Request ·
Advertising, marketing, communication, public relations
Complete your studies in one year and earn a BA (Hons) in Marketing, Advertising, Communications and Public Relations awarded by London Metropolitan University. 60 ECTS, with September or January intake.
What is a Top-Up programme?
The learning experience you need for your future
If you have already completed two years of a university degree (120 ECTS) or hold an equivalent vocational qualification, including Higher Vocational Training, you can enrol on this programme. It is the perfect opportunity to earn an internationally recognised BA (Hons) degree in just one year of study.
A Top-Up is a high-quality, up-to-date and demanding programme taught by practising professionals. Get ready to work hard.
Are you eligible for this Top-Up?
A Top-Up is the final year you need. If you have already completed two years of a university degree, a Higher Vocational Training qualification (CFGS) or an equivalent professional qualification, you can go straight into the final year and graduate with a BA (Hons) from London Metropolitan University in just one academic year.
Entry requirements
- A minimum of 120 ECTS completed (or equivalent), including Level 5 studies
- IELTS 5.5–6 or TOEFL 79–80
- Applicants from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds are welcome; prior study in business is an advantage
- Previous academic or professional experience is assessed through certified official documentation
Creativity and design, marketing strategy and social media are just some of the subjects you will cover in the Top-Up in Advertising, Marketing Communications and Public Relations, designed to train creative professionals and executives. Get ready to master every aspect of communication and apply it to any type of media.
This course is designed to give students who have already completed two years of a degree programme, or an equivalent vocational qualification, the opportunity to study in an international environment and earn a BA (Hons) from one of the UK’s leading universities.
The curriculum has been designed in collaboration with creative professionals, advertising executives and marketing directors from leading firms to create hands-on learning experiences based on real-world situations. You will learn to anticipate the problems you may face, solve them through creative thinking, and identify and seize market opportunities before your competitors. All of this in a truly international environment, with students from more than 20 nationalities, visits from leading professionals and masterclasses with experts.
Objectives
The aim of the Top-Up in Marketing, Advertising, Communications and Public Relations is to give you a solid conceptual and practical foundation in the contemporary discipline of marketing communications.
The programme covers advertising, public relations, direct and digital marketing, corporate reputation, brand management, ethics and sustainability. You will develop the judgement needed to design and implement communication strategies across any type of media.
Gain a solid conceptual and practical foundation in marketing communications: advertising, public relations, direct and digital marketing, corporate reputation, brand management, ethics and sustainability.
Curriculum
7 modules, 60 ECTS, 1 year
Gain hands-on experience in public relations (PR). This module will help you master essential PR tools and corporate reputation strategies, including media relations, digital communication and corporate storytelling. You will develop the ability to analyse, design and implement PR strategies that shape brand perception, strengthen corporate reputation and engage stakeholders, and to tackle challenges such as crisis communication, social responsibility and reputational risk management.
Take a deep dive into the technical, formal and stylistic aspects of building an advertising campaign. In this module you will study and analyse landmark campaigns, common campaign types and the relationship between the methods used, the objectives and specific media channels. You will also explore the social and aesthetic factors that shape how the elements, forms and processes of advertising communication evolve.
This module explores the fundamentals of marketing and sales in a global context. Marketing is crucial to the success of any organisation, essential for attracting and retaining customers and driving sustainable growth worldwide. By focusing on customer needs and product value, marketing creates demand, while sales drives purchases. Integrating both functions is vital to improving business performance in domestic markets and to identifying international opportunities. You will explore how both areas contribute to a company’s expansion and global market success.
Develop an advanced understanding of how marketing strategy drives organisational success in a global context. You will critically evaluate strategic frameworks, market environments and brand positioning to design sustainable, evidence-based strategies. The module combines theory with real cases, enabling you to justify marketing decisions through analysis, creativity and ethical reasoning.
This module will boost your strategic skills, practical thinking and creativity in identifying new opportunities for marketing, advertising or public relations campaigns. You will learn by working on real projects, such as helping a company roll out a campaign, responding to client briefs for advertising and PR campaigns, or testing potential customers’ opinions and analysing their feedback. You will gain an in-depth understanding of the role of marketing strategies and brand growth.
This module gives you the skills to create and strategically use visual content on social media. You will explore the principles of photography, design and branding while gaining hands-on experience with modern image-editing tools. Through projects, case studies and workshops, you will master current digital marketing trends and improve your ability to create engaging visuals. You will also learn to evaluate the effectiveness of your visual strategies with analytics tools, adapting your approach to an ever-changing digital landscape.
In this year-long module you will choose a topic or problem and complete a research-focused dissertation. You will be expected to develop a comprehensive understanding of your field of study and to collect and analyse data samples effectively. You will use your analytical and critical thinking skills to reflect on relevant research questions, theoretical concepts or hypotheses, existing literature, ethical considerations, research methodologies and data analysis, independently and with discipline.
Career opportunities
This programme is for you if you want to build a career in marketing, advertising, communication or related fields. On completing the course, you will find opportunities both in specialist agencies (PR, media and advertising) and in in-house marketing departments.
- Product manager
- Event planner
- Market researcher
- Media planner
- Sales director
- Marketing director
This degree also gives you access to top-tier postgraduate master’s programmes.
International environment
A year in Santander, in a classroom with more than 20 nationalities
CESINE has been providing education in Business, Communication and Design for over 30 years. Top-Up programmes are studied in a truly international classroom, with a faculty of practising professionals and more than 2,500 agreements signed with companies. The school is part of the EFMD network, which brings together the world’s leading business schools.
Santander is one of the most highly regarded coastal destinations in northern Spain: beaches, mountains, a lively cultural scene and a university city on a human scale.