Consumer Behaviour and Marketing with Placement Year

Consumer behaviour and marketing is a degree that addresses a question fundamental to any organisation that sells or promotes something: why do people choose what they choose, and how can those choices be understood, anticipated, and influenced? Consumer behaviour draws on psychology, sociology, economics, and anthropology to explain how individuals make decisions, how groups shape preferences, and how cultural, social, and situational factors interact with marketing messages to produce the choices people make. Marketing applies these insights to strategy, developing the skills to design campaigns, build brands, manage customer relationships, and communicate effectively across digital and traditional channels.

At the University of Reading, this four-year full-time programme includes a placement year that sits within the degree structure and gives you the opportunity to work in a marketing or consumer insights role in a real organisation. Reading's Henley Business School is one of the UK's most respected business schools, and the programme draws on Henley's expertise in marketing, consumer research, and business management. The placement year is a significant differentiator in a competitive graduate job market, giving you professional experience that is difficult to replicate in an academic environment and strengthening your application for graduate roles.

You will study psychological approaches to consumer decision-making, market research methods, digital marketing, brand management, marketing strategy, and the broader business and economic context in which marketing operates. The placement year typically involves working in a marketing team, a consumer research function, a brand consultancy, or a digital agency, applying your academic knowledge in a real commercial setting.

Graduates move into marketing management, brand management, consumer insights and research, digital marketing, advertising, public relations, and product management roles across a wide range of industries. Reading's Henley Business School connections support graduate recruitment in these fields.