Big News: Our Masters Programme Just got Updated!

First things first, Vlerick’s MMS is a one-year masters degree ? 

Frank: "It’s a one-year Master’s programme designed to shape students into strategic, forward-thinking, all-round marketers. What does that mean exactly? Well, a strategically skilled marketer knows how to make smart, research-based decisions using data – it’s all about playing the long game. A leading marketer stays on top of the latest tech, trends, and innovations, and has what it takes to step into a leadership role. And being an all-round marketer means you’ve got the best of both worlds – strong analytical skills on one hand, and creative, big-picture thinking on the other."

What are the updates to the MMS, and why are they being implemented?

Frank: "Marketing is a dynamic, fast-moving discipline – so we are integrating several new and updated courses into the curriculum.

For instance, The Marketing Strategy Fundamentals block is the go-to guide for mastering the core pillars of marketing, from branding to sales to business case development.

Next, we're diving deep into The Strategic Use of Technology and Data Analytics, where the students will learn to wield game-changing tools along with AR/VR to craft smarter, data-driven marketing strategies.

But we’re not here to just crunch numbers, with new courses on Customer Insights and Creative Ideation block, students will turn data into powerful ideas that resonate with their target audience and drive real results.

And to tie it all together, the Business Integration block ensures that the students can apply everything you’ve learned in real-world business scenarios – making sure you’re ready to hit the ground running from day one."

Interesting! Why is this so important to future marketing leaders?

Frank: "The business landscape is constantly evolving – and marketing professionals need to keep pace. Algorithms and marketing analytics tools are becoming more sophisticated and new experiential technological applications like the Virtual-and Augmented Reality or Internet-of-Things are increasingly experimented with in the customer interface.

Tomorrow’s CMOs (Chief Marketing Officers) need to understand how all these technologies and available data analytics can be leveraged in a business-relevant and strategically smart way. And besides technology awareness, a good understanding of customer psychology is needed to design creative strategies that guarantee consumer buy-in.”

So what does this look like in practice?

Frank: “Next to on-campus classes, we’ve introduced new experiential courses, including field visits to digitally leading companies in their industries (e.g., Coca-Cola) and technology try-outs in close collaboration with innovative tech partners.

We also take our students out into world renowned creative agencies like TBWA, where they will be working on actual campaigns. By presenting strategic solutions and ideas to a panel of agency professionals our students get the chance to receive real-time feedback on what works in practice, not just in theory.

This hands-on, case-based learning extends to sessions with companies like Nestlé and guest lectures from leaders at agencies such as BBDO – giving students insight straight from the field.”

Vlerick’s teaching style is typically very pragmatic – is this also the case with the new-look MMS?

Frank: “Absolutely! Our whole approach is based on learning by doing. We use real-life cases. There are field trips – and an international study trip to Dublin, Ireland, where companies like Google, Microsoft, Salesforce and Meta have their European headquarters. It's also the perfect opportunity for our Masters students to directly network with company representatives and tackle business challenges.

We welcome several business speakers, send out students on retail safaris, and include multiple gamified learning approaches throughout the year. The students can also select a 3-week boot camp during which they work part-time with participants from other Vlerick masters on a real-life challenge facilitated by a company.

The programme also features a three-month in-company project where students take part in a market research consultancy challenge and also acquire real-life project management skills.”

You often use the term “marketing leaders” rather than simply “marketers”. Is this significant?

Frank: “This is a programme for people from a diverse range of backgrounds and nationalities – who have in common that they are ambitious and aim to shoot for a leading role in marketing one day. To allow MMS students to become marketing leaders, they are also trained on specific leadership skills such as people management, strategy, negotiation, conflict resolution, networking, presenting and more. Our ambition is to have them graduate with the skills and mindset to be leaders with meaningful business impact.”

Wendy, is there a high demand for MMS graduates?

Wendy: “The job market is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Hence, our programmes reflect the changing needs of employers. And as a result, our students are graduating with the essential tools and skills to embark on impactful careers in diverse fields. Typical entry-level positions for our marketing graduates include diverse marketing roles such as Brand Manager, Product Manager, Marketing Analyst, Account Manager, Business Development Manager, Market Researcher, Marketing Consultant and Business Information and Data Analyst. After a few years in these roles, we see many progressing into senior leadership roles”

That’s impressive… So how does Vlerick help students in the search for their dream job?

Wendy: “At the very beginning of the programme, we tell students: ‘Your career starts now!’. By this, we mean the Vlerick Careers Team is there for them from day one. From a two-day career skills seminar, through to an assessment centre simulation, career fairs and mock interviews, the opportunities are there for the taking. Our students all get a dedicated career advisor who’s there for them every step of the way. We have one-to-one coaching where we set up individual job search strategies.”

And who is the programme for?

Frank: “It’s for anyone who’s actively interested in a career that involves managing customers – especially people who want to be skilled in combining marketing analytics and digital technology savviness with strategically-sound, conceptually-strong, creative marketing thinking. It’s definitely for people who are ambitious, who want to go all the way to the top of the marketing profession one day – and aim to become marketing leaders.

Although several business or economics students each year successfully apply for the marketing-focused Vlerick Masters programme, you don’t need such a background. In fact, the MMS programme can be a natural next step for people with a psychology, communications, product development, engineering or any other background - as we witness every year. The group diversity is also a real asset of the programme, as it allows students to learn to collaborate with others that have very different specialities.”

Want to find out more?

Check out our updated curriculum here.

If you’d like to get in touch, feel free to book a one-on-one call with us here or send us your questions to masters@vlerick.com – we are happy to help!

Also take a look at the video below, where our alumna Amber Marx shares how she landed her dream job at Coca-Cola.

From Dream to Reality: Amber's Journey to Coca-Cola

How did Amber Marx land her dream job at Coca-Cola? Well, Amber is ready to spill the tea: watch the video to find out how!