Study MARCOM: A guide to your journey at IE Business School

4 min read

Want to study MARCOM? Amidst consumer decisions, tech and innovation, you need to keep the human touch.

Our master’s degrees in Marketing, Communication & Sales take a holistic approach to learning. That means you’ll receive a global perspective both inside and outside the classroom. At IE Business School, your educational journey is an immersive, transformative experience, which we refer to as The Stage.

A journey of collaboration

The Stage is a unique experience that combines Marketing, Communication & Sales programs into one platform. This allows you to connect with your peers to collaborate, share knowledge and support one another. The journey includes a Core Period, Global Immersion Week, Social Impact Week, the MARCOM Speaker Series, Career Sector Tracks and optional certifications.

This dynamic framework accompanies you through your master’s program and is designed to offer you a transformative experience that goes far beyond traditional academic learning. Each part of the experience provides support and guidance for your master’s journey.

The Core Period

Your journey on The Stage begins with the Core Period, a shared academic experience that bridges all of our Marketing, Communication & Sales programs. This first term helps you settle into your life as a master’s student in Madrid. You’ll be given ample opportunities to build early connections and set the tone for what’s to come for the rest of the year.

During the Core Period, you will take foundational marketing courses covering topics like strategy, creativity and analytics. As this period is required across all programs, you will have the opportunity to network with peers from other programs, gaining a broad perspective of the marketing industry before taking a deep dive into your specialization. 

Global Immersion Week

This is your first chance to step into real-world international business environments during your master’s program. Throughout this one-week journey, you’ll attend sessions at prestigious institutions, visit major companies and engage directly with senior executives, all in a global hub of business. 

The most recent cohort spent their Global Immersion Week in Amsterdam, where they combined academic learning with immersive experiences. While visiting one of Europe’s leading business centers, students were able to expand their horizons, gain practical insights and create new professional connections. It’s an optional trip, but highly recommended.

Social Impact Week

This week challenges you to put your learning into meaningful action. Social Impact Week allows you to gain exposure to new cultural and professional environments while exploring the role of marketing in creating social impact. Throughout the week, you will work on real-world projects with real clients, from IE Alumni in action to policymakers and local business leaders.

The most recent edition of Social Impact Week brought our students to Cape Town, South Africa. Working on a consulting project for a local client, students connected with the culture. They also gained firsthand insights into how their actions can create an impact. Like Global Immersion Week, this is an optional trip.

Optional certifications

The Stage continues with personalization at its core. During this journey, you will explore what most interests you, along with new ways to align your skills to market needs. Our offerings for optional certifications open the door to new knowledge in trending and high-demand areas. 

While you continue to hone your craft, you can build specialized knowledge with the following certificates: 

1. AI for Business Certificate

2. Sustainability Certificate

3. IE-Salesforce Certificate 

Each of these certificates can help you further catapult your career and make you even more marketable. 

MARCOM Speaker Series 

The Stage moves forward with a collection of talks and panels with top industry professionals called the MARCOM Speaker Series. Each of these sessions provides you with insights into market trends, varying company cultures, exciting career paths and how to best position yourself in the world of work. 

Past speakers have represented companies such as Havas and HBO Max, among others—giving you an inside look at how to succeed in the world of marketing and communications. 

Career Sector Tracks

The final step of The Stage supports you as you prepare for your specific industry. Based on what you’re looking for in your future, these optional Career Sector Tracks are just one more step in the personalization of our programs. The specialized pathways offered are MARCOM for Tech Companies and MARCOM for Consumer Goods, Luxury and Fashion. 

In selecting one of these tracks, you will take a deep dive into tailored workshops, mentorship opportunities and recruitment meetings. You’ll graduate prepared to launch a thriving career in the area that inspires you most. 

All the world’s a stage

The Stage is a captivating adventure that brings you to the heart of the sales and marketing sector. Throughout your journey, you’ll gain a rounded skill set and work alongside a cohort of over 400 like-minded professionals from across all five Marketing, Communication & Sales master’s programs.   

Set the stage for your future and step into a world of opportunity.