Digital Marketing & Social Media (with Integrated Foundation & Professional Practice Years)

BA (Hons) Digital Marketing & Social Media with Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year is a five-year degree programme, including a foundation year to help develop your skills and creativity before you start the first year of the degree course and your fourth year would be an industry placement to further develop your skills and CV.

Where creative thinkers become marketing leaders.

Creativity is a booming business, but even the best ideas mean little if nobody gets to see them. You’ll learn to make sure they’re seen – by building brands, shaping campaigns, and driving audiences across every platform – with creative instincts that will give you an edge when you launch your own career.

At UCA, you'll study alongside fashion designers, stylists, photographers, and creative entrepreneurs – surrounded on all sides by the creative energy of a specialist arts university. Being part of real creative practice will give you an intuitive understanding of how creative industries think, work, and communicate.

From live client briefs and industry conferences to hands-on technical sessions, and from content creation to data analytics – your learning is focussed on doing things and seeing what works. You'll be taught by professionals who've spent decades in agencies, publishing, advertising, and merchandising – and who bring that experience into your projects, feedback, and career conversations.

UCA’s Integrated Foundation Year is designed to give you the skills you’ll need to start your degree in the best possible way – with confidence, solid knowledge of creative practice, study skills and more. You’ll explore a range of creative techniques and develop your portfolio, with your chosen subject in mind. We’ll work with you throughout the year to ensure you’re on the right track and give you the tools to achieve your highest potential on your degree. If you opt to complete a professional practice year, this will take place in year three. You will undertake a placement within the creative industries to further develop your skills and CV While on your Professional Practice Year, you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee for that year. This fee will be determined using government funding regulations. Based on current regulations, we expect this to be a maximum of 20% of the tuition fee rate that you are charged for your second year of study. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during this year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this as you approach your Professional Practice Year.