BA (Hons) Creative Advertising (Top-up)
- Study Mode: Full Time
- Location: High Wycombe
- Duration: One Year
- Start Date: September 2025
You can also study this course:
Completed a foundation-level degree, HND, or equivalent qualifications in a relevant Art and Design subject? Top-up your studies to gain a full bachelor’s degree in Creative Advertising.
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.
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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.
A top-up degree is the equivalent of the final year of an undergraduate degree, and offers a chance to deepen your knowledge, skills and understanding of your subject, while also getting an internationally-recognised qualification.
If you have completed a foundation-level degree, HND, or equivalent qualifications in a relevant Art and Design subject, you can choose to top-up your studies to gain a full bachelor’s degree.
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.
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 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.
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.
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, 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.
To achieve the full BA (Hons) in Creative Advertising you’ll need to complete the modules listed, as well as a major project and a dissertation.
The major project and dissertation will allow you to investigate a topic important to you within advertising. You will cover the whole research process, undertaking empirical investigation and analysis. You will be allocated a dissertation supervisor, who will offer support and advice.
“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
What are the course entry requirements?
This programme is offered as a top-up qualification for students who have completed a HND, FDA, or other equivalent qualification in a relevant Art and Design subject, and wish to progress further to achieve an Honours degree.
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.
What are the tuition fees
Home
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Home, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £9,535 per year *
International
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Overseas/International, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £15,150 per year *
Following the Government’s announcement of 4 November 2024, we will be increasing our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for UK students to £9,535 per year from the start of the 2025/26 academic year. Our part-time fees for UK undergraduate students will increase to £7,145 per annum. Please visit , on the Government’s website, for more information about the changes.
Tuition fees for Home undergraduate students (including with foundation year) may increase in subsequent years for both new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by the Government.
Tuition fees for both new and continuing international students may be subject to an inflationary increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period to 31 January each year.
Tuition fees for postgraduate courses and CPD may be subject to an inflationary increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period to 31 January each year. This increase will apply to both new and continuing students.
We understand, and really appreciate, the significant financial commitment our students make when they choose to study at BNU. We take our responsibilities to our students very seriously, and are ambitious for each to reach their full potential and succeed in their chosen career. Our fees help us to continue providing our students with a high-quality education, and to invest in the services and facilities which create an excellent student experience at BNU.
The following factors will be considered by the University when we set the annual fees: measures of inflation such as the retail price indices; projected increases in University costs; and any changes in the level of funding for teaching received from the Government.
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.
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