Business and Management and Media Communications (Professional Placement Year)

Become a creative business professional with this combined Business and Media degree.

• Bring business management and digital innovation together to drive change in how businesses communicate with their audiences.

• Become a socially and commercially aware professional, ready for the sustainable and inclusive needs of both business and media.

• Work alongside The Studio, the University’s new city-centre innovation hub for creative media technology.

Are you drawn to a career in business and management, but also would like to work in the creative realm of media? Throughout this combined honours degree you’ll learn how to bring organisational management and media communication skills together to become a change leader and innovator of tomorrow.

As a creative business and media professional, you’ll know how to meet the needs of 21st-century consumers through new media technologies. You’ll also learn the skills to address issues of diversity and sustainability across the world of business. You’ll explore the links between creativity in business and consumer behaviour, between freelancing and innovation, and practise your skills in emerging marketing practices.

In your final year, you’ll gain real-world experience to build your professional profile. You’ll join The Studio, the University’s city-centre innovation hub for creative media technology. By collaborating across the region’s business and arts sector, you’ll realise your vision for a more inclusive and sustainable world.

Why choose this combination?
Bring your creativity to the business environment and become a change leader. Students on this combined course will benefit from the experience of two different disciplines, opening the door to careers in organisational management, digital business innovation, marketing and media communications, 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. 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.

Year one
Gain a broad understanding of today’s business and media environments – trends in commercial thinking, audience and consumer research, the importance of data in business, and issues such as gender, diversity and identity in today’s media industries. You’ll learn to think differently about business and media alike, which lays the foundation for you to innovate in your second and final years.

Year two
Focus on the inner workings of businesses and advertising and communications practices. Choose from a range of modules in areas such as festivals, events, marketing, entrepreneurship, human resource (HR) management, law and accounting. You’ll learn online influencer and branding practices, identifying opportunities to revolutionise how media creators communicate with audiences. You’ll also learn web design skills and start to adopt business techniques to solve problems.

Year three is your professional placement year

Final year
Look ahead to your life after graduation. In your final year, you’ll work beyond the borders of the University, focusing more on practical applications for your business and communication skills. Depending on your module choices, you may choose to work directly with an employer on a business challenge, create and launch a creative project such as a festival or event, or develop and pitch a business plan. You’ll also get to join The Studio, our innovation hub for creative media technology.

Your assessments are designed to help you build a portfolio that you can take into your career. On some modules you’ll produce digital media campaigns, podcasts and social media content, while elsewhere you’ll deliver presentations and work on group projects, computer-based simulations and business strategy reports.