Media and Communication BSc (Hons) – 2024 entry

If you are an international student and you don’t meet the entry requirements to this degree, we offer the International Foundation Year at the Surrey International Study Centre. Upon successful completion, you can progress to this degree course.

IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall with 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in each other element.

View the other English language qualifications that we accept.

If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.

We normally make offers in terms of grades.

If you are a suitable candidate you will be invited to an offer holder event. During your visit to the University you can find out more about the course and meet staff and students.

If you don’t meet our entry requirements, you might still be able to apply for this course with a foundation year. A course with a foundation year includes an extra year of study to prepare you for a full degree course. 

During a foundation year you’ll learn about your chosen subject, develop your study skills and get acquainted with university life. On successful completion of your foundation year, you’ll be ready to progress to the first year of your degree course.

The programme aims to provide you with knowledge of social science concepts, theories, ideas and tools. Furthermore, we want to help you develop your ability to apply this knowledge and the skills you have acquired, to the solution of theoretical and applied problems in the social sciences.

The foundation year will equip you with appropriate tools of analysis to tackle issues and problems associated with social science policy-making in a global context.

By the end of the programme you will be familiar with ethical frameworks and their repercussions for decision-making, as well as a range of generic skills that will be of value in your future career. These skills include:

• Team working
• Networking
• Independent research skills
• Building an empathetic mindset, social awareness and capacity of intelligence-based decision making
• Enhancing employability through a developing awareness of the workplace and associated skills.

Find out more about our degrees with foundation year.

Recognition of prior learning

We recognise that many students enter their higher education course with valuable knowledge and skills developed through a range of professional, vocational and community contexts. 

If this applies to you, the recognition of prior learning (RPL) process may allow you to join a course without the formal entry requirements or enter your course at a point appropriate to your previous learning and experience. 

There are restrictions on RPL a for some courses and fees may be payable for certain claims. Please see the code of practice for recognition of prior learning and prior credit: taught programmes (PDF) for further information. 

Please contact Admissions on +44 (0)1483 682222 with any queries. 

Our award-winning Professional Training programme offers you the option to spend a career-enhancing year in industry, either in the UK or abroad. We have thousands of placement providers to choose from or you can source your own placement. 

Most placements are paid, and we will support you every step of the way. 

Find out more about Professional Training placements and discover how these have transformed our students’ lives and career choices. 

Media and communication placements

Students in the Department of Sociology have gained placements at organisations including:

• Showcentral Ltd
• The Walt Disney Company Ltd
• TVB1 (Hong Kong)
• Magimix
• Wigwam PR
• Moving Picture Company
• Gloucestershire County Council.

The process of preparing and applying for placement jobs significantly enhances your job-seeking skills, which come into play in your final year and beyond when you apply for graduate employment. We have media students who have secured placements at companies including:

• The Walt Disney Company
• The Department of Culture, Media and Sport
• A+E Television Networks.

After graduation, many of our students take up permanent posts with their Professional Training placement employer. Our students tend to return to their final year significantly more confident and with enhanced career aspirations and prospects, so you are likely to be more focused, perform better and achieve better results.

Placement opportunities are selected according to your interests, career plans and location preferences. Many placements are paid, usually in the region of £12,000 - £15,000 a year.

If you choose to take an unpaid placement, you can claim additional financial support and may also work a reduced amount of time.

Applying for placements

Students are generally not placed by the University, however we offer support and guidance throughout the process alongside access to a vacancy portal representing thousands of placement opportunities each year. We also provide support if you wish to source your own placement. 

Find out more about the application process.

Please be aware there may be travel costs incurred when attending interviews and assessment centres at the placement provider’s premises.

Studying at Surry opens up a world of opportunity. We want you to take advantage of our international partnerships, explore the world and expand your skills for the graduate job market.  

Perhaps you would like to volunteer in India or learn about Brazilian business and culture in São Paulo during your summer holidays? With more than 200 partnerships, from 50 different countries worldwide, there is something for everyone. 

View our study and work abroad information to find out more and see where you can go. 

Partner institutions

You have the option of studying abroad with one of our partner universities in your second year. Studying abroad at other partners is possible for one or two semesters in your Professional Training placement. These include:

• Universitat Tubingen, Germany
• CEU San Pablo, Spain
• George Mason University, US
• University of North Carolina, Wilmington, US
• University of Virginia, US
• California State University, Los Angeles, US
• Virginia Commonwealth University, US
• Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• Seoul National University, South Korea
• Brock University, Canada
• North Carolina State University, US
• University of Central Florida, US
• University of North Texas, US
• Texas Tech University, US
• Monash University, Australia
• Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
• La Trobe University, Australia
• University of Sydney, Australia
• University of Victoria, Wellington, New Zealand
• University of Wollongong, Australia
• Hong Kong Polytechnic University.