Communication Strategy and Practice
Qualifications
Overview
Media and communication have a powerful impact on business reputation, consumer behaviour, and social action. Without professional communicators to devise communication strategies and manage relationships, organisations are weaker and vulnerable. Accessible, appealing, and well-planned communication are at the heart of effective business, government, and community.
Students in the Communication Strategy and Practice major will learn how to produce content for a range of platforms, how to plan and manage campaigns, and how to evaluate risks. They will learn how to communicate complex information to the wider public community, for example translating data or research in economics, science, health, and technology; advertising a product; explaining corporate goals; assessing risk and reputational communication for an organisation; and creating material for media such as websites, apps, and brochures.
The Bachelor of Communication is an applied skills degree where students do real-world projects to develop their communications skills, and learn through a variety of media technologies.
- UC has an international reputation for its experts in Media and Communication and Journalism research. Our staff are actively involved in critical analysis of media in Aotearoa New Zealand, radio and television journalism, social media practice and ethics, activist and social change communications, and crisis communications.
- UC frequently hosts media and communication professors from other leading international partners, offering guest lectures to BC students. Some examples include fellows from Cardiff University, University of Florida, George Washington University, University of Helsinki, University of Bradford, and the Danish School of Media and Journalism.
- Students will have many opportunities to practically apply their skills to real-world creative projects through their final year courses. They may also complete other industry campaigns or internships through local businesses arranged by UC.
- This flexible degree allows students to take elective courses that will further shape their communications skills, for example in advertising, community engagement, business entrepreneurship, and linguistics.
This major is open to all students and no previous study is required. However, secondary school studies in English, business studies, social studies, and media studies are particularly useful. A good standard of oral and written English is important.
Students will take 165 points of compulsory courses for the Bachelor of Communication throughout their degree.
Courses towards Communication Strategy and Practice begin in your second year, and offer advanced applied practice in creative project management, analysing and interpreting data, cultural and social influences on media, consumer marketing psychology, and reputational communications for business.
Year 2
- COMS 204 Advertising and Cultural Consumption
- COMS 232 Risk and Crisis Communication (offered in 2020 – this course will cover detailed planning of communications in situations of disaster, company reputation, health and safety, and other types of risk. This includes skills in public relations, data analysis, and crafting of public messaging.)
- MKTG 204 Consumer Behaviour
Year 3
- COMS 320 Strategic Campaign Development
- MGMT 330 Communication Management
- MKTG 315 Marketing for Behavioural Change
The other points are made up of optional courses from the Bachelor of Arts Schedule B (at least 30 points) and optional courses from any bachelor’s degrees at UC.
Students may find taking courses in Digital Humanities, Psychology, English, Marketing, and Management alongside their major particularly useful.
With real-world experiences in a variety of strategic communication fields, graduates will be well-suited to a wide range of roles where strong communicators are needed in both public-facing and internal situations. Graduates will be particularly suited to business management and marketing, creative media industries, non-profits, start-ups, government, and client-focused organisations.
Their skills in written communications, public conferences, marketing imagery and video, social media, and editing can lead to work as consultants, advisors, internal business communicators, stakeholder engagement coordinators, project or events managers, technical writers, editors, publishers, content creators, and within customer service.
Find out more about what you can do with a degree from UC.
Contact us
School of Language, Social and Political Sciences
Phone +64 3 369 3377
Email artsdegreeadvice@canterbury.ac.nz
Location
6th Floor, Locke Building – see campus maps
Postal address
College of Arts | Te Rāngai Toi Tangata
University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand
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