MA International Political Communication

Delivery:
Full time according to Funding Council definitions, Part-Time

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This course is designed to provide an advanced understanding of the issues and debates surrounding political communication in the 21st century.

Our academic team benefit from links with research institutions and political organisations across the globe, from Massachusetts and Prague to Bogota and Auckland.
Enjoy extensive connections with a range of political organisations, local, national and international pressure groups, charities and communication consultancies. As a student, you can work with staff and be involved in the Centre for Comparative Politics & Media Research to produce research for such organisations. For instance, the Report to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 'Fake news' and the UK Elections Analysis by members of the Centre for Comparative Politics & Media Research, and the live brief provided by Amnesty International to Politics students as part of their assignment.
You'll benefit from regular guest speakers from the industry including Peter McLeod, Senior Advisor at GQR’s London office, Niall Couper (Head of Media, PR and Supporter Communications) at Amnesty International and Petros Ioannidis, CEO about people Market Research, Greece

Read more about our academics Research on Soft Power.

For September 2021 entry: In order to take advantage of new approaches to learning and teaching, as well as developments in industry to benefit our students we regularly review all of our courses.

This course is currently going through this process and we will update this page in December to give you full information about what we will be offering once the review process has concluded.

Image description — Houses of Parliament

Key information

Next start date:

September 2020, September 2021

Location:

Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus

Duration:

1 year full-time, or 2 years part-time

Required subjects:

Media and Communication, Politics, Public Relations, Journalism, Sociology or Social Policy

Entry requirements:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in a required subject or equivalent

International entry requirements:

If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.5 in writing and 6.0 in speaking, listening and reading. For more information see our full entry requirements.

Course details

On this course you will be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians and research students. You will also benefit from regular guest lectures from industry.

Download the programme specification (pdf 210kb)

Core units

Social Theory & Political Communication: A contextual grounding for political communication in social, communication and media theory. There will be discussions about globalisation, neoliberalism and democratic theory, considering issues of power, gender, economics, social equality and the environment. You'll also discuss the role of communication within and between societies, the role of mass (online and offline), alternative and ‘new’ media, and new forms of social, corporate and political communication in online and digital environments.
The Psychodynamics of Political Culture and Society: offers a new interdisciplinary perspective on the psycho-dynamics of contemporary political culture. The unit applies a psychosocial, interdisciplinary approach that draws on theories and methods in psychoanalysis, cultural and media studies and political sociology to explore the cultural and emotional processes that shape our relationship to politics in the late modern, media age.
Research Imagination: Drawing on your research knowledge and experience from undergraduate level, this unit challenges your understanding of academic research and applied research in the communications industries. You'll be exposed to cutting-edge research practices and introduced to the opportunities and challenges of conducting applied research using industry data collection and analysis techniques.
Political Journalism: Debates around the role of journalism and media with practical studies of journalism, mass media effects and citizen journalism. Alongside understanding the nature of political journalism, you'll be introduced to its forms and practices to develop your skills-base for underpinning your vocational aspirations.
Political Marketing & Campaigning: Analysis of the marketisation of political discourse and permanent campaigning, exploring the behaviour and communication of political parties, governments, not-for-profit organisations, lobby groups and guerrilla activists.
Diplomacy & International Relations: The contexts, processes and psychology underpinning interactions between nations and the relationships they have with supranational bodies. The unit will draw on historical perspectives of international relations, theoretical models of power distribution and political economy perspectives for a rich understanding of how the world functions and malfunctions.
Final Project: You'll write an academic dissertation of 15,000 words. This unit will end with a student showcase where you'll present your work to peers and academic colleagues.

Programme specification

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

Your application

How and when to apply

There is no application deadline for this course. However, if you will need a visa to come to the UK to study, think carefully about the length of time it will take for your visa application to be processed and make sure your visa will be ready in time for the beginning of your course.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

The normal requirements for embarking upon a postgraduate taught degree are:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in a required subject, or equivalent
Required subjects include: Media and Communication, Politics, Public Relations, Journalism, Sociology or Social Policy

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow - some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry Team for more information.

International entry requirements

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

China: 学士学位 (Bachelor degree) with a minimum of 65% overall.
Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution in Nigeria.
Thailand: Thai Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution.
Vietnam: Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of at least 7.0, or a Master’s degree/Thac si.
Turkey: Bachelor’s Degree (Lisans Diplomasi -four years) to be considered for a postgraduate course at BU.

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.5 in writing and 6.0 in speaking, listening and reading, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level.

Careers

Students who graduate from this course will:

Be equipped with the critical and analytical skills to pursue research within the field of political communication and related disciplines
Possess appropriate academic and professional transferable skills
Be well-versed in a number of pervasive issues that shape and set the parameters for contemporary international political communications scholarship and practice.

Industries worked in

Further study

Costs and fees

You can find full information about the deposits required and how to pay your fees in our postgraduate fees and funding section, including details of the Postgraduate Loan (subject to fee status).

All fees are quoted in pounds sterling and are per annum. Fees quoted are for tuition only unless stated otherwise. Your tuition fees will be the same for each year of your course.

Find out more about living expenses for postgraduate students

No hidden extras

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity
Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement
A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
Disability and additional learning support
The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Costs of living and other expenses you need to consider

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website.
Optional fieldwork travel, outdoor wear and footwear (where applicable)
Text books, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of text books and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses
Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website.

Repeat units

Deposits

International (non-EU) students need to pay a non-refundable £2,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Financial help available from BU

Our staff

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This could include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students, many of whom are actively engaged in research and/or professional practice which is integrated into the teaching of this course. Please note that teaching staff can change.

Dr Anastasia Veneti - Programme Leader

Anastasia joined the School of Media at Bournemouth University in September 2014. Prior to this, she was teaching at the University of Leicester and in several educational institutions in Greece (Akmi Metropolitan College, University of Athens, Technological Educational Institution of Ionian Islands). Moreover, Anastasia also worked as a research analyst in Greek market research companies (MRB S.A. and QED Hellas) and as communication consultant in various political campaigns, an NGO (‘ANIXI’) and the Hellenic Parliament. She is a HEA Fellow.

Anastasia's research lays at the intersection of media and politics. So far, her research has considered political communication including political advertising, political campaigns, the use of SNS and digital applications (Twitter and selfies) by politicians and political parties, projects on protests and social movements. Anastasia's most recent work involves the examination of the media framing of protests and social movements from the Indignados to the Hong Kong Umbrella movement, as well as the exploration of the broader relationship between protesters and activists and the different forms of art that are used as outlets for political expression.

Anastasia's current research focuses on the production, publication and circulation of protest imagery, drawing on empirical data from in depth interviews with photojournalists.

Anastasia welcomes applications from PhD students interested in the following areas:

• Social movements, political activism and media technologies • Social movements, activists and the use of art • Media framing of political issues and protests • Photojournalism and protest • Political communication and digital media • Other topics in Political communication

View Dr Anastasia Veneti’s staff profile

Dr Darren Lilleker – Professor

Described by one BBC journalist as 'a man who watches Westminster', Dr Lilleker is a lecturer and researcher in political communication with particular interests in political party and candidate communication and the link to citizen and voter engagement.

Currently leading or contributing to units covering political communication, communication theory and reception theory with options offered across the final year of the CMC framework.

In addition, Dr Lilleker is Director of the Centre for Public Communication Research and Head of Research within the CMC academic group; Chair of the PSA Political Marketing Specialist Group; Panel Convenor for Political Communication for the ECPR and a member of ECREA.

View Dr Darren Lilleker’s staff profile

What our students say

Mirjam Liefbroer

What I like about this course in particular are the great lecturers who are engaged with their units and approach us as colleagues rather than students – they make theory relevant and interesting.

Hear from our staff

Cliff van Wyk

My career contacts have helped me offer great benefits to students, securing guest lectures and challenging live briefs, as well as associations with top agencies.