How long is the BA in Communication Studies?

Three years full-time, with part-time and accelerated online routes. The BA in Communication Studies offers a placement year extending the degree to four years for placement experience.

Can the BA in Communication Studies be studied online?

Yes. The BA in Communication Studies runs synchronous seminar streams online across UK and APAC time zones, plus a self-paced distance-learning route with shared dissertation supervision.

Is the BA in Communication Studies recognised by UK employers?

Yes. The BA in Communication Studies is a UK-accredited honours degree reviewed by CIPR-affiliated and Society of Editors-affiliated tutors, with capstone dissertations supervised by applied practitioners.

What are the entry requirements for the BA in Communication Studies?

BBC at A-level (or IB 28, BTEC DMM), GCSE English at grade 5 and Maths at grade 4, plus IELTS 6.5 for international applicants to the BA in Communication Studies. Mature applicants welcome.

What does the BA in Communication Studies cost?

Tuition for the BA in Communication Studies varies by route and domicile. Contact LSCT admissions for the current schedule and scholarship guidance for international applicants.

BA in Communication Studies — London Campus | LSCT | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BA in Communication Studies at the London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a three-year undergraduate degree examining how communication shapes culture, organisations, politics and personal interaction. Sitting in the Media, Journalism & Communication department, the degree blends classical communications theory with the contemporary disciplines that flow from it: media studies, organisational communication, digital and political communication.

You will work across multiple genres of communication output, complete a structured placement with a media, NGO or corporate-comms partner, and produce a 10,000-word dissertation defended in viva. Online, on-campus and distance routes are available from the September 2026 intake. The UK communications sector is operating under the Online Safety Act 2023, an expanded Ofcom remit and CIPR's evolving professional standards — and the syllabus is calibrated each year so the work you produce maps to what in-house teams and agencies are actually commissioning.

Key Features

UK-accredited BA honours degree with curriculum reviewed by CIPR-affiliated and Society of Editors-affiliated tutors.
Three study modes with shared seminar streams across UK and APAC time zones.
Placement strand in year two — newsroom, agency, NGO comms or corporate comms.
Political communication module built around live UK case studies, including Westminster lobby briefings and party-conference media operations.
Digital communications strand covering platforms, algorithms and creator culture.
Dissertation supervised by a tutor with applied communications experience.
CIPR student affiliation with access to the Institute's CPD events and central-London networking series.

What You Will Learn

The degree organises communication studies into four working strands: communication theory, media analysis, organisational and political communication, and digital communication. You will graduate able to analyse a media artefact, write a campaign brief, evaluate an organisational comms cascade, and read a platform's algorithmic effect critically.

Communication theory — encoding, framing, agenda-setting
Media studies and audience analysis
Organisational communication and internal comms
Political communication and public sphere theory
Digital and platform communications
Intercultural and global communication
Communication research methods
Communication ethics, AI and disinformation
Persuasion, rhetoric and discourse
Crisis communication and reputation management

Assessment combines essays, a quantitative media-effects portfolio, a campaign brief built against a real UK client problem, a placement reflective report and the final 10,000-word dissertation. Coursework is moderated against CIPR's professional capabilities framework and Society of Editors editorial standards so the artefacts you graduate with map to what UK in-house teams and consultancies expect of a first-year junior.

Who This Course Is For

A-level leavers exploring a broad career across comms, media and policy.
International students seeking a UK BA with communications breadth.
Working communications assistants formalising practice with theory.
Career switchers entering communications from any prior background.
Aspiring public-affairs and political-press-office candidates wanting a Westminster-adjacent education.

Career Pathways

Graduates work across UK communications, media, public-sector comms, charities and corporate communications, with consistent demand from London in-house teams and the wider South East agency market. The UK PR and communications sector now employs over 100,000 practitioners, with graduate entry salaries in central London typically sitting between £24,000 and £30,000 and senior account-executive pay reaching the high thirties within three years. Typical destinations include:

Communications Officer (in-house)
Content Strategist
Press Officer (public sector, NGO)
Digital Editor
Internal Communications Specialist
Public Affairs Researcher

The degree articulates into the MA in Public Relations or related Master's routes in media and communications at LSCT and across the UK higher-education sector. Graduates typically progress into junior communications, press and content roles within months of completion, with London-based graduate-comms salaries sitting in the entry-to-mid band of the UK communications labour market and progression accelerating once a defended dissertation portfolio is held.

Assessment Approach for the BA in Communication Studies

The BA in Communication Studies is assessed through a mix of theoretical essays, a quantitative media-effects portfolio, a real-client campaign brief, a placement reflective study and a final 10,000-word dissertation defended in viva. Each artefact is marked against a written rubric drawn from CIPR professional capability frameworks and Society of Editors editorial standards. Students leave with a portfolio recognisable to UK in-house and agency comms hiring managers, alongside the academic record to progress into postgraduate study.

Entry Requirements

Three A-levels at grades BBC or above, or an equivalent UK / international qualification (IB 28+, BTEC DMM, Foundation Year pass).
GCSE English Language at grade 5/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or equivalent).
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
A personal statement showing curiosity about how communication shapes the world; mature applicants (21+) may apply with a portfolio of communication output and a short interview.

Why Study at LSCT

The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom — and our students use that proximity in their projects, placements and graduate job hunts. Communication-studies students sit live political-communication case studies covering Westminster lobby briefings within walking distance, and the CIPR's London headquarters and Society of Editors hosting venues are part of the regular guest-lecture circuit.

Apply for the BA in Communication Studies

The BA in Communication Studies is built to launch your career in the Media, Journalism & Communication sector. Click Enrol Now to submit your application; admissions reply within one working day with placement guidance.