The MA in Digital Media is unique in its combination of practical and theoretical approaches to contemporary media and technology.
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 can explore transformations in media, culture and society through the practice of contemporary digital communication. You will work with one or more of the following to create installations, apps and single- and multi-screen work that's responsive to the continually changing digital landscape:
Acclaimed academics and practitioners
Benefit from the experience and expertise of one of the world’s leading media and communications departments. The programme is co-convened by Professor Joanna Zylinska and Daniel Rourke, and you will be taught by theorists and practitioners of international standing.
Work placements and internships
The MA in Digital Media regularly attracts offers of work placements and internships. In the past these have come from Google, The Science Museum and N1creative.com. There is also £6,000 bursary available for UK students studying this course. Find out more about the Stationers' Postgraduate Bursary Scheme on our departmental awards page.
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:
MA Digital Media students have access to the pioneering option ‘After New Media’, currently 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 well as accessing a series of podcasts, students are offered reading groups and a masterclass with Professor Sarah Kember co-author of the book Life After New Media on which the course is based.
Overview
The programme consists of:
Core modules
Seen take-home paper; essays; dissertation or practice/theory project and other production work for image-making.
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.
Our programme provides a theory and practice pathway and prepares students for work in the following areas:
Over the last 25 years, science communication has expanded from a field of public intellectuals, celebrity scientists, broadcast media professionals and event producers to a global industry of ground-breaking artists, games developers, disruptive creators, radical curators, social entrepreneurs and citizen scientists. Developed in partnership with industry, this part-time, distance learning course will provide you with the knowledge and skills required to take advantage of excellent job prospects in this growing field.
Studying this MSc will provide you with the opportunity to accelerate your career and become part of a worldwide community which is pushing the boundaries of science communication through new and emerging technologies. You will gain practical and transferable skills informed by theory, a creative portfolio and access to world-class professional networks to progress your career in science communication. You will become mindful of the ethical challenges that new communication systems might pose to achieving sustainable development goals for health and wellbeing, gender equality and communities.
Through a selection of specifically designed modules, you will learn about the importance of involving the public in the co-creation of citizen science projects, explore the increasing trend of locating science within festivals, examine how art and science come together to innovate, and explore digital storytelling strategies for communicating science. Additionally, you will investigate how science writing and journalism has changed in a digital era, and focus on contemporary matters of global concern in science communication. All modules aim for you to develop and enhance your public portfolio through a range of creative projects.
Science communication is an expanding field and, as such, there are many exciting career prospects working in science journalism, public engagement, events production, science publishing and within the media, to name a few. Our academics have strong networks in the field and, as the course is delivered in collaboration with industry experts and professional science communicators, you can be sure that the skills and knowledge you gain are those you need to forge a successful career in the field and stay ahead of the curve. This course aims to bridge the #scicomm digital skills gap in an era where digital fluency, critical thinking, and creative innovation make professionals stand out from the crowd.
This science communication masters focuses on the areas of communication, media management, public engagement, emerging technologies, global challenges, digital literacy and creative practice.
Features
Benefits
We offer awards to help you study through our:
There are also other sources of funding available to you.
For more information please see our funding section.
This science communication MSc is designed to equip the modern science communicator with the practical skills and theoretical grounding to carry out science communication, public engagement and policy roles in a wide range of institutions, from Universities to science festivals, museums and galleries to research funders, science and health charities, NGOs and science businesses spanning education, entertainment, PR/ advocacy and sustainable development.
Science communication professionals contribute to a wide range of industries including:
Graduates could undertake roles (within these sectors and others) such as:
Our MSc Science Communication course is ideal if you are interested in science, technology, medicine, mathematics or engineering and want to work in the field of science communication.
You will develop the skills required to work in a range of sectors, including media, science policy, filmmaking, science outreach, public relations, museums and science centres, science festivals, and other public engagement fields.
Developed by the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine and Manchester Institute of Innovation Research , the course features masterclasses and project support from leading professionals in a wide range of sectors, together with experienced science communicators from across the University.
You will spend time building up practical communication skills, and thinking about the broad range of challenges that science communicators face. Does science communication matter for society? Whose interests are furthered by science news? What are the ethical issues in the communication of health research? When we talk about public engagement, what kind of public do we mean?
You will consider these and other questions through insights drawn from history, innovation and policy research, media studies, and the first-hand experience of long-serving communicators, and link these to practical skills.
Real world learning
We bring practitioners into the classroom and enable you to participate in the various forms of science communication that take place in Manchester to complement your academic learning with real life experiences.
You will learn through a mixture of lectures, small-group seminars, discussions and practical exercises. Activities will be included in the taught elements for both individual students and groups.
You will engage with primary and secondary academic literatures, professional literatures, and mass media products about science, technology and medicine.
You will also learn at special sites of science communication, such as museums, media institutions, and public events.
We encourage participation and volunteering to help you further your own interests alongside the taught curriculum. All students will meet regularly with a mentor from the Centre's PhD community, with a designated personal tutor from among the staff and, from Semester 2, a dissertation supervisor.
Applicants may informally request examples of study materials to help you test your ability to engage effectively with the course from the Course Director.
All units are assessed by academic and practical tasks set in parallel. You should expect both written and spoken assessments that use a format appropriate to the relevant professional group or medium.
You may choose your own topic or medium for many of the assessments. Assessed work also includes a piece of original science communication research.
The final assessment is a project created under the supervision of a science communication professional (the mentored project).
The full-time version of the course runs for 12 months from September. There is also a part-time alternative, covering half the same classes each semester over two years. Part-time study involves a limited number of days' attendance per week and can be combined with part-time employment.
All students take three course units consisting of weekly lectures and discussion seminars:
All students also attend a series of intensive one-day schools on science communication practice and science policy, with sessions led by invited contributors including journalists, documentary filmmakers, museum professionals, policy analysts, outreach officers and other relevant experts. From these day schools, you will choose two of the following four areas to specialise in for assessed work (although you can sit in on all these units):
The course is completed by two more open-ended elements allowing you to specialise towards your preferred interests.
Our course teaches the current trends in science communication, so details of our units may vary from year to year to stay up to date. This type of change is covered within the University's disclaimer , but if you are in doubt about a unit of interest, please contact us before accepting your offer of a place.
Read about graduate Amie Peltzer's experience of the course on the Biology, Medicine and Health Student Blog .
You will have use of a shared office in the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, including networked computer terminals and storage space, and use of a dedicated subject library housed in the PhD office.
You will also be able to access a range of facilities throughout the University.
Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: [email protected]
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.
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 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
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.
-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.
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.
“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
Media Technology is a rapidly changing interdisciplinary field of study focusing on new digital technology and development, coupled with multi-channel publishing across different media channels.
In the programme, you will develop skills required for working strategically, innovative and change-oriented with new media technologies in multi-channel publishing contexts.
This master’s programme works closely with the business sector and provides you with competences highly requested in the media industry. Developed to meet the needs in this field you will have the opportunity to focus on, and deepen your knowledge of different aspects of media development.
Navigating in this multidisciplinary environment requires a critical and creative approach; therefore, the programme focuses on challenge-based, case based learning. Guest lecturers include digital entrepreneurs, business managers and guest professors, and the courses are conducted in close collaboration with different stakeholders, such as businesses and organisations.
For programme with start Autumn 2018:
Knowledge and Understanding
On completion of the Master’s programme in Media Technology the student shall demonstrate:
Skills and abilities
On completion of the Master’s programme in Media Technology the student shall demonstrate the ability to:
Judgement and Approach
On completion of the Master’s programme in Media Technology the student shall demonstrate:
Master's Degree (60 credits).
Degree of Master of Science (60 credits) with a Major in Media Technology.
In order to be entitled to a Master of Science (60 credits) the following requirements have to be fulfilled:
We welcome proposals for research in any area connected with media, communications, digital media, cultural theory and practice.
We give priority to those with proposals for research within the areas of interest of our staff.
Research degrees in this department have two elements:
Supervisors and their students form loose research teams, sometimes on a joint basis with another group. When you apply, please indicate your intended research area and any preference for a particular supervisor.
You'll be assessed by a thesis and viva voce.
Find out more about research degrees at Goldsmiths.
Having celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2013, Goldsmiths’ Department of Media and Communications is one of the oldest and largest media departments in the UK. It is also unique in its diversity of approaches to, and articulations of, the disciplinary conjunctures around media and culture.
The department has equal research strengths in media and communications and in cultural studies research, in humanities and in social sciences approaches, and in theory- and practice-driven work. Its work spans a wide range of topics and modes of enquiry – from philosophical studies of technology and human life to sociological investigations of media production and use; from issues of identity, embodiment and becoming to post-feminism, queer theory and critical race studies; from global screen studies and transnational investigations of media and culture to news’ role in contemporary democracy.
The Department’s research falls into five main strands which make up our research groupings:
(1) Media and Democracy: building on the work of the Leverhulme programme on the media’s contribution to democracy, including the changing nature of journalism and political communication; studying globalisation in relation to issues of diaspora and nationhood
(2) Economy, Culture and Communication: investigating communication and discourse in finance and financial media; everyday representations and understandings of the economy and economic life; creative labour, neoliberalism and organisational practices in the arts and cultural industries; the impact of the promotional professions (branding, PR, marketing) on the economy, culture and society
(3) Media Futures: bringing together humanities and social sciences approaches to understanding the changing role of media technologies and global media flows in society, economy and science
(4) Gender, Feminism and Contemporary Cultures: connecting the long tradition of work within the Department on culture, representation, embodiment and affect to its specific strengths in gender, race, sexuality and labour in national and international contexts
(5) Screen Cultures and Media Arts: consolidating the long-standing focus on screen cultures within the Department, as concentrated within the Leverhulme programme, combined with an exploration of media arts such as photography, video, digital imagining, sound and performance.
Many of the projects undertaken within the Department are collaborative in nature - such as the work conducted under the umbrella of Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre, funded with a 2006 Leverhulme grant to study the design and significance of various contemporary media spaces. Members of the Department have also received funding from AHRC, British Academy, British Council, Carnegie Trust UK, Council for British Research in the Levant, ESRC, EPSRC, Guggenheim Foundation, Higher Education Academy, Hong Kong Research Grants Council, JISC, London Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange, Media Trust and Open Society Foundation.
As well as working on collaborative projects, members of the Department have published many books with high-impact international presses, on a diverse range of topics: affect and emotion, artificial intelligence, bioethics, the body and experience, branding, broadcasting, democracy, film history, the future of journalism, media geographies, the mediation of power, post-feminism, postcolonial politics, sound and video cultures.
Members of the Department edit leading academic journals, including Body and Society, Culture Machine and its sister project, Photomediations Machine), Global Media and Communication, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Subjectivity and photographies.
Find out more about research in the Department of Media and Communications.
We aim to develop students who are able to express themselves creatively and self-critically in theoretical and/or practice work. You'll develop research skills, presentation skills, an understanding of the workings of the media and their broad cultural and social impacts and an understanding of the pleasures of media consumption.
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.
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 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.
The Master of Research (MRes) degree prepares you for study at MPhil/PhD level.
We welcome proposals for research in any area connected with media, communications, and cultural theory and practice.
The programme combines taught modules in research methodology with a 20,000-word dissertation, and offers advanced-level training to appropriately qualified students.
We give priority to those with proposals for research within the areas of interest of our staff.
You will be assessed through your research dissertation, and a portfolio of two essays.
Having celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2013, Goldsmiths’ Department of Media and Communications is one of the oldest and largest media departments in the UK. It is also unique in its diversity of approaches to, and articulations of, the disciplinary conjunctures around media and culture.
The Department has equal research strengths in media and communications and in cultural studies research, in humanities and in social sciences approaches, and in theory- and practice-driven work. Its work spans a wide range of topics and modes of enquiry – from philosophical studies of technology and human life to sociological investigations of media production and use; from issues of identity, embodiment and becoming to post-feminism, queer theory and critical race studies; from global screen studies and transnational investigations of media and culture to news’ role in contemporary democracy.
The Department’s research falls into five main strands which make up our research groupings:
(1) Media and Democracy: building on the work of the Leverhulme programme on the media’s contribution to democracy, including the changing nature of journalism and political communication; studying globalisation in relation to issues of diaspora and nationhood
(2) Economy, Culture and Communication: investigating communication and discourse in finance and financial media; everyday representations and understandings of the economy and economic life; creative labour, neoliberalism and organisational practices in the arts and cultural industries; the impact of the promotional professions (branding, PR, marketing) on the economy, culture and society
(3) Media Futures: bringing together humanities and social sciences approaches to understanding the changing role of media technologies and global media flows in society, economy and science
(4) Gender, Feminism and Contemporary Cultures: connecting the long tradition of work within the Department on culture, representation, embodiment and affect to its specific strengths in gender, race, sexuality and labour in national and international contexts
(5) Screen Cultures and Media Arts: consolidating the long-standing focus on screen cultures within the Department, as concentrated within the Leverhulme programme, combined with an exploration of media arts such as photography, video, digital imagining, sound and performance.
Many of the projects undertaken within the Department are collaborative in nature - such as the work conducted under the umbrella of Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre, funded with a 2006 Leverhulme grant to study the design and significance of various contemporary media spaces. Members of the Department have also received funding from AHRC, British Academy, British Council, Carnegie Trust UK, Council for British Research in the Levant, ESRC, EPSRC, Guggenheim Foundation, Higher Education Academy, Hong Kong Research Grants Council, JISC, London Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange, Media Trust and Open Society Foundation.
As well as working on collaborative projects, members of the Department have published many books with high-impact international presses, on a diverse range of topics: affect and emotion, artificial intelligence, bioethics, the body and experience, branding, broadcasting, democracy, film history, the future of journalism, media geographies, the mediation of power, post-feminism, postcolonial politics, sound and video cultures.
Members of the Department edit leading academic journals, including Body and Society, Culture Machine and its sister project, Photomediations Machine), Global Media and Communication, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Subjectivity and photographies.
Recent Research Projects
The Department of Media and Communications aims to develop students who should be able to express themselves creatively and self-critically in theoretical and/or practice work.
You'll also develop:
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
Our MSc History of Science, Technology and Medicine taught master's course focuses on a broad range of mostly 19th and 20th century case studies, from the local to the global.
We will explore key debates such as:
Your studies will pay particular attention to the roles of sites, institutions, and schools of thought and practice, and to the changing ways in which scientists and medics have communicated with non-specialist audiences.
You will learn through lectures, seminars and tutorials and gain experience of historical essay-writing, before researching and writing an extensive dissertation on a specialised topic, supervised by experienced researchers.
This MSc focuses on humanities skills, but may be taken successfully by students from any disciplinary background. It works both as an advanced study course for students with undergraduate experience in the history of science, technology and medicine, and as a conversion route for students from other backgrounds, often in the sciences, but also including general history, social policy, and other fields.
The History of Science, Technology and Medicine pathway is appropriate if you have wide-ranging interests across the field, or are interested in the histories of the physical sciences or the life sciences in particular.
If you wish to focus on biomedicine or healthcare, you may prefer the Medical Humanities pathway. If you are particularly interested in contemporary science communication or policy, you should consider the MSc Science Communication course.
This course aims to:
Extensive support
Receive dedicated research support from the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine , the longest-established centre for the integrated study of the field.
Extra opportunities
Take up optional classes and volunteering opportunities shared with the parallel MSc Science Communication course at Manchester, including science policy, science media, museums and public events activities.
Explore Manchester's history
Manchester is the classic 'shock city' of the Industrial Revolution. You can relive the development of industrial society through field trips and visits.
Convenient study options
Benefit from flexible options for full or part-time study.
Teaching includes a mixture of lectures and small-group seminar discussions built around readings and other materials. We emphasise the use both of primary sources, and of current research in the field.
Most students will also visit local museums and other sites of interest to work on objects or archives.
All students meet regularly with a mentor from the Centre's PhD community, a designated personal tutor from among the staff, and, from Semester 2, a dissertation supervisor.
Assessment is mostly based on traditional essay-format coursework submission.
All MSc students undertake a research dissertation (or optionally, for Medical Humanities students, a portfolio of creative work) accounting for 60 of the 180 credits.
You are required to complete 180 credits in the following course units to be awarded this MSc:
Semester 1 course units (credits)
Semester 2: two optional course units (30 credits each) from the below list, or one from the below plus 30 credits of course units from an affiliated programme:
plus:
Course structure (part-time)
Part-time students study alongside full-timers, taking half the same content each semester over two years.
You are required to complete 180 credits in the following course units to be awarded this MSc:
Semester 1: Major themes in HSTM (30 credits).
Semester 2: one optional course unit (30 credits each) from
Semester 3:
Semester 4: one further optional course unit (30) from CHSTM as seen above, or 30 credits of course units from an approved affiliated programme.
Plus:
All MSc students have use of a shared office in the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, including networked computer terminals and storage space, and use of the dedicated subject library housed in the PhD office nearby.
The Centre is located within a few minutes' walk of the University of Manchester Library , the largest non-deposit library in the UK.
Resources for student research projects within the University include the object collections of theManchester Museum , also nearby on campus, and the John Rylands Library special collections facility in the city centre.
CHSTM also has a close working relationship with other institutions offering research facilities to students, notably the Museum of Science and Industry .
Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: [email protected]
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.
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.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
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 will include a series of short quizzes, a group project, an essay and dissertation.
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.
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.
This MA looks at contemporary changes in media and communications, by putting into perspective the transformations that affect the way people live and work, national and international institutions evolve, and how cultural practices develop.
This programme's internationally acclaimed and comparative approach to the events, issues and debates of our times is particularly suited for those interested in exploring the bigger picture as well as the nitty-gritty of transformations in media and communications and their impact on culture, society and politics.
Its cutting-edge and interdisciplinary approach to postgraduate learning, independent study, and life skills provides you with the analytical skills, conceptual knowledge and practical understanding of the real and imagined shifts that are taking place in – and through – the media industries, everyday life online and on the ground at home and abroad.
The Masters attracts budding scholars, media practitioners, activists, and advocates from many regions, with a variety of educational and professional backgrounds.
It's particularly suitable for those wanting to move their knowledge and analytical skills up a level for further study as well as for those who have experience of studying or working in the media and cultural sectors, non-profits and other third sector organisations, alternative media, the arts, grassroots and international advocacy and activism.
The programme achieves these goals by:
The Programme Director is Professor Marianne Franklin. Lecturers, guest speakers, and research students on this programme are affiliated to the Centre for the Study of Global Media and Democracy, the School of Mass Communications at Texas Tech University (USA), the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, Edinburgh Law School, Le Monde diplomatique, a number of international NGOs, activist and advocacy groups, international academic and media networks.
The programme is broken into three parts:
The themes covered may vary from year to year, depending on research developments and staff availability.
Along with two compulsory (core) modules, research skills module, and a research dissertation, you can choose from a range of theory and practice option modules from Media & Communications as well as other Goldsmiths departments.
Distinguishing Features: this programme's content, structure, and assessment takes an interdisciplinary and innovative approach to:
Activities: Based on an interactive communication model of learning and teaching, the core programme is organised around lectures, participatory workshops, student presentations, written work, informed debates.
On completing this programme you will be able to (re)enter the workplace, return to your creative pursuits, activism, or advocacy project or, if you wish, continue onto further research with up-to-date knowledge about the facts and fictions around these trends.
Core modules
You also take:
Research Skills (60 credits)
As an integral part of successfully completing the Dissertation component, students take part in a two-term Research Skills module. Here we cover topics such as:
By term’s end students will be fine-tuning their individual research projects, contributing to our study of these themes in class presentations. Workshops and one to one supervision will provide further support for students until the end of the summer teaching term.
We offer a wide range of option modules each year.
Individual and group presentations; live video/web conferences, examined essays and research papers; qualitatively assessed assignments and discussion leading; dissertation.
Graduates from this programme find work and excel in a number of domains:
Alumni have found work with the BBC world service, Globo corporation, Carnegie Foundation, European parliament and European Commission, CCTV, NBC, Google, Microsoft, NGOs (eg Greenpeace, Global Partners) and charities (eg Dementia UK), newspapers (eg in South Korea, Brazil, Slovenia, China), alternative media and advocacy networks, museums, theatres and art gallerires, online national and international media outlets (eg Chinese, indigenous Taiwanese), PR and marketing around the world.
Other alumni have continued on to PhD programmes, at Goldsmiths and elsewhere. Many have been successful in gaining research scholarships and funding to further their academic and practitioner careers.
Taught Masters degrees in History, Art History, Philosophy and American Studies at Sussex, a top 20 University
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