Masters Degrees (Media)

The MA in Digital Media is unique in its combination of practical and theoretical approaches to contemporary media and technology- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-digital-media-technology-cultural-form/

The established and exciting degree is designed to help you understand digital transformations in media, culture and society and apply this understanding in practice, in the media and creative industries and in further research. You will be equipped with skills that can be applied to current and future developments in digital media, social media, computing and other aspects of technology.

The MA in Digital Media educates aspiring media practitioners and academics as well as early and mid-career professionals who seek to reflect on their roles in a structured and stimulating learning environment designed to give all students up-to-the-minute knowledge of digital media and the skills to apply that knowledge to future developments.

The MA offers two pathways:

-Pathway 1 is a theory programme where you learn about developments in digital media and technology from a wide range of perspectives

-Pathway 2 is a theory and practice programme where you improve your skills, understanding and experience in one of the following areas:

Documentary
Image making
Journalism
Writing

Acclaimed academics and practitioners

Benefit from the experience and expertise of one of the world’s leading media and communications departments. You'll be taught by theorists and practitioners of international standing: Sarah Kember, Joanna Zylinska, Graham Young, Tony Dowmunt, Angela Phillips, Julian Henriques and David Morley.

Work placements and internships

The MA in Digital Media regularly attracts offers of work placements and internships. Recently these have come from Google, The Science Museum and N1creative.com.

Facilities

Our students have access to state-of-the-art facilities including well-equipped lecture and seminar rooms, exhibition spaces, computer facilities and digital media suites.

The department is also currently host to the renowned philosopher of media and technology, Bernard Stiegler and students will have access to his modulein Media Philosophy as well as priority access to the innovative and popular option After New Media. Designed to complement the MA in Digital Media, this course provides a framework for thinking about the current media environment as well as future forms of human and computer interaction.

An established record

The MA in Digital Media has been redefining media theory and practice since 2004. Our students become proficient in:

the history, sociology and philosophy of digital media
the application of critical conceptual skills to specialist areas and future forms of media
multimedia skills in image making (photography, video, animation, graphic art) script writing, journalism and documentary
MA Digital Media students have access the pioneering option ‘After New Media’, a non-assessed online module which explores the themes of self mediation, ethical mediation and intelligent mediation, and develops a framework for thinking about 'life' after new media. As befits a course of this kind we will be combining media, and exploring their pedagogic potential – uniting digital-online technologies with more traditional teaching formats, such as reading groups, seminars and an end of year symposium.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Dr Sarah Kember.

Modules & Structure

The programme consists of:

Two compulsory core modules
Pathway 1 - between two and four option modules (worth 60 credits) OR
Pathway 2 - a two-term practice block (worth 30 credits) and either one or two option modules (worth 30 credits)
The dissertation or the practice/theory project

Assessment

Seen take-home paper; essays; dissertation or practice/theory project and other production work in the area of documentary, image-making, journalism or fiction.

Programme overview

This is an exciting programme which offers a critical, contextual and practical approach to digital media and technology. It problematises approaches to the 'new' media in academic and professional debate, especially those which overemphasise the potential for radical social change led by a homogenised technology itself.

The programme is defined by its resistance to technological determinism and its insistence on the importance of addressing the social and historical contexts within which a range of media technologies are employed. In order to provide a contextual framework and facilitate the conceptualisation of digital media and technologies as fully cultural forms and processes, the programme will draw on a range of disciplines including: media and cultural studies, sociology, anthropology and philosophy. However, the programme will remain focused on key contemporary concerns about the potential role of digital media in society and on refiguring the contours of the 'new' media debate.

The programme offers two pathways. Pathway 1 addresses central theoretical and conceptual concerns relating to digital media. Pathway 2 combines theoretical analysis and practical work, offering students the opportunity to explore new media theories and concepts in practice. Pathway 2 is primarily aimed at students who already have some experience in one of the areas on offer: documentary; digital photography and image making; journalism; writing. It is meant to appeal to media industry professionals who are keen to reflect critically on their practice within a structured learning environment, graduates of practice-based courses but also those who have gained their practical experience in documentary; digital photography and image making; journalism or writing in informal settings.

Programme structure

The first compulsory core course is Digital Media - critical perspectives and this is taught in a small workshop format in the Autumn term. This course functions as a foundation for the second core course and offers students a map of the key debates in digital media. The course is taught in ten two hour workshop sessions and is supported by the provision of one-to-one tutorials.

The second compulsory core course is Technology and Cultural Form - debates, models, dialogues and this develops questions of technology, power, politics and subjectivity which were introduced in the first core course. The first part of this course highlights the key conceptual concerns of a contextualised approach to digital media plus the relevant debates and models formulated by key figures in the field. The second part of this course aims to generate a dialogue between theoreticians and practitioners around some of the most intellectually stimulating, contentious and contemporary ideas in the field without necessarily seeking a resolution. This course is taught in ten two hour workshop sessions during the Spring term and is supported by the weekly provision of one-to-one tutorials.

Students are required to take options from the lists provided by the Media and Communications, Anthropology, Comparative Literature and Sociology Departments as well as the Centre for Cultural Studies. Examples might include: After New Media, Nature and Culture, Cultural Theory, Globalisation, Risk and Control, Embodiment and Experience, Political Communications. Options are taught primarily through lectures and seminars and take place in the Autumn or Spring terms.

Each student's option profile is discussed with the programme convenor in order to ensure that the balance of subject-specific topics is appropriate for the individual concerned. Option courses are taught primarily through lectures, seminars and tutorials and take place in the Autumn or Spring terms.

All students are required to produce either a 12,000 word dissertation on a topic agreed by the student and supervisor or a practice/theory project in the area of documentary, photography and image making, journalism or fiction. The length of the practical element is dependent on the media and the form used and will be agreed in advance with the supervisor. It will, however, be comparable with practical projects undertaken in practice MA programmes in the relevant field. Students undertaking the practice/theory project will also be expected to submit a 3-4000 word analysis of their practice which locates it within the theoretical debates explored in the MA as a whole. This essay may be presented as a separate document or as an integral part of the project depending on the nature of the project and by a agreement with both theory and practice supervisors.

Programme outcomes

The programme's subject specific learning outcomes require students to analyse and contextualise developments in digital media and technology with reference to key debates in the history, sociology, anthropology and philosophy of the media. Students who opt for the practice/theory pathway will also be required to produce material of publishable or broadcast standard and to evaluate the ways in which theoretical and practical insights intersect. All students will develop a wide range of transferable qualities and skills necessary for employment in related or unrelated areas. These are described by the Quality Assurance Agency as: 'the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility, decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations, and the independent learning ability required for continuing professional development'.

By the end of the programme students will be able to:

-Map and critically evaluate key debates in the field of new media
-Analyse and contextualise current and future developments in digital media and technology
-Evaluate and articulate key historical, sociological, anthropological and philosophical approaches to the study of digital media and technology
-Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of at least four differing areas of inquiry
-Demonstrate an advanced level of conceptual knowledge and (where relevant) practical skill appropriate for a sustained piece of work in the field
-Prepare and deliver clearly argued and informed work
-Locate, retrieve and present relevant information for a specific project
-Manage a complex array of competing demands and work effectively to a deadline
-Work resourcefully and independently
-Think critically and/or work practically within a given context

Skills

We provide graduates with skills that are cutting edge: in the critical analysis and/or creative production of digital media; in the disciplinary knowledge and conceptual frameworks necessary for current and future forms of media and technology; in the awareness of how digital media and technologies are re-shaping society from the ways we communicate (through social media and web 2.0) to the increasingly ‘smart’ environments in which we live.

Careers

Our programme provides a theory and practice pathway and prepares students for work in the following areas:

-media and creative industries; advertising, marketing and PR (graduates of the MA Digital Media have found work with Virgin Media, Google, the BBC and other leading organisations worldwide)
-research and academia (graduates from this programme have gone on to study for PhD degrees in higher education institutions around the world and also here with us)
-media production and new media art (graduates have exhibited, published and produced work in photography, journalism, TV, documentary, film and multimedia)

Graduate Ekaterina discusses her career:

"I work for a company, called Visual DNA, which already sounds like life happening After New Media. The company is the largest data provider in Europe and is totally multinational. We actually try to analyse human visual DNA, you memories, feelings, thoughts about the future, anticipations, etc by creating personality quizzes where instead of verbal answers we tend to use images.

My role is as Creative Developer. It involves working with images from concept to finding/shooting and post-production. My qualifications perfectly matched what they’ve been looking for, Digital Media rocks!

My tip for the new-to-be-graduates is this: physically go to places and companies and talk to people. It really opens up loads of possibilities, and when I tell someone where I’ve graduated from they look impressed, and there is some sort of respect coming from them."

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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We are living through an era of tumultuous change in how politics is conducted and communicated. The great digital disruption of the early 21st century continues to work its way through media systems around the world, forcing change, adaptation, and renewal across a whole range of areas: political parties and campaigns, interest groups, social movements, activist organisations, news and journalism, the communication industries, governments, and international relations.

In the New Political Communication Unit at Royal Holloway, University of London, we believe the key to making sense of these chaotic developments is the idea of power—how it is generated, how it is used, and how it shapes the diverse information and communication flows that affect all our lives.

This unique new Masters degree, which replaces the MSc in New Political Communication, is for critically-minded, free-thinking individuals who want to engage with the exciting intellectual ferment that is being generated by these unprecedented times. The curriculum integrates rigorous study of the very best academic research with an emphasis on making sense of political communication as it is practiced in the real world, in both "old" and "new" media settings.

While not a practice-based course, the MSc Media, Power, and Public Affairs is perfect for those who wish to build a career in the growing range of professions that require deep and critical insight into the relationship between media and politics and public communication more generally. These include advocacy, campaign management, political communication consultancy, journalism, government communication, policy analysis, public opinion and semantic polling, and public diplomacy, to name but a few. Plus, due to its strong emphasis on scholarly rigour, the MSc in Media, Power, and Public Affairs is also the perfect foundation for a PhD in political communication.

You will study a mixture of core and elective units, including a generous choice of free options, and write a supervised dissertation over the summer. Teaching is conducted primarily in small group seminars that meet weekly for two hours, supplemented by individual tuition for the dissertation.

This course is also offered at Postgraduate Diploma level for those who do not have the academic background necessary to begin an advanced Masters degree. The structure of the Diploma is identical except that you will not write a dissertation. If you are successful on the Diploma you may transfer to the MSc, subject to academic approval.

See the website https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/politicsandir/coursefinder/mscpgdipmediapowerandpublicaffairs.aspx

Why choose this course?

- be taught by internationally-leading scholars in the field of political communication

- the curriculum integrates rigorous study of the very best academic research with an emphasis on making sense of political communication as it is practiced in the real world, in both "old" and "new" media settings

- perfect for those who wish to build a career in the growing range of professions that require deep and critical insight into the relationship between media and politics and public communication more generally

- a unique focus on the question of power and influence in today’s radically networked societies.

On completion of the programme, you will have:
- advanced knowledge and critical understanding of key concepts, theoretical debates, and developments in the field of political communication

- advanced knowledge of the texts, theories, and methods used to enhance understanding of the issues, processes, and phenomena in the field of political communication

- advanced knowledge and critical understanding of research methods in the social sciences

- a solid foundation for a career in the growing range of professions that require deep and critical insight into the relationship between media and politics and public communication more generally, or for a PhD in any area of media and politics.

Department research and industry highlights

- The New Political Communication Unit’s research agenda focuses on the impact of new media and communication technologies on politics, policy and governance. Core staff include Professor Andrew Chadwick, Professor Ben O’Loughlin, Dr Alister Miskimmon, and Dr Cristian Vaccari. Recent books include Andrew Chadwick’s The Hybrid Media System: Politics and Power (Oxford University Press, 2013), Cristian Vaccari’s Digital Politics in Western Democracies: A Comparative Study (Johns Hopkins University Press), and Alister Miskimmon, Ben O’Loughlin, and Laura Roselle’s, Strategic Narratives: Communication Power and the New World Order (Routledge, 2013). Andrew Chadwick edits the Oxford University Press book series Oxford Studies in Digital Politics and Ben O’Loughlin is co-editor of the journal Media, War and Conflict. The Unit hosts a large number of PhD students working in the field of new political communication.

Course content and structure

You will study four core course units (chosen from a total of six options), two elective units, and write a dissertation over the summer. Course units include one of three disciplinary training pathway courses, a course in research design, analysing international politics, and specialist options in international relations.

Students studying for the Postgraduate Diploma do not undertake the dissertation.

Core course units:
Media, Power, and Public Affairs: You will examine the relationship between media, politics and power in contemporary political life. This unit focuses on a number of important foundational themes, including theories of media effects, the construction of political news, election campaigning, government communications and spin, media regulation, the emergence of digital media, the globalisation of media, agenda setting, and propaganda and the role of media in international affairs. The overarching rationale is that we live in an era in which the massive diversity of media, new technologies, and new methodologies demands new forms of analysis. The approach will be comparative and international.

Internet and New Media Politics:
 Drawing predominantly, though not exclusively, upon specialist academic journal literatures, this course focuses on a number of important contemporary debates about the role and influence of new technologies on the values, processes and outcomes of: global governance institutions; public bureaucracies; journalism and news production; representative institutions including political parties and legislatures; pressure groups and social movements. It also examines persistent and controversial policy problems generated by digital media, such as privacy and surveillance, the nature of contemporary media systems, and the balance of power between older and newer media logics in social and political life. By the end of the course students will have an understanding of the key issues thrown up by the internet and new media, as well as a critical perspective on what these terms actually mean. The approach will be comparative, drawing on examples from around the world, including the developing world, but the principal focus will be on the politics of the United States and Britain.

Social Media and Politics: This course addresses the various ways in which social media are changing the relationships between politicians, citizens, and the media. The course will start by laying out broad arguments and debates about the democratic implications of social media that are ongoing not just in academic circles but also in public commentary, political circles, and policy networks—do social media expand or narrow civic engagement? Do they lead to cross-cutting relationships or self-reinforcing echo chambers? Do they hinder or promote political participation? Are they useful in campaigns or just the latest fashion? Do they foster effective direct communication between politicians and citizens? Are they best understood as technologies of freedom or as surveillance tools? These debates will be addressed throughout the course by drawing on recent empirical research published in the most highly rated academic journals in the field. The course will thus enable students to understand how social media are used by citizens, politicians, and media professionals to access, distribute, and co-produce contents that are relevant to politics and public affairs and establish opportunities for political and civic engagement.

Media, War and Conflict:
The post-9/11 global security situation and the 2003 Iraq war have prompted a marked increase in interest in questions concerning media, war and conflict. This unit examines the relationships between media, governments, military, and audiences/publics, in light of old, new, and potential future security events.

Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods in Politics and International Relations:
 You will be provided with an introduction to core theories and qualitative approaches in politics and international relations. You will examine a number of explanatory/theoretical frameworks, their basic assumptions, strengths and weaknesses, and concrete research applications. You will consider the various qualitative techniques available for conducting research, the range of decisions qualitative researchers face, and the trade-offs researchers must consider when designing qualitative research.

Dissertation (MSc only): The dissertation gives you the opportunity to study an aspect of Media, Power, and Public Affairs in depth. You will be assigned a dissertation supervisor and the length of the piece will be 12,000 words.

Elective course units:
Note: not all course units are available every year, but may include:
- Politics of Democracy
- Elections and Parties
- United States Foreign Policy
- Human Rights: From Theory to Practice
- Theories and Concepts in International Public Policy
- Contemporary Anglo-American Political Theory
- Transnational Security Studies
- Conflict and Conflict Resolution in the Middle East
- The Law of Cyber Warfare
- Comparative Political Executives
- European Union Politics and Policy
- International Public Policy in Practice
- Sovereignty, Rights and Justice
- Theories of Globalisation
- Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods in Politics and International Relations

Assessment

Assessment is carried out by coursework and an individually-supervised dissertation.

Employability & career opportunities

Advocacy, campaign management, political communication consultancy, journalism, government communication, policy analysis, public opinion and semantic polling, public diplomacy, PhD research.

How to apply

Applications for entry to all our full-time postgraduate degrees can be made online https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studyhere/postgraduate/applying/howtoapply.aspx .

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Over the past few years, career opportunities in the digital media sector have increased dramatically. The interactive media industry is reaching maturity and needs qualified professionals able to offer a diverse range of expertise. This course addresses those needs and is designed to provide you with skills in interactive media content creation, interactive design, digital media production,social media management, digital media project and account management. In the most recent (2014-15) Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, 100% of graduates from this course were in work or further study within six months.

More about this course

This professionally-oriented course will appeal to graduates with an interest in digital media, experienced professionals from the design, media, public relations and marketing sector wishing to retrain for a career change or promotion, and those wishing to progress towards research and PhD studies. The Masters in Digital Media addresses issues in interactive design, interactive media, the internet and its applications, digital solutions for the industry and the public sector, usability design, effective digital media project management, digital audiences and audience research, social media management, digital media strategy, digital interactive television, mobile communications, and new media ownership. The course will provide skills in the relevant multimedia software.

You will learn how to:
-Assess and select the appropriate tools to produce a digital media project
-Produce digital media projects using the appropriate software applications
-Research and analyse the current issues and future developments in digital media, social media, media communications and e-solutions
-Manage digital media projects and production teams
-Produce digital media and social media strategies
-Appreciate the complexity of the international digital media and creative industries and communicate effectively in a media professional environment
-Apply research, design and management skills to the production of new media projects

Assessment methods include interactive projects, design portfolios, presentations, essays, examinations and reports.

Modular structure

The modules listed below are for the academic year 2016/17 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.

Year 1 modules include:
-Digital Media Project Management (core, 20 credits)
-Principles of Digital Media (core, 20 credits)
-Digital Media Dissertation (alternative core, 60 credits)
-Digital Project (alternative core, 60 credits)
-Accredited Work-Based Learning in the School of MCC (option, 20 credits)
-Advanced English for Masters Studies (option, 20 credits)
-Digital Media Strategy and Consultancy (option, 20 credits)
-Digital Storytelling (option, 20 credits)
-Digital Video Production (option, 20 credits)
-Globalisation (option, 20 credits)
-Interaction Design (option, 20 credits)
-Multimedia Journalism (option, 20 credits)
-Web Design (option, 20 credits)

After the course

The course is particularly suited to students looking to work in: web design; UX design, interactive media production; digital video production; new media project management and account handling; consultancy and policy advice in the area of digital media and communication technology; social media management; digital media strategy, training and research in related fields; electronic publishing; online journalism and broadcasting; administration, management and research in digital media, digital advertising and marketing and digital information industries.

Moving to one campus

Between 2016 and 2020 we're investing £125 million in the London Metropolitan University campus, moving all of our activity to our current Holloway campus in Islington, north London. This will mean the teaching location of some courses will change over time.

Whether you will be affected will depend on the duration of your course, when you start and your mode of study. The earliest moves affecting new students will be in September 2017. This may mean you begin your course at one location, but over the duration of the course you are relocated to one of our other campuses. Our intention is that no full-time student will change campus more than once during a course of typical duration.

All students will benefit from our move to one campus, which will allow us to develop state-of-the-art facilities, flexible teaching areas and stunning social spaces.

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Who is this programme for?:

A wide range of students with different interests and backgrounds come to this programme from world over in order to explore why media matter. They are highly qualified with very diverse international interests. It is particularly suitable for:

- Students with a degree in media or cultural studies
- Students with a degree in the social sciences or humanities wishing to acquire a broad understanding of media and cultural studies with special reference to Asia or Africa
- People with professional experience in film, television, journalism, advertising or public relations
- Students with a degree in social anthropology wishing to pursue more specialist media-related topics along with regional or language-based study
- Students without a previous degree in Anthropology looking for an MA conversion degree to serve as a qualification for pursuing a further research degree in anthropology

Our world is inescapably and continuously transformed through a proliferation of media. The MA in Anthropology of Media at SOAS takes up the challenge of understanding how and why media matter. The programme uniquely combines anthropology, media and cultural studies with specific regional expertise in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It provides students with critical skills, research methods, a wide-ranging understanding of media and the opportunity to pursue original research projects. The MA in Anthropology and Media is the first and still the only programme in Europe that specialises in bringing together contemporary anthropological concerns with media and cultural studies.

The MA in Anthropology of Media is a recent and rapidly growing field within the larger academic discipline of Anthropology. It both incorporates and challenges the well-established anthropological concerns with visual culture and ethnographic film through a more extensive examination of contemporary media practices. Along with the parallel disciplines of media and cultural studies, Anthropology of Media is now widely recognized as playing an increasingly important and critical role in current debates about media. It provides an alternative approach, which puts the emphasis upon studying the multiple relationships between people and media and thus seeks to anthropologise media and cultural studies. More than just focussing on media texts or technology, Anthropology of Media is marked by the centrality of people and how they relate to media.

The SOAS programme in Anthropology of Media is designed to provide a detailed introduction to the study of media in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and their diasporas. We also use the theoretical and methodological contributions of Anthropology to build upon and challenge Euro-American media and cultural studies. The programme stresses ethnographic approaches to media as cultural practices in social and political contexts where people inhabit, create and engage with media worlds.

Special Features

The Department cultivates several specialist strengths which distinguish it from other anthropology departments in the UK. The most obvious of these is that all members of the Department are specialists on Africa and Asia. Particular attention is given to teaching and researching regional ethnographic areas of expertise. All staff members are simultaneously attached as anthropologists to this Department and as regional specialists to their appropriate regional studies centre within the School.

SOAS also offers strong interdisciplinary support for the study of media including the Centre for Media and Film Studies and a highly regarded Department of Music. We have a dedicated multi-media suite, a radio station and satellite access to a wide range of world television. Further, the Library houses a major collection of books and journals on world media as well as extensive audio-visual materials.

Visit the website http://www.soas.ac.uk/anthropology/programmes/maanthofmedia/

Programme Overview

The programme consists of four units in total: three units of taught examined courses and a one unit dissertation of 10,000 words. Some courses may be taught in other departments in the school.

Core Courses:
- Comparative Media Studies - 15 PAN C009 (1.0 unit).

- Dissertation in Anthropology and Sociology - 15PANC999 (1.0 unit). This is a 10,000 word dissertation on a topic agreed with the Programme Convenor of the MA Anthropology of Media and the candidate’s supervisor.

- Additionally all MA Anthropology students 'audit' the course Ethnographic Research Methods during term 1 - this will not count towards your 4 units.

Foundation Course:
- Theoretical Approaches to Social Anthropology - 15PANC008 (1.0 unit). This is compulsory only for students without a previous anthropology degree.

Option Courses:
- The remaining unit(s) of your programme, either 1 unit of option courses (if taking Theoretical Approaches to Social Anthropology) or 2 units (if exempted from Theoretical Approaches to Social Anthropology), may then be selected from the Option Courses list below.

- Your 1 or 2 total units may be made up of any combination of 0.5 or 1 unit option courses.

- However, courses without a "15PANxxxx" course code are taught outside of the Anthropology Department. No more than 1 unit in total of these courses may be selected.

- Alternatively, one language course may be taken from the Faculty of Languages and Cultures.

Programme Specification 2012/2013 (pdf; 119kb) - http://www.soas.ac.uk/anthropology/programmes/maanthofmedia/file39767.pdf

Destinations

A Masters in the Anthropology of Media at SOAS develops students’ understanding of the world, other peoples’ ways of life and how society is organised. This programme will endow students with specialist understanding of producers, audiences, and other cultural and social aspects of mass media. Over the years the SOAS department has trained numerous leading anthropologists who have gone on to occupy lectureships and professorships throughout the world. Equally, students gain skills during their degree that transfer well to areas such as information and technology, government service, the media and tourism.

Postgraduate students leave SOAS with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek, including analytical and critical skills; ability to gather, assess and interpret data; high level of cultural awareness; and problem-solving. A postgraduate degree is a valuable experience that provides students with a body of work and a diverse range of skills that they can use to market themselves with when they graduate.

For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website (http://www.soas.ac.uk/careers/graduate-destinations/).

Find out how to apply here - http://www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/pg/howtoapply/

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This exciting new multidisciplinary master's programme is fully designed to reflect the needs of contemporary interactive media industries, bringing together creative technologies, interactivity and design practices within digital cultures with the user in mind.

Interactive Media Practice combines a wide range of digital creative technologies primarily combining digital literacies design, technology and interaction, through user centred design for commercial outputs to an industry standard.

Interactive Media Practice places the user at the centre of the experience and focuses on design and content creation in areas such as: mobile app development, wearables, games, rich media websites, interactive guides and installations, immersive VR, next generation advertising and virtual and augmented reality systems, through to social media powerful eMarketing and entrepreneurship through innovation protocol.

According to the late CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, the app industry "is worth several billion pounds annually and employs around 40,000 people, representing approximately ten per cent of the total audio-visual workforce. Sectors such as sound-driven games and apps show an even wider growth where providers such as Apple have paid a total of two billion dollars to apps within the US alone".

Adobe Systems (UK) fully support the programme with high recommendation, based on the development and key principles the course offers, which is rare and unique. We embrace excellent contracts within the interactive media and games industries, including regular visits and master classes from industry professionals at the top of their game from Adobe to Sony.

Adobe Systems (UK), said: “This Interactive Media degree offers an ideal grounding for those wishing to work in the digital media industries, which increasingly require people who work with technology from a creative perspective. This is the course that will create the next generation of interactive media stars…! ”

The course embraces a hackathon culture with specialist hack labs boasting newly designed flexible learning spaces for students to work more collaboratively on innovation protocols fostering cross-pollination of new ideas creatively. Many students will be working on live industry briefs as well as their own projects independently within and outside our course clusters. This collaborative approach to learning and research often leads to successful projects, which are commercially viable, and quickly gain industry recognition through our end of year show.

“It’s a really multi-faceted MA, bringing together creativity, technology skills and digital media, with an entrepreneurial thread.” – 2015 Graduate.

Our students learn to examine the communication of ideas in a networked world through our entrepreneurship incubator programme and consider the many impacts of digital media in everyday life, for commercial trajectories through practiced based projects.

As one of the top 100 international universities in the world, the University of Westminster's School of Media, Arts and Design currently boasts a series of professional recording studios, a new teaching recording studio, professional technology labs and access to an array of post-production, and multimedia facilities built and equipped to the highest standards.

Using the leading industry software, you will be involved in designing and making interactive digital media content for delivery over the Internet, on tablets and mobile devices and for installations to designing compelling user interfaces creating a great user experience, this also extends to the development towards creating content for the ‘internet of things’.

The MA in Interactive Media Practice course will prepare you for this sector, by leveraging and integrating the fine blend between creativity and technical capacities. You will also benefit from having access to a range of highly regarded industry practitioners who will offer you exceptional insight and working knowledge within the field, both challenging and encouraging your technical and creative fair. On this master's degree you will develop commercial-level interactive media and digital content production skills.

Course content

This multidisciplinary course prepares you to work in a wide range of industry combining theory, practice, and bringing together technical, creative perspective on new media systems, interactive technologies and digital culture as well as exploring new emerging creative technologies, producing an industry professional who can produce as well as explore future creative technologies.

Students are encouraged to work with technology experimentally in a creative way, collaboratively, and to apply emerging and existing technology in new and innovative ways, research and the experimental application. You will also have hands-on experience creating content for, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Playstation , Xbox, Oculus Rift and content rich media websites, advanced web production and design, design for interface all of this with the user in mind. The course will provide skills in the relevant multimedia software, media rich web production, Unity, UdK, website design and development to mobile app development. You will be taught creative coding, interfaces and the course encourages the use a wide range of programming languages delivered by industry practitioners. We also have accreditation opportunities within Adobe and Apple for those students wanting to develop their skills more prolifically within select software.

These include mobile apps, mainstream games, interactive installation, sonic media and eMarketing, with an emphasis on core creative skills. The course also prepares and enhances your ability in producing interactive media, methodologies and production workflows, supported by a robust understanding of the technologies and theories involved.

The Interactive Media Practice degree offers an ideal underpinning for those seeking employment in the digital media industries, which increasingly require people who work with technology form a creative perspective. This is the course that will create the next generation of interactive media talent who are both enterprising and creative.

Our approach on the course is implemented through hackathon culture as seen in technology start up sectors, where cross collaboration through interdisciplinary approach is very welcomed. Students are encouraged to apply from design, non-programming or non-technical backgrounds as well as technical backgrounds.

Modules

-Applied Innovation and Interactive Design
-Mobile Apps and Wearable Devices
-Entrepreneurship and Project Management for Creative Industries
-Social Media and E-Marketing
-Hack Lab and Creative Technologies
-UX Design and Development
-Major Project

Associated careers

There are many highly desirable careers that students from this course can go on into such as: interactive media, app development, new media production, interactive development, advanced web producer, content manager, UX designer, project management, media, digital marketing, media design, online branding, interactive game design, web production, game designer, media advertising, information design, digital production, strategic development, online advertising, UX architect, digital SAM, mobile UX, front end development, wen development, email marketing executive, ecommerce digital marketing manager, .net developer, UX designer academic publisher, UX researcher, social media executive, digital designer, digital advertising, SEO consultant, content marketing specialist, interaction designer, digital project manger, optimisation manager and digital content production. Digital marker, creative technologist, rich media website developer, games producer, social media manger, museum installation, VR gaming, VR advertising.

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Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Digital Media at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).

The MA in Digital Media offers an innovative interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach to contemporary technology and new media, drawing upon expertise in Media and Communication Studies.

Key Features of MA in Digital Media

The MA in Digital Media examines some of the key issues confronting twenty-first century global societies through a dynamic programme that combines theoretical and applied perspectives.

Digital Media students will be encouraged to apply media theory, political and social theory and research tools in analysing and understanding digital media. The MA in Digital Media explores key historical, policy and practice dimensions of new media as well as focusing on research methodologies for those undertaking research on digital media and technology.

The Digital Media course is split across the year. Students will take three modules in each academic semester (a total of six modules) and then complete a dissertation over the summer. The dissertation component allows you to write a 16,000 word dissertation, which will draw on issues and themes developed throughout the year.

Modules

Modules on the MA in Digital Media typically include:

• Thinking About Digital Media

• The Digital Edge

• PR Branding and Promotion

• The Business and Politics of Digital Media

• Global Media

• Professional and Promotional Writing

• Digital Skills and Defence

• Online Journalism

Who should Apply?

Students interested in digital media and new media technologies, from a media studies, politics and international relations, humanities, social science, computer science or related background. Professionals interested in the challenge of digital media both in terms of their professional practice, but also related to fields in policy research and public administration. Students interested in

preparation for postgraduate research, MPhil or PhD, or who wish to develop skills and knowledge related to digital media.

Digital Media Programme Aims

-To enable you to develop an advanced understanding of digital media, through contemporary theories and advanced research work.

-To help you to understand the development of digital media and technology historically, through a number of theoretical perspectives, which give a context to contemporary discussions and controversies in the field.

-To appreciate the role of digital media technology within wider social, political and economic contexts, including the implications for policy formation.

-To enable you to acquire research skills enabling you to conduct thorough research into digital media; also to enhance your critical, theoretical and analytical abilities, and your written and oral communication.

Careers

Career expectations are excellent for Digital Media graduates. Companies, nonprofit organisations, government and the public sector value the fact that our students have developed a range of critical abilities, a creative and innovative approach to problem solving, and skills in detailed analysis and presentation of research. Our Digital Media Graduates go on to work in journalism, broadcasting, web-design, advertising, publicity, arts and cultural bodies, or even to go on to study a PhD.

Student Quote

“I thoroughly enjoyed studying the MA in Digital Media. The course and its faculty have broadened my horizon not only in new media but other subjects, such as computer science and politics. If I haven’t yet succeeded in making the reader envious and inspired to take this course, I would only conclude by mentioning that you would miss out on lectures worth experiencing.”

Tejeswini Krishnan, Digital Media, MA

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Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Digital Media at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).

Digital Media at Swansea has research strengths in media and cultural theory, the history and philosophy of media technology, and contemporary developments in digital media in the UK, the European mainland, the USA and China.

The Digital Media programme is part of the Department of Languages, Translation and Communication which boasts a dynamic research and teaching environment which has already won attention and funding from outside bodies such as the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Wellcome Trust and the EU. We are home to the Centre on Digital Arts and Humanities (CODAH), which connects researchers in Arts and Humanities, Computer Science, and other fields.

Key Features of Digital Media, MA by Research

An MA by Research in Digital Media gives you the chance to pursue a project based around your own passions and interests in Digital Media, leading to a qualification which can open the door to an academic career or boost employment prospects outside academia (typically in the private sector, the Civil Service, or education).

The Digital Media MA by Research programme will give you the freedom to explore a topic of your choosing and develop a methodology under the close supervision of two experienced academics but without attending regular classes as required in taught programmes.

As a student on the MA by Research Digital Media programme you will be supervised closely by two experienced academics in your field. Typically, you will meet them fortnightly in the first term and at regular intervals thereafter. Meetings are logged and goals agreed each time.

All research students in Digital Media are required to attend skills and training courses at College and Institutional level. They give presentations to other research students and staff at departmental seminars and the annual departmental postgraduate symposium in June and the College of Arts and Humanities conference in October. Advanced research students in Digital Media may have opportunities to teach undergraduate tutorials and seminars. You have a budget (currently £200 per year) to attend conferences outside Swansea.

MA by Research in Digital Media typically lasts from one year (full-time study) to two years (part-time study).

Research proposals on Digital Media are invited on any topic on which staff can provide supervision. It is advisable to email a member of academic staff in the appropriate area before applying. For informal enquiries regarding the MA by Research in Digital Media please contact Professor Julian Preece ([email protected]).

Staff Expertise on Digital Media

Staff expertise in Digital Media lies in the following areas, among others: media history; media pedagogy; media ethics; war and media; mass media and identity in small nations; Welsh-language digital media; media and health; digital and data journalism; computational media; post-broadcast digital media ecology; gender and media; transnationalism and media; international journalism; European comparative media. In addition, there is expertise in media and digital culture among research staff in Languages and Translation as well as in other COAH departments: History, Political and Cultural Studies and English Language and Literature.

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By studying this MA in Media and Communication you will develop an advanced knowledge and understanding of different forms of communication in their social, political and cultural contexts, focusing either on the relationship between the media and politics in contemporary societies or, on digital culture and communication.

The Media and Politics pathway is a fantastic opportunity for you to engage with current debates about the constantly evolving role of media in national and international political life. The pathway uncovers the ways in which journalists and politicians attempt to set the political agenda or influence public opinion and also explores the ways in which the audiences, as public and as citizens, are involved in media as consumers and producers.

The pathway is built around core modules which focus on the theories and debates surrounding:

the relationship between the mass media, politics and society
the role and function of the media in a democracy
the impact of mass media on global political processes
research methods used in media and communication research.

You will develop skills that directly enhance employability, including applying critical reviewing skills, giving presentations, plus data management, problem-solving, team-working and research design and implementation.

You'll able to pursue your own specific research/study interest in political communication via a 12,000-15,000 word dissertation and by choosing two further modules from a range of other M-level modules provided by the department or wider school.

Key Facts

We can offer you:-
- Excellent library facilities
- Opportunities for interdisciplinary inputs
- High quality research methods training
- A regular programme of communication and media seminars open to everyone

Why Communication and Media?

Close knit-community

Communication and Media is a close-knit community of dedicated, innovative teachers and researchers that extend a warm welcome to postgraduate taught and research students. You can benefit from a personalised approach which treats you as an individual and encourages you to become involved in the life of the department. Our approach enables a productive dialogue to be created between and amongst our postgraduate community and our staff, so that we are all engaged in the pursuit of excellent scholarship and research and, more broadly, making a contribution to the development of our field.

Active Research

Key areas of research strength include: communication, politics and power; media theory; political and independent cinema; gender and identity in media; media, ethics and human rights; media and war; new media and digital communication; media discourse; global entertainment and media industries; media, space and place; media and heritage; sociolinguistics, communication and language; and media and cultural identity.

This broad range of research expertise underpins the two pathways we offer – ‘Media and Politics’ and ‘Digital Culture and Communication’. We also run two regular research seminar series – the Liverpool Film Seminar and the Media and Politics Seminar Series – which postgraduate students are encouraged to participate in.

The department's actively contributing to the development of our field through research, key subject associations, conference organisation and speaking engagements, and editorial board membership of significant journals. Our activities include internationally recognised research, linking political science and communication studies primarily through crossover interests in public and digital communication within the British, European and International political and cultural contexts.

Liverpool

Immerse yourself in a city known as a political and creative force. What better place to immerse yourself in the subject than Liverpool, a city with a reputation as a political and creative force, with a thriving production sector and a unique cultural heritage? The Department has close links to cultural industries and venues in the city, some of which collaborate with us in offering assessed work placements as part of our programme of study.

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About the course

This course examines the role of public relations in shaping media output both within media organisations themselves and in relation to the external impact of PR on the media.

The field of public relations has grown dramatically in the past 20 years and this has had profound implications for the media and other institutions that rely on the media to disseminate knowledge.

This course will investigate the rise of public relations and its links with global media institutions from historical perspectives and in relation to the contemporary media landscape. It will offer a critical examination of the role of PR in the mediation of power as well as the role of public relations in a range of media arenas.

You will be encouraged to reflect critically and theoretically on the function of PR in relation to: the role of the media in political communication, media policy, celebrity culture, film marketing, alternative media, media campaigning, and new media technologies.

You will be offered the opportunity to plan PR campaigns and reflect on their role in the knowledge economy.

This combination will provide you with the opportunity to examine the context in which PR practice takes place and to develop the knowledge and skills needed to work ethically in PR at an international level.

Aims

You will gain an advanced knowledge of the relevant theories of public relations which explain and debate its significance.

You will learn about the history of the role of public relations in the media.

You will acquire an advanced understanding of the functioning of public relations in the contemporary media.

You will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to undertake advanced scholarly research in the field of media and public relations.

You will be able to reflect critically on public relations practices within media organisations and to reflect intellectually on their PR practice.

You will develop the knowledge and skills necessary for the ethical development of your career in Media PR.

Course Content

The MA consists of both compulsory and optional modules, a typical selection can be found below. Modules can vary from year to year, but these offer a good idea of what we teach.

Compulsory modules:

Public Relations Propaganda and Spin
Key Issues in Media and Public Relations
Building a PR Campaign
Media Marketing and Public Relations

Optional modules:

Media and Public Relations Major Project 1
Media and Public Relations Major Project 2

Teaching

The Media and Public Relations MA is taught through lectures, seminars, workshops, screenings and industry speakers.

Assessment

The MA will be assessed through a combination of essays, reports, case studies, campaign design and a dissertation.

Special Features

The academic study of public relations and the media is very new and this MA puts us at the forefront of this development. Most of the MAs in Britain either focus on corporate public relations and are either predominantly practical or are theoretical courses that sit within more traditional mass communications curriculum and focus on the important area of political communications and the news media. Our
MA is innovative because it combines theory and practice.

Also innovative is our combined examination of the impact of public relations on the media and the use of public relations practices within media organisations including film, TV and other news organisations, with particular reference to their promotional cultures. This provides students with a broad and advanced understanding of the relationship between public relations and the media.

We have experts teaching on the course with both theoretical and practical experience.

This programme has grown out of the research interests and expertise of the team, giving it a distinctive character.

The focus on PR within the media will range from that of large corporations to smaller-scale, alternative forms including ‘DIY’ practices employed directly by lower-budget producers via social media and other online channels, key areas of contemporary development in PR and marketing more generally.

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Smartphones and social media, digital networks and big data, gamification and mobile platforms – new media continue to change the way we live, work and communicate. This programme interrogates the impact of digital technologies on individuals and society, and provides you with the skills and knowledge to be able to think critically and creatively about new media.

Working both individually and in teams, you will learn about diverse digital media techniques and processes, including coding and hacking, web design, mapping and visualisation, scraping and mining, interactive narratives, animation, digital ethnography, action research, prototyping and iterative design, representation, and more. Through an applied, hands-on approach, you will gain an understanding of the social, cultural and economic roles of new media, and explore what it is like to work in the new media industries.

With a range of optional modules to choose from, you will also be able to expand your knowledge into areas such as multimedia journalism, cinema and photography, political and promotional communication, feminism and the media, and many more. Taught by expert practitioners and researchers, you will gain the knowledge and skills to thrive in this dynamic, fast-paced sector.Our School has a range of fantastic facilities to support your studies. The 58-seat Phil Taylor Cinema is equipped with Dolby Digital sound and high-definition projection facilities, as well as projectors for 16mm and 35mm film.

You can also work on your own projects in our 44 editing suites, equipped with Avid Media Composer editing software and Adobe Creative Cloud. The fully equipped TV studio also has a large green screen area, lighting and photo-flash facilities. We also have a track and dolly, sliders, Glidecam and various cranes, and you’ll have access to a new photographic dark room.

We also run a loans service where you can borrow a range of HD digital camcorders and various Canon stills cameras to help with your project work.

Course content

Depending on your previous experience, you may need to take the module New Media Production Skills to develop your knowledge of visual design software, HTML, CSS, PHP, WordPress, Javascript and animation. The module isn’t assessed so it will appear in your transcript, but won’t count towards your classification.

In each semester you’ll study core modules that build your knowledge of new media contexts and practice. You’ll consider the relationship between new media and contemporary culture and the interactive forms and practices that are emerging. Then you’ll gain practical production, project management and critical skills and respond to new media briefs in collaborative projects.

You’ll then have the chance to broaden your approach with your choice of optional modules, from photography and cinematics to political communication, television narratives and public relations in society.

To demonstrate the skills you’ve gained, you’ll also undertake a major independent project. You can choose to submit a dissertation and take classes on research methods throughout the year, or you can work on a sustained, practical new media project with a written element.

If you choose to study part-time, you’ll complete the MA over two years, instead of one, taking fewer modules each year.

Course structure

Compulsory modules

• New Media Cultures 30 credits
• New Media Practices 30 credits

Optional modules

• Technology, Media and Critical Literacy 30 credits
• Public Relations Theory 30 credits
• Public Relations, Culture and Society 30 credits
• Feminism, Identity and Media 30 credits
• Dissertation and Research Methods 60 credits
• Innovations in Political Communication 30 credits
• Politics and the Media 30 credits
• Multimedia Journalism 30 credits
• New Media Production Skills 10 credits
• The Cultural History of Promotional Communication 30 credits
• Individual Directed Study (New Media) 30 credits
• Radio Technologies, Industries and Cultures 30 credits
• New Media Independent Project 60 credits
• Identity, Culture and Technology 30 credits
• Urban Narratives 30 credits
• Cultures of Contemporary Photography 30 credits
• Cinematics and Photography 30 credits
• Rhetoric and Public Speaking 15 credits
• Managing Business Across Cultures 15 credits
• International Organisations: Context, Theory and Practice 15 credits
• Writing for Professional Purposes 15 credits
• Critical Debates in Culture and Place 30 credits
• Researching Inequality in the Media 30 credits
• Reality TV: Truth or Fiction? 30 credits

For more information on typical modules, read New Media MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information on typical modules, read New Media MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

You’ll be taught in a mixture of practical workshops, lectures and small group seminars which allow you to discuss your reading and present some of your research to other students. Independent study is also crucial to this degree, allowing you to practice your skills and deepen your knowledge.

Assessment

We also use a range of assessment methods, depending on the modules you choose. They’re likely to include practical projects, essays, reports, group and individual presentations and case studies among others.

Career opportunities

This programme is still relatively new, and digital media are rapidly growing, evolving and expanding.

People with high-level production and project management skills in new media will be in high demand for decades to come, and this programme will equip you with the knowledge and skills to thrive in a wide – and rapidly expanding – range of careers in new media practice.

These could include digital marketing, animation, web design and development, social media, analytics, PR and consultancy among others. You’ll also be well prepared for future research in this young and fast-changing field.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

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Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).

The MA in Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations (PR) is designed for students who want to focus their energy on the dynamic world of social media, develop their creative practice and professional writing skills or are looking to work in an entrepreneurial environment.

Key Features of Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations (PR)

The MA in Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations (PR) offers syllabus-based practice in professional, contemporary media skills, taught by industry professionals with academic backgrounds. The Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations (PR) programme includes modules in Professional Writing/Journalism, Visual Communications and Media Design, Video and Documentary Making and Public Relations (PR), Branding and Promotion. Other modules in communication, theory, film and history are also available.

The Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations (PR) programme allows graduates to add valuable and desirable professional media skills for careers in business, journalism, public and media relations, broadcasting, advertising and marketing and industry professionals to acquire new media skills and qualifications that will enhance their continuing professional development.

The full-time MA in Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations (PR) course is split across the year with three modules offered in each academic semester (a total of six modules in part one) and then a dissertation or professional media practice project over the summer (part two).

The part two component allows students in the Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations (PR) programme to either write a 16,000 word dissertation or undertake the professional media project which incorporates the practical elements of the course and a short unpaid work placement.

MA in Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations (PR) Aims

To research and develop stories in an online, multi-media environment.

To present the principles, theories and techniques surrounding video making.

To develop practical skills and conceptual knowledge of digital publishing, visual communication and media design.

To provide a critical overview of the role of public relations (PR) and promotional practice.

To develop writing skills in a wide range of genres.

Modules

Modules on the MA in in Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations (PR) typically include:

• Visual Communication and Media Design

• Video and Documentary Making

• Public Relations (PR), Branding and Promotion

• Reporting Terrorism

• Global Media

• Risk Reporting

• The Business and Politics of Digital Media

• Development Communications

• Online Journalism

• The Digital Edge

Careers

Career expectations are excellent for Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations (PR) graduates. Media Companies, non-profit organisations, global business, government and the public sector value the fact that our Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations (PR) Graduates have developed a range of critical and theoretical abilities and a creative and innovative approach to media practice. Our Graduates go on to work in business, marketing and Public Relations (PR), journalism, broadcasting, web-design, advertising, publicity, arts and cultural bodies.

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This interdisciplinary programme will allow you to benefit from the expertise of both the School of Sociology and Social Policy and the School of Media and Communication, enabling you to gain an in-depth understanding of key issues, debates and theoretical perspectives, and to critically analyse the relationship between culture, media and society.

Taught by leading researchers in the field, this programme covers key issues and concepts such as: media and social media; consumerism; audiences; representation; globalisation; migration and place; tourism; creative work and material culture. Through its grounding in sociological approaches to the study of culture and media, a concern with questions of power, inequality and identity will be threaded through the course, enabling you to think critically about the relationship between gender, class, race and ethnicity, and the cultural realm.

In addition to developing a specialist knowledge in the field, you will also acquire key transferable skills in research, communication, analytical skills, self-management and group working, which will open up a range of career pathways within the media and creative industries and beyond.

Highlights

• Benefit from the expertise of both the School of Sociology and Social Policy and the School of Media and Communication.
• Gain specialist knowledge in the areas of consumerism, media and social media, globalisation, representation and more.
• Tailor the programme according to your interests with optional modules which cover PR, journalism, identity, cultural history and reality TV.
• Develop transferable skills including in research, analysis, group work and communication.
• Prepare for careers in PR, communications and media policy, social and digital media, media market, audience research and others.

Course content

Compulsory modules on Researching Society and Culture, Understanding Society and Culture, and Sociology of Media and Culture, will provide a solid grounding in key sociological theories for the study of society, culture and media, and methodological debates and approaches.

In addition to the core compulsory modules, you will have the opportunity to choose from a range of optional modules delivered by the School of Media and Communication, enabling you to tailor the programme to pursue your specialist interests.

The final dissertation project will allow you to design, develop and implement your own critical research enquiry into an aspect of culture and media.

Course structure

Compulsory modules

• Researching Culture and Society 30 credits
• Understanding Society and Culture 30 credits
• Sociology of Media and Culture 30 credits
• Dissertation (Media & Culture) 60 credits

Optional modules

• Public Relations, Culture and Society 30 credits
• Communication and Public Opinion 30 credits
• Journalism Practice and Policy 30 credits
• The Cultural History of Promotional Communication 30 credits
• Identity, Culture and Technology 30 credits
• Urban Narratives 30 credits
• Researching Inequality in the Media 30 credits
• Reality TV: Truth or Fiction? 30 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Society, Culture and Media MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information on typical modules, read Society, Culture and Media MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

Throughout the course you will be exposed to a variety of teaching methods including guest lectures, seminars, presentations, group work, blended learning and independent critical enquiry.

Assessment

Assessment will include a series of short quizzes, a group project, an essay and dissertation.

Career opportunities

The combined nature of the programme will equip you with key transferable skills and the specialist knowledge required to pursue a career in sociology or media and culture. The national and international growth of the media and creative industries has sparked greater demand for graduates who possess advanced skills and knowledge in the field, opening opportunities in communications and media policy, PR, social and digital media, media markets and audience research or other cultural and creative industries.

Additionally, the sociology element of the programme will allow you to apply your knowledge and skills in fields such as education, statutory and voluntary agencies, NGOs (non-governmental organisations), INGOs (international non-governmental agencies) and charities. The programme also provides a basis for progression onto a PhD in sociology and media studies, and a strong grounding for an interdisciplinary PhD.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

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The MSc in Filmmaking and Media Arts is designed to deliver a portfolio of skills required in contemporary screen-based production contexts. If you are a filmmaker, freelance media producer, or an independent media artist seeking to develop advanced skills and learn key industry practices for building your career, the MSc in Filmmaking and Media Arts has been specifically designed for you. Through practical workshops, industry master classes, and history and theory courses you will have the opportunity to learn from industry professionals, media artists, and world leading academics in film, television and digital media theory.

Why this programme

-Through practical workshops, industry master classes, and history and theory courses you will have the opportunity to learn from industry professionals, media artists, and academics in film, television and digital media theory.
-Glasgow offers a vibrant context for filmmaking and media arts practice. Key cultural events include the Glasgow Film Festival and Glasgow International(a biennial international festival of contemporary art).
-This broad-based and flexible programme allows you to work across a variety of platforms.
-Recognising that the programme will attract a diverse range of creative individuals, we offer a variety of software and hardware options. Our purpose designed Media Lab is equipped with Avid, Adobe Creative Cloud (including Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Dreamweaver) and Final Cut Pro. We are able to equip students for projects with a range of cameras and sound and lighting equipment.
-The city is the home of BBC Scotland, STV and a lively community of independent media producers (television companies, sound studios and design companies) and numerous micro-businesses in the creative industries. It is also home to the internationally significant Glasgow Museum of Modern Art as well as venues renowned for exhibitions of emerging and established screen-based artists such as Tramway, The Centre for Contemporary Art and The Arches. In addition, the city is famous for its live music venues, galleries and artist run studio spaces offering an excellent and supportive environment for creative artists.
-The programme is taught in the Gilmorehill Centre which offers a purpose built Media Lab, its own cinema as well as a Media Archive which has more than 6,000 holdings, complementing the Library’s extensive collection of film, television and media art books and periodicals. The Centre is home to the international journal Screen and hosts the journal’s annual conference every summer, attracting leading names in film and television studies from across the world. You will have the opportunity to participate in the conference as well as to engage with guest speakers from the academy and media industries throughout the year.

Programme structure

The programme will offer a combination of formal lectures, practitioner led workshops, seminar discussions, screenings and one-on-one tutorials.

The practical elements of the course will feature high levels of support and direction in relation to pre-production materials, including developing pitches and storyboards as well as hands on support in relation to delivery of the individual film/media art projects.

Industry workshops are designed to give you the skills and knowledge needed in contemporary screen-based media contexts, while history and theory courses are offered to link industry practice with cutting edge theory in the field.

The programme has 4 components:
-Two core practical workshops: Running in Semester 1 and Semester 2, these are led by a practitioner in our purpose built Media Lab and are designed to provide hands on support in the production of your film or media art projects. They also incorporate sessions led by industry professional that are designed to pass on key industry experiences and skills vital to a successful career in the industry.
-The core academic option Experimental Art and Media: This course covers the history and theory of experimental art and filmmaking, including the topic of practice-as-research. It is designed to provide a critical foundation for your filmmaking and/or media arts practice.
-You will also choose one course, selected from a range of academic options that draw on the research expertise of the subject team.
-A practice-based dissertation, where you have the opportunity to develop, with support from technical and academic supervisors, a large-scale film or media arts self-directed project.

Career prospects

The programme will equip you with the ability to develop a career as a media producer, with a particular focus on low-budget productions for film and television. You will have the opportunity to explore and develop freelance industry practices and a portfolio of skills enabling you to work as an independent practitioner in today’s creative industries.

It is an innovative programme that teaches artistic, technical and professional skills and is designed to support graduates that are interested in working for large media companies or who may wish to pursue their own independent filmmaking and/or media arts practice. The programme also offers the research preparation necessary to successfully pursue a practice-based PhD.

You will learn things such as how to make films or media art pieces on low-budgets, how to take an idea from pitch to production, how to manage and sustain workflows, the processes involved in applying for arts funding, how to enhance your public profile and the processes involved in administering a start-up company.

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The MSc in Filmmaking and Media Arts is designed to deliver a portfolio of skills required in contemporary screen-based production contexts. If you are a filmmaker, freelance media producer, or an independent media artist seeking to develop advanced skills and learn key industry practices for building your career, the MSc in Filmmaking and Media Arts has been specifically designed for you. Through practical workshops, industry master classes, and history and theory courses you will have the opportunity to learn from industry professionals, media artists, and world leading academics in film, television and digital media theory.

Why this programme

-Through practical workshops, industry master classes, and history and theory courses you will have the opportunity to learn from industry professionals, media artists, and academics in film, television and digital media theory.
-Glasgow offers a vibrant context for filmmaking and media arts practice. Key cultural events include the Glasgow Film Festival and Glasgow International(a biennial international festival of contemporary art).
-This broad-based and flexible programme allows you to work across a variety of platforms.
-Recognising that the programme will attract a diverse range of creative individuals, we offer a variety of software and hardware options. Our purpose designed Media Lab is equipped with Avid, Adobe Creative Cloud (including Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Dreamweaver) and Final Cut Pro. We are able to equip students for projects with a range of cameras and sound and lighting equipment.
-The city is the home of BBC Scotland, STV and a lively community of independent media producers (television companies, sound studios and design companies) and numerous micro-businesses in the creative industries. It is also home to the internationally significant Glasgow Museum of Modern Art as well as venues renowned for exhibitions of emerging and established screen-based artists such as Tramway, The Centre for Contemporary Art and The Arches. In addition, the city is famous for its live music venues, galleries and artist run studio spaces offering an excellent and supportive environment for creative artists.
-The programme is taught in the Gilmorehill Centre which offers a purpose built Media Lab, its own cinema as well as a Media Archive which has more than 6,000 holdings, complementing the Library’s extensive collection of film, television and media art books and periodicals. The Centre is home to the international journal Screen and hosts the journal’s annual conference every summer, attracting leading names in film and television studies from across the world. You will have the opportunity to participate in the conference as well as to engage with guest speakers from the academy and media industries throughout the year.

Programme structure

The programme will offer a combination of formal lectures, practitioner led workshops, seminar discussions, screenings and one-on-one tutorials.

The practical elements of the course will feature high levels of support and direction in relation to pre-production materials, including developing pitches and storyboards as well as hands on support in relation to delivery of the individual film/media art projects.

Industry workshops are designed to give you the skills and knowledge needed in contemporary screen-based media contexts, while history and theory courses are offered to link industry practice with cutting edge theory in the field.

The programme has 4 components:
-Two core practical workshops: Running in Semester 1 and Semester 2, these are led by a practitioner in our purpose built Media Lab and are designed to provide hands on support in the production of your film or media art projects. They also incorporate sessions led by industry professional that are designed to pass on key industry experiences and skills vital to a successful career in the industry.
-The core academic option Experimental Art and Media: This course covers the history and theory of experimental art and filmmaking, including the topic of practice-as-research. It is designed to provide a critical foundation for your filmmaking and/or media arts practice.
-You will also choose one course, selected from a range of academic options that draw on the research expertise of the subject team.
-A practice-based dissertation, where you have the opportunity to develop, with support from technical and academic supervisors, a large-scale film or media arts self-directed project.

Career prospects

The programme will equip you with the ability to develop a career as a media producer, with a particular focus on low-budget productions for film and television. You will have the opportunity to explore and develop freelance industry practices and a portfolio of skills enabling you to work as an independent practitioner in today’s creative industries.

It is an innovative programme that teaches artistic, technical and professional skills and is designed to support graduates that are interested in working for large media companies or who may wish to pursue their own independent filmmaking and/or media arts practice. The programme also offers the research preparation necessary to successfully pursue a practice-based PhD.

You will learn things such as how to make films or media art pieces on low-budgets, how to take an idea from pitch to production, how to manage and sustain workflows, the processes involved in applying for arts funding, how to enhance your public profile and the processes involved in administering a start-up company.

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Introduction

Our graduate media studies Master's award, Media Research (MRes), has an illustrious background, and with our other degrees has received awards.
1st in Scotland for research in Communication, Cultural and Media Studies (most recent Research Assessment Exercise)
1st in Scotland for Communications and Media (The Independent Complete University Guide, 2011, and The Guardian University Guide, 2011)
The Master’s degree in Media Research, which can also provide the first year of the doctoral course, is designed to give you the necessary skills to carry out advanced interdisciplinary research in the broad field of media studies.

Key information

- Degree type: MRes, Postgraduate Diploma
- Study methods: Full-time
- Start date: September
- Course Director: Professor Richard Haynes

Course objectives

A suite of MRes courses has been developed concurrently by six subject areas: Applied Social Science, Education, Communications, Media and Culture, Management, Nursing, Midwifery and Health and Sports Studies. These courses have a shared core of four modules in generic research skills, plus specialist disciplinary modules and a range of options.
They combine high quality with flexibility and choice for students. Employability is another important focus, with the opportunity for a research placement offered to all MRes students.
This course is designed to provide a basic but extensive training in media research methods. The training provided is multidisciplinary, covering social sciences and humanities approaches. Ideal candidates are those looking for employment in the media for which research training is seen as valuable, as well as those intending to pursue academic careers in the field.

The course:
- Provides a structured analysis of established practices in film and media studies research
- Offers a critical overview of the intellectual frameworks that inform media research to enable you to develop your own approach to researching media institutions, texts and audiences
- Encourages you to explore your personal research interests and support the development of original enquiry through student-centred teaching and assessment

English language requirements

If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
- IELTS: 6.5 with 6.0 minimum in each skill
- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): Grade C
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE): Grade B
- Pearson Test of English (Academic): 60 with 56 in each component
- IBT TOEFL: 90 with no subtest less than 20

For more information go to English language requirements https://www.stir.ac.uk/study-in-the-uk/entry-requirements/english/

If you don’t meet the required score you may be able to register for one of our pre-sessional English courses. To register you must hold a conditional offer for your course and have an IELTS score 0.5 or 1.0 below the required standard. View the range of pre-sessional courses http://www.intohigher.com/uk/en-gb/our-centres/into-university-of-stirling/studying/our-courses/course-list/pre-sessional-english.aspx .

Delivery and assessment

The course involves lectures, seminars, tutorials, a research project and case study work. Assessment is by means of coursework as specified for each module and includes essays, a literature review, a research report, a seminar presentation and a media text. A dissertation proposal must be submitted by the beginning of the Spring Semester when supervisors are allocated (you will be expected to stay within the areas of current staff interest and expertise). Each dissertation is approximately 12,000 words in length and may take the form of a written publishable academic article or a project report, depending on its focus.

- Research interests
Research interests in Communications, Media and Culture currently include: film theory and analysis; television studies; creative industries and cultural policy; media economics and regulation; digital media and activism; journalism; political communication; sport and the media; public relations; national identity and globalisation; representations of gender and ethnicity; celebrity culture; new media and intellectual property and other aspects of media and popular culture.

REF2014

In REF2014 Stirling was placed 6th in Scotland and 45th in the UK with almost three quarters of research activity rated either world-leading or internationally excellent.

Employability

The MRes provides students with both theoretical and practical knowledge of social science research methods and an ability to apply these to the study of the media. The degree is primarily targeted at students needing research training prior to registration for a higher research degree, such as a PhD. The course also offers an excellent grounding in social science methods which are transferable to media research for industry, marketing and advertising research, production research and wider aspects of social research consultancy. Former graduates have successfully developed careers as academic researchers and a range of media industry related careers.

Industry connections

The Division of Communications, Media and Culture actively supports and encourages its staff to engage with a wider non-HEI audience for its research evidenced through contributions to policy fora, funded research for government agencies, collaborative work with NGO’s, engagement with the trade associations, unions and institutes of communications, media and culture professionals, active dialogue and contributions to media organisations across the spectrum of broadcasting, the press, film and the Internet, professional contributions to charities and pressure groups in relation to public media issues and policies, and a range of cultural heritage activities at national and international film festivals and exhibitions.

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