Major structure
Overview
Learn the fundamentals of advertising, product and brand management, strategic marketing, market research, relationship marketing, global marketing, electronic marketing and buyer behaviour.
Your major structure
In your first year, you will complete a compulsory core alongside 4-6 foundation subjects to build your fundamentals, as well as electives and breadth subjects. You'll also commence a sequence of subjects to fulfill the Bachelor of Commerce quantitative requirements.
In your second and third year, you will complete 5 or more marketing subjects to realise your major, plus a combination of elective and breadth subjects.
Double majors
Students can complete a double major by combining any two Commerce majors within the standard 300 credit points of the degree (no extra time required).
Specialisations
From 2026, you can deepen your knowledge by focusing 25 credit points of your level 3 elective study toward a specialisation within your major. The three specialisations available to the Marketing major are:
- Digital Marketing
- Strategic Marketing
- Ethics and Sustainability
Breadth studies
The Melbourne curriculum allows you to incorporate breadth subjects into your degree. This gives you the chance to explore subjects or disciplines outside of commerce and accounting.
Use breadth to explore creative interests or topics you have always been curious about; or complement your accounting major and career development with a language, communication skills or technological expertise.
If you have a professional graduate program in mind, such as the Juris Doctor (Law) or Master of Engineering, you can use your breadth subjects to develop your knowledge and meet prerequisites from day one. Breadth subjects can give you the flexibility to qualify for graduate studies or explore interests in a field that’s very different from your major.
Capstone subject
In the final year of your degree, you can choose to do either the Business Judgment or Business Case Analysis capstone subject to develop your practical business skills. You'll participate in simulation tasks and case analyses. These will challenge you to form and act upon your judgments around strategic directions, marketing priorities, and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Sample course plan
View some sample course plans to help you select subjects that will meet the requirements for this major.
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 1100 pts |
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| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 2100 pts |
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| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts |
|
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 3100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts |
|
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 1100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 2100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts |
|
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 3100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts |
|
null
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 1100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 2100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 3100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 1100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 2100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 3100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
Explore this major
Explore the subjects you could choose as part of this major.
Students completing this major are required to complete the Level 1 pre-requisite subject as part of the foundation requirement before commencing the Level 2 major required subjects.
Prerequisite
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Principles of Marketing · 12.5 pts |
The basic theoretical framework of marketing, including segmentation, buyer behaviour, product management, market communications, channel management and pricing decisions are introduced in this subject. Students are also introduced to basic concepts in market research and management of marketing programs. |
Students completing this major are required to complete the Level 1 pre-requisite subject as part of the foundation requirement before commencing the Level 2 major required subjects.
Prescribed
Students must complete the following subject:
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Consumer Behaviour · 12.5 pts |
Topics include the introduction and application of buyer behaviour concepts to marketing decision making; consumer behaviour models; the identification of psychological variables which influence customer decision making; external factors affecting consumer behaviour; and an introduction to a variety of consumer-related market research techniques. |
| Brand Management · 12.5 pts |
This subject develops students’ knowledge of major theories and current research in branding and managing products. It addresses building and measuring brand equity and aims to improve brand-related decisions. Specific topics include brand equity, brand positioning, brand marketing programs and measuring brand performance. |
Students completing this major are required to complete the Level 1 pre-requisite subject as part of the foundation requirement before commencing the Level 2 major required subjects.
Capstone
Students must complete ONE of the following subjects:
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Business Judgement · 12.5 pts |
This subject serves as a capstone for the Management and Marketing majors within the Bachelor of Commerce. As such, the aim is to integrate students’ knowledge of core business functions and analytical tools and apply these to the problems faced by modern organisations and decision-makers. Students will be exposed to these problems through simulation tasks and case analyses. Students will be challenged to form and act upon judgments around strategic directions, marketing priorities, and entrepreneurial opportunities. There is a strong focus on the need to collectively arrive at decisions within decision groups, and to argue for these choices through typical business communication formats (e.g. business plans, slide packs, formalised reviews). |
| Business Case Analysis · 12.5 pts |
This subject is designed to introduce students to case studies and analyses in the business, not-for-profit and government sectors. The objective of the subject is to provide a context in which students’ knowledge of the spectrum of business and economics disciplines can be brought to bear on the various issues organisations face in pursuing their goals and objectives. Specifically, the subject will include:
Students will be presented with information by the primary course facilitators as well as by specialist (guest) speakers who will present specific information necessary to successfully analyse and present a case solution. Throughout the semester, students will be required to prepare cases and present their analysis and strategies. Presentations will demonstrate the use of the information provided in the class. |
Electives
Students must complete TWO of the following subjects:
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Service and Relationship Marketing · 12.5 pts |
The marketing of service presents unique challenges and opportunities to enhance value creation by customers. This is because of the intangible, heterogeneous nature of the offering and the critical role of service personnel in service delivery. Strategies to address these challenges and opportunities are presented. Topics include: buyer behaviour of services; managing effective servicescapes; the importance and measurement of service quality, customer satisfaction, perceived value and loyalty; relationship marketing philosophy and practice; managing supply and demand of perishable service; the role of service personnel and customers in value creation; minimising the role stress of service personnel; service failures, customer complaint behaviour and effective service recovery. |
| Retailing · 12.5 pts |
Retailing globally is in a state of rapid evolution – driven by technological advances, consumer trends, and global market dynamics. In this challenging and engaging environment, retail managers make complex decisions involving: retail strategy; complex retail channels; customer trends; retail locations; merchandise and service planning; training and motivating staff; the pricing, presentation and promotion of merchandise; and the impact of retail operations upon people, society and the environment. Agility and diverse capabilities are necessary to make these decisions efficiently and effectively, to create an edge in mature and crowded marketplaces. Omni-channel Retailing has a dual focus to: (1) introduce the fundamental concepts and principles of retail; and (2) explore the frontiers of retailing globally. This involves examining strategic and tactical retailing issues in complex retail environments—to enhance competitive advantage. |
| Digital Marketing · 12.5 pts |
This course introduces and demonstrates how marketing theory and practice is used on the internet. Particular attention is given to techniques unique to the world wide web environment, and practice enhanced by the social networked nature of the internet. The focus of this course covers online consumer behaviour, internet strategy (including business models), internet marketing communications, and analytics. |
| Advertising and Promotions · 12.5 pts |
This subject focuses on the development, management and control of the organisation's marketing communications. Topics include advertising, sales promotion, public relations and other elements of the communications mix with internet and interactive media advertising also covered; the importance of integrating promotional efforts with other marketing mix decisions; the marketing manager's role in planning, implementing and evaluating marketing communications; operational and creative elements involved in developing promotional efforts; the strategies used to communicate with customers and their underlying principles and understanding alternative persuasion techniques and potential problems with their adoption. |
| Business and Marketing Ethics · 12.5 pts |
This subject addresses the ethical challenges confronting managers and marketers in contemporary business organisations. Ethically questionable practices can include sweatshop labour, the destruction of the natural environment, sex in advertising, and political lobbying and influence. But business and marketing can also demonstrate ethical leadership, for example through green products, cause-related marketing and sustainable supply chains. The subject will explore why firms respond in these ways from the context of debates on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability, including strategic, ethical and critical/political perspectives. The subject then addresses what ethical issues are important to specific stakeholder groups, including employees, consumers, governments and NGO activists. |
| Strategic Marketing · 12.5 pts |
Strategic marketing builds on the concepts and skills learned in other marketing subjects. The subject presents an opportunity for students to learn, examine and apply strategic marketing decision processes with the goals of establishing, maintaining, or improving the firm’s competitive advantage. Topics include: strategic analysis (ie.external analysis, competitor analysis, market analysis, product portfolio analysis, environmental analysis and dealing with strategic uncertainty, |
| Marketing and Society · 12.5 pts |
This subject examines the role of marketing in the wider society, beyond its relationship with consumers and shareholders. It looks at the benefits marketing provides, but it also looks at criticisms of marketing in terms of its negative influence on individual consumers and society as a whole. Some of these criticisms include deliberate behaviours, such as deceptive advertising and high-pressure sales techniques, while others are more systemic, such as the promotion of materialism and the destruction of the natural environment. Many of these criticisms constitute public issues (eg. consumerism, climate change), where individuals and consumer groups express their concerns through organised boycotts and political protest. This subject considers how marketers should respond to these criticisms and examines the government’s role in regulating the marketing and society relationship. |
| Neuromarketing · 12.5 pts |
This subject examines the brain systems, research tools and insights from the brain and psychological sciences relevant to marketing theory and practice. Topics include neuroscience fundamentals; neuroscience technology used in marketing research; functional implications of key brain systems for marketing planning; applications of neuroscientific and psychological tools and insights for marketing research and ethical considerations associated with use of brain imaging technology for marketing research. |
| Data Driven Marketing · 12.5 pts |
This subject is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills to leverage data in making informed marketing decisions. It explores how businesses leverage consumer data to formulate targeted marketing strategies, enhance customer engagement, and maximise return on investment. Students will delve into the collection, analysis, interpretation, and strategic application of marketing data, both in traditional and digital marketing settings, empowering them to make impactful decisions that drive marketing success. Through case studies and hands-on exercises, students will learn how to interpret market trends, segment audiences effectively, evaluate marketing mix models, and optimise marketing campaigns using data analytics tools and techniques. The subject also emphasises the ethical considerations and privacy concerns associated with data-driven marketing. |