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Media and Communications

Entry requirements


A level

B,C,C

English or Media Studies are preferred at A-Level or equivalent. English required and Maths preferred at GCSE level at grade C or 4.

Various Access Courses are accepted: Access to University Study Access to Community, Education & Humanities Access to Arts, Social Sciences & Primary Teaching Access to Languages, Arts and Social Sciences Access to Languages with Business Access to Humanities/Primary Education Access to Degree Studies Access to Arts & Social Science Access to Humanities Access to Social Sciences Access to Teaching

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

28

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H3,H3

English is required and Maths preferred with grade O4/H5.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MMM

Scottish HNC

Pass

Successful completion of your HNC in any subject with a C in the graded unit

Scottish HND

Pass

Successful completion of your HND in any subject with a CB in the graded units

Scottish Higher

B,B,B,B

English or Media Studies are preferred at Higher or equivalent. English required and Maths preferred at National 5 at grade C.

UCAS Tariff

108

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Media and communication studies

**Please note: for September 2024 entry there is no Year 1 entry for this course. Media & Communication will only be available for advanced entry onto Year 2 or 3. Please refer to our Creative and Cultural Industries course (P902) if you are looking for Year 1 entry.**

Our Media and Communications course will engage you in creative, collaborative and professional ways of thinking, researching and working. The degree emphasises studying the media and understanding the importance of creative communication skills in this exciting and dynamic sector.

We live in a world where everyone joins in media debates and many people are content creators, but how do you differentiate yourself, and your professional skills, in this field? The course is designed to build your creative, critical and research skills year on year, as well as your ability to put ideas into writing and practice.

You can opt to study for an honours degree over four years or an ordinary degree over three years. You will complete a range of modules each year as outlined

Modules

Year One

Media and Communications Industries
Studying Media and Communications
Media Analysis
Digital Content Creation
Media Production: Skills and Techniques
Media Production: Video Project

Year Two

Disruption in Media and Cultural Industries
Popular Media Cultures
Media Client Project
Media Campaigning
Media Production: Storytelling
Media Production: Online Journalism

Year Three

Media, Politics & Society
Designing a Research Project
Persuasive Communication
Creative Entrepreneurship in the Film, Media and Communications Sectors
plus two options

Year Four

Modernity on Screen
Industry-based Learning
Dissertation
plus two options
Year Three and Four options may include:

Communicating in Organisational Settings
Communication, Arts and Activism
Creative Entrepreneurship
Experiential Learning Placement
Film Festivals Photography Practice
Playwriting/Playwriting 2
Political Communication
Popular Music
Radio and Audio Media
Reputation Issues and Crisis Management
Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
Screenwriting
Student Initiated Module
Television Drama
The American West in Popular Culture
The Video Essay
Video Production
World Animation
The Only Way is Ethics

Assessment methods

You will learn through lectures, seminars, individual work and group work. The assessment strategy uses a range of methods to support your academic and professional development. These include: essays, reports, presentations, online discussions/postings, exams, reflective diaries, e-portfolios and content production for different media such as video, photography, website, blogs, posts and tweets.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
International
£8,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Queen Margaret University

Department:

School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

77%
Media and communication studies

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Media studies

Teaching and learning

88%
Staff make the subject interesting
94%
Staff are good at explaining things
65%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
61%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

72%
Library resources
76%
IT resources
74%
Course specific equipment and facilities
63%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

76%
UK students
24%
International students
42%
Male students
58%
Female students
73%
2:1 or above
16%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

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.

£17,000
med
Average annual salary
93%
med
Employed or in further education
40%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

20%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
11%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
9%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

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.

£16k

£16k

£19k

£19k

£22k

£22k

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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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here