Bachelor of Arts in Communication

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

HAN University of Applied Sciences

Program Overview

The Bachelor's in Communication at HAN University of Applied Sciences is a hands-on, four-year program at the International School of Business that equips you with practical skills in marketing, PR, branding, and more, through real client projects, a foreign language, internships, and study abroad—perfect if you're creative, love storytelling, and want to make messages stick for global organizations. You'll graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, ready to launch into roles at ad agencies, PR firms, or corporate comms teams, building a career where every company needs your expertise to connect with audiences.

Curriculum structure
Year 1 lays a strong foundation with core communication skills and a foreign language to boost your intercultural edge. You'll dive into Marketing Communication and Branding to craft compelling brand stories, Digital Marketing for mastering online strategies, and Business Communication to communicate effectively in professional settings— all through group projects that feel like real-world work from day one.

Year 2 builds on that base with deeper dives into diverse communication areas like advertising and PR. Expect hands-on projects blending International Marketing Communications, Media Production, and Design and PR, sharpening your ability to create multimedia campaigns while honing intercultural awareness for global teams.

Year 3 shifts to real experience with an internship and study abroad, applying everything in professional environments. You'll tackle live challenges for international clients, focusing on practical tasks from the program's clusters like professional communication projects.

Year 4 caps it off with your graduation internship, solving a major communication issue for an international organization. This culmination in the G- and H-clusters lets you showcase expertise in branding, PR, and marketing on a big stage, leading straight to your degree.

Focus areas: Branding, public relations, marketing communications, digital media production, design, advertising, intercultural communication, and foreign language skills—all tied to professional tasks for international business.

Learning outcomes: You'll master effective communication for diverse audiences (customers, stakeholders, governments), create strategies using latest theories, produce media content, and gain international work experience through projects, internships, and study abroad—earning an NVAO-accredited BA ready for specialist roles.

Professional alignment (accreditation): Fully accredited by the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO), ensuring your degree is internationally recognized and aligned with communication industry standards, advised by a professional committee for relevance.

Reputation (employability rankings): HAN's International School of Business has decades of experience producing communication pros for global roles; graduates land jobs as specialists in ad agencies, PR firms, publishing, or corporate marketing/comms— with strong employability from 1 year of dedicated international experience.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At HAN University of Applied Sciences, our Bachelor's in Communication dives right into experiential learning from day one, so you build real-world skills that employers love. You'll tackle real-life projects inspired by actual industry challenges, often collaborating with our research centers to deliver results to genuine clients—think crafting campaigns for companies like Kuehne + Nagel on employer branding. In your third year, you step into a full internship at an international company, like organizing a massive campus event for ING, and your fourth year wraps with a graduation internship solving communication issues for global organizations, plus abroad study to broaden your horizons. Group projects sharpen your teamwork, communication, and leadership right from the start, all in small groups for maximum interaction.

Here's how our program equips you with hands-on tools and opportunities tailored to communication pros:
- Real-life group projects for actual clients from year one, like integrated communication campaigns with tutoring on PR, design thinking, and creative execution.
- Mandatory internships in years 3 and 4 at internationally-oriented companies via HAN's vast partner network—students rave about gaining cultural insights and CV-boosting experience.
- Projects linked to professional field, advised by a committee of communication experts to keep everything current and relevant.
- Foreign language study integrated throughout, boosting intercultural awareness alongside marketing, PR, and digital skills.

Progression & Future Opportunities

At HAN's Bachelor in Communication, you'll dive into hands-on learning right from year one, building real-world skills through projects for actual clients, internships at international companies, and a graduation assignment tackling communication challenges for organizations. This practical focus, backed by our International School of Business, means you're not just studying theory—you're applying it in marketing communications, PR, media production, and more, often collaborating with research centers or pros from the field.

This project-based approach sharpens your teamwork, leadership, and creative execution while giving you insights into global workplaces:

- Group projects for real clients: Work on campaigns like employer branding for Kuehne + Nagel or integrated communication projects, with tutoring to structure your ideas—starting in year 1 and ramping up through your graduation year.
- Two semester-long internships: One in year 3 (often abroad) and another in year 4 as your graduation internship, at internationally-oriented companies like ING where students organize events for 300 people or research AI's impact on industries.
- Company visits and guest lectures: Regular excursions to companies, NGO projects, and pros visiting your classes to share expertise on professional tasks.
- Small group work: Keeps classes interactive for better collaboration and skill-building in areas like intercultural awareness and foreign language practice.