The curriculum of British communication is divided into four directions
Journalism:
The journalism department is more targeted, with theoretical courses such as news research in addition to relevant theoretical knowledge. It also emphasises opportunities for students to experience news writing, reporting, and appearing on camera, mainly focusing on three types of media: printing journalism, broadcast journalism, and web journalism.
Communication:
The content of the Communication Department is relatively practical, including theoretical and practical knowledge in advertising, marketing, and public relations. The advertising discipline in British universities is generally divided into two categories: the first category is related to marketing, with a greater emphasis on business, emphasising advertising placement and media selection. The main courses include consumer psychology, public relations, advertising, etc; The other type is advertising design and production that combines art, emphasising the design, production, and planning of advertising products. The main courses include graphic design and network design. Before choosing a school, students must have a clear understanding of the advertising courses offered by different universities, as well as their own interests. This may focus on business or art design, otherwise there may be a mismatch of subjects and the dilemma of "nine out of eight". The other unit is Public Relations, which covers various fields of knowledge such as psychology, management, behavioural science, communication, sociology, political science, and logic. Depending on the research strengths of different universities, students may need to choose more specialised knowledge, such as law, film studies, and finance.
Media 媒體學 :
Compared to the previous two, media studies tend to lean towards pure theory and focus more on "studying" the content of media. The curriculum generally includes the history of media development, analysis of the media industry, history of media evolution, and current status of the media industry. British universities generally offer courses related to Media, including Mass Media Management, Culture and Media Studies, Digital Media, and Media and Sociology. While studying media, students will also delve into courses such as sociology, sociolinguistics, history, semiotics, etc. This is more suitable for students who prefer to focus on text, books with a strong flavour, and tend to be quiet.
Media Production:
In addition to the three categories mentioned above, many communication courses have actively incorporated many units related to film and television creative media and film studies to cultivate talents related to filmmakers, directors, art directors, filming, editing, screenwriting, and the creative media industry. In today's society, in order to catch up with the pace of information dissemination in the 21st century, the market demand for such creative media is also rapidly increasing.
What students are suitable for studying Communication Science?
Firstly, students should have a strong curiosity and be very willing to accept new things. Because people working in the media industry have to receive a large amount of industry information and new things every day.
Secondly, media professionals often need to interact with different people, so if you want to study Communication Science, at least your classmates should be enthusiastic about communicating with others. Introverted or communicative students are not a problem. As long as you are willing to communicate with others, you are suitable for studying Communication Science because this subject will give you many opportunities to exercise your communication skills and eloquence.
Thirdly, students should have a certain sensitivity to media carriers related to text and images. Media work, to be honest, requires you to write, shoot, or present to the public.
What can I get from studying Communication Science?
- Professional skills in the media industry: In addition to the most basic writing skills, students who enjoy photography, watching animation, and producing movie special effects can learn these skills by studying Communication Science.
- Communication skills: For students studying Communication Science, they often have to interact with different people; Students studying journalism need to interview people; Students studying communication often come into contact with different clients in the future; Media production students should consult with stakeholders with different opinions during the production process. In the process of interacting with these people, they can effectively cultivate their communication skills.
- Networking: Students studying Communication Science are in need of contact with people from all walks of life, from ordinary people to CEOs in the business world, who may be your contacts and research subjects. These precious network resources may be of great help to you in your future career and work.
- Pressure resistance: Media professionals have strong pressure resistance due to the high intensity of their work. After receiving training in this area, you will become a relatively versatile person.
Emphasise Theory vs Practice
Regardless of which direction of communication studies students are interested in, it should be noted that each school has a different proportion of practical and theoretical knowledge. Therefore, before making a choice, you can carefully study the course structure to see if you prefer the course arrangement. Some university courses focus on practice, while others focus on theory. Taking the journalism department as an example, for example, during the summer vacation of Year 2 and Year 3, the University of Leeds will provide a three-week internship opportunity; Another University of Leicester did not mandate internships to be included in the three-year university curriculum. Although both universities are equally renowned for pursuing communication studies, students should not only consider fame, but also pay attention to whether the university will provide internship opportunities, which will further enhance their future employment prospects.
Optional directions and related work
Graduates of Communication Science have a wide range of opportunities to work in the advertising industry, television stations, radio stations, movies, news, newspapers, magazines, or major media organisations. The employment prospects cover multiple sectors that utilise digital media, including public relations, advertising, news, information, education, publishing, corporate communication, art and media administration, or multiple industries primarily focused on creativity, such as film, television, broadcasting, multimedia, animation, online and interactive application development, visual and creative communication.
