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Department

Media, Communications and Cultural Studies

Length

Three academic terms (September-June) equivalent to part-time study

Course overview

The Postgraduate Certificate in Political Communications offers teaching that is critical, innovative and diverse. It combines theory with practical, applied elements, and draws on a range of research and contemporary examples.

The programme covers political communication from national and international level, down to the local and personal – from governments and parties, to NGOs and local acitivist groups. You'll have the opportunity to engage with cultural, alternative and digital, interactive communication as well as traditional mass media.

The Department of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies has been ranked 2nd in the UK for 'world-leading or internationally excellent' research (Research Excellence Framework, 2021) and 12th in the world (2nd in the UK) in the 2022 QS World Rankings for communication and media studies.

Develop your critical thinking

This dynamic programme offers critical engagement, asking difficult questions about politics, economic policy, society and the media. You will not only gain an understanding of the forms and impacts of political communications. It will also help you contextualise that knowledge in relation to the structures, institutions and actors that are at the heart of politics and media.

Practical application

Alongside skills-based components, you'll also be offered several applied options. All students take a research skills module and are supervised through a dissertation with a research component. Practice-based options such as Campaign Skills are taught by professionals in the field. There are also several speaker series running each year with guests from the worlds of politics, journalism, business and campaigning coming to talk.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Jacob Mukherjee.

What you'll study

The Postgraduate Certificate in Political Communications aims to provide students with a systematic understanding of the interactions between political actors, communication industries and the public in contemporary societies.

Specifically, the programme will equip students with in-depth knowledge of the importance of communication in the political process and of how, in a democratic polity, political institutions and others seek to communicate with the public and vice-versa.

For the main part, this will lead to a concentration on the role of the mass media but other forms of political communication - including the techniques of marketing, polling, face-face interaction and internet campaigning - will also be studied. However, the knowledge and skills acquired in such a study will have far broader applications.

Students completing this programme will gain a range of tools that will enable them to analyse social and communicative interactions in the public sphere and to make judgements about future modules of action based on this understanding.

The programme will provide students with:

  • Knowledge of the history and development of political communications with a international emphasis;
  • An understanding of the theoretical debates that have informed the study of political communications;
  • An awareness of both dominant and alternative models of interaction between political actors, communicators and the public;
  • An overview and insight into current debates - both academic and professional - within the field

In addition, the programme will also provide students with practical skills and insights that will enable them to:

  • Undertake a range of tasks in relation to the planning and commissioning of political communications work from within various public and private bodies;
  • Commission political communications work from within public and private sector bodies or on behalf of clients;
  • Analyse political communications activity from and academic and journalistic perspectives.

Compulsory Modules

Module title Credits
The Structure of Contemporary Political Communications

The Structure of Contemporary Political Communications

30 credits

This module examines the actors and communication processes involved in contemporary political communication. Its core concern is to explore notions of ‘crisis’ in mature democracies as voter turnouts and ‘trust’ in formal political institutions steadily drop, national economies struggle, and news media decline. It combines theoretical insights and case examples from the fields of media studies, journalism, sociology and political science. It mainly focuses on democracies, particularly in the US and UK, but literature and examples are also drawn from other types of political system and country. Weekly topics combine political communication themes and contemporary examples, with discussions of related theory and concepts.

Topics covered include: The crisis of politics and media in established democracies; public sphere theory; comparative political and media systems; mass media, news production and the future of news; political parties, from ideologies to political marketing; elections and referendums; government media management, mediatisation and populist politics; historical and cultural political communication; forms of public participation and public opinion; media effects and audiences; policy-making, lobbying and power; economics, austerity and the financial crisis; digital media and online politics; interest group campaigning, lobbying and environmental/welfare policy. Much of the material for this module is highly contemporary, so students are encouraged to maintain an awareness of current developments in political communication in the UK and elsewhere.

 30 credits
Critical Perspectives on Political Communications

Critical Perspectives on Political Communications

30 credits

In this module, you'll explore alternative themes, theories and perspectives in political communications. You'll draw on current debates in the field and also brings in theory from adjacent fields (political sociology, cultural theory, new technologies and comparative/international politics). Many of the sessions build directly on recent research by department staff.

The topics we'll explore include - critical theory; theories of political and social power; political affect and identity politics; digital activism; political mobilisation and counter-public spheres; datafication, surveillance and algorithmic control; comparing mass mediated democracies; the politics, policies and practices of media reform; globalisation, inequality and the media.

Much of the material for this course is contemporary, so you'll be encouraged to maintain an awareness of current developments in political communications in the UK and around the world, through newspapers, television, radio, social media and the internet. You'll be encouraged to bring contemporary examples into the seminar discussions and your essays.

 30 credits

Download the programme specification.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Entry requirements

Applicants will normally have, or expect to gain a first degree of at least upper second class standard (or equivalent).

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.

Fees, funding & scholarships

To find out more about your fees, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities. If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

How to apply

Apply now

Find out more about applying.

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