Bachelor/Master of Arts in Medical Journalism and Public Relations (BA/MA)

5 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Danube Private University

Program Overview

The Bachelor/Master of Arts in Medical Journalism and Public Relations (BA/MA) at Danube Private University (DPU) is a practice-oriented program that blends journalism, public relations, and a strong medical foundation, preparing you to become a skilled mediator and critical observer in healthcare communication. It's ideal for those passionate about health topics who want to work as journalists, PR specialists, or consultants in medical fields, with hands-on internships and renowned lecturers ensuring you're ready for real-world roles in companies, media, or institutions.

Curriculum Structure
Years 1-3 (Bachelor's Phase, 6 Semesters Total):
In the early years of the Bachelor's program, you'll build a solid base by diving into 80 ECTS credits each in Medicine and Journalism/Public Relations, starting with essential medical sciences and journalistic fundamentals to grasp complex health issues ethically. You'll tackle practical skills through modules focused on media theory, PR strategies, and health reporting, all while completing internships in editorial offices or healthcare PR departments as a prerequisite and ongoing requirement. This phase culminates in a 10 ECTS Bachelor's thesis and additional internship assessments, totaling 180 ECTS, so by graduation, you're equipped to handle socio-medical stories responsibly.

Years 4-5 (Master's Phase, 4 Semesters Total):
Advancing to the Master's, you'll engage in six specialized modules in Journalism and Public Relations (100 ECTS total), deepening your expertise in advanced medical communication, ethical reporting, and strategic PR for healthcare. Key modules emphasize professional methods, media influences, and organizational aspects of medical journalism, supervised by academics and practitioners, alongside a mandatory two-month professional internship. The program wraps with a 20 ECTS Master's thesis based on an academic project, honing your ability to produce high-level work for health media or corporate communications.

Focus Areas:
- Medical and health journalism, public relations in healthcare
- Ethical mediation of scientific and socio-practical issues
- Journalistic competencies combined with PR theory and practice

Learning Outcomes:
Graduates emerge as qualified professionals who can critically analyze medical content, communicate reliably in digital media landscapes, and apply knowledge in roles like medical journalists, communications managers, or PR consultants—especially powerful if paired with a medicine or dentistry background.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):
The BA/MA program is fully state-recognized and AQ Austria accredited as part of DPU's evaluated degree offerings, ensuring EU-wide validity and compliance with professional standards in medical communication.

Reputation (Employability):
DPU's healthcare-focused programs, including this BA/MA, serve around 3,000 students from 66 nations, with graduates thriving in journalism, PR, and health sector roles—backed by practical training from expert lecturers and official accreditation confirming top-tier preparation.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At Danube Private University (DPU), the Bachelor/Master of Arts in Medical Journalism and Public Relations (BA/MA) stands out for its hands-on approach, where you'll build real-world skills in communicating complex medical topics through access to cutting-edge facilities shared across our medical and dental programs. You'll work in modern spaces that blend tradition with tech, like seminar rooms equipped with state-of-the-art presentation tools, giving you the perfect setup to craft compelling stories, press releases, and multimedia content right from day one. This practical edge comes from DPU's excellent infrastructure for teaching, science, and research, designed to immerse you in the medical world you'll be reporting on.

Here's how you'll gain experiential learning tailored to medical journalism and PR: leveraging these facilities to simulate real media scenarios, collaborate on projects, and connect with healthcare pros:

- State-of-the-art seminar rooms and auditorium with advanced presentation technology for practicing pitches, media simulations, and public speaking on medical topics.
- Library with IT workstations and literature databases for in-depth research on health stories, accessing thousands of publications to build accurate, impactful journalism.
- Medical Simulation Centre for hands-on exposure to emergency training scenarios, inspiring authentic reporting on clinical innovations and patient care.
- Collaborations with university hospitals (Wiener Neustadt, Neunkirchen, Hochegg) for potential internships and bedside observations, letting you shadow real medical environments and network for PR placements.
- Athenäum venue for symposia, congresses, and events blending medicine, art, and culture—ideal for group projects covering live scientific exchanges with global experts.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Bachelor’s in Digital Media, Culture and Communication at the University of Klagenfurt prepares students for a wide range of careers in the fast-growing digital media and communication sector. With its focus on digital media, strategic communication, data analysis, AI and digital transformation, the degree gives graduates a flexible skill set that can be used in both Austrian and international workplaces.

Typical career paths include:

Digital Media Journalist
Corporate Communications Specialist
Social Media Marketing and Advertising Specialist
Digital Data Specialist
Opinion and Polling Researcher

The University of Klagenfurt also offers career support and opportunities to help students turn their studies into professional experience:

Career Service: Students can access individual career consultations, workshops and career events, along with support for finding work experience, part-time jobs and holiday employment.
Career preparation: The university helps students prepare for employment by providing career guidance, networking opportunities and practical experience.
Student Guidance Service: Students can receive dedicated academic guidance from the university’s Social Sciences student guidance team throughout their studies.
Employer and alumni connections: Activities such as Job Shadowing and Alumni Business Tours give students opportunities to understand professional workplaces, meet professionals and build useful career connections.
Graduation outcomes: The university highlights digital journalism, corporate communication, social media marketing and advertising, opinion research and digital data as key professional areas for graduates.
Employment and salary figures: The university does not publish programme-specific employment rates or graduate salary figures for this bachelor’s degree, so no unsupported statistics are included.
University–industry connections: Career activities such as Job Shadowing and Alumni Business Tours provide opportunities to connect with employers and professionals, although the university does not identify a specific industry partner exclusively linked to this programme.
Long-term value: The programme combines digital media, communication, data analysis, AI and digital transformation, giving graduates skills that can adapt to changes in technology and the digital communications industry.
Quality assurance: The University of Klagenfurt has EVALAG-certified quality management, providing an established university-level framework for quality assurance.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the bachelor’s degree, students can progress directly to the Master’s in Media and Convergence Management or the Master’s in Media, Communications & Culture without supplementary courses. Other postgraduate options include Game Studies and Engineering, Creative Writing and Cultures of Writing, Visual Culture, Science, Technology & Society Studies, and Applied Cultural Analysis and Transcultural Studies, although some of these options may require a small number of supplementary courses.