Strategy and Planning | P01186-AA | Course

Entry Year

16/09/2025

Location

Titanic Quarter

Duration

Part-Time

Course Code

P01186-AA

Overview

Level 6Strategy and PlanningAwarded by CIM

Titanic Quarter

Part-Time

Higher Education

Start Date: 16/09/2025

End Date: 14/12/2025

Qualifications

CIM Level 6 Award in Strategy and Planning (610/4100/2)
Day of week: Tuesday
Times: 18:00 - 21:00

Overview

CIM Level 6 Diploma in Professional & Digital Marketing – New Syllabus (2024)

Award in Strategy and Planning

The CIM Level 6 Diploma in Professional & Digital Marketing has been designed following widespread employer-led research across a range of sectors and sizes of organisations, qualification providers, academics and students.

Strategic planning is an essential skill for marketing managers, and empowers them to make informed decisions, optimise resources, and drive the company towards its goals in a competitive and dynamic market environment. The plan itself ensures that all marketing employees work together to achieve a common goal.

This 20-credit module aims to equip students with advanced knowledge and skills in planning marketing at a strategic level, as well as developing an overall strategic marketing plan, candidates will be able to adapt their use of planning frameworks and associated models to create a range of specific plans that integrate to deliver and support that plan at a strategic level.

A CIM qualification at Level 6 develops your strategic marketing skills enabling you to progress your marketing career and perform professionally at management level. Successful completion will establish your knowledge, skills and understanding of marketing to support decision-making in either a general or digital context. 

To gain the Diploma in Professional & Digital Marketing, a pass in each module (Strategy and Planning, Commercial Intelligence, Customer Journey Optimisation and AI Marketing) is required.

Please read our Terms and Conditions before applying for or enrolling on any of our courses.

Advice

Pre-Entry Advice

Download the Pre-Entry Advice presentation.  Play Slideshow in the presentation to activate any links or videos.

Click here to download presentation

Requirements

One or more of the following is required to gain entry onto this qualification:

CIM Level 4 Professional Certificate in Marketing or CIM Level 4 Certificate in Professional Marketing or - CIM Level 4 Certificate in Professional Digital Marketing
Any relevant Level 4 qualification
An equivalent Level 4 Apprenticeship such as Marketing Executive. CIM will consider other equivalent Marketing apprenticeships.
An equivalent Level 6 Apprenticeship such as Marketing Manager. CIM will consider other equivalent Marketing apprenticeships.
Bachelor's or Master's degree, with at least one-third of credits coming from marketing content (i.e. 120 credits in Bachelor's degrees or 60 credits with Master's degrees)
Professional practice (suggested two years of marketing in an operational role) and diagnostic assessment.

If English is not your first language, you will also need to provide evidence of achieving one of the following English Language qualifications within the last two years: IELTS Academic Module with an overall score of 6.5 (each component pass mark must be 6.0 or above) or Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English grade B or above. CIM will consider other equivalent alternatives.

IELTS is an academic standard required by most professional institutions.  

**Evidence of meeting the entry requirements must be produced for endorsement ahead of enrolment along with a screen shot of the CIM Diagnostic Test result. Ask us for access to the test. Upload scanned copies of your certificates to your account when you apply through the college portal.

All courses within Belfast Met are delivered and assessed in English, apart from language-specific courses. Your competence in English must be verified prior to enrolling on your chosen course.

Fees

Fees:
Academic period 2025:
Tuition Fee = £420.00

Fees are payable annually.

In addition, payable to CIM:

Assessment registration: £165*

CIM Affiliate Student Membership: £65* (to be paid by the student to CIM once enrolled in the class – lasts for one year, so will cover any further Awards taken within a 12-month period.)

*Subject to change by CIM 

Please note:

If you are an employee of a NI Business with less than 250 employees, your employer may be eligible to apply for funding towards the cost of this programme.
Further eligibility criteria will apply to confirm Funding and all Funding remains subject to continued availability.

Please contact Business Development team on businessdevelopment@belfastmet.ac.uk for more information.

Assessment

For this module, candidates are required to write a strategic marketing plan which they will upload as part of an onscreen test. The assessment is employer-driven, practitioner-based, relevant, and appropriate for business needs.

Strategy and Planning

Assessment Type: Onscreen Plan Submission

Onscreen short and extended Answer Response test

120 Minutes

Module Grading

Grading will be applied to each module as well as to the overall qualification.

Distinction (D) 80%+

Merit (M) 70-79%

Pass (P) 60-69%

Fail (F) 0-59%

The percentage mark along with the corresponding grade will be issued for each module. To achieve the total qualification each individual module needs to achieve 60% or above.

Made for More

Careers

The Level 6 CIM Diploma in Professional & Digital Marketing is designed to offer progression from all Level 4 CIM qualifications. Successful completion of the Level 6 CIM qualifications will establish the knowledge, skills and understanding to be able to perform within the position of a ‘Marketing Manager’ and to carry out an essential and successful professional marketing role within the workplace.

At Belfast Met, we offer four modules from Route 2 to the Diploma as shown below. The college offers:

· Award in Strategy and Planning

· Award in Commercial Intelligence

· Award in Customer Journey Optimisation

· Specialist Award in AI Marketing (subject to approval)

Candidates can take one module as an Individual Award, or all four to achieve the Diploma in Professional and Digital Marketing.

Successful achievement of the CIM Level 6 Diploma in Professional Marketing or the Level 6 Diploma in Professional Digital Marketing will allow progression onto the CIM Level 7 qualifications.

Successful candidates can also pursue chartered marketer status through the CIM’s CPD programme.

The CIM Level 6 Diploma is for marketing managers and marketers working in operational and supervisory roles, who are looking to progress their strategic and management skills. Typical job titles of those studying these qualifications may include marketing manager, marketing and communications manager and brand manager. 