply by completing the application form and sending via post or email to admissions@bpp.com
- Call 0845 077 5064 for more information or to book a personal tour.
Study locations
You can choose to study our CIM Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing at one of two locations – in London and Manchester. Whichever you choose, you will be assured of access to the latest equipment, world-class support and a comfortable study environment.
