Public Relations and Marketing Communications - BA (Hons)

Public relations (PR) and marketing communications are fascinating, fast-moving fields that offer many rewarding career opportunities. Thanks to converged media and the voracious consumer appetite for digital content, they are constantly evolving and on this course you will enjoy frontline professional experience and tuition informed by cutting-edge scholarship.

Students use a range of specialist software to mirror what is used in practice including Adobe Creative Cloud for editing videos, Google Analytics to measure impact, Canva Pro to design social media posts, PR Max to draw up targeted media distribution lists and Semrush to inform SEO strategies.

On this course you will:

• experience an unrivalled opportunity to study two closely aligned disciplines: PR and marketing. Organisations often take an integrated approach to communication, bringing together these two disciplines to help drive success. PR manages relationships with a range of stakeholder groups including employees, the government and the media while marketing focuses on relationships with the customer;
• gain practical experience of developing strategic PR and marketing communication solutions for live clients, creating authentic and shareable digital content for a range of social media platforms;
• find out how organisations use video, photography, blogs and podcasts to drive their marketing, and how you can help them do it better. You will undertake original research to inform decision making and measure the effectiveness of campaigns using a range of analytics and metrics;
• gain a wealth of experience through work placement as well as having the opportunity to study abroad at one of our partner institutions (subject to availability); and
• be taught by internationally renowned academics who are actively engaged with the industry. Industry practitioners will see you in action and many of our graduates have gone on to work with contacts that they made on the course.

Listen to the Programme Leader talk about this course

Structure

You can opt to study for an honours degree over four years or an ordinary degree over three years. You will complete a range of modules each year as outlined.

Teaching, learning and assessment

We use a mix of methods including lectures, seminars and practical workshops. As well as these face-to-face interactions, some modules are delivered online. Each module is supported by a virtual learning resource site. As well as lecture notes, seminar activities, key readings, assignment specifications and discussion forums, additional materials such as videos, radio edits and links to other resources can be uploaded to the site.

The assessment strategy uses a range of methods to support your academic and professional development. These include: essays, reports, presentations, online discussions/postings, exams, reflective diaries, e-portfolios and content production for different media such as video, photography, website, blogs, posts and tweets.

Placement

You will complete a four-week or 150 hours placement either in the summer vacation between years three and four or in year four alongside other modules. Students are responsible for sourcing a placement host organisation and this can be in the UK or abroad. To help with the process, we hold a speed interview event to match hosts offering placements with students. The placement is unpaid although many hosts cover travel and subsistence. Regular hosts include PR and Marketing agencies, big corporations, local and national government and charities.

Exchange opportunities

In Year Three you have the opportunity (subject to availability) to study for one semester at a university overseas. Please visit the Exchanges and Study Abroad pages for more information.

Teaching staff, class sizes and timetables

You can read more about the teaching staff on this course at the bottom of this page. Please note that teaching staff is subject to change.

For more information, please also visit ‘How we teach and how you’ll learn’.

Year One

Not available.

Year Two

You will:

• expand your knowledge and understanding of digital businesses and e-commerce and how to use big data to provide insights into the effectiveness of your communications;
• consider how organisations campaign on issues and communicate with external stakeholders through digital media and internally with employees; and
• gain experience of event management by designing, planning and holding your own event.

Modules

• Popular Media Cultures
• Digital Communications Campaigning
• Media Production: Online Journalism
• Event Management
• Analytics, Insights and Impact
• Digital Business and e-Commerce

Year Three

You will:

• expand your knowledge of the principles of planning, by developing strategic PR proposals for a live client;
• investigate the role and ethics of persuasive communication in PR and marketing;
• gain knowledge of research methods that are used by PR and marketing practitioners and learn how to design a research project;
• gain insights into experiential marketing where the audience is immersed in an event such as a music festival and how this emotional response is used by organisations to build brand awareness, trust and loyalty;
• start to tailor your learning around your interests through the selection of an option module; and
• have the opportunity (subject to availability) to study for one semester at a university overseas. For more information, visit Exchanges and Study Abroad.

Modules

• Campaigning and Practice
• Advertising and Marketing Communications
• Experiential Marketing and Consumer Behaviour
• Designing a Research Project
• Persuasive Communication
• Plus one option

Year Four

You will:

• Be encouraged to work more independently, developing your critical skills and follow your own area of interest. This happens through working on your dissertation, which can be a written dissertation or a practical photography or video dissertation, working in industry on a one-month placement and choosing an option.

Modules

• Professional Communication Placement
• Strategic Marketing Management
• Dissertation
• Plus one option

Year Three and Four options may include: 

• Organisational Behaviour
• Photography and Visual Culture
• Film Festivals
• Communication Arts and Activism
• Political Communication
• Radio and Audio Media
• Photography Practice
• Pop Music
• Screenwriting
• Film and the Family
• Co-creating and managing your our own client project

The modules listed here are correct at time of posting (Feb 2023) but may differ slightly to those offered in 2024. Please check back here for any updates.

When you graduate you will be ready to make your mark in a wide range of career roles, including PR officer, social media strategist, marketing executive, digital content creator, publicity and promotions executive and events manager. There are PR and marketing specialists in almost every field you can imagine: from national government to charities, finance firms to whisky companies, and tourist organisations to universities.

Entry requirements

Scottish Higher: Standard - BBBB, Minimum - BBCC

A Level: BCC

Irish Leaving Certificate: H2 H2 H3 H3

International Baccalaureate: 28 points

International: IELTS of 6.0 with no element lower than 5.5

Required subjects: English or Media Studies preferred at Higher/ A Level. English required and Maths preferred at Nat 5/ GCSE. We can also accept National 5 Application of Maths or Lifeskills at the same grade.

Am I a Widening Access student?: We apply the minimum entry criteria to applicants who meet one or more contextual factor. To see if this would apply to you, please refer to the access and application page.

Mature/Access: We welcome applications from mature students with other relevant qualifications and/or experience. Visit our College Leavers and Mature Students Advice page for more information. 

Direct Entry:

Year Two

• HNC/HND in a related subject with B/CB in the graded unit
• Scottish Higher: BC at Advanced Higher in relevant subjects plus BB at Higher
• A Level: BBB in relevant subjects

Year Three

• HND in a related subject with CB in the graded units

For details of related HNC and HND courses, visit our College Leavers and Mature Students Advice page.  

Disability/health conditions

If you have a disability, long-term physical or mental health condition, or learning disability, it should not stand in the way of your studying at QMU. However, if you are not sure whether your disability might be a barrier in your studies or in relation to the professional standards, please contact the disability service who will be able to have a conversation with you about reasonable adjustments and supports available to you.

Terms and Conditions

The delivery of this course is subject to the terms and conditions set out in our 2024/25 Entry Terms and Conditions (Undergraduate).

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