MA in Advertising and Public Relations

The MA in Advertising and Public Relations prepares students to kickstart an exciting creative career in the advertising and PR industry. The programme is taught in Kensington – the vibrant and prestigious borough of Central London. The city is a hub, at the forefront of digital innovation, disruptive tech and home for some major advertising companies such as the WPP Group, Ogilvy & Mather, Saatchi & Saatchi, that offers bright students immediate work opportunities or internships after completing their degree.

This US-accredited Master’s programme brings together practical skills and extensive theoretical knowledge to equip the student with the necessary skill set to perform well in their first employment and seek career progression within the industry. The MA is taught at the Kensington Campus in central London, allowing better networking opportunities and convenient proximity to Soho, Holborn, Fitzrovia where most of these agencies are based.

Richmond University is a partner of The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) – Europe’s largest and most influential PR and communications membership body entitling our students to membership.

Practical Content

The MA helps gain practical skills in both advertising and PR from the outset, with students developing and presenting their creative projects. The practical aspect of the course will culminate in an optional accredited internship and mandatory research project, including PR working experience and a critical approach which will require students to relate their work to wider thinking about these industries.
The programme also provides in-depth academic insights of the advertising and PR industries, their digital transformation and the role they play for consumers worldwide and social media audiences.

Explore

Students examine the industries’ digital edge and explore different approaches of both advertising and PR. Students also benefit from a range of elective courses in the second semester, which enables them to gather knowledge and skills in specific areas of interest.

Optional Accredited Internship

The Internship Programme integrates industry knowledge with real working experience. Students will be challenged to relate course projects to the workplace, make contacts which may prove valuable to their future employment prospects, and gain confidence in their capabilities, creativity and communication skills. Internships are designed to be both demanding and rewarding. The internship will provide an opportunity to better understand the marketplace, using the skills learned in courses in a real-world setting, as students produce an assessed record of their experiences.

A broad education of this kind equips graduates for a wide range of careers internationally while enabling them to develop specialist expertise in areas of particular interest. By ensuring they act as critical and reflective practitioners, it prepares them for challenging leadership roles in a world of diversity and rapidly changing opportunities.

Top 5 reasons to study Advertising & PR

• Acquire detailed knowledge of advertising, PR, communications and digital media trends in a one year programme based in central London.
• Develop a global and critical perspective on the thriving, rapidly evolving and competitive global industries of Advertising and PR.
• Increase your employment opportunities in Advertising and PR, either with an optional internship or research project that implies a PR work experience within best companies.
• Learn in a small class setting and benefit from a diverse, multicultural environment as well as from the PRCA membership.
• Specialise in the main area of interest from leading academics that consult for advertising agencies worldwide.

Entry requirements

A first degree in any discipline with a minimum classification of 2.2 (Lower Second Class Honours) or its international equivalent.

English Language Requirements (Non-Native English Speakers)

• IELTS 6.5 with 5.5 in each Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing

• TOEFL (IBT) 87 overall with Listening 21, Reading 22, Writing 21, Speaking 23

• Pearsons Academic Test of English (PTE) 62

• Cambridge English: Proficiency – Level C2 or Level C1