Advertising
Kickstart your career in Advertising at USW. Work with top agencies from day one through guest speakers, real-world industry briefs and internships, all in the heart of the city.
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UCAS Code
N561
Start Date
September 2026
Location
Cardiff
Campus Code
B
UCAS Points
104
Fees
Home students: £9,790*
International students: £16,800*
UCAS Code
Start Date
September 2026
Location
Cardiff
Campus Code
B
UCAS Points
104
Fees
Home students: £804*
UCAS Code
N561
Start Date
September 2027
Location
Cardiff
Campus Code
B
UCAS Points
104
International students: £17,600*
UCAS Code
Start Date
September 2027
Location
Cardiff
Campus Code
B
UCAS Points
104
Course Overview
Discover how to turn ideas into influence, build your creative confidence and strategic skills to craft advertising that makes people stop, think, and engage.
On this course, you'll develop original ideas, master content creation and campaign production, and work on real world client briefs, all while honing your skills to appeal to consumer audiences and thinking through advertising platforms.
We are a member of CACHE (Creative Advertising Collective for Higher Education).
Why study this course?
What you'll study
In your first year, you'll smoothly transition to degree-level study.
We'll help you build your creativity, strategic thinking, and software skills, all while creating advertising and marketing concepts in a friendly, supportive studio setting.
Learn the basics of advertising with a focus on creative and business strategies, target audiences, and various platforms to kickstart your industry knowledge.
Explore how to generate and develop innovative ideas. Use research, strategic thinking, and the creative process to craft compelling campaign concepts and outcomes.
Learn to use Adobe Suite to design traditional print ad campaigns, combining written and visual elements. You'll also work on a live brief for a real client.
Master the skills to create captivating advertising content using movement, sequence, and sound. You'll produce audio ads and short-form videos designed for online platforms.
Craft engaging content for all advertising mediums, from social media and print ads to scripts and brand storytelling. Develop versatile writing skills for diverse marketing campaigns.
Part of this module can be studied through the medium of Welsh
Explore various job roles in advertising, from creative positions to business roles. Learn about agency processes and how campaigns are developed across all media platforms.
In your second year, you'll cut your teeth with real-world advertising briefs from Cardiff, the UK, and international clients, and explore various advertising roles.
You can also take part in a European exchange through the Erasmus program and get hands-on experience with industry-led work placements.
Understand consumer behaviour, lifestyles, and retail habits to grasp audience insights. Learn to choose the best media platforms to engage with them effectively for brands.
Explore cutting-edge, technology-driven advertising. Focus on experiential and digital media to create innovative campaigns that effectively engage target audiences.
Work on live briefs from top industry agencies to create integrated campaigns within real-world budgets and timelines. Your campaign could be used by the agency for their next project.
Part of this module can be studied through the medium of Welsh
Learn strategies for successful ad campaigns with a focus on account planning. Explore consumer insights, market intelligence and trend prediction to boost media planning.
Build on your first-year skills to refine and develop your ideas. Use advanced research techniques, strategic thinking, and creative methods to create an integrated campaign.
Develop your storytelling and narrative skills while learning technical techniques for creating motion-based digital ads, from social media content to cinema commercials.
Your final year is your industry-focused year, getting you ready for a career in advertising.
You'll compete in national and international contests and work closely with professionals through internships and real-world briefs, gaining hands-on experience and building your portfolio.
Respond to industry competition briefs from agencies and tackle a specialist project addressing cultural, social, and economic issues in advertising.
Create an integrated campaign with social media and cinematic content. Work with national charities to improve your film and digital editing skills via production workshops.
Carry out in-depth investigative research and create a detailed case study to support your professional project, analysing key insights and findings.
Build your professional digital portfolio and skillset while preparing for the ad industry. With support from our Careers Team, you'll be ready to tackle any role in this field.
Part of this module can be studied through the medium of Welsh
For your final project, create a self-directed, integrated media piece to showcase in your portfolio. This flagship project highlights all the skills you’ve developed.
We regularly review our courses to keep pace with changing skills and employer needs. If a review leads to significant changes, we’ll contact you to explain what’s changing for the coming year.
Teaching and Assessment
You’re in good hands at USW. The advertising course team brings extensive industry and academic experience. Specialist staff handle key modules, while our in-house tech support and workshops provide extra hands-on learning.
Study the exciting and ever-changing world of advertising in our Cardiff campus studio. Explore creative direction, consumer behaviour, and strategy while creating campaigns for both traditional and digital media. You'll have access to modern campus resources and enjoy working with peers across different courses.
You’ll be immersed in the dynamic world of advertising within a studio-based environment at the Cardiff campus. You’ll explore creative direction, consumer behaviour, and strategy while developing campaigns across traditional and digital media. Assessment is entirely coursework-based, with no exams. Instead, you’ll complete practical projects that reflect real industry briefs, building professional experience throughout the course. Each term, you’ll submit campaign concepts, presentations, and case studies.
You’ll benefit from modern facilities and collaborative opportunities, working alongside students from other courses while receiving ongoing feedback to refine your ideas and creative approach.
At USW Cardiff, industry connections are at the heart of your advertising course. You’ll meet top professionals, tackle real-world briefs, and get hands-on experience through work placements in Years 1 and 2, and internships in Year 3.
You’ll work on live briefs with agencies, receiving direct feedback and honing your skills. Past students have secured placements with local agencies like Rebel Lion and Spin Dogs and worked with brands such as Au Vodka, Nike, and Google.
Live briefs have included major brands like Amazon, Lego, Clarins, Fosters, and Pringles, and working with these projects has led to internships and job opportunities.
The course is set in the heart of the capital city, and our modern digital campus reflects this ideal location. You'll have access to top-notch Apple computers and Adobe Creative Suite. We offer inductions to 3D printers and laser cutters in our on-campus workshops, along with photography and film equipment. Plus, you can borrow specialist gear like digital cameras, lighting, and laptops.
Course Leader
Lee Thomas
Lee Thomas is the Course Leader for the BA (Hons) Advertising degree at USW, Lee leads the development and delivery of a dynamic, industry-focused curriculum. Specialising in advertising and creative strategy, his interests lie in blending practical campaign work with critical thinking. He brings valuable London based industry experience to the course development and delivery and he maintains strong connections with local and national agencies, helping students engage with live agency briefs and real-world global brands.
Lee is known for his supportive, hands-on teaching style, encouraging creativity and collaboration. His approach ensures students gain both the theoretical knowledge and professional skills needed to succeed in the evolving advertising industry.
"Advertising was the one that stuck out to me because it doesn't just cover design, you also get to learn about business. You work with so many different companies and choose your own brands to study."
Jenna Drennan, Advertising student
Entry Requirements
Additional
The University normally requires a minimum of 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.
USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.
How to applyContextual admissions policyAsk us a question104 UCAS points or above
Typical qualification requirements
A Level:
BCC
Welsh BACC:
Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales Grade C and BC at A Level
BTEC:
BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit
Access to HE:
Pass an Access to HE Diploma and obtain a minimum of 104 UCAS tariff points
T Level:
P
International applications welcomed:
We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.
International studentsPre-Sessional EnglishEnglish language requirements
International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 4 overall and a minimum of 4 in each component or equivalent.
Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.
If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.
If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.
Fees and Funding
per year
per 20 credits
Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.
Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
per year
Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.
Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
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Media Loans
Access industry-standard cameras, lighting, sound and recording gear, supported by free Media Loans and experienced technicians. We have everything you need to help you experiment, refine and bring your work to life with confidence.
How to apply
All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS
You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time).
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Apply direct
Advertising
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Full-time, 3 years
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September
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Cardiff
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Apply direct
Advertising
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Part-time, 6 years
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September
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Cardiff
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Apply direct
Advertising
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Full-time, 3 years
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September
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Cardiff
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Apply direct
Advertising
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Part-time, 6 years
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September
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Cardiff
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If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.
Applicants accepted through advanced entry may study a different combination of modules to those advertised, as they will be joining a course already in progress. You will be contacted and advised about these modules once your application has been processed and an offer made.
International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
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