Overview
This qualification is designed to build your strategic thinking, commercial awareness and leadership skills.
The CIM Level 6 Diploma is ideal for marketers progressing from Level 4 or those aiming to step into a Marketing Manager role. You’ll develop the knowledge and confidence to plan strategically, make informed decisions, and align marketing activity with wider business goals.
Covering areas such as organisational priorities, data-informed decision-making, and performance-focused planning, this qualification equips you to deliver marketing that drives real results.
This qualification is ideal for marketers who want to take on more responsibility, influence decision-making, and step into a Marketing Manager role. If you're ready to move from delivering marketing activity to shaping strategy, you should consider this Level 6 Diploma.
You might be:
- A Marketing Executive or Senior Marketing Executive looking to progress
- An aspiring Marketing Manager
- Working in an operational marketing role and ready to think more strategically
- Looking to strengthen your planning, leadership, and decision-making skills
This qualification helps you shift from execution to strategy, at the same time building the confidence and capability to plan effectively, manage activity, and align marketing with wider business goals. It also supports progression to senior roles and further study at Level 7.
You’ll need at least one of the following:
- A CIM Level 4 qualification, or a relevant equivalent
- A Level 4 apprenticeship, such as Marketing Executive, or equivalent
- A Level 6 apprenticeship, such as Marketing Manager, or equivalent
- A bachelor’s or master’s degree, with at least one-third of credits from marketing content
- Professional practice, typically two years of marketing experience in an operational role, plus diagnostic assessment
If English is not your first language, you’ll usually need an IELTS Academic score of 6.5, with at least 6.0 in each component, a Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English at grade B or above, or an accepted equivalent achieved within the previous two years.
The total cost of your qualification is made up of:
- Tuition fees, paid to your chosen Accredited Study Centre
- CIM membership, which starts from £70 per year
- CIM assessment fees
The current assessment fees for the Level 6 Diploma are £660 at the Global Standard and Developing Markets rate, or £540 at the Emerging Markets rate. These figures are based on passing all modules at the first attempt. Resits require additional fees.
What you'll learn
You’ll develop strategic marketing skills across planning, commercial decision-making, customer experience, brand, content and digital specialisms. Our qualifications are flexible and what you will learn is dependent on your choice of modules. It could include:
- Strategic marketing planning
- Marketing management and decision-making
- Commercial intelligence and marketing performance
- Sustainability, wellbeing and societal impact
- Customer journey optimisation
- Brand proposition, equity and reputation
- Content strategy and implementation
- AI, ecommerce, SEO, paid search and social media strategy
Available modules
| Module | What you'll learn | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory | Strategy and Planning | Develop advanced strategic planning skills, including how to use planning frameworks and models to create marketing plans that support organisational objectives. |  |
| Core | Commercial Intelligence | Learn how to interpret commercial and marketing data, understand key financial metrics, build strategic budgets, optimise channel performance and demonstrate ROI. | |
| Core | Societal Impact | Explore sustainability, wellbeing, stakeholder engagement and the role of marketing in helping organisations respond to social and environmental challenges. | |
| Specialist | Customer Journey Optimisation | Use data and insight to evaluate customer journey stages and create seamless, personalised journeys that support satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy. | |
| Specialist | Brand Proposition | Explore proposition development, brand management, equity, purpose, innovation and reputation in increasingly complex and competitive markets. | |
| Specialist | Content Strategy | Learn how to develop a strategic approach to content marketing that supports organisational goals, builds trust and improves conversions. | |
| Specialist | AI Marketing | Understand how AI developments affect marketing and how to create a suitable plan for responding to and implementing AI technologies. | |
| Specialist | Ecommerce | Develop knowledge and skills to create an effective ecommerce proposition and understand best practice in ecommerce strategy. | |
| Specialist | SEO & Paid Search Management | Learn how to create organic and paid search strategies, understand customer search behaviour and improve search visibility. | |
| Specialist | Social Media Management | Develop strategic insight into how social media can reach, nurture and engage audiences, and create a strategy that drives engagement. | |
This qualification is worth 50 credits. Use the qualification planner to understand course structure and plan your qualification. For full details of every module, download the syllabus PDF.
Ready to enrol?
Here are your next steps:
1. Choose a study centre
Compare Accredited Study Centres to find one that suits your learning style, pace, support and budget.
2. Join CIM as a member
Giving you access to valuable learning resources to support your studies and recognition to stand out in the profession.
3. Book your assessments
As a CIM member you can book assessments through the MyCIM portal.
FAQs
We’ve mapped degree and apprenticeship qualifications against CIM learning outcomes to provide exemptions across our Level 3, 4 and 6 qualifications. If you’re eligible for an exemption, you’ll fast-track your qualification and reduce both time and money spent on your studies.
An Accredited Study Centre is a tuition provider that has been formally approved to deliver our qualifications. Accreditation recognises a centre's commitment to high-quality teaching, learner support and professional standards, giving students confidence that they are learning with a trusted and recognised provider.
Study Centre finder
CIM membership is required because it forms part of your qualification experience. It gives you access to valuable learning resources, professional insights, networking opportunities and ongoing support, while connecting you to the global marketing community and helping you develop throughout your career. Membership is also required to book and complete CIM assessments.
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