Public Relations and Media with a Foundation Year

Study a Public Relations and Media degree with us, and you will be able to gain the skills to equip you for a successful career in this exciting field.

Our degree is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and is taught by experienced industry professionals and leading academics.

The Foundation Year gives you an exciting introduction to Higher Education, setting you up with the skills, confidence, and knowledge that you’ll need to be successful on your undergraduate degree. It’s ideal if you need a little more support after Further Education or are returning to education after a gap.

You will have the chance to explore strategic communications, digital public relations practice, public relations theory, strategy, marketing and branding, business and entrepreneurship, journalism and professional development.

A work placement will give you first-hand experience of PR and media, and you will have the option of studying a semester abroad in Hong Kong, Singapore or the USA.

Why Public Relations and Media with a Foundation Year at Swansea?
Based on our stunning Singleton Park campus, in parkland overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula;
Media and Communication at Swansea is ranked:

• 8th in the UK for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)

• 8th in the UK for Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2025)

• 10th in the UK for Teaching Quality (Times Good University Guide 2025)

Your Public Relations and Media with a Foundation Year Experience
During your Foundation Year, you will learn the key skills you’ll need to make your degree a success while developing knowledge of your subject area and how it relates to the humanities and social sciences.

You will start the degree course in your second year, when we offer a varied and flexible degree, so you can shape your course to match your career goals as well as developing your own interests.

You can discover how PR is important for the success of all companies, and learn about the benefits of developing lasting relationships with other companies and professionals, including news reporters, advertisers and marketers, media practitioners and politicians.

You will develop creative skills to manage digital media campaigns and direct strategic, international communications, specialising in PR. You can also study distinct pathways in digital and practical media, film and journalism.

You will gain generic broad-based skills to specialise in further study or essential skills for the professional workplace.

There is the opportunity for a work placement and to spend a semester overseas, both experiences which will greatly enhance your career prospects.

You will have a personal tutor for any support you need.

In your Foundation Year, you will typically study areas including: Academic Writing and Skills Development; Introduction to Being Human; Introduction to Research; Critical Reflection and Problem Solving; Research Essay; an dPlace, Memory & Identity in Literature, Film, Visual Art & Media.

In Year 1, you will typically study areas including: Introduction to Media Communication; Delivering and Decoding the News; Principles of Mediation; Creative Media Platforms; PR and Strategic Communications; Introduction to Film Studies and Pitch Invasion: Sport and its Impact on Society

In Year 2, you will typically study areas including: Theorising the Media; Public Relations Theory in Action; Introduction to Writing Fiction; Introduction to Film Production; Professional Development: Preparing for Work; Misinformation, Fake News and Fact-Checking; Approaches to Film Analysis; Introduction to Writing Drama....

In Year 3, you will typically study areas including: Strategy, Marketing and Branding; Guerrilla Campaigns: Subversive and Interruptive PR; The Story of the USA on Film and Television, 1865-2008; Media and Identities; Documentary and Fiction Filmmaking; Keeping it Reel – Studying Documentary; Journalism in Practice; Science Fiction and Media; Contemporary Film and Television...

We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students.

Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching.

Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study.

This course may offer some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.