Warwick MSc Marketing and Strategy (WBS): An Admit’s Application Tips

Updated 2026/10/16

WBS MSc Marketing and Strategy

Warwick Business School ranked 7th in the world and 2nd in the UK for master’s in marketing in the 2022 QS rankings. The MSc Marketing and Strategy is assessed through assignments, exams and group work. What’s unusual is that at the end, students can choose between an 8,000-word dissertation and Business in Practice.

1) Choosing the “Dissertation”:

This suits students who plan to apply for a PhD or want to research a particular area. You apply the theory you’ve learned to help a company maximize its gains. Besides an academic dissertation, you also write a management report for the company. Alternatively, you can do research related to marketing or strategy, which lays the groundwork for a PhD.

2) Choosing “Business in Practice”:

This suits students who want to build practical skills and prepare for their careers. Warwick Business School helps students gain industry experience through a simulation.

The Interviewee’s Grades, Test Scores, Internships and Competitions

University of Nottingham, BSc (Hons) International Business Management

• First Class (UK system), which should convert to a 4.0/4.0 GPA
• IELTS: 7.0
• Two on-campus internships
• No competitions, no GRE/GMAT

What to Focus On in the SOP

I think the most important points when writing an SOP are:

• Who I am
• Why I’m applying to this program (how it will help with my future plans; you can show what you know about the school, for example how its Career Centre will help your future)
• How I fit the program (you can include internships, but the key is to stress what you learned and how the story connects to the program and to your personality)
• What value I can bring to the school

Application Timeline: When Did You Apply to Warwick, and When Did the Offer Come?

I applied to three schools: Imperial, Warwick and Manchester. Imperial rejected me, and Manchester still has me on the waiting list now (July of the following year).

My Warwick timeline: I applied at the end of October 2021 (the program opened applications in early October), while I was still asking teachers and professors for recommendation letters. I got the offer on January 9, 2022, so those 3 months were pretty agonizing.

Were you planning to apply to more schools at that point?

Warwick actually sent the offer on January 9, but it went to my spam folder. I finished an exam on January 10 and started thinking that since I hadn’t heard back from anyone, maybe I should apply to a few more schools over winter break. The next morning I was bored, decided to check my spam folder, and found the offer had arrived on the 9th!

So always check your spam folder. Offers end up there easily!

Why Did You Want to Study Marketing?

I took a marketing course at university and found it had lots of case studies. One topic was customer relationships, which I found really interesting because the subject is so close to people. I could understand it quickly and apply it, so I decided to apply to this field.

The program I applied to is marketing and strategy, not just marketing. Marketing alone felt a bit too broad, and I thought I also needed to learn strategy. In my case, I may want to go into management consulting, where I’ll need to make decisions based on data.

Did You Use an Agency? Who Wrote Your Recommendation Letters?

I didn’t use an agency. I started preparing early, since by the first semester of my third year I knew I wanted to study abroad. With plenty of time I didn’t really need one, and I also had my high school teacher and friends help correct my grammar. I submitted two recommendation letters: one from a marketing professor at my university and one from my supervisor at an on-campus office internship.

Recommendation letters: did you ask your recommenders to stress traits that fit marketing?

That year Warwick published 4 personality traits it wanted applicants to have (they change every year), such as teamwork, multitasking and not being afraid of hard work. In the SOP you can’t just say you have a trait. You need short stories that show it, and I think that’s what they want to see.

Besides the SOP, you want your recommendation letters to back up those traits. My high school teacher told me recommendation letters carry quite a lot of weight in the review.

Which Candidate Traits Does the WBS MSc Marketing and Strategy Weigh Most?

I think GPA matters most because it’s the basic threshold. Second are your essays and recommendation letters. I think how strong the letters are matters a lot: how they show your traits, and what traits the school is likely looking for. For marketing, whether or not you have experience, if you’re interested you can say, “Here’s what I regularly read in this area and the news I follow,” and explain how you’ll use school resources like the career center and the library for your future (which shows you know the school, you’re enthusiastic, and you have a direction). Third, I think, is internships. Most people have them, but if you’ve interned at a big company and done an unusual project, write about what you learned. That turns it into a plus.

Did your SOP mention career development or motivation?

Yes! I think it’s very important. Graduate programs come in two types, research and taught, and you need to understand each program’s direction and setup. Since I want to work after graduating, my SOP mentioned as much as possible how I’d use the career center, recruitment fairs and networking events. If you can name specific talks from last year, or even companies that came to the recruitment fair that you’d love to work for, it shows you really understand the school and have done your homework on it.

How did you balance stress and studying while applying?

I had mostly finished my CV and personal statement over the summer, so the first semester of my final year wasn’t too busy.

Waiting for offers was still very stressful, though. Find something you enjoy, like playing ball or going to the gym, and try to shift your focus there.

Why didn’t you take the GRE or GMAT?

The school didn’t require it, and I didn’t have time to prepare. Over the summer I also realized I didn’t have enough internship experience, so I went back to help out at my old high school to fill out my background as much as I could, even though it wasn’t directly related to marketing.

Later I found out that quite a lot of UK programs don’t require the GRE or GMAT.

Any regrets, or things you could have done earlier? Advice for younger students…

If you’re thinking about grad school at all, you can start looking for internships and take the GRE/GMAT in your first or second year, because scores are valid for 5 years.

I only started looking at job requirements in my third year, and found that many marketing roles ask for technical skills like SQL, R and Tableau. You can build all of those in your first or second year instead of rushing to catch up in your busier third and fourth years. In short, I’d say use your first two years to get ahead on internships, the GRE/GMAT and programming languages.

Does the Program Leave Time for an Internship?

Yes. The dissertation is one route: you can partner with a company, analyze its problems and propose strategies based on what you’ve learned. For example, I might interview a company about the problems it faces, then write my dissertation based on the course material to help the company solve them.

What do you plan to prepare before going to the UK? When should you start job hunting in a 1-year program? Should you use the Career Center to revise your resume early?

We have some online courses. For example, one shows you how to make use of the school’s resources. On top of that, the Post Study Work (PSW) visa gives international graduate students two years to work in the UK after graduating. With more job opportunities available, I plan to use the school’s resources to prepare. Since it’s a 1-year program, you have to start job hunting and sending out resumes around September, right when you arrive. I suggest having your CV and cover letter ready before you start, and making full use of the career center: book their review and practice sessions to make your resume and skills stand out. The school holds networking events, and I strongly recommend going. You learn more about how companies work from the inside, meet more people, and get more job opportunities.

Anything Else You’d Like to Share…

Some people say grades in your third and fourth years matter most and the first two years don’t. My second year was actually a mess because I picked the wrong courses. It’s fine to be interested in lots of subjects, but in your third and fourth years, choose courses with your future direction in mind and don’t gamble with your grades. For example, in my third year I knew I wanted to go into marketing, so I took marketing-related courses, which proves you’re interested in the field.

A Marketing Degree Opens Lots of Jobs, as Long as You Fill In the Relevant Experience

When I looked at job requirements, I saw I had a lot to add. Take marketing: some people want market analyst jobs, but without some programming skills it’s hard to get them. So I suggest building up Office, SQL, R, Python and Tableau so they become strengths.

How did you get your IELTS speaking to 7.5?

It’s best to have someone help you. My younger sister would play the examiner, read me questions, let me practice, and give me feedback.

I had another method too. I love basketball, and the NBA Finals were on at the time, with post-game interviews after every game. I’d listen to what the players said and repeat after them, which also let me pick up their accents.

Thought You Bombed the IELTS?

I actually thought I’d bombed it. The speaking examiner was in a hurry, and several times, before I’d finished my answer, he said, “OK, that’s enough, next question.” Right after the test I thought my score would be pretty bad, but it turned out better than I feared. So don’t be scared of the examiners. They may already have a rough idea of your level and want to move on, or they may be testing whether you can hold up under pressure.

Q&A

How do I find information about marketing jobs in Europe and the US?

I don’t have experience with Europe or the US yet, so I’m not sure. But if you want marketing job information in the UK, try LinkedIn, TargetJobs, Reed, Indeed and so on.

When applying for Marketing Strategy, does a relevant internship make it easier?

I think it helps! Overall, it puts you in a slightly better position whether you go straight into work or apply to study abroad.

What were the conditions on your Conditional Offer?

The program required not only a final degree result but also a score of at least 60 in my final-year Brand Management course.