Public Relations BA(Hons)

BA(Hons) Public Relations

"The London study visit provides a priceless opportunity for students to interact with practitioners in the workplace. It's a testament to the quality of staff contacts within the industry that this visit is so well-run and successful." Jo Patterson, Head of Consumer Public Relations, Lexis PR

Chartered Institute of Public Relations Direct line: 01326 213856

Tremough Campus
3 years full-time

UCAS Code: P210 BA/PR

BA(Hons) Public Relations at University College Falmouth is recognised by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).

Why study BA(Hons) Public Relations at University College Falmouth?

BA(Hons) Public Relations course leaflet (1.51 MB)

Whether it's setting the national news agenda for the day or building international online communities through social networking, the world of PR is one of the most engaging and exciting in the media industry.

On this highly practical course you'll be put at the heart of the industry, honing your skills working on projects and visiting some of the world's top consumer, health and fashion PR agencies like Ketchum, Weber Shandwick, Frank and The Red Consultancy.

Studying at Falmouth will also put you at the heart of a thriving, forward-thinking creative media community, giving you plenty of opportunities to collaborate with students on other courses including journalism, photography, digital media, film, creative events management and fashion.

Skill Set logo University College Falmouth is part of the Cornwall Skillset Media Academy network - a UK-wide group of institutions identiﬁed as centres of excellence in creative media education and training.

What will I get out of the course?

Our highly practical course will give you the vital skills you need to make it to the very top. You'll gain key media production skills such as research, interviewing, photography and writing techniques. You'll also develop an understanding of key issues currently affecting (and affected by) the PR industry - from globalisation and corporate social responsibility to the ethics of political persuasion. During the course, you'll develop an increasing level of industry awareness, including two periods of work placement and study visits to London and Amsterdam, learning key practical skills as well as making those all-important contacts.

While practical work is paramount, the PR degree at Falmouth is also designed to ensure that you graduate with a critical understanding of public relations, and the theories that inform and constitute it. The distinctive structure of our course - including several units undertaken in the industry - provides flexibility and choice. So whether you're interested in working for a public relations agency, in events management and promotion, or web content management, this course ensures you'll be equipped with the necessary skills and understanding to launch your career.

Tell me more about the BA(Hons) Public Relations course

"The work placement at Halpern PR that I undertook as part of my course was an amazing experience. The best bit was helping out at London Fashion Week. I got to go backstage, meet the designers, seat the celebrities... It made me realise PR really is for me." Leila Heppell, BA(Hons) Public Relations student

By choosing to study for a degree in Public Relations at Falmouth you will:

Benefit from being taught by friendly staff who are working at the very highest levels of the PR industry.
Gain valuable insight through regular visits from communications experts, like David Rowe, Head of Press for the Eden Project, and from a programme of guest lectures where you'll hear from PR specialists from all areas of the industry.
Undertake units of study within the PR industry itself, benefiting from our strong links with some of the UK's most respected practitioners.
Receive insight and inspiration from three-day study visits spent at a range of top London and Amsterdam PR organisations.
Have the opportunity to work with Fashion and Performance Sportswear students to promote the final year Fashion show.
Collaborate with students from other courses on a number of exciting events and projects.
Be able to study an International Campaigns Unit co-taught with a partner university in Brazil.

Work placements

BA(Hons) Public Relations students get the opportunity to participate in two periods of work placement during their second and third years at Falmouth. These can take place in the UK or overseas and the course team will assist you in getting the placements you want. Examples of the placements achieved by current students include:

Giorgio Armani press office
Tate St Ives PR department
Eden Project
Halpern PR
Henry's House PR
Frank PR
Borkowski PR
Ford UK public affairs department
The Vine PR and Marketing

Study visits

London Study Visit (during your first year)

"I had loads of fun, thoroughly enjoyed the agency visits, made closer friends with everyone on the course and now have a broader understanding of the career I wish to go in to. It's made me think a lot about London, what I could go into and what makes money - loads of stuff! All round, a great trip where I learned loads and feel a lot happier about what I am doing each week at Falmouth." Emma Clunie, Level 1 BA(Hons) Public Relations student

See what this year's first year students got up to in London at: ucfinlondon09.blogspot.com

The venues for this three day visit change each year. During 2009, students visited:

In previous years, London Study Visit venues have also included:

Amsterdam Study Visit (during your second year)

The first three-day Amsterdam study visit took place during 2009. Venues included:

In addition, to these study visits, Falmouth is part of the Erasmus scheme, which enables higher education students in 31 European countries to study for part of their degree in another country. Some of Falmouth's partnerships include universities in Sweden and Spain.

Facilities

Our Media Centre and Learning Resource Centre include:

Dedicated print and radio newsrooms with professional script-writing and editing software and live news feed
Video editing suites with AVID Media Composer for video editing and surround sound capability
Audio post-production suites with Pro Tools for sound design and editing
Digital production suite with software including Adobe Creative Suite
Equipment store with a range of cameras, tripods, monitors, microphones, DVD players, PA systems, lights, film dollies and tracks
106-seat cinema
An extensive DVD & video library featuring over 17,000 titles
Access to over 140,000 books
A comprehensive electronic journal resource base including Public Relations Review and PR Week
Newspaper and slide archives

Course outline

Level 1

London Study Visit
Writing for the Media
Media & Popular Culture
Media Law & the Political Economy
Public Relations Histories & Practices

Level 2

Amsterdam Study Visit
International Campaign Production
Online Campaign Production
Media Ethics & Human Rights
Five-week supported work placement

Plus two of the following options:

Issues Management
Medium & Message
Multimedia Newsroom
Photography for Public Relations

Level 3

Public Relations Portfolio
Dissertation or Major Project
Three-week supported work placement

Plus one of the following options:

PR & Intercultural Communications
Public Relations Specialism
Publishing for Public Relations

Guest lectures

A string of Cornwall's key PR players have given guest lectures at Falmouth, including:

Tim Bowcock, Managing Director of Cornwall-based Black Cat Public Relations
David Rowe, Head of Media Relations at the Eden Project
Sally Grint, Communications Manager of disaster relief charity, Shelterbox
Ian McKay and Emma Relton from the Press Office at RNAS Culdrose
Carolyn Daw of the Marketing-PR Company
Jilly Easterby, University College Falmouth's Head of Public Affairs
Tom Kay of award-winning, St Agnes-based fashion brand Finisterre
Tim Brinkman, Managing Director of the Hall for Cornwall
Tracy Sweet, Director of Communications for the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly NHS
Clare Morgan, Objective One's Media Relations Manager
Alan Mobbs from Devon & Cornwall Constabulary
Michael Sweeney from National Maritime Museum Cornwall

Professorial lecture series

Falmouth's Professorial lecture series aims to produce an engaging and challenging public programme that stimulates the intellectual curiosity of our staff, students and alumni, our research collaborators, our industry partners, our local communities and other supporters. Recent lectures relevant to students in the School of Media include Andrew Chitty and Emily Bell.

Andrew Chitty

Seven myths that drive the digital economy

Andrew has been a pioneer in the converging worlds of TV and digital media since the mid 90s when as Editor of BBC2's The Net he was responsible for the BBC's first website and virtual world. Since 1998 he's built Illumina Digital into the UK's leading cross platform production company winning a raft of awards including 4 BAFTAS, 8 RTS Awards, The UN award for e-learning and even a Golden Ladle for the world's best cookery site. In 2008 Illumina joined All3Media, the UK's largest independent production group.

Andrew has been active in policy and industry groups, co-authoring OFCOM's paper New Options for Public Service in the Digital Age and has advised Lord Stephen Carter as a member of the ministerial steering board for the Digital Britain Report. He is a council member of PACT, trustee of TRC Media in Glasgow and a past board member of Skillset. Andrew is currently Chair of the National Skills Council for Digital Media.

A video of Andrew Chitty's lecture can be viewed online here

pdf Download the transcript of Andrew Chitty's lecture (175.81 KB)

Emily Bell

Back To the News Future: Journalism 10 Years from Now

Director of Digital Content for Guardian News and Media, Emily set up www.mediaguardian.co.uk in 2001. www.guardian.co.uk has won multiple awards, including the prestigious Webby for Best Newspaper on the web in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Oxford graduate, Bell is one of the rising stars coming through from a younger, more web-focused generation of senior media figures.

A video of Emily Bell's lecture can be viewed online here

Answers and advice about the course

If you have any queries about the course please visit our HelpMe Forum

HelpMe Forum

For further information about BA(Hons) Public Relations at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 213856.

Career opportunities

Public Relations graduates can establish careers in a wealth of areas including:

In-house communications
Public relations consultancy
Events management & promotion
Journalism
Web content management
Postgraduate study

Course entry requirements

A minimum of 220 UCAS points, equivalent Level 3 qualifications or relevant experience. All applicants will be invited to attend an interview.

Please see our How to Apply page for more information.

For further information about BA(Hons) Public Relations at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 213856.

Interview dates and selection process

Interviews will commence in late January.

The interview will include a group tour of facilities and course talk, followed by a group brainstorm around a brief, then an individual interview. Applicants will be sent a brief for a brainstorming session and will also be required to bring a PR generated story that appeals to them to interview.

Location: Tremough Campus