Journalism and Marketing BA
3 years
In an increasingly digital world, there is a growing need for professionals with both journalism and marketing skills. This degree combines both disciplines equally to ensure you have the creative skills necessary to craft a media message, whilst learning the principles of marketing that you can apply to a range of careers in journalism, media, marketing and the wider communications industry.
Start date:
Course information
Typical offer BBB
UCAS code P5N5
International fee £19,700
Institute code L34
Taught by Media and Communication
Ranked in the top 20 for subjects aligned to Media and Communication for ‘overall positivity’ in the NSS 2024 (according to Times Higher Education NSS 2023 methodology applied to the NSS 2024 data).
Top 15 in the UK for Communication and Media Studies (Complete University Guide 2025)
Course description
Course description
There’s a natural connection between Journalism and Marketing and this course allows you to study both subject areas equally in a complementary experience, developing a critical understanding of the key concepts, theories and debates around both Journalism and Marketing.
In your first year, you’ll learn the basic skills of journalism across various platforms, helping you to develop the key professional skills utilised by journalists. By studying the principles of marketing and starting to look at consumers, digital marketing and technologies, you will be able to use information systems to manage and communicate information.
In your second year, you'll use your developing journalism skills on digital and broadcasting platforms and take a deeper look at marketing communications and digital media including examining new and emerging technologies.
In your third year you will study a range of topics from crisis management and risks and crises affecting society to entrepreneurship and identifying opportunities for services and products. You'll also use all your knowledge and journalism skills in a final group project, developing a website on a subject of your choice. And there will be an extensive range of optional modules to choose from, led by staff who are specialists in their field.
The Journalism team have all worked in the industry. They've been involved in television, newspapers, radio, social media and PR. Among our teachers we have specialists in sports, political, environment and television journalism. Your tutors in the School of Business have a mix of research and industry backgrounds, so you will be learning from those involved in leading research in marketing, alongside those with practical expertise.
You'll develop and demonstrate a range of transferable skills necessary for successful career development and a lifetime of effective independent learning. You’ll fine-tune your independent thinking, analytical problem-solving and critical judgement. You’ll learn how to carry out independent research, to access and assess information, to communicate clearly and effectively, and to present findings in a professional manner.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
- A/AS-levels: BBB. All subjects accepted. Two AS-levels considered in place of one A-level
- EPQ with A-levels: BBC + EPQ at grade B
- GCSE: English Language Grade 6/B.
- Access to HE Diploma: Pass diploma with 45 credits at Level 3, including 24 credits at Distinction
- International Baccalaureate: Pass Diploma with 28 points overall. Must include a minimum of grade 4 in English A or 5 in English B if minimum of grade 4/C not held at GCSE.
- BTEC Nationals: Full Diploma with DDM
- T-Levels: Merit or above, Humanities subjects preferred.
Other official national and international qualifications considered from across the world. You can review some of the qualifications we accept on our countries page and English Language equivalencies.
If your qualification or country is not listed, please contact us for more information, including the name and result of the qualification you have studied.
Contextual offers
The University of Leicester is committed to providing equitable opportunities for all applicants from all backgrounds. We make contextual offers to support students who may be impacted by the area they live in, their personal circumstances or who have completed one of our progression programmes. These offers are usually one or two grades lower than the standard entry requirements. To qualify for a contextual offer, you must apply for an eligible course and meet specific criteria – check if you’re eligible.
Selection process
When considering your application, we will look for evidence that you will be able to fulfil the objectives of the course and achieve the standards required. We will take into account a range of factors including previous exam results.
Applicants are not normally interviewed. If you receive an offer you will be invited to visit the department.
English Language Requirements
A very high standard of written and spoken English is required for this programme because significant amounts of assessment are based on practical work. Students concerned about this should seek advice, but students without good English language skills would be at a disadvantage and should not apply for this course.
IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. If you do not yet meet our requirements, our English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) offers a range of courses to help you to improve your English to the necessary standard.
International Qualifications
Find your country in this list to check equivalent qualifications, scholarships and additional requirements.
Countries ListFees and funding
Fees and funding
UK Students
Starting in 2025
Tuition fees for 2025/26 are yet to be confirmed. As an indication of what you might pay, the fees for students who started in 2024/25 were:
- £9,250 in your first year. Tuition fees are subject to government regulations and may change in future years.
- Year Abroad: your fee will be £1,385 for that year.
- Year in Industry: your fee will be £1,850 for that year.
Find out more about scholarships and funding.
International Students
Starting in 2025
- £19,700 per year
- Year Abroad: £4,925, which is 25% of the full-time tuition fee.
- Year in Industry: £2,955, which is 15% of the full-time tuition fee.
If you are resident outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland, you will need to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure your place. This will be subtracted from your total tuition fee.
Find out more about scholarships and funding.
Careers and employability
Careers and employability
Careers and employability support is embedded in our degrees. We offer optional employability and placement modules as part of our curriculum – options may include Journalism Placement and Community Radio in Practice.
You will also benefit from access to careers and employability events and support run by the School of Business Careers Team, including our annual Career Development Exhibition and the Careers Hub @ Brookfield.
We organise external speaker events, industry visit days, career development training and other initiatives in collaboration with local and national media organisations, giving you valuable insights into the professional media world.
Many of our Journalism students work in the communications industries, which includes journalism, digital publishing, public relations, marketing, corporate communications and copy-writing.
Recent Marketing graduates work in a variety of areas of marketing, including marketing communications, digital marketing, campaign management and commercial analytics.
Get career-ready at Leicester with guidance from our award-winning Careers and Employability Service. We're here to give you a lifetime offer of support, even after graduation. Our team of specialist careers advisers and mentors will help you every step of the way. From supporting you with CVs and interviews, to volunteering opportunities and placements, we're here to help you reach your professional goals.
Course structure
Year 1
Year 1
- News Basics
- Journalism Ethics and Regulation
- Principles of Marketing
- Business, Economy and Society
- Features Journalism
- Radio Journalism
- Consumers, Brands and Digital Marketing
- Managing Digital Technologies
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Year 2
Year 2
- Digital and Social Media Journalism: Context and Practice
- Strategic Brand Management
- Consumer Behaviour
- Media Research in Practice
- Marketing Communications and Digital Media
- Marketing Intelligence
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Year Abroad or Year in Industry (optional)
Year Abroad or Year in Industry (optional)
Year Abroad
We’ll make sure you have everything you need for your future career: not just by awarding you a high quality degree, but also by helping you to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to make your mark in the world as a Citizen of Change. One way you can do this is by opting to take a Year Abroad between Years 2 and 3 of your degree.
Studying abroad is not just for people who are interested in travelling and meeting new people. It is about acquiring life skills that are becoming increasingly significant for a wide range of jobs in our modern globalised society. Whether you go on to a career in the private, public or third sector - or plough your own furrow as an entrepreneur – you will find the experience invaluable.
For more information, including a list of destinations, please visit our Study Abroad website.
Please note
- A year spent abroad still incurs a tuition fee, but this is much lower than for a normal year at Leicester. See the 'fees and funding' tab of this page for details.
- You may be eligible for a travel grant from Student Finance England.
- Places are offered on a competitive basis, and eligibility is dependent on your academic performance in Years 1 and 2.
- Language courses, at beginners or advanced level, are available through our Languages at Leicester scheme.
Year in Industry
If you choose a 'with Industry’ degree you will spend a year on a placement with a sponsoring company between your second and third years at Leicester. You will undertake a programme of training and practical experience that is agreed between the sponsoring company and the University.
A member of staff will be individually assigned to you as your industrial placement tutor, who will be in contact with you throughout your placement and will visit the sponsoring company. During the year you will return to Leicester to present details of your placement to other students studying for 'with Industry' degrees.
A Year in Industry is a great opportunity which can give you first-hand experience of working in a related field while also enhancing your employability skills and allowing you to network with people in industry.
A Year in Industry still incurs a tuition fee, but this is much lower than for a normal year at Leicester. See the 'fees and funding' tab of this page for details.
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Final Year
Final Year
- Publishing Project 1
- Publishing Project 2
- Business in the Digital Economy
- Crisis Management
- Entrepreneurship
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Why Leicester
All our teaching is research-inspired and informed by real-world practices and challenges. The School of Arts placed 11th in the UK for our overall research quality by The Times Higher Education (REF21).
Top 10 in the UK for Communication and Media Studies (The Sunday Times 2024).
You’ll be taught by academics in the School of Business who are both leading researchers in marketing, and experienced practitioners in industry.
You will have access to our careers and employability team in the School of Business and a range of events and activities tailored to support your professional development.
Teaching and learning
For your Journalism modules, you will typically be taught in workshops – an average of two per week. For your Marketing modules, you will typically have two seminars and one or two lectures every week. Practical Journalism modules are taught in our purpose-designed Mac labs, where you'll have all the technology you need at your fingertips.
You will also have access to the facilities at our School of Business campus, Brookfield.
Lectures are designed to introduce you to important background information for understanding a topic, text, theme, or author. Weekly seminars, in which a tutor leads a small group of students in discussion, will allow you to explore a topic in greater depth, developing your own responses in active conversation with your tutor and peers.
Alongside these will be several additional sessions; such as workshops on research and study skills, learning groups, introduced film screenings, and scheduled personal tutor meetings.
Reflecting the number of different skills you will acquire, you will be assessed in several ways, including essays, group-work projects, oral presentations, reviews, portfolios, and exams. These assessments are designed to help you build confidence in a range of areas and to provide prospective employers with evidence that you can work effectively both as an independent researcher and as a team member. Your final degree result will be based on the work you do in the second and third years of your course.
You will have regular meetings with your personal tutor to discuss progress in your studies. Your personal tutor will also provide a sympathetic ear for all matters of personal concern, whether academic, financial, housing, career, or social. Our pastoral care system is first-rate, and feedback and participation are encouraged through the Student-Staff Committee, where lecturers and student representatives from all years meet to discuss the issues that affect you.
Independent learning
When not attending lectures, seminars or other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. To help with your independent learning, you can access the Library and our social study spaces in halls of residence.
Your contact hours will depend on the option modules you select. You can see details of the contact hours on individual module pages.
Academic support
Our AccessAbility Centre offers support and practical help for students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties, including physical, mental health or mobility difficulties, deafness, or visual impairment.
Teaching staff
You will be taught by an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. PhD research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader. Our teaching is informed by the research we do. You can learn more about our staff by visiting our staff profiles.
Apply now
| Course | Qualification | Duration | Attendance | UCAS Code | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course Journalism and Marketing | Qualification BA | Duration 3 years | Attendance Full-time | UCAS Code P5N5 | Availability How to apply |
| Course Journalism and Marketing with Year Abroad | Qualification BA | Duration 4 years | Attendance Full-time | UCAS Code P5N5 | Availability How to apply |
| Course Journalism and Marketing with Year in Industry | Qualification BA | Duration 4 years | Attendance Full-time | UCAS Code P5N5 | Availability How to apply |
