Consumer Behaviour and Marketing with Placement Year
University of Reading
UCAS Code: NC58 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
University of Reading
UCAS Code: NC58 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
Extended Project
In recognition of the excellent preparation that the Extended Project Qualification provides to students for University study, we now include achievement in the EPQ as part of a formal offer. Eligible applicants would receive two offers, our usual offer plus an alternative offer of a B in the EPQ and one grade lower in their A level subjects
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE Maths C (or 4), English Language or English Literature C (or 4).
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Higher
T Level
Minimum grade C in the Core Component.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
We live in a consumer-driven society. This BSc Consumer Behaviour and Marketing course enables you to understand how consumers think, and how this is essential to marketing and the formulation of policy.
It was one of the first of its kind in the UK, bringing together the disciplines of consumer behaviour, business and marketing, applied psychology and applied economics. You will be taught by specialists, including strong collaborations with staff from Henley Business School. The University of Reading is ranked 14th in the UK for Marketing (Complete University Guide, 2024). While you study, you will have the opportunity to gain insights from outside speakers from industry.
In the final year, you will have the option of completing a marketing consultancy project linked to a live organisation, or an applied independent research project in an area that you're passionate about. Recent projects have explored consumer behaviour and marketing in relation to brands, globalisation, sport, viral advertising, gender, binge drinking, computer games, cosmetics, fashion, product placement, technology and food.
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.
You'll undertake a one-year placement between the second and final year, either in the UK or abroad. Organisations are increasingly looking to employ graduates with a comprehensive set of relevant knowledge and skills and this course offers an ideal opportunity to gain or build on existing experience. Recent students have undertaken placements with companies such as BMW, Microsoft, Disney, L’Oréal and Samsung.
While on placement, our students have undertaken activities as varied as conducting social media competitor analysis, brand development and working on developing communications strategies and sales. Successful selection for placement is dependent on an excellent academic record as well as evidence of a high level of motivation.
For more information, please visit the programme page: https://www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/subject-area/marketing-ug/bsc-consumer-behaviour-and-marketing-with-placement-year
Modules
The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2025/26. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change.
Core modules on this course: Consumer Psychology; Global Sustainability: Challenges and Prospects; The Economic Environment; Research and Professional Skills for Business and Marketing; The Fundamentals of Management and Marketing; Applied Marketing and Management; Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour
The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. Further information about the content of final approved modules will be available in the summer of 2024. We suggest that you regularly revisit our course page during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme.
Check our website for more details about the course structure.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Reading
School of Agriculture, Policy and Development
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Marketing
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Applied psychology
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Marketing
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Want to join a fast-moving, diverse industry that's at the cutting edge of tech? Try marketing! A lot of the jobs are in London, but graduates don't just go to work in advertising agencies — all sorts of industries do their own marketing these days, and with the rise of digital and mobile technology, a lot of marketing is done in quite innovative ways using a wide range of methods. Common industries (apart from advertising and PR) include recruitment, online retail, higher education, banking and IT. A lot of jobs in this industry are handled through recruitment agencies, so if you get in touch with them early, that might give you a headstart for some of the jobs available. But be careful — unpaid working is not the norm in the marketing industry, but it is more common than in most sectors.
Applied psychology
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Marketing
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£26k
£35k
£44k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Applied psychology
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£22k
£24k
£31k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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