Language Requirement: None
Academic Standing by Program Start: Sophomore or above
Location: Europe, United Kingdom, England
GPA: 2.75

Program Overview

This 4-week program will introduce students to global strategic communication through the lens of public relations and advertising in London, United Kingdom. Students will learn through classroom instruction, lectures and visits with local practitioners, experiential excursions, and special projects designed to enhance their understanding of the global forces impacting the strategic communication industry.

Students will study at the GEO London Centre, located near the heart of the city. This program is strategically set in a metropolis with local offices of the world’s leading advertising and PR agencies. Additionally, this location is instrumental in the global marketplace with a diversity of industries that all practice public relations and advertising and are well known for entertainment and culture. 

Potential program excursions and site visits include: WE Communications, Hoffman Agency, Weber Shandwick, Hampton Court Palace, Parliament and Westminster Abbey. You can hear about one student's experience here.

Scholarships: Applicants to this program have the option to apply for a program-specific scholarship. Award recipients are chosen based on academic merit, financial need, and overall quality of their essay.  Individual awards range from $500-$2500. To be considered, the Scholarship Essay must be completed by February 15. Please refer to the Scholarship Essay instructions in the program application or speak with your GEO advisor for more details.

Dates and Deadlines

 
TermYearProgram
Deadline		Arrival DateDeparture Date
Summer20251/1/256/22/2507/19/25

This program has a rolling admission application process: GEO staff (and the program faculty leader, if applicable) will complete a review of the application materials of complete applications in the order that they are submitted (“first come, first serve”). Decisions about acceptance will be made shortly after you submit a complete application. There are some programs that fill fast, some even before the deadline. Students are encouraged to complete applications and commit to programs early.

Acceptance is based on a holistic review of your application.  This includes a review of your GPA, transcripts (including courses taken and in-progress), any additional requirements or prerequisites (see section "Additional Requirements"), and the short statement.

Hear from Our Students

Exploring PR & Advertising Agencies in London

College student standing in front of the Centre Court sign in London, United Kingdom.
Go study abroad! Best experience ever! Studying abroad gave me the opportunity to learn more about a different culture and lifestyle. It allowed to make new connections and friends. Getting to go to… read more

My Unforgettable Summer in London

Three college students holding up the University of Oregon's "O" hand sign in a farmer's market in London.
Studying abroad in London this past summer was one of the best experiences of my life! The friends and memories I made will last me a lifetime. It was truly an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime… read more

Discount for Pell Recipients

To expand access to study abroad, GEO is offering a $500 discount for this program to UO students who currently have the Pell Grant as part of their federal financial aid (FAFSA).

Academic Details

This program will give students a global perspective of strategic communication through two 4-credit courses led by one UO professor from the SOJC, and one London-based instructor. One class will serve as a J480 public relations special topics course (now a requirement for all public relations students). The other will be an SOJC upper division elective, and for advertising majors can count as J460 Brand Development, which fulfills an advertising major requirement.

Note: Students will be required to do a couple weeks of pre-work during Spring Quarter.

This intensive experience will offer public relations and advertising students an opportunity to critically analyze and compare strategic communication practices across different industries in a global marketplace. Students will expand their perspectives and gain cultural awareness about strategic communication in different cultures. Students will apply the theory and best practices learned in the classroom to cultural excursions and experiential assignments.

Note: J majors (J, JAD, JMS, and JPR) must take the courses for a grade.

Course Equivalencies

UO students: please refer to the UO Course Equivalency Process and the UO Office of the Registrar Course Equivalency Database.

Non-UO students: Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad advisor for more information.

Faculty and Staff

UO Faculty: Nikki McClaran

Nikki McClaran is an Assistant Professor of Public Relations in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. Her research explores the cognitive and social determinants of health behaviors and examines how mediated messages can be constructed to facilitate successful persuasion and message engagement. By connecting communication theory, public health, media studies, and psychology, McClaran studies the process by which media impacts people’s lives and applies this theoretical knowledge to develop messages that aim to improve well-being. Her work has addressed a variety of health topics, including vaccination, health-related illnesses, gender-based violence, sleep, and alcohol consumption, among others.

UK Faculty: Simon Goldsworthy

Simon Goldsworthy has taught communications – courses ranging from public relations, advertising and media studies through to political communication, propaganda, celebrity culture, and debates about censorship – at the University of Westminster and the American International University in London, as well as at a number of universities beyond the UK. He’s co-authored quite a few books along the way, the most recent being Public Relations Ethics: The Real-World Guide (Routledge 2021). Long before that he studied history. Then he worked at the Bank of England, later joining the UK Civil Service. There he worked in several ministries as a press officer. Afterwards he became an academic…

Housing Description

You will join a community of residents from many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, as part of life in one of the University of London residence halls. The hall is located in central London, close to the GEO Centre, the British Museum and the London Tube.

You will have your own single study bedroom and share bathrooms with other residents. All single rooms have a hand basin, fitted furniture consisting of bed (including linens), desk, chair, and storage for clothes and books. Rooms are fitted with a telephone, Wi-Fi, and data socket. 

The residence hall has study rooms, lounges, computer lab, and laundry facilities available to students. Daily breakfast is included in the program fee and is taken in the hall's cafeteria. Shared refrigerators, microwaves, and kettles are also available in the hall common areas and there are grocery stores and restaurants within walking distance.