MA Media & Communication

Delivery:
Full time according to Funding Council definitions, Sandwich (Thick) out of college.

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This flexible course gives you the chance to study communication and media theory at an advanced level. It will provide you with a highly employable set of skills, together with the ability to engage with theoretical concepts and display critical understanding and analysis.

Develop your capability to engage with research and communicate your ideas in a variety of media, including text, video and audio.
Tailor the course to suit your needs with the option of a start date in September or January.
Choose from a range of option units to focus on subjects that are of interest and relevance to you.
Apply to undertake a 30-week professional placement within the communication or media sector, designed to enhance your employability after graduation.
Gain the skills to make valuable contributions towards media and communications practice within complex or unpredictable environments.

See Course details for more information, including how this course will be delivered safely in autumn 2020 in response to Covid-19.

Talk to a student on this course

Key information

Next start date:

September 2020, January 2021, September 2021

Location:

Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus

Duration:

1 year full-time or 2 years full-time with optional 30-week placement (September start), 16 months full-time or 2 years full-time with optional 30-week placement (January start)

Entry requirements:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2, or equivalent. For more information check out our full entry requirements.

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, or equivalent. For more information check out 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 331kb)

September 2020 – course information

During your first semester (September to January), you’ll be taught on campus for digital workshops supported by the use of online resources, including demonstrations to deliver background knowledge. You’ll have the opportunity to book kit out later in the semester for independent practice.

The rest of your course will be delivered online, using interactive platforms that will replicate the experience of being in a lecture theatre or seminar room. You’ll have opportunities to interact with your lecturer and fellow students just as you would have done in any other year.

We hope to have a full programme of face-to-face sessions on campus for all courses from January if government guidelines permit.

You will be able to use the Library, the Student Centre, Open Access Centre and social learning spaces, subject to physical distancing measures to undertake group and other work.

There will be no other changes to the content of your course as a result of Covid-19; we will deliver all of the units we have previously promised we would, and we are not making any changes to the individual learning outcomes on your course.   

It’s important that you know these changes are temporary and that we will be back to our usual on-campus experience as soon as national guidance makes it possible. 

See our Coronavirus FAQs for the latest information from BU. 

This is the latest information, updated on 20 July. We will update this page when more information is available, and we can confirm any additional on-campus activity.

Core units

Key Concepts & Methods: Users and Producers: This unit explores the key concepts and methods associated with analysing and understanding audiences and producers following a project-based learning approach. It introduces the academic study of media and communication, focusing on concepts and methods used to research users and producers.
Key Concepts & Methods: Texts and Artefacts: This unit explores the key concepts and methods associated with analysing and understanding texts/artefacts following a project-based learning approach. It provides an introduction to the academic study of media and communication, particularly emphasising the role of media and communication research and its relationship with society and culture.
Communicating Ideas in the Digital Age: This unit explores the ways in which research, and ideas more generally, can be expressed and communicated via alternatives to the book, the article and the lecture. It examines, for example, the communicative power of video, audio, performance, social media, and games in order to consider how knowledge is mediated in different forms. Students will develop skills as producers, curators and experts as they devise methods and artefacts which translate complex research ideas into forms which are comprehensible by particular audiences.
Media Diversity & Cross-cultural Communication: This unit aims to support students in developing the knowledge and skills to critically evaluate cross-cultural contexts and to reflect on key themes in the area of media and diversity. The unit will analyse how social and cultural diversity is constructed, represented and understood by the media.
Major Project: The Major Project is the programme’s capstone unit comprising of a dissertation and exhibition. The dissertation aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their critical, analytical and research skills by undertaking a significant piece of academic work as the culmination of their programme. The aim of the exhibition is to provide students with the experience of translating their academic work into a media artefact and practice-based presentation, synthesising and furthering their skills in communicating ideas, translating research into media artefacts and targeting audiences.

Option units

Choose one of the following option units each semester:

Contemporary Perspectives in Media and Communication: This unit focuses on contemporary perspectives in the field, exploring cutting-edge topics, new methods of research, and emergent areas of scholarship. To develop a critical understanding of how academic fields, and associated professional practice develops, the unit examines the role that perspective plays in debates around innovation, industry dynamics, media environments, policies and practices.
Media & Global Challenges: This unit explores the function and role of the media in the context of shared global challenges, and specifically those defined by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda. It will also examine the role of media and journalism to empower communities to respond to and reduce the risks posed by the challenges defined in the SDGs
New Media Innovation: In this unit you’ll engage with key issues and debates facing a networked media landscape, where audiences as passive consumers make way for collaborative reporting and crowdsourcing. Ways new media can complement and improve existing journalistic processes will be at the forefront, including data journalism, increased transparency and accountability, mobile news applications and augmented reality. You'll gain an understanding of how to undertake developing online civic media projects for journalistic purposes.
Brands & Branding: This unit aims to consolidate your understanding of why a brand is a strategic asset for an organisation; how the asset is realised, protected and valued not as a cost but as a source of revenue/ value. You will also be encouraged to critically reflect upon the role and impact of brands and branding in today’s contemporary society and appreciate how branding and brand communications need to evolve in the world of 24/7/always on connected audiences. You will also be exposed to new and emerging forms of brand communication such as branded content, branded entertainment and transmedia storytelling.
Consumer Insights: Through applied work, you will gain a critical appreciation of the role of theory in generating commercially consumer viable insights and in marketing communications practice. Throughout, the importance of understanding consumer culture and behaviour for the effective development and implementation of marketing communications is explored and analysed.

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

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.

Placements

An exciting and valuable part of your studies with us is the opportunity to engage in a 30 week optional placement during this degree. The placement provides you with the experience of how an organisation operates, as well as an opportunity to enhance your personal development and future employability. This means you can begin to put theory into practice.

Find out more about placements for postgraduate students

Typical placement roles

What support is available?

Our placement students have previously worked with

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

For January 2020 entry:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in a required subject, or equivalent
Required subjects include: Media Communication, Mass Communication, Business Studies or Social Sciences.

For September 2020 and January 2021 entry:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2, or equivalent

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

This course will provide you with advanced-level skills of critical understanding and analysis. You’ll develop the capability to engage with research and communicate the findings of your research using text, video and audio methods. This course will empower you to enhance the impact of your research outcomes, but will also provide you with skills which will be of value within the context of your future employment.

Career opportunities for graduates of this course can be in a number of industries from news media to marketing and government communication, along with education, research and management and business organisations.

Typical starting job roles

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 year. 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:

One set of study-related consumables such as a memory stick/ DVD
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.

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 staff can change.

Dr Anna Feigenbaum – Programme Leader

I am a Principal Academic in Digital Storytelling. Before joining the department of Journalism, English and Communication, I was a Lecturer in Media and Politics at BU from 2013-2015. Prior to this I taught at Richmond, the American University in London and held fellow positions at the Rutgers University Center for Historical Analysis, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the Institute for Historical Research at University of London. I graduated from McGill University in 2008 with a PhD in Communication Studies. My doctoral research on communication and creativity at women's peace camps was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada and the Beaverbrook Fund at McGill.

View Dr Anna Feigenbaum's staff profile

Courses changes

Changes for 2020

Date	Changes to this course
31/07/2020	Where the change was made: Course details Change: New core units: Key Concepts & Methods: Users and Producers; Key Concepts & Methods: Texts and Artefacts; Communicating Ideas in the Digital Age; Media Diversity & Cross-cultural Communication. New option units: Contemporary Perspectives in Media and Communication; Brands & Branding; Consumer Insights Previous text: Core units removed: Communication Theory; Research Methods in Media & Communication; Communicating Ideas; Media in Transition; Exhibition. Option units removed: Cross-Platform: Theory & Practice; Brands & Brand Communication; Intercultural Communication; Youth Culture & Media; Music, Media & Communication
31/07/2020	Where the change was made: Key information Change: 1 year full-time or 2 years full-time with optional 30-week placement (September start), 16 months full-time or 2 years full-time with optional 30-week placement (January start) Previous text: 1 year full-time or 18 months full-time with optional 30-week placement (September start), 16 months full-time or 2 years full-time with optional 30-week placement (January start)

Date

Changes to this course

31/07/2020

Where the change was made: Course details
Change: New core units: Key Concepts & Methods: Users and Producers; Key Concepts & Methods: Texts and Artefacts; Communicating Ideas in the Digital Age; Media Diversity & Cross-cultural Communication. New option units: Contemporary Perspectives in Media and Communication; Brands & Branding; Consumer Insights

Previous text: Core units removed: Communication Theory; Research Methods in Media & Communication; Communicating Ideas; Media in Transition; Exhibition. Option units removed: Cross-Platform: Theory & Practice; Brands & Brand Communication; Intercultural Communication; Youth Culture & Media; Music, Media & Communication

31/07/2020

Where the change was made: Key information
Change: 1 year full-time or 2 years full-time with optional 30-week placement (September start), 16 months full-time or 2 years full-time with optional 30-week placement (January start)

Previous text: 1 year full-time or 18 months full-time with optional 30-week placement (September start), 16 months full-time or 2 years full-time with optional 30-week placement (January start)

Changes in 2019

Date	Changes to this course
19/06/2019	Where the change was made: Key Information and Entry requirements Change: Required subject removed for September 2020 entry

Changes in 2017

Date	Changes to this course
14/09/2017	Where the change was made: Key Information Change: Required subjects added for 2018 onwards: Mass Communication, Media, Communication, Business Studies or Social Sciences Previous text: No required subjects
30/01/2017	Where the change was made: Course details content Change: Removal of option units Previous text: Media, Social Cohesion & Extremisms Exploring Word of-Mouth Communication Cross-Platform Media: Theory & Practice Media, Power & Conflict Critical Perspectives in Media Communication Applied Creativity Women, Gender & Media Brand & Brand Communication Media & Fictional Violence Intercultural Communication Digital Media Literacles Media History Media & Crisis Media Economics Youth Culture & Media Alternative Media Media Power & Conflict Media, Journalism & the Environment Music, Media & Communication New Media Innovation