Course summary

A brand’s external image and reputation are just as important as the product or service they provide. Our BA (Hons) Marketing with Advertising and Public Relations course gives you the practice-based skills needed to succeed as an advertising and PR specialist. You will gain not only the knowledge needed to become a capable marketer but also the personal skills and real-world experience employers desire, enabling you to make an immediate impact upon graduation. Employability, sustainability and the optimisation of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, simulation and data analytics are key fundamentals of this course as you prepare for a career in advertising and/or PR in any modern business. These skills, alongside the opportunity to obtain real-world experience with live clients will allow you to be an innovative, agile and flexible advertising or PR professional able to be reactive to brewing situations and opportunities to be immediately impactful a competitive and ever changing working environment. A key benefit of the course is the opportunity to join The Link Agency - our student-led, in-house marketing agency. The Link Agency gives you the opportunity to work on live projects with real-world clients. Past clients of The Link Agency include the BullRing Shopping Centre, Acorns Children’s Hospice and Solihull Moors FC. What's covered in this course? This course covers the fundamentals of marketing with a specific focus on advertising and public relations. Alongside core marketing principles such as consumer behaviour, budgeting and finance, data, insights and analytics and live event experience, you’ll also gain a deeper understanding of contemporary advertising, digital enterprise, personal branding, digital analytics and public relations and reputation management. There is also a focus on crisis management, giving you all the necessary skills to be able to manage any number of PR, branding or reputational situations which may occur. Employability and entrepreneurship are at the core of this course and these transferable skills will give you a solid foundation from which to build your career in marketing. By choosing this course, you’ll have the opportunity to undertake a one-year, paid work placement in addition to the opportunity to work on live, real-world projects through the Link Agency. We have links with many businesses, locally and worldwide. This means you’ll get really valuable, direct experience on your paid placement. Previous students have undertaken placements with companies such as Sky, Johnson & Johnson, and Disney. As a student on the course, you will also get to participate in The Pitch, a nationwide marketing competition held annually by the Charted Institute of Marketing (CIM), that allows you to apply your academic knowledge and creative skills to real-world marketing problems. This opportunity serves as a critical steppingstone for future marketing professionals by enhancing your employability and practical skills. Professional Placement Year This course offers an optional professional placement year. This allows you to spend a whole year with an employer, following successful completion of your second year, and is a great way to find out more about your chosen career. Some students even return to the same employers after completing their studies. If you choose to pursue a placement year, you will need to find a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will be able to draw on the University’s extensive network of local, regional, and national employers, and the support of our Careers teams. If you are able to secure a placement, you can request to be transferred to the placement version of the course. Please note that fees are payable during your placement year, equivalent to 20% of the total full-time course fee for that year.