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Program

Media (PR and Advertising) - 3434

Program Summary

Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Contact: sam@unsw.edu.au

Campus: Sydney

Career: Undergraduate

Typical Duration: 3 Years  

Typical UOC Per Semester: 24

Min UOC Per Semester: 6

Max UOC Per Semester: 24

Min UOC For Award: 144

UAC Code: 422710

Domestic Entry Requirements: See Domestic Entry Requirements

International Entry Requirements: See International Entry Requirements

Award(s):

Bachelor of Media (Major)

View program information for previous years

Program Description

This program structure applies to students commencing in 2016 onwards.

If you commenced prior to 2016 please consult the Handbook for the year in which you started.

The Bachelor of Media (PR and Advertising) [UNSW BMedia (PR&A)] is designed to provide you with foundational and applied skills, knowledge and capabilities in public relations and advertising. The program aims to develop communication leaders who inspire innovation and change at all levels of society and adhere to the highest ethical standards. The BMedia (PR&A) program is structured to offer a philosophical and cultural foundation in the media studies core, conceptual and practical skills in public relations and advertising, and access to free electives that provide a more general education.

Level 1 focuses on contextual knowledge of communication industries, Level 2 introduces communication theory, and Level 3 of the program deepens your knowledge of how such theories play out in society. At each level, an industry specific course in public relations or advertising is offered that augments the conceptual development and offers vocationally relevant knowledge in strategic communication. You are encouraged to think beyond industry specific problems to reflect on the broader socio-cultural, political and economic implications of the roles and responsibilities of public relations and advertising. The program focuses, in particular, on engagement, innovation and creativity.

Program Objectives and Graduate Attributes
The UNSW BMedia (PR&A) aims to develop your understanding of professional communication in contemporary Australian and international contexts. In particular, the program aims to provide you with knowledge of and opportunities to engage critically with debates relating to the fields of public relations and advertising. You will examine the role and responsibilities of persuasive communication in a democratic society and learn how to add value through engagement in social and environmental innovation and enterprise. The program will offer you the opportunity to reflect critically upon how your vocational skills operate within and are mediated by political, economic, mediatised and social discourses and the dynamics of industry, governments, markets, consumer cultures, valuing regimes and society. Modes of professional communication including informative, persuasive, political, creative, promotional, digital and interpersonal discourse will be examined. The program also aims to help you develop an in-depth understanding of how to ethically engage with publics and communities, creatively engage with communication concepts and production technology, and professionally engage with organisational practices.

The Learning Outcomes for this Program are as follows:

At the conclusion of this program, you should be able to:
  1. Situate public relations and advertising in the context of media studies.
  2. Critically analyse and creatively solve problems in the contexts of public relations and advertising.
  3. Produce effective public relations and advertising texts for a range of media platforms.
  4. Locate, evaluate and use relevant information to develop content relevant to public relations and advertising industries.
  5. Show enterprise, initiative and creativity in the practice of public relations and advertising.
  6. Apply an appreciation of, and respect for, the cultural diversity of media audiences, media forms and media delivery contexts.
  7. Contribute to, and work within, an international community of media professionals.
  8. Create, discuss and evaluate public relations and advertising texts.
  9. Adapt to changes in the audiences, platforms, tools and practices of public relations and advertising.
  10. Conduct research as applied to and appropriate for the fields of public relations and advertising.
  11. Deploy ethically informed and socially aware practice.
  12. Collaborate effectively across a range of contexts in public relations and advertising professions.

Program Structure
The UNSW BMedia (PR&A) can be completed full-time in Single mode (normally 3 years), in Dual mode (the equivalent of two years full-time study) or part-time. The basic requirements of the program are simple. The BMedia (PR&A) has a depth component and a breadth component. If you are enrolled in Single mode you do both the depth and breadth component while in Dual mode you only complete the depth component.

If you study in either the single or dual mode, you will complete:

  1. 36 UOC of Media Studies core and prescribed electives
  2. 60 UOC of PR and Advertising core and prescribed electives
If you study in the single mode, you will also complete:
  1. An optional home minor stream of 24 UOC (four courses) selected from the list of UNSW BA approved home minor streams
  2. 12 UOC of Free Electives (two courses) which can be taken within or outside the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
  3. 12 UOC of General Education (two courses) which must be taken outside of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
OR
  1. An optional external minor stream of 24 – 36 UOC (four to six courses) selected from the list of UNSW BA approved external minor streams*
  2. 12-24 UOC of Free Electives (four courses) including at least 12 UOC taken within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
*An external minor satisfies the 12 UOC of General Education required in the single program.

Please refer to the list of optional minors under "Area(s) of Specialisation".

OR

  1. 12 UOC of Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives (two courses) of any other courses offered from within Arts and Social Sciences
  2. 24 UOC of Free Electives (four courses) which can be taken within or outside the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
  3. 12 UOC of General Education (two courses) which must be taken outside of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Core Courses

Media Core

PR and Advertising Core

Level 1
Level 2
Level 3


Prescribed Electives

Media

Level 2
You will complete any two of the following:
Level 3
You will complete any two of the following:

PR and Advertising

You will complete any two of the following:

UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives

Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives are any courses chosen by you from the offerings of UNSW Arts and Social Sciences for which you are qualified to enrol. You can add depth to your program by completing more PR & Advertising Electives or undertake other courses from other areas of study within the Faculty.

Free Electives

A Free Elective is any course offered either within or outside UNSW Arts and Social Sciences into which you can enrol.

ARTS2050 Academic Writing for the Humanities (6 UOC)
HUMS1005 Personalised English Language Enhancement (6 UOC)

These courses, ARTS2050 and HUMS1005, can be counted as UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives or Free Electives.

General Education

General Education is the completion of two courses (12 UOC) offered outside UNSW Arts and Social Sciences. This requirement is met if an external minor (for example, Economics) is completed. Indigenous Studies courses (ATSIxxxx) can be studied as General Education only if you are not following a minor in Indigenous Studies.

Award with Distinction

You are eligible for the award of your Pass Degree "with Distinction" if you achieve a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of at least 75 in all courses and complete at least 50% of the requirements of your award at UNSW.

Honours

Once you have completed your Bachelor of Media (PR and Advertising) (in either Single or Dual mode) you can apply for admission to do an Honours year in the Bachelor of Media (Honours) program 4510. Entry to Honours requires a WAM of 70 or higher in the stream in which you want to study at Honours level.

Bachelor of Media (Honours) program 4510

Sample Program

Bachelor of Media (Public Relations and Advertising) - Sample Program for Single Mode (Example Only)
 
Below is a guide to help you enrol in your program. To be full-time you must enrol in 24 UOC each semester.
 
LEVEL 1
 UOC
S1 ARTS1090 Media, Culture & Everyday Life (6 UOC)
(6 UOC)
General Education (6 UOC)
 Home Minor
(6 UOC)		  24
S2
(6 UOC)
 MDIA1003 Public Relations Principles (6 UOC)
Prescribed PR & Advertising Elective
(6 UOC)
 Free Elective
(6 UOC)		  24
LEVEL 2 UOC
S1
Prescribed Media Elective Level 2 (6 UOC)
 Free Elective (6 UOC) Home Minor
(6 UOC)		  24
S2 Prescribed Media Elective Level 2 (6 UOC) General Education (6 UOC) Home Minor
(6 UOC)		  24
LEVEL 3 UOC
S1 Prescribed Media Elective Level 3 (6 UOC) Home Minor
(6 UOC)		  24
S2
Prescribed Media Elective Level 3 (6 UOC)
 Prescribed PR & Advertising Elective
(6 UOC)		  24


Academic Rules

Single Mode

To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, you must:
  1. enrol in the Bachelor of Media (PR and Advertising) and complete 144 UOC;
  2. complete the requirements for the core
  3. complete the requirements for prescribed electives
  4. complete 12 UOC of Arts & Social Sciences Prescribed Electives*
  5. complete 24 UOC of Free Electives*
  6. complete 12 UOC of General Education**
  7. complete at least 30 UOC of Level 1 courses before enrolling in Level 2 courses
  8. complete at least 96 UOC overall before enrolling in Level 3 courses
*you may substitute the Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives and/or Free Electives for an optional minor from the list of UNSW BA approved home minor streams

**you may substitute 12 UOC of General Education courses for 12 UOC in an external minor from the list of UNSW BA approved external minor streams.

Dual Mode

To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, you must:
  1. complete 96 UOC in the Bachelor of Media (PR and Advertising);
  2. complete the requirements for the core
  3. complete the requirements for prescribed electives
  4. complete at least 30 UOC of Level 1 courses before enrolling in Level 2 courses
  5. complete at least 48 UOC overall before enrolling in Level 3 courses

Fees
For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  UNSW Fee Website.

Important Information

The Academic Rules for the UNSW BMedia (PR&A) and the online enrolment facility provide you with a wide range of course choices. The online enrolment facility checks that you meet the enrolment requirements for individual courses but not that a course complies with Program Rules. You are responsible for ensuring you are enrolling in accordance with the Academic Rules outlined above. You should take care not to assume that because you have enrolled in a course online that the course is automatically credited to your degree program. If you need more help or want to check that your enrolment meets the program rules, get in touch with the Arts and Social Sciences Student Centre.

Further Information
Contact the UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Student Centre for advice.
Tel: + 61 2 9385 2289
Email: arts@unsw.edu.au
Location: Room G1 Ground Floor, Morven Brown building (C20)
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
Frequently asked questions

Glossary of Terms
Area(s) of Specialisation
Multimedia Work Bench

Contents

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