IIE BA Honours in Strategic Brand Communication

Overview

The IIE BA Honours in Strategic Brand Communication explores the nature of creative and strategic thinking and the development of innovative and accountable communication strategies for brand building. Students engage with independent learning to develop various ways of thinking, brand identity, architecture, and equity models, consumer insights and research methodologies, strategic models, brand communication tools and channel and media planning options and stakeholder relationship management. Students specialise in strategy development and acquire skills that can be utilised in brand organisations as well as communications consultancies and agencies. The research module enables the student to pursue academic research in an area of brand interest.

Modules:

• Brand and Brand Building
• Brand Communication Strategy and Planning
• Channel and Media Planning
• Practice of Brand Building
• Research for the Human Sciences

Brand and Brand Building
This foundation module develops students’ understanding of the key brand concepts that guide the development of innovative and purposeful solutions to brand building opportunities and challenges. Emphasis is placed on creative, critical and systemic thinking and students are given the opportunity to demonstrate higher order thinking to analyse, evaluate and apply concepts to given practical scenarios.

Brand Communication Strategy and Planning
The purpose of Brand Communication Strategy and Planning is to enable the student to practically develop brand positioning which will drive communication strategy. Students will engage with various strategic models and multiple brand communication channels and tools to develop brand communication strategies and plans. An insight-based critical analysis and evaluation of all touch points will facilitate human-centric innovative thinking.

Channel and Media Planning
Channel and Media Planning introduces and integrates channel, media and contact planning in context of the various media platforms available, and actively considers the planning mechanics when developing a fully integrated and leveraged channel plan. Students will assess the optimisation of media planning options and budgeting/spend considering in light of increasing media fragmentation and complexity.

Practice of Brand Building
This module applies the theories of strategic brand management and communication to answer real-life client briefs. The focus is on the development and crafting of an innovative brand building strategy and plan that will address complex business and societal challenges. Students will implement brand research to investigate situational, environmental and commercial scenarios. They will derive consumer insights to drive the execution of original and meaningful solutions to multi-faceted brand challenges. Students work in teams to address real-life working challenges; develop their skills in building and recommending brand solutions; and collaborate with peers in a process of innovative problem solving.

Research for the Human Sciences
Students will develop essential research skills for both professional and academic contexts alongside the ability to present and defend research to an expert audience. Emphasis is placed on independent and critical thinking, analysis, research design and methods, as well as academic discourse. Students complete a self-directed academic research project of limited scope under supervision in the discipline of the degree.

Study further with IIE Pathways
The successful completion of the IIE BA Honours in Strategic Brand Communication enables you to progress into the IIE MA in Creative Brand Leadership delivered at IIE Vega, subject to meeting the admission requirements.

Timetables
This qualification is aimed at students who wish to complete full-time face-to-face studies for the duration of their qualification. This means that students are expected to be available throughout the day for class in the academic year depending on how the timetable is structured. Students may also be required to write assessments or submit coursework or assignments outside of normal class time. Students who would like to pursue part time employment opportunities outside of the academic programme must prioritise their studies and avoid committing to work schedules until after they have received their timetables and academic calendar from the institution. Students must also note that timetables remain subject to change throughout the academic year.

Tuition Fees

First year fee for new registrations starting in 2024
R108 000 Full Settlement Total Fee
R115 800 Instalment Total Fee (10 Monthly Instalments)
A *Pre-Registration Fee of R2 500 is included in the Total Fee
*Refundable if admission criteria for the qualification is not met.

Please note:

• Applications for the 2024 intake are subject to a non-refundable application fee of R700.
• You will be required to complete a new contract annually which will include fees for that year.
• Returning students can consult the bill of costs on the website to obtain their 2024 fees based on their basket of modules.

Entry Requirements

• An appropriate Bachelor’s Degree with an average of 60% in the final year; OR
• An appropriate Advanced Diploma, provided that a 360 credit Diploma or appropriate equivalent has been completed with an average of 60% in the final year.
• An appropriate Degree or Advanced Diploma would normally be in the fields of either Marketing, Branding or Communication.

Please note:

• Candidates are normally required to have a minimum final year average of 60% in the qualifications final-year (NQF L7) modules. Those with a final year average of 55 - 59% will be admitted if they attained 60% or higher for the designated cognate/core discipline final-year (NQF L7) modules.

Undergraduate qualification in a non-cognate field.

• If the discipline of the degree or diploma is not sufficiently cognate, a candidate may still be admitted if they achieve a minimum final year average of 60% in their final year modules and attained at least 65% in the essay and presentation assessment of the compulsory Introduction to Brand Building short course.
• There are two short course intakes per year (dates to be released shortly), only one opportunity is available to students.

Senate Discretionary Admission:

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Candidates who fall outside the above criteria, but who can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of The IIE that they have an appropriate, related qualification or work-based learning, which has taken the candidate to the equivalent of an NQF Level 7 Marketing, Branding or Communication-related qualification, may be considered for admission into this programme through an RPL process.

Additional Notes:

Graduates of The IIE who do not meet the conditional admissions requirements for admission to Honours can enrol for and repeat all or some of their NQF Level 7 modules in order to improve their marks so that they can meet the entry requirements for Honours. These graduate students will then receive an additional transcript after the completion of the repeat module(s), where the repeat module(s) will appear as a second iteration of the module(s) on the transcript. The marks from the second iteration can then be used for admission to Honours in the subsequent academic year. This option is only available to graduates from The IIE and does not apply to graduates from other HE institutions.

International Admission:

• A SAQA NQF L7 Evaluation Certificate in an appropriate field and meeting the additional admission requirements.