B.A. Journalism and Strategic Communication
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| Degree awarded | Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 6 semesters; 180 ECTS credits |
| Starts in | October (winter semester) |
| Language of instruction | German |
Journalism and Public Relations: the cross-media degree programme for the media industry
If you wish to pursue a career in the fields of journalism and public relations in times of continuous transition in the mass media, practical and up-to-date training in all media formats is a necessity.
As you study this degree programme, you will acquire competencies in journalism and public relations for interconnected multimedia production and cross-media distribution of diverse media formats (text, audio, video, photo, etc.) on both traditional and modern platforms (print, TV, radio, online, mobile). You will develop sound knowledge of the functions, processes and mechanisms of journalism and strategic communication as well as their normative legal and ethical boundaries. In order to deepen your empirical and practical knowledge, you will have the opportunity to carry out applied research and hands-on projects.
The University offers a master's degree programme that builds on this degree programme: M.A. Communication in Digital Societies.
For details, please consult the Academic Advice Service'sinfosheet [German content].
Features
- Integrated university training in the fields of journalism and strategic communication: studying the B.A. Journalism and Strategic Communication will qualify you for two central occupational areas in the media industry.
- Closely interlinked theory and practice: you will acquire both theoretical and methodological knowledge and apply it in your research and project work. Acknowledged experts from journalism and strategic communication will additionally enrich the taught modules by offering insights into current media practice.
- Cross-media work at the Centre of Media and Communication: the ZMK is one of the most modern media production centres at any German university and the home of the study programme. Use its cross-media newsroom, TV studio, multimedia laboratories, sound and radio studios to learn the ropes of the journalism and public relations industry.
- A clear programme structure: the division of the programme into primary and secondary subjects allows for targeted, gradual and successively structured learning processes as well as the development of interdisciplinary knowledge.
- Creative work in student clubs and societies: JoKonnect, KONNEX PR (PR practice), PRO.FIL and spaetschicht.tv (TV and film), Campus Crew (university radio), CaTer and BLANK Magazin (print and online journalism), Fotoprojekt Lichtgestalten and many more.
The study of Journalism and Strategic Communication will prepare you for a journalistic career in traditional and digital media (TV, radio, print media, online and mobile media) as well as a career in public relations for agencies, companies, associations, public institutions, non-governmental and non-profit organisations.
Not only you become qualified for editorial work, but you will also acquire the skills needed for various new occupations in the field of communication, such as social media manager, community manager, technical editor, data journalist and user experience profiler. Having graduated from this programme, you will have the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge for work in media research, market and public opinion research as well as media or political consultancy and in media management.
Over the course of the programme, you will study Communication Studies as your primary subject, giving you a thorough grounding in:
- the media landscape
- economic and political conditions
- theoretical and practical principles of public communication
- methods of empirical communication and media research
- cross-media use in media production
- international communication
In addition you will choose elective modules, which form a secondary subject. Compulsory electives in political science, economics, media informatics and geography cover important specific fields. Furthermore, elective modules development studies, psychology of human-machine interaction, digital humanities, art history and visual culture as well as Catholic theology offer you extensive cross-sectional competences.
For further details, please consult the Academic Advice Service's infosheet [German content] and the module catalogue [German content].
'The digital revolution greatly impacts on all areas of social life. The dramatic transformations strongly affect the field of communication in the wider sense, and particularly journalism. In light of these developments, quality in journalism takes on an entirely new significance, in fact making it a crucial issue. My daily experience as the Chief Editor of BR Television teaches me just that. It is therefore crucial for our media enterprise, the Bavarian Broadcasting service to be able to count on a generation of young future journalists with first-class cross-media training.'
'The way we communicate and the media we use on a daily basis are rapidly changing. The digital revolution has long become a fundamental aspect of our everyday lives. In order to adequately face those changes and their speed, profound and both strategic and practically oriented teaching, as realised through the new degree programme at the University of Passau, is of great importance. A professional connection between academia and practice is key to educating excellent future advisors who will find themselves confronted with a reality of rapidly changing communication.'
'This programme qualifies young people for the important role they will play in society. We will only be able to solve today’s problems when we understand the academic underpinnings of communication and know how media offerings can be optimally adapted to the way consumers use them. This will help commercial media suppliers to keep meeting their audience’s needs and thereby to fulfil their function in a democratic state. It is very likely that even more professional facets will evolve during this process.'
'Public communication, public relations or company communications: these and many other terms are synonyms for the same professional fields: PR – a highly attractive profession with good employment prospects. The requirements on professional qualification have changed rapidly in the last decade, making a formal PR qualification crucial for professional success in the field. By offering excellent teaching and being closely oriented towards jobs in the field of public relations, the programme in Journalism and Strategic Communication of the University of Passau is an ideal guarantee for that.'
This degree programme starts in the October (winter semester) each year.
With abitur or European qualifications
Prospective students with a higher education entrance qualification from Germany or the EEA region (e.g. German abitur or the Austrian matura) can enrol directly for this degree programme during the enrolment period.
Prospective students with non-EEA qualifications
You will need German language skills at level C1 CEFR or higher to study this degree programme, as that is the main language of instruction for this programme. Therefore, you will have to provide a recognised German language certificate such as DSH-2 or TestDaF 4 in all four categories, unless German was the language of instruction for your secondary school education (e.g. Abitur at a German international school) or prior tertiary education.
The University of Passau has set up a German language teaching unit, German Courses Passau, which offers a selection of preparatory language programmes tailored to the needs of international students. These range from summer courses to a full academic year and cater to learners of all levels.
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