Journalism, Media and Communications with a Year Abroad

As human beings, we spend more time consuming media than any other activity. Only sleeping takes up more of our time. In the digital age, traditional news and media platforms are further supplemented by a huge proliferation of online platforms. Choice therefore, has never been greater and quality has never been so variable. In the age of “fake news” for example, the ability to differentiate objective fact from speculative rhetoric has never been more important. Today’s graduates are not only the consumers of mass information, they are also its curators and creators, and would-be journalists now need to develop their own personal brands within a congested market place.

The programme aim therefore is to equip students with a three way analytical, practical and employability skill set that will enable them to more easily enter into the graduate job market. The programme will be regularly appraised by an industry panel to ensure that it remains at the cutting edge of what employers and industry requires. You will have the chance to attend workshops and seminars run by guest speakers as part of the course.

Based on our stunning Singleton Park campus, in parkland overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula;

Media and Communication at Swansea is ranked:
• 8th in the UK for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)
• 8th in the UK for Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2025)
• 10th in the UK for Teaching Quality (Times Good University Guide 2025)

We pride ourselves in preparing graduates for careers beyond university. We are able to do this by using our connections to industry, and our emphasis on the particular interpersonal skills that our industry panel identify as key within their recruitment processes.

Our Media and Communication graduates are truly international and are employed around the world. They have careers in:
• Journalism
• Media
• Business
• Public Relations and Marketing
• Digital Marketing
• TV and Radio
• Publishing

As part of this programme, you will spend a year abroad between your second and final year, broadening your skills and experience. Our partner institutions span the globe, with opportunities varying each year. If you wish to receive more information, please get in touch with us on study@swansea.ac.uk

In Year 1, you will typically study areas including:
Delivering and Decoding the News, Principles of Mediation, Public Relations: Strategic Communications, Creative Media Platforms, Pitch Invasion: Sport and its Impact on Society

In Year 2, you will typically study areas including:
Theorising the Media, Investigating Text, Process and Audiences, Pop Culture and Alternative News Genres, Introduction to Writing Fiction, Misinformation, Fake News and Fact-Checking, The History of Screen Animation

In Year 3, you will have the opportunity to spend a year abroad between your second and final year, broadening your skills and experiencing different cultures. Our partner institutions span the globe, with opportunities varying each year

Your final year will include an optional independent dissertation project, you will typically study areas including:
Reporting the 21st Century, Journalism in Practice, Documentary and Fiction Filmmaking, Sports Public Relations, Strategy, Marketing and Branding, Digital Futures, Practical Web Technologies, Guerrilla Campaigns: Subversive and Interruptive PR

Studying Media and Communications at Swansea University allows students to enhance their future employability prospects through assessments that replicate the kind of experiences you will face in the creative communications industries, often with the involvement of industry professionals to offer feedback and advice. Some examples of these are:

• Developing creative ideas for a multi-media project that is then pitched to a commissioning editor from the BBC
• Working with one of the University’s Sports Club to develop a communications strategy to raise the profile of the club among Freshers students
• Creating a multi-media rebranding project for a client
• Writing and/or recording a film review
• Interpreting a brief from a local organisation and working with that client to develop a digital PR strategy that is then pitched to the client
• Filming and editing a series of short 3-minute videos in a variety of styles optimised for distribution on social media
• Sourcing and writing a local news story as a part of the development of a digital journalism portfolio
• Developing an idea for a new lifestyle journalism publication, and pitching the idea to a publisher

For full breakdown of course structure and assessment please visit our course page: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/culture-communication/media-comms-journalism-pr/ba-journalism-media-communications or get in touch with us at study@swansea.ac.uk