MA Promotional Media: Public Relations, Advertising & Marketing

at Goldsmiths University of London

Throughout the compulsory components of the degree, you'll examine the many ways that public relations, advertising, marketing and emerging promotional specialisms are represented in society, together with the skills and techniques enacted by practitioners in their day-to-day roles. You will be encouraged to develop your critical and analytical skills, but also to think creatively and become more confident in your academic judgment. 

Goldsmiths prides itself on its innovative and critical approaches, and you will be encouraged to immerse yourself in its wider intellectual environment to deepen your understanding of the cultural infrastructure surrounding PR, Advertising, Marketing and other promotional work.

Compulsory modules

Module title    

• Promotional Media I: Changing Fields & Contexts    
• Promotional Media II: Campaign Skills & Techniques  
• You will also complete a 12,000-word dissertation (60 credits).

Option modules
In addition to the compulsory modules and the dissertation, you will also choose 60 credits worth of optional modules from across different departments.

Choices made by current MA Promotional Media students include: 

• Campaign Skills; Consumer Behaviour; Critical Social Media Practices; Design Methods and Processes; Digital Culture; Film Producing Fundamentals; Internet Governance and its Critics; Journalism in Context; Marketing Strategy; Media Law and Ethics; Media Ritual and Contemporary Public Cultures; Music as Communication and Creative Practice; Online News Reporting; Media Systems, Media Ecologies and Turbulence; Promotional Culture; Social Media in Everyday Life; Software Studies; Structure of Political Communication; and Understanding the UK Media Industries.

You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least upper second class standard in a relevant/related subject. 

You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have extensive, relevant professional experience in PR, Advertising or Marketing, and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.

International qualifications
We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2022/2023 academic year.

• Home - full-time: £9260
• International - full-time: £18290

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time if you require a Student Visa, however this is currently being reviewed and will be confirmed in the new year. Please read our visa guidance in the interim for more information. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

Our students acquire general transferable skills, including critical thinking, pattern recognition, research skills, and career management. 

Specific transferable skills for the promotional industries include: message framing; storytelling and narrative construction; segmentation, measurement and evaluation; professional ethics and regulatory standards. 

MA Promotional Media graduates work across disciplines and countries in wide-ranging roles, including: account executives, content marketers, corporate communicators, digital copywriters, event managers, government communicators, product managers, media buyers, media planners, marketing officers, programmatic advertising executives, SEO analysts, social media community managers, sponsorship coordinators and UI/UX copywriters.