DEGREE GUIDE

Communications

What do Communications degrees involve?

Communications degrees teach you how to convey ideas effectively across different media, industries, and audiences. You will explore key areas such as media studies, public relations, digital communication, marketing, and journalism. These courses help you develop strong writing, presentation, and critical thinking skills while understanding how communication shapes society, businesses, and global trends. You will also learn how to craft compelling messages, analyse audience behaviour, and work with digital tools to create engaging content. With opportunities for hands-on projects, media collaborations, and industry placements, you’ll gain the experience needed for careers in PR, media, corporate communications, and content creation.

Example
Modules

Understanding Media and Communication: Explore how media like TV, radio, film and social platforms shape society, examining who controls them and how messages are created.

Researching Media and Communication: Learn how to investigate media using critical theory and methods like interviews, content analysis and discourse study.

Working with Words: Build strong academic and professional writing skills to communicate clearly, creatively and effectively in media contexts.

Common Degree Names

💼 Placement years are available at many universities, particularly in PR, media or marketing roles.
🌍 Study abroad is offered at some institutions.

BA (Hons) Communication and Media
BA (Hons) Media, Communication and Cultural Studies
BA (Hons) Strategic Communication
BA (Hons) Communication and Public Relations
BA (Hons) Communication and Society

Communications is often taught as part of degrees in Marketing and Journalism

A laptop displaying social media audience engagement analytics alongside a media and communication textbook open to a chapter on audience theory, a colour-coded content strategy planner, a press release draft with editorial markup, a marketing and advertising guide and handwritten notes on media regulation and platform power, illustrating the analytical and creative skills developed in Communications degrees

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

Communications degrees are interdisciplinary, drawing from media studies, sociology, psychology, and linguistics. There are no required subjects – universities look for strong writing, analysis, and critical thinking.

Subjects that can strengthen your application:

English Language or Literature – builds strong communication skills
Media Studies or Film Studies – useful but not essential
Psychology, Sociology, or Politics – valuable for understanding people and contexts
Modern Foreign Languages – show linguistic and analytical ability

✨ At least one essay-based or analytical subject shows you're ready for the degree.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diplomas (widely accepted). Some universities prefer subjects such as Creative Digital Media Production or Business.
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside relevant A-Level subjects
T-Levels in Digital Data Analytics, Digital Production, Design and Development, Media, Broadcast and Production, or Management and Administration
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with at least two IB Higher Level subjects (ideally three - see relevant subjects above) alongside your Career-Related Study; a Creative Media pathway would be directly relevant

Some Communications degrees are more theory-based, while others include practical media or marketing components. Check the course description carefully to match your strengths and interests.

Level 2 Qualifications (GCSE / MYP / National 5)

Most courses require:

GCSE English Language and Maths at grade 4/C or above, or equivalent such as National 5s or MYP

📘 Strong written communication is essential, so English is especially important.

If your school offers Media Studies, IT, or Sociology, these can support your interest, but they’re not required.

💬 Interviews

Formal interviews aren't usually part of the application process. However, some universities may invite you for a short conversation, either online or in person, to learn more about your interest in the subject.

🔍 Work Experience
Not usually required, but if you’ve been involved in school newspapers, podcasts, media clubs, or social media projects, include them in your personal statement; they show initiative and passion for the subject.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What interests you about how communication works - whether that's persuasion, media influence, organisational messaging, or how people understand each other? Communications as a degree explores how meaning is created and shared, drawing on psychology, sociology, and media theory. If you've thought critically about the communications around you - advertising, political messaging, social media, or how organisations present themselves - reflect on what questions that raised. Reading about communication theory, following how campaigns succeed or fail, or analysing how messages are crafted for different audiences can show genuine engagement. Admissions tutors want to see analytical curiosity about communication, not just confidence in your own communication skills.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Media, Communications or Social Science

Some universities offer a foundation year if you don't have the required subjects or grades. This adds an extra year but leads directly into the full degree.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Media, Social Science or Humanities)

Widely accepted by universities offering Communications degrees. Choose a pathway with essay-based and communication-focused content, and aim for Merits and Distinctions in your graded units.

💼 Level 3 Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships such as Content Creator or Marketing Assistant carry UCAS tariff points from 2026 and can support a university application, particularly when combined with a foundation year.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

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Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with a Communications degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Brands, Media & Influence: This degree is about how media and messages move through the world. You'll study how audiences engage with media, how marketing and advertising work, how digital platforms reshape what reaches people, and how content gets made and distributed.

Society, Communities & How People Live Together: Communications treats media as a social force. You'll study who owns and regulates media, how representation shapes public perception, how the creative industries respond to inequality, and how media power plays out across society.

Language, Stories & Writing: Strong writing sits at the foundation of this degree. You'll build skills in writing for media contexts, learn how messages are crafted to land with different audiences, and look closely at how language is used to inform, persuade and shape understanding.

Students who thrive in a Communications degree are often motivated by

Engaging with People and Cultures

You're energised by working closely with people to understand what's really going on for them: talking, listening, asking questions, spending time, picking up on what isn't being said directly. That might be interviewing someone for a piece of research, sitting with a client who's trying to work something out, exploring a community you've not been part of, or working alongside people from a different culture. The energy comes from the engagement itself, not just from reading or thinking about people.

Curiosity and Learning

You're energised by the activity of learning itself: diving into a subject you've never explored, watching documentaries, taking apart how something works, or constantly asking "why?" The process of learning gives you energy, not just the outcome. You don't just want the answer; you want to understand how things connect, why they matter, and what's underneath the surface explanation.

Trends and Pattern-Spotting

You're energised by noticing what's changing before others do, whether that's emerging cultural trends, shifts in data, new technologies gaining traction, or patterns in behaviour. You find energy in predicting what's coming next and understanding why things are moving in a particular direction. You're drawn to the signals others overlook, and you'd rather be early to the question than late to the answer.

Storytelling and Communication

You're excited by crafting a compelling narrative, whether that's writing a script, performing a speech, producing content, or simply finding the perfect way to explain something complex. You notice when stories are told well and when they fall flat. Shaping how people understand and feel about a topic gives you real energy, and you're always thinking about how to land a message.

Analysing and Investigating

You're energised by making sense of information, looking for evidence, spotting patterns, and piecing together how things connect. Whether it's pulling apart data, questioning assumptions, or tracing a problem back to its source, you find energy in the process of understanding what's really going on. You'd rather dig into the details than accept things at face value.

Creativity and Innovation

You're energised by the act of creating something new or finding a fresh way to approach a problem. Whether it's designing, writing, building, or experimenting, you feel most alive when you're generating original ideas rather than following established methods. The possibility that something has never been done before excites rather than intimidates you.

What makes Communications click for the students who love it?

They are the ones who watch a news story and straight away wonder who shaped it, and why. They notice how a new platform quietly changes the way people talk to each other, and they are as happy pulling all that apart as making it themselves. The bit that hooks them is working out why a message lands with one audience and falls flat with another, and how to tell a story so it reaches the people it is meant for.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Do you find yourself questioning what you see in the media — thinking about who made it, why, and what it's trying to make you feel?
Do you enjoy writing and expressing ideas clearly, whether in essays, blog posts, or messages?
Do you like digging into how things work — researching a topic properly rather than just accepting what you're told?
Do you care about fairness in the media — things like representation, diversity, and who gets a voice?

Careers a Communications degree could lead you to

Communications

What do Communications degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Careers a Communications degree could lead you to

Example
Modules