Public Relations and Journalism with Foundation Year

Public Relations and Journalism professionals are in demand in today’s business world and the skills required to be successful in both industries are closely aligned.

There are more than 50,000 journalists working in the UK today, and 100,000 PR professionals practise the same skills to thrive in agencies, businesses and community organisations.

They need excellent communication skills – written, broadcast and visual – and a high level of expertise and business acumen in the worlds of traditional and digital media as well as sound marketing knowledge.

This new programme will give you a competitive advantage in both environments and enables you to choose multiple communications career pathways in media, PR or marketing. It combines cutting-edge multimedia skills with high-level PR and marketing expertise that employers value and need.

The highlights

This course equips you with the skills to pursue a wide range of media-based career options - building strategic PR and marketing expertise alongside an excellent journalistic skillset.

Many communications professionals have long careers which span both journalism and PR, and people with skills in both spheres can make this transition seamlessly; it also makes them highly desirable employees.

This programme offers access to the best of all worlds with dedicated journalism, public relations and marketing modules across all three years of the degree.

Build an impressive set of practical journalistic skills – digital and written – which are in huge demand within the communications departments of major organisations, while the strategic knowledge of PR and marketing enhances employability prospects within many creative industries.

You will be trained by industry-respected professionals in skills ranging from podcasting and brand management to live PR campaigning and specialist video news content creation.

You will also enhance your employability prospects by working within our unique in-house PR and communications agency, UniComms Derby. This will ensure you are industry ready and have a portfolio of work to prove your value.

In addition, students can publish their work on our online platforms: the StoryHub (insert link) website and X feed. You will also get the opportunity to gain work experience with media outlets which have previously included Reach plc and the BBC.