School of Communications

Communication Strategy and Practice

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.

Career Opportunities
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.

Journalism

News media continue to expand into multiple different forms of reporting, storytelling, and media platforms, and there is a growing need for graduates with multimedia skills to handle the demand, as well as keep up to date with technologies, audience needs, and media ethics in the developing, fast-moving digital media space. We aim to produce highly competent and multi-skilled professionals who think critically about their work and care about standards.

This major sits within the Bachelor of Communication and offers applied practice in journalism and media production. You will receive intensive training in media ethics and law, news gathering and writing, research and analysis. You will also develop a range of multimedia skills, including photography, video, audio, and social and online media production.

Journalism students will also have opportunities to complete professional internships as part of their degree, through UC’s partnerships with national and local newsrooms, and other media industries.

Career Opportunities
Journalism graduates will be well prepared for work in modern newsrooms, both in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas, due to their extensive multimedia skills and ability to independently investigate and report news for online newsroom platforms, television, radio, and newspapers.

Graduates will also be suited to work in other roles in the communication and creative industries, such as a communications advisor/manager, producer, social media manager, content creator, editor, or publisher.

Political Communication

The Political Communication major within the Bachelor of Communication is an ideal major for those wanting to be directly part of the political process and help advance social change.

Students will develop key knowledge and communication skills to cover a multitude of political topics; such as policy development, international relations, public health risks, environmental issues, economical change, and foreign crises. The ability to gather and analyse data, and translate these for the public and other stakeholders, is an important component of Political Communication.

This major offers particular training in ethical media practice related to managing political communication, including crisis, risk, and reputational communications to alleviate negative reaction; engaging the community in politics; advocacy campaigns; data analytics; and an understanding of how media can impact politics, and public perceptions.

The degree’s strong emphasis in applied learning gives students the opportunity to take part in industry projects on real-world political cases, and also internship roles in local communities.

Career Opportunities
With their expertise in policies, media impact, and communicating complex information to a range of audiences, graduates of the Political Communication major are well equipped for roles in government, non-profit sectors, business, journalism, and creative communication industries. Political Communication graduates will have the ability to work in a variety of settings globally.

They would make ideal communication advisors or consultants, data analysts, political commentators, marketers, and public relations coordinators.