BSc Consumer Behaviour and Marketing with Foundation Year

Compulsory modules

An Introduction to Business Management

Enhance your ability to think critically, organise your thoughts logically, and argue persuasively in business and management contexts. You'll learn basic business and management theory, including entrepreneurship, business planning, marketing, human resource management, finance, and accounting.

Foundation Economics - Microeconomics

Discover how individuals and companies allocate and utilise resources. You’ll learn the neoclassical model of demand and supply, markets failures and the behaviour of firms. 

Foundation Economics - Macroeconomics

Learn models and theories used by economists to understand the performance of the economy. You’ll develop basic mathematical and statistical skills and apply these to economic decision making.

Foundation Introduction to Psychological Research

Gain an introduction to psychological research methods, and the basic numerical and data analysis skills.

Academic Skills

You’ll work through group activities and individual study tasks to develop the confidence, academic writing, and communication skills required to succeed on your degree course.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading. 

Compulsory modules   

Consumer Psychology

Discover the basic concepts, methods and theories in the psychological processes pertinent to the consumption of goods and services by different consumer groups. You’ll draw on traditional areas of psychology including cognitive, social, and developmental psychology while exploring how psychological research has been used in marketing.  

Global Sustainability: Challenges and Prospects

 Examine ecological crises including climate change, biodiversity loss and soil erosion. You’ll consider the drivers of these challenges and their relationship to other social and economic issues, alongside potential responses.  

The Economic Environment

Explore key microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts and the relevance they have to some of the most critical challenges facing individuals, businesses, and societies across the globe.  

Research and Professional Skills for Business and Marketing

Discover the main research and professional skills used by consumer researchers, applied economists, and business managers, and develop them in a practical research project. You’ll be introduced to professional qualitative and quantitative research methods and underlying theoretical frameworks in consumer research and applied economics.  

The Fundamentals of Management and Marketing

Explore key concepts of marketing and management as you critically relate them to contemporary practice. You’ll study contemporary and traditional approaches to marketing and management, alongside issues that arise in practice.  

Optional modules

Introduction to Psychology

Gain a broad introduction to the field of psychology. Learn about the methods used to enhance our understanding of human behaviour and how psychology can be applied in the world around us.

The Food Business

Study the food chain from a business perspective as you examine the different types of business that make up the food chain and the main trends and drivers that influence them. You’ll focus on changes in consumer preferences, technologies, policies and trade as you look at emerging changes. 

British Society

Acquire a critical understanding of some key changes in British society since the Second World War and the reasons for them. You’ll explore a number of images of Britain, crime and deviance, the role of the mass media and the increasing power of the food industry.

What the Font? Making and Using Typefaces

Explore the history and theory of typeface design for a variety of scripts and languages from around the world. You’ll gain a broad overview of developments in typeface design, appreciate the influence of font choice in graphic design and also get an opportunity to design a typeface of your own.

Optional Language or University Wide Modules

Study a module from outside your department to enhance your understanding of consumer behaviour and marketing. Alternatively, you can learn one of ten languages offered by the University at a level appropriate for you.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading. 

Compulsory modules

Applied Marketing and Management 

Gain a key understanding of the concepts of marketing and management and how their functional activities are essential to a successful marketing manager. You’ll learn how organisations respond to the marketing environment and how strategies are developed and implemented.  

Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour 

 Explore the theoretical perspectives and psychological factors that influence consumer demand for goods and services. You’ll explore the relevance of understanding consumer attitudes and behaviour in terms of  achieving business objectives.

Digital Marketing

Study the insights and competencies that enable companies to get the most out of digital media and achieve marketing goals. You’ll explore the role and place of digital marketing within the traditional marketing framework and learn  to analyse the online environment to achieve competitive advantage. 

Research Methods and Data Analysis

Explore research processes with an emphasis on conclusive research design, techniques for primary data collection, and tools for exploratory data analysis. You’ll learn to use statistical software as you gain knowledge on statistical techniques and their applications in consumer and market research environments.  

Branding Theory and Practice

Gain an in-depth understanding of theories and business practice concerning the management of brands and the process of building strong brands. You’ll acquire skills and expertise necessary for you to apply this learning within real world scenarios.

Optional modules

Create Your Business

Explore the fundamentals of business startups and entrepreneurial behaviour. Enhance your entrepreneurial mindset through various tasks such as recognizing opportunities, creative problem-solving, networking, taking action, partnering strategically, and navigating uncertainty.

Intercultural Competence and Communication

Develop your intercultural competence and communication skills to live, study, and work in an interconnected world. You’ll develop skills and competencies by using theories and models of cultural analysis that will allow you to communicate effectively in intercultural situations. 

Practice of  Entrepreneurship

Explore the key concepts of business start-ups such as entrepreneurial management, design thinking, business model creation, entrepreneurial finance, and marketing. You'll understand the basic entrepreneurial skills required to start and manage a new venture and learn and apply standard business practices such as organising meetings, business planning, opportunity evaluation, marketing and finance.

Optional Language or University Wide Modules

Study a module from outside your department to enhance your understanding of consumer behaviour and marketing. Alternatively, you can learn one of ten languages offered by the University at a level appropriate for you.

Climate Change: Causes and Consequences

Learn about the mechanisms and processes causing climate change and its consequences. You’ll gain knowledge of the range of approaches to dealing with climate change, and the challenges in developing local, national, and international responses.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

Compulsory modules

Marketing Strategy 

Develop a sophisticated understanding of the increasingly ‘glocal’ context within which businesses operate. You’ll diagnose marketing problems and create effective marketing strategies as you’re exposed to the theoretical frameworks and practical considerations driving effective strategic marketing decision making. 

Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour and Marketing 

Consider the concepts of ethics, globalisation and consumerism and how they’ve shaped the new regulatory state in the UK. You’ll develop an awareness of how changes in the theory and practice of regulation affect consumer markets, as well as how consumers are empowered and protected in different sectors.  

Students must also pick either: 

Independent Research Project

Build on you’re the skills, knowledge and experience you’ve gained throughout your studies as you embark on your own research project. You’ll identify a suitable topic, develop a hypothesis, and conduct your project using your critical skillset. 

Applied Marketing Project

Discover the role of marketing consultants and entrepreneurs as you apply knowledge and skills relevant to addressing real-world marketing problems. You’ll develop your own marketing solution that addresses consumer engagement using digital and offline marketing strategies. Students also have the option of gaining a CIM certificate in Marketing/Digital Marketing (at an extra cost).

Optional modules

Food Policy and Supply Chain Management

Gain a comprehensive understanding of the principles of food policy and supply chain management, raising awareness of how regulations and policy instruments can shape the governance of the food industry and supply chains. You'll learn about the rationale for government interventions, understand how interventions occur, and critically appraise them to address food market failures in specific contexts such as unhealthy diets, food safety, food quality, food sustainability, and animal welfare.

International Human Resource Management

Learn the key concepts for understanding international human resource management. You'll explore the practice of managing human resources in international businesses and consider variations in the practice of managing human resources in different countries and cultures.

The Dark Side of Marketing

Explore the conflicting, controversial and moral challenges facing marketing, and investigate its effects on consumers’ health (both physical and mental well-being) and the alleged exploitation of vulnerable consumers. You will look at current issues and use your marketing skills to help resolve some practical consumer and societal problems.

Optional Language or University Wide Modules

Study a module from outside your department to enhance your understanding of consumer behaviour and marketing. Alternatively, you can learn one of ten languages offered by the University at a level appropriate for you.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.