Faculty of International Economics and Administration 
Department of International Economics and Politics

Speciality: Political and Media Marketing

Awarded qualification: Economist-marketer

Level of qualification: Bachelor

Specific admission requirements: Successfully completed secondary/higher education and successfully passed admission exams.

Specific arrangements for recognition of prior learning :
Formal: diplomas and academic transcripts from secondary schools and accredited universities.
Informal: foreign language and computer certificates and other type of competency in line with the study plan of the specialty.
Unofficial: certification exam in foreign language, IT skills or other competency before a commission at Varna Free University.
Procedures for informal and unofficial recognition of competencies from previous study:
1. Allocation of credits on the basis of submitted papers: academic transcript or a diploma for higher degree from previous study; 
- International diplomas and foreign language certificates (English- Cambridge FCE, TOEFL; GerMAN- Zertifikat Deutsch, Sprahdiplom, Zweite Stufe; Russian – ТРКИ; French- DELF; Spanish - DELE);
- International diplomas and ECDL (The European Computer Driving Licence) certificates.
2. Certification of knowledge and skills by means of taking exams in: 
- foreign languages at the Department of Foreign Language Teaching;
- IT skills at the Department of Computer Studies.

Qualification requirements and regulations: In order to get their qualification students must be allocated 240 credits - 200 credits from compulsory courses, 18 from elective courses, 12 credits from optional courses, 3 credits from pre-graduation internship and 10 credits from State Examinations (Thesis defence).

Profile of the programme: Specialists, majoring "Political and media marketing", acquire profound theoretical knowledge and practical skills in marketing strategy and marketing research in the media and political sphere and public relations. Training in this major is developed in four scientific fields: economy, journalism and public relations, political sciences, informatics and computer sciences. During this widely integral, multi-functional educational process, students acquire modern marketing, media, political and communication culture; current theoretical knowledge and practical skills in political and media strategy and marketing research, necessary for their adequate and dynamic carrier development in business and other structures, in power on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, in the EU, and on more global international scale. The range of courses of fundamental and specializing character, and the opportunity to achieve high level of language and IT training, are prerequisites to learn and apprehend important national and international practices and innovation approaches in the field of media and political marketing. In the first two years subjects are taught in a general base block, but the focus is also on special subjects – theoretically, as well as by practical training provided in media structures and public relations, political and marketing and advertizing agencies.

Key learning outcomes
Graduates from "Political and media marketing" are required to have profound knowledge in the area of media knowledge, public relations and marketing, and more specifically in the following subjects: Business and political journalism; Construction and management of corporate image; European media space; Management and marketing; Creative communication; Political and business advertising in the media; Political systems and their impact on public environment; Behavior in front of a TV camera and in a radio studio. Along with that, students are required to have built knowledge how to use in practice this rich array of knowledge, as well as developed habits to use managerial technologies with computers и PCs in their future practical activity.

Occupational profiles of graduates
A graduate from "Political and media marketing"has the following basic skills:
1. To implement integrally the acquired general theoretical, special and specialized media, political, and economical knowledge for doing marketing activities;
2. To conduct successful marketing research of the media and PR market and of the political reality, to assess the situation and elaborate marketing and advertising strategies;
3. To work out alternative marketing and advertising decisions and to evaluate their efficiency;
4. To make statistic complex analyses of the results from the marketing research in order to properly interpret and use the collected and processed information;
5. To apply contemporary managerial and information technologies;
6. To be able to make management decisions;
7. To participate as an expert in business and entrepreneurship in the media, political and advertising-and-communication sphere.

Access to further studies: Successful graduates of the Bachelor’s degree program can continue in a Master’s degree in similar major as full-time or part-time students. Bachelor degree graduates from "Political and media marketing" who have broader interests can continue their education in a Master’s degree program with other professional fields at VFU, in compliance with the terms and conditions in force.