Media Studies BA(Hons)

Course in brief

Our innovative Media Studies degree examines the relationships between media, culture and society in an increasingly connected and globalised world.

You will gain a sound theoretical framework and practical skills that you can use throughout your career. You can shape your degree through your choice of options, which allow you to pursue an interest in film and screen-based media, digital photography, community enterprise, and social and mobile media.

You’ll be taught by a team of research-active lecturers, industry-experienced staff and visiting media professionals, including directors, producers and scriptwriters. Through your contact with media professionals, industry experts and leading names in cultural and media studies, you’ll be kept informed about industry developments by those at the forefront of current practice.

Your four-week placement will help you to develop skills and talents in a real-world setting that will give you a vital edge in the job market.

We aim to develop versatile and creative media innovators and leaders, equipped to respond to new situations within an ever-changing and dynamic industry.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb

UCAS code P300

Full-time 3 years

Apply now with UCAS

Applying for 2017

Places are available on this course for UK, other EU and international students.

Apply now with UCAS

Entry requirements

A-levels or BTEC
 Entry requirements are in the range of A-level BBC–CCC (112–96 UCAS Tariff points), or BTEC Extended Diploma DMM–MMM. Our conditional offers typically fall within this range.

We will generally make you an offer if your predicted grades are at the top of this range. If your predicted grades are towards the lower end of this range we may still make you an offer if you have a good GCSE (or equivalent) profile or relevant non-academic achievements.

International Baccalaureate 
28 points.

Access to HE Diploma
 Pass with 60 credits overall. At least 45 credits at level 3, with 24 credits at merit or above.

GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)
At least English language and maths.

Foundation degree/HND/HNC
 may enable you to start the course in year 2.

For non-native speakers of English
 IELTS 6.5 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

International equivalencies

International equivalencies by country

Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language institute

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For academic preparation courses.

Course in detail

Why study with us?

Brighton is an ideal place to study professional media of all kinds: it is a centre of creativity, a magnet for media companies and freelancing professionals and home to an annual digital media festival.
You'll be looking at social responsibility and community engagement, visual media, traditional and new media. You'll examine the evolving relationship between media and culture in contemporary societies and gain the skills to influence them.
By combining media, film and cultural theories as well as practices, the course will give you a real understanding of the relationship between information and communication technologies, industries and society on a national and international level.
You will have the opportunity to realise your intellectual and creative potential under the guidance of tutors whose experience in research, scholarship, creative and professional media practice will shape and support your development.
Practice-based modules might include lectures, screenings, visits to exhibits and lab based work. Community work modules involve considerable time spent outside the university, interacting with local community groups. A number of modules include short field trips and field work experience.
Organisations which have provided placements include Google UK, film companies Working Title, Kudos and Mosaic Films, Warner Music International, Marks and Spencer and movie magazine Empire.
Your industry placement will give you the ability to make confident and informed decisions when you consider your future media career.

Year 1

This year lays the foundations for your study, introducing ways of understanding and theorising the media and the social, cultural, economic, political and technological changes associated with their development.

Modules

Media Culture and Change
Producing and Consuming Social Media
Critical Approaches to Media

Options*

Media in the Networked Society
Video Production 1
Photographic Practice 1
Business, Creative Industries and Innovation
Creative Industries and Promotional Cultures
Understanding Audiences: Theory and Context
Film Language and History
Understanding Television
The Soundtrack of Media
Media and Popular Culture
Social Action and Community Media

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Year 2

In year 2 you will focus on an industry placement and research methods and methodology. The industry placement will give you invaluable insight into how media works in the real world and the opportunity to relate this practice to the theory you have been studying.

Familiarity with research methods and methodology will equip you with the knowledge and skills to execute independent research as part of your final-year studies.

Modules

Research Methods and Methodology
Media Placement

Options*

Video Production 2
Photographic Practice 2
Social Media Applications in Activism, Business and Life
Language, Media and Power
Digital Media Enterprise and Innovation
Brands and Branding
Visual Media Culture
Media Project Management
Media and Public Relations
Journalism
Community Media
Film Studies
Popular Music
Mobile Media Cultures

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Final year

In your final year you will produce a dissertation or production-based dissertation, under the guidance of an experienced supervisor. You will research this major project independently, giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your ability to draw together the knowledge you have gained over the course in a sustained piece of writing or the production of an artefact and critical reflection.

Modules

Dissertation

Options*

Marketing
National and Global Media Studies
Media Policy: The Politics and Economics of the Media Industries
Mediating Science and Technology
Critical Approaches to the Videogame
Celebrity Media
Transmedia Cultures
Sustainability and Innovation in Digital Culture
Digital Media Marketing and Innovation
Political Communication in a Digital Age
Communication for Development
Community Project
Genre and Film

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Facilities

Computer facilities with specialist software
Selection of digital and analogue cameras, including DSLRs and lenses
Tripods, studio lights and flashguns
Offsite dark room
Apple Mac computer suite
Selection of video recording equipment including tape-based camcorders with tripods, Canon XM2 cameras with tripods and Sony VX200 cameras
Sound kits with portable sound mixers, microphone and boom poles
Video editing suite
Extensive library facilities, which can be accessed online 24/7
Computer pool rooms

Staff profiles

Dr Olu Jenzen Course leader

Olu Jenzen leads the Media Studies BA(Hons) at Brighton. She teaches across the Media Studies curriculum, examining the role of popular culture in relation to how we construct our ‘selves’ and our worlds, including pop culture and heritage, pop culture and activism, the popular paranormal and representations of gender and sexuality in popular culture. All her teaching involves examples that we encounter on a daily basis, such as watching TV, reading newspapers and using social media. In 2013 she was awarded the Excellence in Facilitating and Empowering Learning Award.

Find out about our other teaching staff:

Paula Hearsum, Aristea Fotopoulou, Theo Koulouris, Irmi Karl, Peter Day, Julia Winckler, Patricia Prietro Blanco, Julie Doyle, Lance Dann, Doug Lyon, Ryan Burns, Frauke Behrendt, Maria Short, Martin de Saulles, Lestyn George, Paul Ryan.

Placements

Overview

During the second year of study you will undertake a professional work placement in a media-related organisation. As the placement is part of a degree programme, it is usually unpaid.

You will receive guidance to help you focus your search and support for writing a CV and cover letter, making online applications, setting up a portfolio and managing your online presence.

Rebeka Laub on placement at The Argus

FAQs

When will I go?

The placement takes place during the second year of study, usually in January.

Can I choose where to go?

Yes – and there is a dedicated Placement team who will prepare you to find a placement in the media industry of your choice. You will receive guidance to help you focus your search and support for writing a CV and cover letter, making online applications, setting up a portfolio and managing your online presence.

How long is it?

Around four weeks.

How will it count towards my degree?

The placement year in industry is academically assessed and your degree award will reflect your industry experience.

Will I get paid?

It is usually unpaid but the university or placement provider will cover the travel expenses for the students.

Where will I go?

Companies who have taken our students in recent years include:

Avalon Television
Google UK
Empire magazine
Hello magazine
Absolute Radio
BBC (Bride of Frankenstein)
Kudos Film
Times Educational Supplement (TES)
New Look Press Office
NME
O2 Media
Skint/Loaded Records
Working Title Films
The PR Office
Warner Music International
Marks and Spencer Press Office
Mentorn Media
Flame Television Productions
Mosaic Films
Annex Films
Ricochet Productions.

Hear from a placement student

Holly Smith Media Studies BA (Hons)

Holly spent her four week placement at EspressoTV, an international documentary distribution company:

"As it was a very small company, I was trusted with a lot of responsibility and this really helped me see how this part of the media industry works. I would advise anyone searching for a placement to open their minds to smaller local media companies and not just the larger ones in London because smaller companies often use the help you are offering them to the full and you have a higher chance of getting really stuck in with the work you are doing.

"It is a very scary thing to embark upon, but you have to remember that you are not alone in this experience, so use the help from the university and your classmates as much as you can. I am so happy that I completed the four week placement and it really is one of the most valuable experiences I have had in my educational life thus far."

Careers and employability

Graduates are well-equipped to enter careers in media and creative industries. Students often succeed in securing full-time jobs following their industry placements.

Recent graduates have been recruited as journalists, editorial assistants and social media managers by:

Times Higher Education magazine
Vogue
EMI
Juice FM
Universal Pictures
Punktastic.

Other positions held by Media Studies graduates include:

Talent coordinator, BBC
Production runner, Ricochet
Digital content producer, Royal Opera House
Sub-editor, Computer Weekly
Video production tutor, University of Sussex
Production assistant, Channel 4
Project coordinator, Age UK
IT communications and events coordinator, Gatwick Airport
Post-production coordinator, Across the Pond
Subeditor, Mark Allen Group (Publishing)
Senior media planner, Guerillascope
Production assistant, QVC
Reporter/anchor/weather presenter, KTVZ News Channel 21
Head Blogger, UnitedKPop
Presenter/producer, Roundhouse Radio
Social media manager, Gorgeous PR
Social media strategist, Fresh Egg
Editor, Stereofox.com
Senior Reporter at FOW
UI Developer at Kindred
Digital content management, Skint Records
Research and planning executive, Thinkbox

Fees and funding

Your fees

UK/EU (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 13,920 GBP

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2017–18. Tuition fees are payable for each year that you study with us.

Where UK/EU students are subject to regulated fees, the annual fee increase cannot exceed the UK government’s maximum regulated tuition fee limit set for the relevant year. For all other students, ie those not subject to regulated fees, tuition fees are subject to a maximum annual increase of the higher of 5% or RPI.

You can find out more about our fees in the the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and living here

Location

About Brighton

Brighton has been called the happiest place in the UK, and it’s easy to see why. With five miles of pebble beach, more than 300 pubs and a packed festival calendar, Brighton is the ideal place to spend your student years.

Arts and culture: The Royal Pavilion is the most famous landmark in Brighton, opening its doors to around 400,000 tourists every year. Right next door is the Brighton Dome, the south coast’s premier multi-arts venue, and the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, which holds a diverse collection of decorative arts, textiles and archaeological artefacts.

Festivals: The Brighton Festival is now the largest arts festival in England and a major milestone in the international cultural calendar. Meanwhile, The Great Escape has been established as the UK’s leading event for new music, with over 300 bands playing 30 venues across the city over three days.

Nightlife: Aside from the many nightclubs that line the city’s seafront, student favourites include The Haunt, Concorde 2 and Patterns, which attract leading bands and DJs from around the world. If you don’t feel like dancing, you can take your pick from the many hundreds of pubs and bars that dot the city centre.

Shopping: The quirky North Laine district houses Brighton’s finest collection of boutique shops and independent cafes, while the narrow, winding streets of the South Lanes house collections of jewellery and antiques. Churchill Square is the city’s main shopping centre and serves all of your high street needs.

Sports: Brighton’s seaside location offers the perfect opportunity to try paddle boarding, kayaking and windsurfing. Further into the city, The Level has a skate park for skateboarders and BMX riders to practise their skills.

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Just two miles north of Brighton city centre and the seafront, Moulsecoomb is the largest of our five campuses with more than 8,000 students. A wide variety of subjects are taught here, from engineering and product design to business and law.

Students benefit from many professional-standard facilities, including a flight simulator, design and digital media suites, and specialist research laboratories. The campus library, Aldrich, offers long opening hours and a diverse collection of books and journals for students from all subject areas.

Sports enthusiasts will enjoy our basketball and badminton courts, fitness suite and climbing wall. The campus is also a few minutes walk from the South Downs National Park, providing a great place to relax during the summer months.

Accommodation

Brighton

Our Brighton halls of residence are located across the city in Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

Our Grand Parade campus is in central Brighton and has one hall of residence, Phoenix Brewery, within walking distance. We have around 300 rooms available in Phoenix Brewery, which are all ensuite and self-catered.

Moulsecoomb is two miles from the city centre and also has one hall of residence, Moulsecoomb Place, on campus. All accommodation in Moulsecoomb Place is catered, offering breakfast and an evening meal during term time. There are more than 150 rooms available here, with six to eight rooms per flat.

Varley Park offers the biggest choice of student accommodation with ten halls of residence. The site is four miles from Brighton centre but within walking distance of Falmer train station.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence: Great Wilkins and Paddock Field. Great Wilkins offers 150+ self-catered single rooms and one-bed couples flats, while Paddock Field offers 450+ catered and self-catered single rooms only. All rooms in Falmer are en-suite.

Aside from halls, you have the option of Unihomes, which we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords. The rent covers all utilities and includes £5,000 of contents insurance for your personal belongings.

You can also choose to join the many students who live away from campus in private rented accommodation. We have a list of high-quality, university-endorsed private sector accommodation and can help you find housemates to move in with.

Find out more on our Brighton accommodation webpages and if you have any questions, our accommodation team will be happy to help. You can contact them by email at accommodation@brighton.ac.uk or by telephone on 01273 644100.

Paddock Field

Moulsecoomb Place

Maps

Accommodation

University building

Moulsecoomb campus map

Unistats

Unistats and key information sets

Unistats is an organisation that collects specific data about university courses in the UK which enables you to compare information that is important in your decision-making when choosing a university. All universities publish Unistats data on their online course pages.

Wherever we can we have provided extra information here to help put the data into context so that it is as useful as possible when you are making decisions.

Programme specification

The programme specification is the official university document for each course. They are updated each year, and give a very detailed breakdown of what your course might look like.

Programme specification