Media and Communications
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Pass with 45 Level 3 credits including 30 Distinctions and a number of merits/passes in subject specific modules
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
With three Higher Level subjects at 655
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Advanced Higher
Scottish Higher
T Level
Each application will be considered on its individual merits. Where the T Level subject area does not directly match the degree programme being applied for, the personal statement and reference will be particularly important in demonstrating interest, enthusiasm and suitability for the subject.
UCAS Tariff
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About this course
Bringing together media practice and communications theory, this degree covers a broad spectrum of critical perspectives on the media, and will introduce you to a range of contemporary media practices.
**Why study BA Media & Communications at Goldsmiths**
- You'll study in one of the world's top media, communications and cultural studies departments, where you'll be taught by leading industry professionals.
- We believe in the importance of both critical thinking and creativity. That’s why you’ll spend 50% of your time learning critical theories, and 50% of your time gaining practical skills.
- On practice modules, you'll be taught by industry professionals engaged in TV, film, journalism, audio, photography, scriptwriting, short fiction, illustration, interactive media, animation, and media campaigning.
- Our forward-thinking theory modules will give you the opportunity to question the norm and learn about the media landscape of the future with topics ranging from Artificial Intelligence to Race and Technology.
- You'll be taught using industry-standard practice facilities, including TV/film, radio and photography studios, digital video and audio editing suites, and animation software and hardware.
- You’ll have the opportunity to apply for a work placement in the media or creative industries as part of the programme and be given dedicated support to help you find the right role for you.
- You'll be taught alongside students from all over the world and with diverse cultural experiences that enrich the department and the learning experience.
- You'll develop skills that you can use throughout your career whether in the media industries or elsewhere. Our recent graduates have gone on to have successful careers in and outside of the Media industry, ranging from television producers and podcasters to teachers and researchers.
Please note the BA Media and Communications only accepts applications for first year entry.
Modules
The degree consists of 50% media theory and 50% media practice. We aim to provide an inspirational learning experience in which theory and practice influence and enrich each other in the production of original creative and intellectual work.
We look at issues of identity through critical race studies, queer theory and critiques of post-feminism. We investigate global screen cultures and also the role of news in democracy. All of this, together with critical, creative practice in production equips our students to be the thinking media practitioners of the future.
Year 1 (credit level 4)
Theory
The theory element introduces you to the study of verbal and visual languages and encourages you to assess how the media has evolved over time. We'll discuss what 'culture' really means, and how it shapes our understanding of gender, age and race. You'll also examine various media representations and take a module that will address theories of society and approaches to the modern state as they relate to media.
You take the following compulsory modules:
Culture and Cultural Studies
Film and the Audiovisual: Theory and Analysis
Key Debates in Media Studies
Media Arts
Media History and Politics
Practice
You take the following practice modules. For the module Media Production Option 1, you'll have the opportunity to explore two practice areas in depth. These include illustration, interactive media, animation, creative writing, journalism, photography, radio, video documentary and drama, and media campaigning and social activism.
Induction to Media Practice
Media Production – Option 1
Year 2 (credit level 5)
Media Theory
You take theory modules covering a range of approaches to the study of communications and the media. You'll look at theories of postmodernity, identity and globalisation; be introduced to differing psychological perspectives on the analysis of culture and communications; consider cultural theory; and investigate concepts of audience.
You take the following compulsory modules:
Media, Modernity and Social Thought
Psychology, Subjectivity and Power
You'll also choose two option modules. These lists are subject to change on an annual basis, and recent examples have included:
Culture, Society and the Individual
Future of Media Work
Media, Memory and Conflict
Moving Image Spectatorship
Television and After
Understanding Advertising
Practice
Practice modules introduce you to media production in a different area to the one you studied in year one. You'll apply production skills in the creation of small-scale projects, and develop critical skills through the analysis of examples and of work produced in each area. You then choose a practice area in which to specialise.
Media Production Option 2
Media Production - Specialisation
Year 3 (credit level 6)
Theory
You can choose any combination of theory options to the value of 60 credits (2-4). Options offered recently have included:
Contemporary Feminist Media Cultures
Digital Audiovisual Media: New Aesthetics and Practices
Dissertation
Embodiment and Experience
Mediating Violence: Feminist, Queer, Decolonial Perspectives
Music as Communication and Creative Practice
Political Economy of the Media
Politics of the Audiovisual
Promotional Culture
Race and Technology
Race, Empire and Nation
Social Media in Everyday Life: A global perspective
Strategies of World Cinema
Structure of Contemporary Political Communications
The City and Consumer Culture
Theorising Celebrity
Virtual and immersive media experience
You can also undertake a work placement as one of your option modules.
Practice
You have the opportunity to undertake the research, planning and production of a major project or a portfolio of work in the Media Production Specialisation area that you studied in Year 2.
Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.
Assessment methods
You’ll be assessed by a variety of methods, depending on your module choices. These include coursework assignments such as extended essays, reports, presentations, practice-based projects or essays/logs, group projects and reflective essays, as well as seen and unseen written examinations.
The Uni
Goldsmiths, University of London
Media, Communications and Cultural Studies
What students say
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How do students rate their degree experience?
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Media studies
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Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
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Media studies
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Only a small number of students study courses within this catch-all subject area, so there isn't a lot of information available on what graduates do when they finish - bear that in mind when you look at any stats. Marketing and PR were the most likely jobs for graduates from these courses, but it's sensible to go on open days and talk to tutors about what you might expect from the course, and what previous graduates did.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Media studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£19k
£25k
£26k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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