Course information

Entry requirements

UCAS code

P310

Entry requirements

A-level: BBB
BTEC: DDM
IB: 33 points overall with Three HL subjects at 655

Length

3 years full-time

Course overview

Examine the rise of the promotional industries, and their relationship with media, both in the past and in contemporary society.

Today, native advertising, advertorials, and new online practices have blurred the boundary between promotional content, and factual or fictional content. This programme allows you to study developments from a uniquely theoretical and practical perspective, integrating creative and critical analytic thinking.

By bringing together theory and practice, this degree covers a broad spectrum of critical perspectives on promotional media and introduces a range of contemporary promotional media practices. It offers a solid basis of practical experience in promotions-based media production, and a critical understanding of the complex relationship between the media and promotional industries.

We provide an experience in which theory and practice elements inform each other to produce original and critical work, and teach independent learning skills for use in a rapidly changing industry.

Why study BA Promotional Media: PR, Advertising and Branding at Goldsmiths

  • Explore a range of promotional media practices, from planning and launching media campaigns, to web design, writing for the media, pitching and presentation, research skills, and learn about key aspects of digital and visual culture.
  • Come into regular contact with people who work in this sector, including on practice modules taught by industry professionals, thanks to the department’s close links with the media world.
  • You'll be able to take a compulsory work placement in your final year, allowing you to gain valuable experience in a professional setting.
  • Study a variety of critical approaches to advertising, branding, public relations and marketing, including their increasing convergence, and learn about global and transnational approaches.
  • Study and evaluate the cultural, sociological, economic, and political impact of promotional activity, and explore the growth of the promotional industry both historically and in a contemporary context.
  • Gain a critical perspective on the promotional industries and their relationships with media industries, and learn about a range of promotional media practices and key roles in promotional organisations.
  • Evaluate the impact of promotional activity on culture, society, the economies, and politics.
  • 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.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Alison Winch.

What you'll study

In your first year, you will be taken on industry visits, learn web design and presentation skills, as well as how to develop pitches. In year two, you will be set ‘live’ briefs, and learn visual storytelling through moving images and photography. In year three, students will undertake work experience and will develop their professional portfolio.

This programme will help you develop your knowledge and understanding of:

  • The key approaches to advertising, branding, public relations, and marketing
  • The relationship between promotional practices and wider activities of the media
  • The relationship between different media (art, photography, video, storytelling, digital life), and promotional media
  • The relationship between the development of new technology and the growth of the promotional industries
  • The relationship between social, cultural, and economic processes and the development of the promotional industries
  • Changes in the practices of the promotional industries and their interrelationships
  • The growth of promotional media and the development of the self

Year 1

Module title Credits
Introduction to Promotional Media: Histories, Contexts, Theories 15 credits
Introduction to Marketing 15 credits
Writing For The Media 30 credits
Media Arts 15 credits
Culture and Cultural Studies 15 credits
Web Design 30 credits

Year 2

Module title Credits
The Promotional Industries: Convergence and The Digital 15 credits
Visual Storytelling 30 credits
Understanding Advertising 15 credits
Creative Collaborations 30 credits

You will also take 30 credits worth of option modules offered by the Department of Media Communications and Cultural Studies.

Year 3

In your third year, you will take the following compulsory modules.

Module title Credits
Visualising and Analysing Data 15 credits
Work Placement (Media) 15 credits
Final Project 30 credits

You will also take 60 credits worth of option modules offered by the Media, Communications and Cultural Studies department.

Teaching style

This programme is taught through scheduled learning - a mixture of lectures, seminars and workshops. You’ll also be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study. This includes carrying out required and additional reading, preparing topics for discussion, and producing essays or project work.

The following information gives an indication of the typical proportions of learning and teaching for each year of this programme*:

  • Year 1 - 16% scheduled learning, 84% independent learning
  • Year 2 - 15% scheduled learning, 85% independent learning
  • Year 3 - 14% scheduled learning, 76% independent learning, 9% placement learning

How you’ll be assessed

You’ll be assessed by a variety of methods, depending on your module choices. These include coursework assignments such as extended essays, reports, presentations, practice-based projects or essays/logs, group projects and reflective essays, as well as seen and unseen written examinations.

The following information gives an indication of how you can typically expect to be assessed on each year of this programme*:

  • Year 1 - 75% coursework, 25% practical
  • Year 2 - 98% coursework, 3% practical
  • Year 3 - 100% coursework

*Please note that these are averages are based on enrolments for 2022/23. Each student’s time in teaching, learning and assessment activities will differ based on individual module choices. Find out more about .

Credits and levels of learning

An undergraduate honours degree is made up of 360 credits – 120 at Level 4, 120 at Level 5 and 120 at Level 6. If you are a full-time student, you will usually take Level 4 modules in the first year, Level 5 in the second, and Level 6 modules in your final year. A standard module is worth 30 credits. Some programmes also contain 15-credit half modules or can be made up of higher-value parts, such as a dissertation or a Major Project.

Download the programme specification. If you would like an earlier version of the programme specification, please contact the Quality Office.

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

Between 2020 and 2022 we needed to make some changes to how programmes were delivered due to Covid-19 restrictions. For more information about past programme changes please visit our programme changes information page.

Entry requirements

We accept the following qualifications:

A-level: BBB
BTEC: DDM
International Baccalaureate: 33 points overall with Three HL subjects at 655
Access: 60 credits overall with 30 distinctions and distinctions/merits in a related subject
Scottish qualifications: BBBBC (Higher) or BBC (Advanced Higher)
European Baccalaureate: 75%
Irish Leaving Certificate: H2 H2 H2 H2

International qualifications

We also 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 6.0 with a 6.0 in writing and no element lower than 5.5 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for degree-level study.

Fees & funding

To find out more about your fees, please check our undergraduate 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

We offer a wide range of scholarships and bursaries, and our careers service can also offer advice on finding work during your studies. Find out more about funding your studies with us.