International Communication Management - English - 3 years - Full-time
How do big brands like Patagonia and Toms capture the public imagination? How has Unilever convinced investors that sustainability is good for business? On ICM you’ll learn to have a positive influence with real-life experiences. How a marketing communications specialist can strengthen relationships with consumers and a PR professional can win back trust with actions rather than words. You’ll apply critical thinking and hands on skills. Group projects in the first two years will train you how to advise real companies on their communication strategies. An optional five month internationally orientated internship will develop your social awareness and integrity for the global workplace.
Structure of International Communication Management - English - 3 years - Full-time
Lectures
20hours per week
Self-study
20hours per week
Projects
10hours per week
Study credits
60in year one
Year 1
The first year is the foundation (propaedeutic) year
At ICM we do things differently. Most universities focus on communication theory in the first year, but we’ll expose you to a regional, national, and international network. You’ll join a dynamic classroom working with new friends from different continents and cultural backgrounds. Theory becomes reality as you delve into world affairs from different angles and solve complex global issues. In the introductory Global Issues, Media and Society course, we focus on how communication plays a key part in social changes. Organisational Communication gives an integrated perspective on stakeholder relations and internal, corporate, intercultural and marketing communication. During the second semester, you’ll work on an entrepreneurial group Design Thinking Project where you’ll resolve a communication issue for an external organisation. Previously, students worked with the National Institute for Traffic Safety to help prevent bike accidents caused using smartphone technology.
Timetable
Year 2
Delve deeper
Year 2 of ICM is all about putting your critical skills into practice with a large multinational, SME, or government body. You’ll take on the role of a communication advisor and further your knowledge on courses such as Media Relations, Advisory Skills and Public Communication. As well as working in our international classroom, you’ll experience a global environment on an exchange. We have a huge regional, national and international network and 100 partner universities in Latin America, Japan, USA, UK, Indonesia, South Africa, Australia and more. Not only will you experience a change in scenery, you’ll broaden your horizons with an eclectic choice of courses in an international classroom. You’ll also have the chance to follow minors at THUAS or another Dutch educational institution.
Timetable
Year 3
Internship and graduation
It’s the year of the ‘dreaded’ thesis! Well, that might be the case if you were to write a 30,000-word masterpiece on a boring subject. At ICM, you’ll get a taste of the real working world. You’ll learn to balance a five-month internship at a national or international company with your final paper - and social life. But don’t worry, we’ll make sure that you’ve got everything covered beforehand. In the first semester, we prepare you for this challenge in Placement Survival Skills. You could write your dissertation while learning about social media and project management at a digital agency, or promoting brands in-store for the marketing team at a multinational. It’s a great way to get a foot on the ladder – as well as an opportunity for creativity and personal development. That’s probably why many ICM students get a job offer and a good salary after their internship.
Timetable
Testimonials
About her internship
Anastasia Alipova
"I’m working for one of Kimberly-Clark’s big multinational brands, Huggies, in Moscow. I help out with the promotion strategy for new products. I also give presentations and go on field trips to the stores to check how the product is being sold. I believe that doing an internship at a well-known multinational company will boost my practical and professional skills as well as preparing me for my third year placement. The marketing team gives me opportunity for personal development, creation and thought. It’s great as you meet new people and gain an insight into your future professional field. It has definitely been an interesting start to my professional career."
My placement experience
Lena Kollega
"I’m doing my internship at a digital agency called PUSHH in Hamburg, Germany. It was quite a transition to live and work in a German environment. My internship is all about project management and social media, from editorial planning to cost estimates. So far, ICM has pretty much covered it all. PUSHH is a small, employee-friendly agency. There are four office dogs and no hierarchy. Employees are free to work from home and during the summer months PUSHH will try out a new working hours model, allowing us to work four days, which I am really excited about. So far, it has been quite challenging to balance a 40-hour-week internship, social life and writing a final paper at the same time, but I guess as long as you plan well, you can do it."
Minors
Shape your degree
Our ICM students enter the workforce ready to conquer the world. Minors give your ICM degree an edge. And the list is endless. You might want to learn new media relations and journalism skills, how to handle press queries as a PR officer, or corporate social responsibility in the public sector. Over half of our ICM students go global and take minors at one of our partner universities in countries like Japan, the UK, Korea or USA. In the Entrepreneurship minor, four students took a fresh approach to communication and designed the 'Green Spoon' to communicate how easy it can be to reduce plastic waste and protect the planet.
Working methods
Lectures, seminars, study visits, self-study, group activities and project work
The world needs ‘doers’ not philosophers. And that’s what stands ICM apart from theoretical courses at academic universities. This means you won’t just do general mass communication theory, you’ll learn how to make well-thought-out decisions and challenge ideas. From both entrepreneurial and socially responsible perspectives. ICM encourages you to adapt to an ever-changing world and equips you to become a ‘manager of change’.
Contact the study
Contact a student
You can email one of our students
Jane Hang Hoang
Hello, my name is Jane Hang Hoang and I am a first year International Communication Management student. Originally, I am from Vietnam. About myself, I love traveling and capture the beauty of the world with my camera. Do you have any questions regarding the application, scholarship, life and study in the Netherlands, feel free to contact me. I'm willing to help and share my experience. I would do my best and email you back as soon as possible!
Assistance during your studies
Study coaching and advice
We assume your time at ICM will run smoothly. However, we do offer personal assistance if you are experiencing any study problems. In the first year, you’ll be allocated a coach who can help you keep track of your study progress. They can help you improve your time management skills, or find the right people within the programme to answer more complicated questions. They will also support you if you have any personal problems that can adversely affect your schoolwork.
Collect ECTS
Binding Study Advice (BSA)
To continue your degree programme after the first year, you need to earn 50 of the 60 credits (ECTS). Some degree programmes also set other requirements to pass onto the second year of the course. This could, for example, be a specific subject that you must pass and that counts towards the 50 credits. We call this a qualitative requirement. If you meet the credit requirements as well as the qualitative requirement where applicable, you will receive a positive binding study advice (BSA) from the Examination Board at the end of your first year.
If you earn less than 50 credits and do not meet the qualitative requirements where applicable, you will receive a binding negative study advice and will have to leave the degree programme. This is why this advice is called a Binding Negative Study Advice (NBSA).
Your academic progress may be affected by personal circumstances such as illness or the professional practice of a sport. It is important that you inform the Examination Board immediately of any personal circumstances that might apply to you. The Board can take these into account when issuing its study advice.
Read all the rules for the binding study advice in Chapter 7 of the Programme and Examination Regulations (PER) for your degree programme.