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School of Applied Linguistics

BA in Communication and Media Studies

Are you interested in working in the media industry? In the BA in Communication and Media Studies, you learn how to tell stories, shape brands and motivate communities.

Do you have a burning desire to produce multimedia stories? Would you like to hone your public communication skills? Or do you have a yearning to get involved in investigative research and make a difference in society? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, the BA in Communication and Media Studies is the perfect programme for you. Regardless of whether you are looking for a career in journalism, marketing or corporate communication, this programme brings communication to life.

Our BA in Communication and Media Studies enables you to gain all the skills you need to succeed professionally in the world of communication and media, regardless of whether you are working on digital channels or find yourself in front of a camera or behind a microphone. You learn to write in a stylistically assured manner and develop design solutions that are tailored specifically to their target group. Upon graduating, you will also be ready to produce audiovisual content, tell multimedia stories and present with confidence. Drawing from state-of-the-art technologies, tools and trends, we provide our students with technical knowledge and encourage them to think critically and be creative in how they use new technological advances.

Career

Your Bachelor’s degree will open up a wide range of opportunities in the communication and media industry:

Journalists deliver relevant information to the public across various channels, moderate the public discourse and present complex topics in an understandable manner.

Communication officers utilise all channels and in different formats to shape the image of companies and organisations and keep employees up to date

Content marketing managers bring brands to life, inform and entertain communities and interact with them on platforms such as social media, websites and apps.

In all professional fields, a gift for languages, creativity and a flair for current trends and new technologies are crucial.

What our graduates say

Programme

In seminars, lectures, newsrooms, hands-on workshops and the MediaLab, you learn and receive training in the following areas, among others:

Specialisations

Our Journalism, Corporate Communications and Content Marketing specialisations will allow you to fine-tune your profile and equip you with the skill set you need to succeed in the professional world.

Journalism

Students expand their skills in the areas of digital storytelling and multimodal production. They acquire in-depth knowledge of research and fact-checking, which enables them to work in an investigative manner. They also learn how to present themselves confidently in interview situations and develop stories.

Corporate Communications

Students expand their skills in developing PR strategies and campaigns, multimedia storytelling, community management and professional writing – always keeping an eye on the latest technologies. They also understand what is involved in internal and external communication.

Content Marketing

Using state-of-the-art technologies, students learn to plan and produce attractive multimedia content for social media, websites and apps. In the process, they gain in-depth skills in the area of content strategy. They also train in the fields of cross-media and trans-media storytelling and UX writing.

The MediaLab

The MediaLab is an incubator for ideas and innovation. It provides space for our students to deal with digital technologies, social trends and new formats and to realise projects in the professional fields of journalism, communication and content marketing. Students benefit from coaching and supervision as well as wide-ranging expert knowledge as they work on their own projects or fulfil client requests. This allows them to learn how to think and act entrepreneurially and experience what it is like to collaborate as part of interdisciplinary teams.

Insights into the degree programme

At a glance

Before the study


During the study

  • Programme start: autumn
  • Location: Winterthur, centrally located near the train station
  • Number of credits: 180 ECTS credits
  • Duration: 6 semesters (full-time) or 8 semesters (part-time)
  • Legal basis: academic regulations and annex (in German)

After the study

Admission

Admission requirements

To be admitted for enrolment in this programme, you will need to meet the following requirements:

  1. Present either a Swiss higher secondary education certificate (Matura) – which may be either a Swiss general baccalaureate (in German, “gymnasiale Maturität”), a Swiss specialist baccalaureate (in German, “Fachmaturität”), a Swiss vocational baccalaureate (in German, “Berufsmaturität”) – or an equivalent qualification from another country.
  2. Pass the aptitude test.

You are not required to demonstrate practical professional experience (e.g. a year of work experience) in order to be admitted to the BA in Communication and Media Studies.

Exceptions to this rule exist for the following higher education degree certificates:

Admissions procedure

Students on the BA in Communication and Media Studies are required to have above-average language skills. In addition to meeting the general admission requirements for a Bachelor's degree programme by holding a Swiss higher secondary education certificate (Matura), candidates must also pass an aptitude test in order to be admitted to the BA in Communication and Media Studies.

In this aptitude test, the language skills relevant to the degree programme are examined. The test language is German. The test takes four hours and costs CHF 200. The written test comprises several parts and examines language knowledge and situation-specific communication. The test is held at the IAM in Winterthur.

For prospective students outside Switzerland

Regular degree programme at the ZHAW with a foreign university entrance qualification

If you have gained a foreign qualification either abroad or in Switzerland which allows you access to higher education (e.g. Abitur or International Baccalaureate), please submit the documents requested by the academic office responsible for the degree programme you have chosen so that your qualification can be checked for equivalency. This equivalency recognition process follows the Guidelines on Equivalency Recognition for Bachelor’s Degree Programmes and takes place after your application has been submitted. If you have any questions, please contact the academic office. There are no quotas on students from other countries.