Media Communications and Publishing (Professional Placement Year)

Our Media Communications and Publishing degree has been designed to enable you to become a highly-skilled, agile and creative communicator.

Throughout your studies, you’ll be introduced to all forms of media, such as film, television, social media, books and magazines, and you’ll learn to meet the opportunities and challenges of publishing in the 21st century.

You’ll be encouraged to take an innovative approach to your work, whether in print or digital, or in emerging technologies such as immersive media.

During the course, you’ll have the chance to work with real clients on marketing campaigns, social media content, magazine and book production, as well as journalistic and feature article writing. You’ll graduate with industry experience and an impressive professional portfolio of work to show prospective employers.

You’ll learn how to rethink media communications for social change, studying online influencers, diverse forms of representation, and the ethics of social media platforms.

In your final year, you’ll get the chance to work with a selection of outside clients, as well as join The Studio in Bath, the University’s new city-centre innovation hub for creative media technology.

You'll have access to key industry resources such as Nielsen Bookscan, where you can explore book sales data and monitor consumer trends.

As we’re an Adobe Creative Campus, you’ll have access to the Adobe Creative Suite, giving you access to industry-standard programmes as part of your studies.

Why study media and publishing? Studying a combined media communications and publishing degree will equip you with the skills and experience you need to meet the challenges and opportunities of publishing in the 21st century.

You’ll explore the workings of modern media and communication, and gain an in-depth understanding of the media and publishing industries. You’ll develop your creative communication skills across a variety of media, from books and magazines to innovative apps, websites and social media.

The course has been designed with employability in mind, offering the chance to gain the practical skills and experience that will enable you to pursue a career in your chosen field of communications and publishing, whether in books and magazines, social media, marketing, or immersive media.

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. From Year Two you can choose whether to continue with equal numbers of modules from each subject, or whether you want to select additional modules in one or the other. Upon successful completion of the programme you will graduate with a joint degree.

More about the Professional Placement Year A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in multiple placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team.