BNU Student work Royal Mail Creative Advertising

BA (Hons) Creative Advertising

UCAS CODE: WN25 (Full-time) or WN24 (Foundation Year)
TARIFF: 88 - 112 (Full-time) or 32 - 56 (Foundation Year)
  • Study Mode: Full Time
  • Location: High Wycombe
  • Duration: Three or Four Years
  • Start Date: September 2024

You can also study this course:

Are you seeking a career where you are actively encouraged to break the rules, ask why, and explore even the most outlandish ideas? If so, a role in Creative Advertisement could be the right path for you. Your curious mind will find a home from home on this course. You’ll learn how to channel your way with words or your unique art directional style to solve live briefs and create compelling campaigns.
Benefit from over 30 years of experience as an advertising course and a teaching army of advertising gurus, both past and present. Together, we will transform you into a clever-thinking idea machine and a future advertising star.
Stay updated with all our latest Creative Advertising news by following @adschoolbucks
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Why Study BA (Hons) Creative Advertising at BNU? 

The Creative Advertising degree is widely recognised by the sector with a reputation built up over twenty-five years collaborating with agencies, it is a successful collaboration between education and industry, and staff are always creating new opportunities for students to engage with the best creatives and strategists. These include live briefs, agency visits, crits, industry-focused modules and work experience in the second and third years.

We also often have our army of alumni students, the BNU Mafia as they are affectionately known, constantly return to give tutorials, workshops, mentoring, advice, placements, internships and jobs.

Led by a dedicated and experienced course team, made up of tutors with decades of advertising experience, you’ll benefit from their industry knowledge and the industry links they bring to the course. 

Benefit from our mentor scheme, MyMentor, where, every 3rd year gets a working mentor, usually a BNU alumni, who are currently employed in a top agency. They are tailored to each student’s chosen creative discipline, copywriter, art director, creative team, planning, or digital. They will work with you to help shape your book, teach you interview techniques to use, and how to negotiate agency networking.

During your time studying Creative Advertising at BNU, you’ll could have the opportunity to gain placements, internships and even jobs. Majority of our students will have either of had at least one placement or an internship lined up upon graduation. 

Students are also encouraged to get involved with industry awards, including D&AD New Blood Awards and Young Creative Network Awards. All this adds to the employability of our students. In 2022 our students won two D&AD New Blood Pencils and 2023 saw our students bring home four.

As a Creative Advertising student, you are only 30 minutes from the hustle and bustle of one of the worlds’ most exciting adland communities, London. With the course you’ll get the opportunity to visit top agencies, industry events and museums and galleries. 

The course also offers opportunities to travel and study abroad. Past trips have been taken to European cities and New York; the latter enables you to experience advertising agencies and get insights into the international industries. There are also opportunities for exchanges with other universities globally.

The advertising course is located within the School of Art, Design and Performance, giving you access to a community of creative learners and diverse resources to help you achieve your creative outcomes. These include:

  • Mac Suites with Adobe Creative Cloud
  • laser cutting and 3D printing workshops
  • printmaking workshops
  • photography studios
  • editing and production facilities (including green screen)
  • And library.

To aid your development you will learn practical skills and experience both digital and traditional processes and technologies. Photography and film making are integral to most things we do.

How bad do you want it - Creative Advertising

What will I study? 

Advertising is a global business, with new creative ideas being constantly in demand. Meaning there is a flow of opportunities for fresh talent. 

Whether you want to create those unforgettable Christmas ads, brand awareness pieces or social-change campaigns, this course will give you the skills you need to create a book ready to blow-away agencies all of the UK and the world.

On this creative advertising course, we have a reputation for nurturing creative individuals able to think on their feet and adapt to an industry in a constant state of change. You’ll join a community of intuitive thinkers who look at everything, challenge boundaries and invent innovative and engaging solutions to advertising problems.

The course sets about developing you as individuals, helping you to think in different ways and voice your opinions for effect. We’ll encourage you to experiment and push your ideas and concepts, and gain in confidence when taking risks. You'll have every opportunity to improve your skills and not worry about getting things wrong. Making mistakes is an important part of the creative process.

You will learn to apply creative problem-solving to create targeted and innovative communications and solutions to a diversity of briefs. Above all you will be able to create engaging and compelling campaigns.

This course is also offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme.

It’s quite simply the best advertising course on offer. Going to BNU felt like you were part of one big family. Still to this day someone will introduce themselves as being ‘from BNU’. It gives you a great sense of family and community. And as a student I loved the close proximity to London, it meant getting in to meet people in the industry was easy.
Simon Lloyd
Simon Lloyd

How will I be taught and assessed?

Being in agencies on a regular basis, getting your work noticed and your voice heard is by far the best way to land your ideal job in advertising. Some of the best ideas come from people who push the boundaries. Our critique sessions prepare you for the challenges of the agency world - how to pitch and how to deal with knock backs. For this reason, from year one, you will be in agencies presenting your ideas to creatives and strategists.

You’ll only be taught by agency professionals both as dedicated tutors and visiting guests. They will help develop you as individuals, helping you think in different ways and voice your opinions for effect. You will gain a better understanding of people and gain insights into how they think, behave and act, through creative and strategic workshops, real live briefs, inspirational talks, agency visits, work experience and major competitions.

Collaboration is key and throughout your three years you will get the opportunity to work with students from across the university. If you need a film maker, the Film & TV course has a rich supply. If you need help making your ideas look great, our Graphic Design students will help bring your concepts to life.

After graduating, many of our former students stay involved, sometimes running workshops to help give you an insight into the industry. Some of our graduates are now Creative Directors at Saatchi & SaatchiBBHVCCPMotherTBWA and Droga5. This is a hugely supportive network of past students always willing to help BNU students.

“I have loved my time at BNU. With so many industry connections, we were given such a great opportunity to meet people and build contacts within the industry. Each year teaches you something different about being a creative and that has been of great value. The two-week placements we are given in the 2nd and 3rd year have been a great way for us to get some experience and learn more about the industry. As a whole, the course has led us into the industry and provided some amazing opportunities that have given the best path possible. The rest is up to us!”
Katie Bird
Katie Bird
Creative advertising student work
Useful Documents

BA (Hons) Creative Advertising Programme Specification

BA (Hons) Creative Advertising Interview Guide

BA (Hons) Creative Advertising Additional Course Costs

Creative Advertising class with students and lecturer
Creative Advertising student at laptop

What are the course entry requirements?

A typical offer will require a UCAS tariff score of: 88 - 112 (Full-time) or 32 - 56 (Foundation Year)

UCAS points can be obtained through qualifications such as A levels, T levels, BTEC or an Access to Higher Education course in a relevant subject. Please list all your qualifications on the application form as you will be asked to provide copies when we receive your application.

Every application is considered on an individual basis. On review of your application, you may be invited for an interview and portfolio review.

Applicants will need to complete an interview and/or demonstrate portfolio work, further guidance is given on the interview and portfolio advice pages.

For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements for the three-year undergraduate programme, or those who do not feel fully prepared for a degree course, can apply for a four-year programme including a Foundation Year. 

Modules

This provides a guide of the modules that make up your course. You can find more information about how your course is structured on our Academic Advice section.

This course has Opportunity modules.

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in your first year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers. Find out more.

What are the tuition fees

Home

Home, Academic Year 2024 - 2025

£9,250 per year

International

Overseas/International, Academic Year 2024 - 2025

£15,150 per year

Additional course costs and financial support

Most courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees.
You could benefit from financial support through a bursary or scholarship during your time as a student. For more details visit our financial support, bursaries and scholarships section.

Questions about fees?

If you have any questions about the fees above, contact our Enquiries team by calling 0330 123 2023 or emailing advice@bnu.ac.uk.

What are my career prospects? 

Throughout your time with us we’ll support you on the route to your chosen career. We’ll help you to develop crucial skills, encouraging you to become enterprising, employable and good leaders. Our Careers and Employability Team also help you find employment after graduation.

Only talent, personality and timing will land you a job or a choice placement. However, being a BNU student you will have extensive engagement with industry which will certainly help to get your foot in the door. And having an ad degree will just boost those chances. 

Our BA (Hons) Creative Advertising course will help prepare you for a range of career possibilities, such as:

  • Creative
  • Copywriter
  • Art Director
  • Designer
  • Planner
  • Strategist
  • Account handler
  • Graphic Designer
  • Producer
  • Marketing Manager
  • Social Media Manager.

You may also wish to stay on at Buckinghamshire New University and study a full-time or part-time postgraduate course, such as our MA Advertising degree.

I could not have asked for any more from my degree course. It has set me up for exactly what I wanted to do in my career.
Marc Reed
Marc Reed Creative advertising alumni

Course leader

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Andy Imrie
  • Senior Lecturer
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Dr Elisavet Kalpaxi
  • Senior Lecturer
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Nick Wiltshire
  • Technician Demonstrator
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Joseph Davies
  • Technical Tutor
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Greg Martin
  • Senior Lecturer
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Rupert Hammerton-Fraser
  • Technical Demonstrator
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BA (Hons) Creative Advertising
BA (Hons) Creative Advertising with Foundation Year