Business and Management and Media Communications

As a graduate of our Business and Management and Media Communications degree at Bath Spa, you’ll develop practical skills in marketing, creative strategy, public relations (PR), innovative solution-finding (design thinking) and social media management – through the lens of inclusive and sustainable business futures.

Over the course of your studies you'll have the flexibility to choose four optional modules in areas that are of particular interest to you, on topics such as leadership, events management, and social media ethics. You can also bring in modules from areas outside of this course if you want to explore issues around a particular theme. For example, you could work with students from across the University in areas such as music, fashion and festival production.

You’ll bring together your social and commercial awareness with your deep-rooted knowledge of business and media, to work on campaigns, business and strategy reports, podcasts and videos with our industry partners.

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
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.

You’ll be taught by a team of experienced researchers, business leaders and creative media practitioners.

Most modules use a mix of lectures and small group seminars or workshops, where we explore key topics such as the political, social and technological environments of contemporary business and media. We also invite experts from across the business, arts and cultural sectors to talk about their experiences and arrange visits to local media businesses to give you a real-world grounding.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.

As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

All final-year students will also join The Studio, Bath Spa University’s brand-new city-centre hub for creative media technology.

As part of the Business and Management course, there are three work placements:

1. A second year module Work Placement, short period of work experience;
2. A business Placement, a ten-week summer placement between your second and third year;
3. The option to take a year-long work placement.

Beyond these opportunities, we also give you the chance to work on live projects with regional and national businesses, including community groups, charities and arts organisations, to help them find creative solutions to their business needs.

Depending on your pathway and the modules you study, you can gain accreditation by professional bodies and get exemption from professional exams.

Our Business and Management and Media Communications degree is designed for those looking to become socially and commercially aware businesses, marketing and communications professionals. Our graduates are employed as advertising, branding and marketing leaders, campaign designers, social media managers, creative strategists and policy makers, as well as events coordinators.

Our graduates have recently gained employment at Marvel Studios, ITV, IBM, Marks & Spencer, American Express, Sky, Numatic, Q Magazine and Komedia.

Our students are able to publish their research and creative work in the International Journal of Creative Media Research, our in-house media journal. You’ll also have the chance to support creative arts residents and businesses based at The Studio, our innovation studio for creative media technology.

If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.

You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.

The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.

As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.

Aiming to make work experience more accessible, we have introduced the PPY Bursary. Students undertaking a PPY can receive between £500 and £1,500 to be used towards placement costs such as travel, food, workwear or accommodation.

For more information and details of eligibility criteria, please visit the PPY Bursary webpage.

You’ll benefit from access to facilities at all our campuses including:

• Newton Park Commons building
• Equipment hire using SISO, Bath Spa University’s free equipment loan service.
• Access to specialist creative facilities at Locksbrook where you can also purchase subsidised art and design materials, hire out equipment for free and collect Library resources.
• Access to our well-stocked Library at Newton Park as well as ASk (Academic Skills)
• Specialist technical workshops across all of art and design
• Access to studio space where you can work on projects and refine your practice
• The Studio in Bath
• Virtual Learning Environment

Business and Management and Media Communications students can make full use of Bath Spa University’s purpose-built media production and post-production facilities at Newton Park. 

You'll also have access to a wide range of University resources:

• Library collections directly relevant to the Media Communications course include more than 450 journal subscriptions, 18,000 books and 3,000 e-books. The Library’s extensive digital collections include Film and Television Literature Index, Rock's Backpages, and Box of Broadcasts, an archive of over two million off-air television broadcasts. Library resources for the course are underpinned by our Subject Librarians for Business and Management and Film and Media, who provide subject-specific support and a defined point of contact for research enquiries.

• The Careers team have very close links with the media and creative industries in Bath and Bristol, and organise bespoke opportunities for you to engage with media employers, including networking sessions and bus tours visiting organisations.

• The Writing and Learning Centre provides continuous support for your academic work, providing feedback on written drafts and running sessions on academic writing.