General Description

This project is a compulsory requirement to obtain the degree and is worth 6 ECTS credits.

It consists of an individual project developed by the student, adopting a multidisciplinary approach to marketing decision-making within a specific industry, sector, or company. In particular, the project involves preparing a Marketing Plan applied to a product.

Exceptionally, the Master’s Thesis (TFM) may take a research-oriented approach or be linked to the Doctoral Programme.

Through this project, students must demonstrate their ability to assimilate and apply the knowledge acquired throughout the program in a practical way.

The project will be supervised by an assigned tutor, whose role is to guide the student in choosing the topic, preparing the outline, developing each part of the project, using relevant information sources, and reflecting critically on analyses, strategies, and marketing decisions.

The work will be publicly presented and defended before an evaluation committee.

It may be submitted in either of the two official examination periods.

Requirements

A Master’s Thesis included in this program must meet the following requirements:

• Be a Marketing Plan.
• Include a quantitative market research study with a minimum of 100 valid questionnaires (or 50 in the case of company-based studies).
• Apply at least one bivariate technique (and a multivariate technique to qualify for the grade of Outstanding).

To be eligible for submission and, consequently, for presentation and defense, the student must have successfully completed 34 credits of the compulsory first-semester courses.

Structure

The TFM must include the following sections:

1. Executive Summary
2. Situation Analysis
3. Market Research
4. SWOT Diagnosis
5. Marketing Objectives
6. Marketing Strategies
7. Action Plans or Marketing Mix Design
8. Timeline and Budget
9. Control

Bibliography and Information Sources

Bibliographic references must be included at the end of the document, before the appendices, using the APA referencing style: https://normas-apa.org/referencias/.

Information sources must be formal, up-to-date, relevant, and preferably academic and/or professional.

Excessive use of non-specialized or unreliable sources, such as personal blogs, forums, or websites without editorial review, is discouraged.

Ethical Use of Information

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) must be ethical and responsible.

Students must complete and sign a declaration of authorship and responsibility for their work.

It is recommended to consult the document “Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of AI by Students in Higher Education”, available at: https://www.uv.es/uvweb/departamento-comercializacion-investigacion-mercados/es/departamento/pautes-us-a-1286382622402.html

Any form of copying or plagiarism is strictly prohibited, as well as the individual reuse of group work previously submitted for other Master’s courses in which the student has participated.

In case of non-compliance, the Protocol on Fraudulent Academic Practices of the University of Valencia (ACGUV 123/2020) will be applied.

Formatting Guidelines

The main formal requirements are as follows:

• Proper use of language, expressions, and punctuation.
• The first person singular (“I”) is not permitted.
• Length: 100 pages (excluding appendices, tables of contents, and bibliography).
• Font type: recommended Cabrili, Arial, or Times New Roman.
• Font size: 12 pt for main text, 14–16 pt for titles, and 8–10 pt for footnotes.
• Line spacing: up to 1.5.
• Text alignment: justified on both sides.
• Tables of contents and lists of tables, charts, figures, or graphs must be included.
• Use of typographical features (bold, italics, underlining, colours, etc.) should be consistent and functional.
• Page margins: 2.5 cm on all sides.
• Assign titles to all tables, charts, figures, or graphs; indicate the source and year below them, and reference them appropriately in the text.

Presentation and Defense

The defense of the TFM before the committee is conducted online, according to the dates published in the official schedule.

The committee chair will provide instructions regarding the procedure, and the student will have 10 minutes to present their work orally.

Afterwards, committee members will provide comments and ask questions as they deem appropriate.

To prepare the presentation, it is recommended to use tools such as PowerPoint, Prezi, or Canva; include a clear outline or index of the presentation; use a maximum of 15 slides; and ensure slides contain minimal text, readable font size, structured bullet points, and visual elements such as charts and diagrams.