is history a good degree to have if i wish to go into marketing?

i want to have a career in marketing... unfortunately most Russell Groups don't do marketing at undergrad. I do enjoy history at a-level but i am worried it will be a waste of time to do it at university if i want a job in marketing. Im opposed to doing a business degree because i find it quite dull (i took it in GCSE and also a-level but dropped it 2 weeks into a-level to do psychology instead). does anyone here currently work in the marketing sector/is studying it in uni!! any advice is well appreciated

(edited 1 month ago)

Original post by sariya.r

i want to have a career in marketing... unfortunately most Russell Groups don't do marketing at undergrad. I do enjoy history at a-level but i am worried it will be a waste of time to do it at university if i want a job in marketing. Im opposed to doing a business degree because i find it quite dull (i took it in GCSE and also a-level but dropped it 2 weeks into a-level to do psychology instead). does anyone here currently work in the marketing sector/is studying it in uni!! any advice is well appreciated

Hi!

I currently study International Relations and Arabic and work part-time in my university’s Marketing office and I'd recommend you study a subject that you genuinely enjoy and have a passion for. Since most marketing roles don’t require a specific degree, studying something like history isn’t a waste of time at all. A history degree can actually give you lots of transferable skills that are valuable in marketing—like research, communication and writing skills, critical thinking, and understanding trends.

You can also build up experience through extracurriculars that can be transferable to marketing roles. For example, when applying for my role, I talked about a digital storytelling competition I participated in, as well as the communication and teamwork skills I developed from volunteering. But there’s loads of other options too! You could take on a social media role in a university society to gain hands-on experience with content creation, branding, and even strategy work.

I hope this helps!
-Szara

Reply 2

klava2005

6

I would just take a marketing course online and start working for someone and build up your experience. Not worth the doubt, nothing beats real life experience.

Reply 3

username7490471

0

12

Original post by sariya.r

i want to have a career in marketing... unfortunately most Russell Groups don't do marketing at undergrad. I do enjoy history at a-level but i am worried it will be a waste of time to do it at university if i want a job in marketing. Im opposed to doing a business degree because i find it quite dull (i took it in GCSE and also a-level but dropped it 2 weeks into a-level to do psychology instead). does anyone here currently work in the marketing sector/is studying it in uni!! any advice is well appreciated

Uni of Liverpool, Newcastle, York do marketing so u do have some RG options

Reply 4

Divinebandit

11

Original post by sariya.r

i want to have a career in marketing... unfortunately most Russell Groups don't do marketing at undergrad. I do enjoy history at a-level but i am worried it will be a waste of time to do it at university if i want a job in marketing. Im opposed to doing a business degree because i find it quite dull (i took it in GCSE and also a-level but dropped it 2 weeks into a-level to do psychology instead). does anyone here currently work in the marketing sector/is studying it in uni!! any advice is well appreciated

Many RG unis do Marketing such as York and Liverpool. Durham and Exeter have Marketing and Management degrees available too. I definitely wouldn't got for a business degree as you seem to lack significant interest in it.

For marketing, I would say going to a uni that allows you to do a placement year is important. It gives you hands on experience especially as Marketing tends to be more practical than a history degree for example. At the end of the day, you want a job in marketing so a placement years will make the process easier.

Reply 5

sariya.r

OP

3

Original post by Szara_SOAS

Hi!
I currently study International Relations and Arabic and work part-time in my university’s Marketing office and I'd recommend you study a subject that you genuinely enjoy and have a passion for. Since most marketing roles don’t require a specific degree, studying something like history isn’t a waste of time at all. A history degree can actually give you lots of transferable skills that are valuable in marketing—like research, communication and writing skills, critical thinking, and understanding trends.
You can also build up experience through extracurriculars that can be transferable to marketing roles. For example, when applying for my role, I talked about a digital storytelling competition I participated in, as well as the communication and teamwork skills I developed from volunteering. But there’s loads of other options too! You could take on a social media role in a university society to gain hands-on experience with content creation, branding, and even strategy work.
I hope this helps!
-Szara

Thank you so much! The advice about taking on social media roles in university is such a good idea. Good luck with your studies <3

Reply 6

sariya.r

OP

3

Original post by klava2005

I would just take a marketing course online and start working for someone and build up your experience. Not worth the doubt, nothing beats real life experience.

Thank you for your reply! would you say that experience is more valued in this industry than degrees? Would a postgraduate in marketing not be very helpful?

Original post by sariya.r

i want to have a career in marketing... unfortunately most Russell Groups don't do marketing at undergrad. I do enjoy history at a-level but i am worried it will be a waste of time to do it at university if i want a job in marketing. Im opposed to doing a business degree because i find it quite dull (i took it in GCSE and also a-level but dropped it 2 weeks into a-level to do psychology instead). does anyone here currently work in the marketing sector/is studying it in uni!! any advice is well appreciated

Hi @sariya.r ,

In your situation, I recommend you look further than russel groups. Russel groups are research focused universities, therefore STEM courses are often excellent there. However for a course like marketing, non-russel groups are great options for marketing courses.

When it comes to choosing history, I would not recommend this if you are doing it because you wish to go to a Russel group. If your really passionate about history, then this is a great option as you get to educate yourself further on your interest! Enjoying your degree is very important as this will impact your motivation to study. If you end up choosing history, I highly recommend trying to gain some work experience in marketing while doing your degree if you are still aiming to go into marketing.

If you wish to focus on your career, I recommend choosing a marketing course that provides the option for a placement year, as experience is an excellent chance to learn and decide if it's the right career path for you. Since you seem unsure on your options for universities for marketing, here are some ways you can decide on the right university for you:
Modules - Look at the business marketing courses on various university websites that your interested in. You will see across the course, which modules and optional modules are offered. I recommend choosing options that are more closely tailored to your interests.
!Distance -If distance from home is important to you, I recommend comparing each universities distance. Also remember, there are many ways to travel from university to visit home, often trains, coaches and more!
Campus Type - Campus universities keep everything in one area, while city universities may have buildings spread across the local city.
Open days - Try to attend open days for universities you are interested in. This is an excellent chance to get the know the campus, ask current students and lecturers questions alongside getting the idea of what your everyday life may look like!

I hope this helps, please feel free to ask me any questions,
-Sophia (Business and Management)

(edited 2 weeks ago)

Reply 8

Coventry University Student Ambassadors

Official Rep

18

Hello there!

You have studied History, which actually teaches you a lot and it is super relevant in marketing. For example; research, analysing information, writing clearly, understanding people and patterns, and even storytelling, which is a big part of branding and content marketing.
Plus, if you’re already doing Psychology, that’s a bonus for understanding consumer behaviour.

There are so many marketing jobs open to graduates. As long as you show interest and experience in the field, you will be fine. You could start building these through internships, online courses, or personal projects.

I hope this helps!
Good luck!

Kind regards,
Reka - Coventry University Student Ambassador

Original post by sariya.r

i want to have a career in marketing... unfortunately most Russell Groups don't do marketing at undergrad. I do enjoy history at a-level but i am worried it will be a waste of time to do it at university if i want a job in marketing. Im opposed to doing a business degree because i find it quite dull (i took it in GCSE and also a-level but dropped it 2 weeks into a-level to do psychology instead). does anyone here currently work in the marketing sector/is studying it in uni!! any advice is well appreciated

Hi there!

So generally in Marketing (I worked as a marketing manager, communications/marketing intern, marketing officer and detail aid lead across 4 different companies) you don't necessarily need the marketing degree. My degree is in Medical Biology and my masters is in Pharmaceutical Science. I have worked with colleagues who has degrees in psychology, sustainability, biomedical science and pharmacy who successfully entered marketing. You need to have an understanding of current trends in your industry. For example, if you are interested in art then having an understanding of commercial art trends and working in a gallery might be useful. Doing a placement year while in university is beneficial as this allows you have to have a year of full time paid work, which can help you stand out for any future marketing jobs. During my placement year, I worked in Medical Affairs however I asked my manager if I could get some commercial exposure in Marketing, which was useful to me. Also, I did some courses in marketing. Future learn offer some free ones 🙂 it is a good idea to make sure you do courses relevant to the industry you want to go into. For example, if you want to go into the pharmaceutical industry as marketer then doing some courses on marketing in the pharmaceutical industry, understanding trends, commercial rules and regulatory bodies, is very useful in showing that you have a genuine passion and are proactive.

Hope this helps!

Kind regards, Jenifer (Kingston rep)

is history a good degree to have if i wish to go into marketing?

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