Media Communications and Publishing (Professional Placement Year)
Bath Spa University
Media Communications and Publishing (Professional Placement Year)
Course Summary
Publishing is one of the UK’s largest creative industries and needs new tech-savvy creatives who can work collaboratively to harness the many opportunities digital brings, and to reach readers in new and effective ways. This is where our graduates come in. Publishing taken as part of a Combined Award gives you the chance to experiment with various forms of digital and print making and content development. It adds a practical dimension to your study at university and will give you the edge when applying for jobs, in terms of practical industry experience and a stunning portfolio of varied, relevant work.
This course is carefully-designed (and taught) by experienced industry professionals to combine core traditional publishing skills of editorial, copywriting, layout and marketing with the latest developments in digital platforms, multimedia content creation and audience development. Our students are the content creators and shapers of a future where print and the handmade; vintage and futuristic sit happily alongside digital. Publishing is being transformed and so you will develop an understanding of user experience, data analysis and how this can inform publishing decisions, and audience development and community-building. We make sure you’ve got the core skills to be confident publishers. You’ll experience a wide range of learning opportunities which will help you develop into a confident content maker and shaper: from working in a collaborative team to develop a social media multimedia content strategy for a literary festival to editing fiction anthologies; using industry-standard software to layout pages for a cookery or history book to copywriting for promotional campaigns; publishing real-time video interviews through social media platforms to creating a new carefully-branded vintage clothing website and commissioning the text and image for this.
Throughout this Media Communications degree, you’ll develop your creative skills in marketing, creative strategy, PR, journalism and social media management and prepare for success across the thriving communications sector. You’ll gain experience working on cross-platform campaigns on communication strategies, explore political media making and investigative journalism, and delve into producing social media content, PR packs and augmented reality trails.
Taught by a team of researchers and creative media strategists and creators, you’ll learn how to rethink media communications for social change. You’ll study online influencers and diverse forms of screen representation, explore the ethics of social media platforms like TikTok and alternative approaches to journalism, emerging marketing practices for immersive experiences and beyond.
**Combined Honour Awards**
At Bath Spa University many of our undergraduate programmes can be combined, so you don’t have to limit yourself to one subject. If you choose to study a combined award then in Year One you’ll start by studying both subjects in equal depth, then from Year Two you can choose whether to continue with an equally joint course, or a Major/Minor route.
**More about the Professional Placement Year**
A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where a student undertakes a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between the students' second and third years of undergraduate study. Students can engage in up to 3 placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) themselves with support from the Careers and Employability Team.
Course Details - Modules
Modules are self-standing units of study, and you earn credits when you successfully complete them. As a full-time student you will take 120 credits each year (part-time students take between 40 and 80 each year). All courses have compulsory core modules each year, worth 40 credits. Then you can choose from a range of optional modules. Year 1: Introduction to Publishing: Copywriting and text editing (40 credits); Digital Natives (20 credits). Year 2: Contemporary Publishing: The Business of Publishing (40 credits); The Editor (20 credits); Writing for New Media (20 credits); Feature Journalism (20 credits). Year 3: Digital Publishing (40 credits); Make a Book; Digital Literatures; Professional Writing (20 credits); Food Writing and Editing (20 credits); Creative Enterprise Project (40 credits). Combined awards are a very popular choice for many students, allowing flexibility and breadth of study. For information on Media Communications, please view UCAS single honours course profile.
Course Details – Assessment Method
Assessment Methods are not listed for this Course.
Course Details – Professional Bodies
Professional Bodies are not listed for this Course.
How to Apply
26 January This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application Codes
Course code:
S149
Institution code:
B20
Campus Name:
Main Site
Campus code:
Points of Entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
Year 1
Year 2
Year 4
Entry Requirements for Advanced Entry (Year 2 and Beyond)
Entry Requirements for Advanced Entry are not listed for this Course.
International applicants
Standard Qualification Requirements
A Level - Grades BCC-CCC preferred
Grade Merit is preferred.
Typical offers for applicants with Access to HE will be the Access to HE Diploma or Access to HE Certificate (60 credits, 45 of which must be Level 3, including 30 at merit or higher).
