Course summary

Learn how the media works and shapes our understanding of the world with a degree that gives you a thorough understanding of mass media and the workings of the PR industry. By dividing your studies between media, public relations and marketing, this course combines the expertise of two experienced academic teams and opens up a wide range of career paths from journalism and magazine publishing to digital media production and PR consultancy. The media side of the degree gives you the practical skills you need to work confidently in a rapidly evolving field. It also provides you with an informed understanding of the social, political and historical forces that have produced our contemporary media forms and institutions. The marketing and PR side of the degree allows you to explore a range of PR activities; develop your business skills along with your public relations counselling and planning capabilities; and build your knowledge of marketing practices particularly within the context of brand management and corporate communications. Foundation Year In the Foundation year you will study three days per week. The focus will be on academic writing skills and numeracy, plus subject-specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree. The course has been designed to develop your skills and to prepare you for entry onto the first year of your chosen course. It provides a balance between content related to your chosen subject and the range of wider skills required for undergraduate study. This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will be required to pass the foundation year in order to progress to the first year of your BA (Hons) degree. This course is ideal for those who do not meet our standard entry requirements or those with a non-standard educational background. It will allow you to graduate with a full undergraduate degree in your chosen subject in four years. Why choose this course?

• Develop the skills to become an effective media communicator

• Learn how marketing and public relations work, and how they shape businesses and corporate communications

• Benefit from guest lectures and media masterclasses

• Gain personal confidence as well as the ability to express yourself using appropriate media to influence and inform opinion

• Acquire valuable research and project initiation/management experience while working both independently and in teams