Professional Diploma in Marketing (CIM)

One year part-time consisting of one evening per week, plus occasional Saturday workshops.

The aim of this qualification is to provide the knowledge, skills and 'ability to do' that a typical Marketing Manager would need. Employers will be expecting those who complete this qualification to be able to demonstrate skills such as planning and balancing needs and interests of all stakeholders.

The qualification is a hybrid of marketing with a considerable emphasis on management as marketers move from specialist aspects of marketing into either a functional or departmental role.

The focus shifts from theoretical concepts of marketing to providing insights into the key aspects of managing the marketing function as well as recognising various departmental opportunities such as channel management, communications, customers, new product development/innovation.

Unit 1 - The Marketing Planning Process (MP)

This unit is designed to provide a detailed understanding of marketing planning, including the synergistic planning process and its links with the delivery of marketing strategy. It also considers a thorough assessment of the dynamic and complex nature of the marketing environment and its impact on developing marketing plans to achieve strategic outcomes and competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Unit 2 - Delivering Customer Value through Marketing (CV)

The unit's primary focus is the development and execution of marketing activities that have been designed to achieve customer satisfaction and meet organisational objectives, through effective marketing mix strategies which deliver stakeholder value.

The unit includes the development of the product portfolio, managing marketing channels, managing the communications mix and managing the service expectations of customers.

Unit 3 - Managing Marketing (MM)

The focus of this unit is about developing the marketer as a manager, including giving them the knowledge and understanding required to develop and manage the marketing infrastructure and the organisation's talent development, capability and capacity. This includes developing effective quality systems and processes to support compliance and approaches to measuring and monitoring marketing activities.

The unit also includes developing and managing marketing teams, which includes co-ordinating the human, financial and physical resources within the team effectively.

 Unit 4 - Project Management (PM)

This unit will focus on the proactive development and delivery of a justified management process to support the initiation, implementation and control of marketing projects, including the use of research and information and preparing proposals and briefs to identify needs comprehensively.

The unit will also focus upon evaluating marketing project proposals and prioritising them on the basis of fit with the market conditions, organisational capacity, competitor activity and strategic management, while concurrently managing the associated risk of implementing particular plans.

• Qualifications recognised throughout the world
• Progression to Professional Postgraduate Diploma

Assessment is by work-based assignments and a three hour examination, based on a seen case.

As the professional body representing Marketing managers who are in practice in a variety of organisations, CIM offers qualifications for those who want to progress their career in marketing or related disciplines - sales, advertising, market research, product and service development and commercial management.