Handbook

This program structure applies to students commencing prior to 2019.

If you are commencing from 2019 please refer to program 3453 Media (PR and Advertising)

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.

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.