When Studying For A Marketing Qualification, How Do You Determine Which of the Top Accredited CIM Study Centres is the best?
Find Out Which Chartered Institute of Marketing Study Centres Are The Best For Your Next Marketing Course
It can be surprisingly difficult to establish which provider might be best for you when you are deciding to undertake a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) qualification.
If you run a Google search you’ll be hit by a number of advertisers, a number of CIM pages and a number of reference blog posts all giving you a subjective view of why they are better than everyone else.
And it doesn’t get any easier if you elect to find a provider through the CIM website itself.
On the main site you’re asked to search using geographical, course level or type of learning filters.
Not only are you possibly not sure about which level is right for you (you might want some advice based on where you are in your career), you may not know how you want to study.
And given the way the world is right now, you probably don’t need to be tied to a local provider if face-to-face isn’t an option.
Even if it is, the learning experience depending on the rules, maybe spaced apart, behind perspex, having to test regularly to enter the building, will make for a sub-optimal learning experience.
Your research is even more difficult with over 100 CIM student centers. CIM awards the same qualification and certificate no matter where you study; however, the learning experience differs at each center. This can be a good thing because you can choose the centre that suits your needs and goals.
Choosing a CIM learning provider is one of the most important decisions you will make during your education. In fact, if you never learn how to choose a good learning provider, you may be spending time and money on a poor choice.
The Top 6 CIM Accredited Study Centres
So, in light of this challenging situation, and to help prospective CIM students work their way through the landscape of competing providers, we’ve collated a post listing the top six accredited CIM study centres.
They are all based in the UK and CIM recognises these top six due to their influence, number of students, breadth of qualifications offered, history/experience, and high pass rates.
CAMBRIDGE MARKETING COLLEGE
Cambridge Marketing College has worked with marketing and PR professionals across all sectors including private, public and not-for-profit organisations to develop their skills and capabilities since 1991.
A faculty of 41 practitioner tutors have helped over 8,000 professionals, through qualifications, corporate in-house training and apprenticeships, enhance their careers.
With Cambridge Marketing College, there is a full suite of CIM courses available from Level 3 to Level 7 marketing management.
Cambridge usually offers evening classes, Saturday seminars and executive weekend options but currently, all courses are being taught in virtual classrooms.
Key points:
- Strong heritage in marketing qualifications
- Broad course portfolio including PR
- Ability to return to face-to-face in 2022
- Large number of tutors and professionals trained
NESMA
NESMA is an accredited CIM study centre based in the North East providing flexible and professional marketing qualifications.
Established in 2009, NESMA offers CIM qualifications from Level 3 foundation courses through to MSc equivalent Level 7 marketing management qualifications.
Courses are delivered across a virtual learning platform, most courses are delivered over a standard 9 month calendar including a number of Teams based sessions plus assignment feedback sessions.
Key points:
- Strong local presence (North East UK)
- Quarterly intakes
- Dedicated calendar of teaching and follow up sessions
- Very experienced tutors
MMC LEARNING
Founded in 1996, MMC Learning works in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Chartered Management Institute and Manchester Metropolitan University to deliver a range of marketing and management qualifications, supporting you through every stage of your marketing and management career.
MMC has a history with CIM since the beginning, developing the first online marketing qualification back in 2000. More recently, MMC created the UKs first MSc in Digital Marketing, entirely redeveloping the syllabus to meet industry needs.
MMC is an online centre, providing you with regular intakes throughout the year to Level 4, 6 and 7 courses and provides hundreds of hours of additional bespoke material, exclusive access to tutors and experts. The on-demand style delivery mixed with live sessions gives you a higher degree of flexibility to fit study around your lifestyle.
Key points:
- Online only centre with a bespoke learning portal, hundreds of purpose built resources
- Expert tutors including Dr. Dave Chaffey, UKs leading Digital Marketing book author
- Offers additional services like coaching and leadership qualifications
- Provides a 100% money-back guarantee to eliminate financial risk
CIM ACADEMY
CIM Academy is a study centre based at the Chartered Institute of Marketing. It offers a complete range of professionally recognised CIM marketing and digital marketing qualifications with all qualifications delivered by industry practitioners focused on helping build developing skills and advancing careers.
Students have three study options to choose from, giving you a choice to select an option that best suits your learning preferences and lifestyle.
CIM Academy learning portal, which provides the resources and support information to complete qualification; from webinars and podcasts to recommended reading and discussion forums, each resource is created and led by leading industry experts.
Key points:
- Offers a complete range of qualifications
- Intensive, fast-track and online teaching options
- Offer additional learning resources like podcasts and discussion forums
- Tutors and industry practitioners
OXFORD COLLEGE OF MARKETING
Oxford College of Marketing offers Level 3 to Level 7 CIM accredited courses online and through 20 study centres of their own across the UK, international face to face and advice points in many countries and distance learning students from across the world.
With Oxford College of Marketing, there are three main ways to study; weekly evening classes, intensive weekend classes combined with online learning and pure online distance learning. With current Covid-19 conditions still having a huge impact on education, it is worth double checking which teaching options are currently available.
With the virtual learning package, delegates attend live, virtual sessions which are delivered over Zoom by an expert tutor as well as weekly webinars. These sessions combine the convenience of online studying with the interaction of face-face sessions!
Key points:
- Large presence with 20 study centres around the UK
- Virtual evening and weekend classes (online)
- A comprehensive range of the face-to-face and blended options
- Expert tutors delivering webinars
PROFESSIONAL ACADEMY
Professional Academy is a provider of CIM, ISM, and CMI qualifications, delivering training in management and leadership, sales, marketing and digital marketing.
Professional Academy offers CIM Levels 3 through to 7 from eight centres across the UK and a further 11 international centres.
Professional Academy offers two different course delivery options – Premium and Lite.
Lite is a complete and comprehensive distance learning package, incorporating one-to-one remote tutor support, a full suite of study materials and access to powerful online learning resources via a Learning Management System.
Premium course workshops are designed around the course syllabus, giving resources to tackle the final assessment.
Their proprietary LMS The Refinery provides an interactive hub for all learning activities, making it easy to manage studies and access a wealth of course material, quizzes, assignments and live classrooms.
Key points
- Full range of CIM qualifications and start dates
- Offers a broader range of qualifications including sales
- Premium and Lite learning options
- Bespoke LMS with a range of learning materials.
Summary
Most study centres will provide a good quality CIM qualification experience. But they are different and some have had to significantly adapt to the Covid-19 landscape, whilst others have always been online.
Read: Why do some courses and qualifications cost more than others?