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BSc Food Business and Marketing with Placement Year

  • UCAS code
    DL61
  • Typical offer
    BBB
  • Year of entry
    2023/24 See 2022/23 entry
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  4 Years

If you are interested in a commercial career with a connection to food, then this BSc Food Business and Marketing with Placement Year is the degree for you.

It develops skills in business management, marketing and economics designed to address key food industry challenges. You will have the chance to apply these skills to live food business problems. For example, working as part of a team, you will develop a research proposal to address a real food business brief, carry out the research and present your findings to the company. If you're thinking of starting your own food business, this course also offers opportunities to gain entrepreneurial skills and insight.

An exciting part of the course is a marketing research project, which enables you to work as a consultant for a real food business. Working as part of a team, you will develop a research proposal to address the client’s brief, carry out the research and present your findings to the company. Past projects have included a review of the pre-packed chilled deserts category for Waitrose and fairtrade awareness for the Day Chocolate Company. Other clients have included Sainsbury's, Hotel Chocolat, Procter & Gamble, Mars and United Biscuits.

During your final year, you will complete an independent project on a food-related topic that covers at least one of the three major disciplines of the course (business management, marketing and economics). In the past, these have covered topics as varied as food insecurity in The Gambia and the importance of corporate ownership in consumer choice.

Accreditation

This course is recognised by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) as an Accredited Degree, enabling graduates to receive exemptions from all but one module of the Certificate in Professional Marketing or Certificate in Professional Digital Marketing qualification, or exemptions from all but two CIM modules for the Diploma in Professional Marketing qualification or Diploma in Professional Digital Marketing.

Placement

Between your second and final year you will carry out a paid industrial training placement, lasting a year. Placements can be located anywhere in the UK, and occasionally take place abroad.

You could work within a wide variety of areas include food product development, account management, category management, brand development and business administration. Recently students have worked at major companies such as Unilever, Warburtons, Mornflake and Waitrose.

You will be given advice and support for finding the ideal placement, writing a CV and interview skills, by our dedicated placements officer. They will continue to support you throughout your placement year.

For more information about securing and completing a placement for your placement year, please visit our Important Information page.

For more information, please visit the Marketing website.

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,250

New international students: £20,300

UK/Republic of Ireland fee changes

UK/Republic of Ireland undergraduate tuition fees are regulated by the UK government. These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.

EU student fees

With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.

Placement year fees

If you spend a full year on placement, you will only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee for that year. For more information, please see our fees and funding pages or contact placements@reading.ac.uk.

Additional costs

Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

As a graduate of this course you will leave with a range of specialist and transferable skills, including tools for market and business analysis, qualitative and quantitative research enquiry, and an understanding of consumer behaviour, marketing and business strategy.

You will be well-placed to move into a range of key business roles within the food industry and other sectors. These can include marketing, brand management, category management, retail management, supply chain management, sales, buying, policy analysis and production development. Previous students have gone on to work for a wide range of companies, both big and small, including Mars, Sainsbury's, Kellogg's, Unilever, and Heineken.

Alternatively, you may choose to move into other careers, such as banking, accountancy or teaching. This degree is also an ideal stepping-stone for postgraduate study.