Journalism, Public Relations with Media with Foundation Year

Please check the Sheffield Hallam University website for the latest information

Course summary

• Get ready for a full degree by taking an extra foundation year at the start.

• Research, plan and produce journalistic content in audio, video and written formats.

• Use the latest recording and editing technologies to create online content.

• Develop and manage successful PR campaigns and events.

• Gain insights through connections like This Morning, Rise at Seven and Disney.

• Debate the relationship between journalism, PR, media and wider society.

Learn from industry experts in top class facilities, gaining a wide range of knowledge to help you succeed in these dynamic professions. You’ll examine key theories and issues relating to journalism and PR while working with communications professionals, journalists and influencers. You’ll learn essential practical skills relevant to these industries, the media in general and the workplace beyond.

How you learn
The foundation year is designed especially for students who need additional skills or experience to begin a full BA Journalism, Public Relations and Media degree. The course is suitable if you don’t meet the entry requirements for our full degree course, or you want extra preparation before starting degree-level study. After completing your foundation year, you’ll have the skills and knowledge you need, and progress directly onto the full degree.

After your foundation year, your studies are led by a team that includes award-winning journalism, PR and media practitioners, alongside internationally recognised theorists with experience across a range of industries. These include TV, radio, newspapers, magazines and digital expertise across a range of sectors, from health and charity to finance and politics.

We’ll draw on the creative industries in Sheffield as well as broader national and international connections. Throughout the full degree course you’ll respond to live PR briefs and/or engage with real-life journalistic stories. The course is outward looking and engages with real-life scenarios, with a special focus on underrepresented communities.

You learn through:

• lectures

• workshops

• seminars

• essays

• practical work

• case studies

• reports

• group work

• research projects

• presentations and pitches

• portfolios

Key themes
Your course begins with the basics of journalism and PR. You’ll learn how to manage a PR campaign and how to write and broadcast as a journalist, gaining vital recording and editing skills along the way.

During your second year, you’ll build on these skills with a firm grounding in the legal and regulatory requirements of industry, while also improving your research and investigation skills. The ‘content creation’ module gives you the cutting-edge industry-based skills to create PR or journalistic-based audio, video and written material.

Your final year is about preparing you for the workplace, whether that’s a traditional office, freelancing or being your own boss. You’ll also create a final piece of detailed work in your research project, with the support of a personal tutor. Previous students have researched the health impacts of social media, the representation of women’s cricket in the media, and investigations into whether young people are still interested in politics and voting.

Applied learning
Work Placement
You'll be encouraged and supported to undertake a full-time work placement between your second and third years of the full undergraduate degree. This valuable experience can have a transformative impact on your personal and professional development, which you can enhance further by completing Sheffield Hallam’s Applied Professional Diploma.