University of Hertfordshire - BA (Hons) Media

University of Hertfordshire

BA (Hons) Media

The delivery of teaching varies according to the characteristics of each module. Workshops are used for modules where practical skills taught are taught enhanced by the supervision of experts, but there are also seminars and lectures. Assignments range from storyboards to creating audio for radio, websites, and even the traditional essay. The course is exclusively coursework.  

In your first year, you’ll explore the world of media communications and global media, looking at who owns the news, at the influence of the BBC and commercial entities such as Sky and consider how media varies across the globe. Your practical skills will include learning to tell stories using your phone and podcast and learning about the power of the image. 

In your second year, you’ll learn key media research methods and skills. You’ll explore radio journalism and examine world-changing journalism campaigns such as Black Lives Matter and Watergate. 

If you’re into music, film, food or travel, you’ll have opportunities to create magazine layouts and pdfs for online publications or design for mobile phones. A video option will give you the chance to create a documentary, or alternatively you can explore the world of the brand. 

Work placement/study abroad option: Between your second and final year, you’ll have the option to study abroad or complete a work placement for up to a year. Not only will this give you an amazing experience to talk about, but it will also give your CV a boost. If you would rather go straight to your final year, that’s fine too. You can decide in your second year with us, so there is still plenty of time to think about this. 

In your final year, you’ll be spoilt for choice. You’ll undertake a major project to design your own website, but you can also choose to do a media project for a commercial or charitable client, to learn about Corporate Communications or Advertising or both and you’ll also learn about PR and the world of celebrity. As you move through your degree, you’ll have improved both your thinking skills and knowledge of media, in tandem with practical media-related skills.    

Guest speakers and networking (Media Matters)

Each year the School of Humanities hosts a range of industry professionals, giving talks on their experience in the media and publishing industry. These lectures are recorded by our final year students and available on our Taster Hub. Some of our previous speakers have included:  

  • Andrea Thompson, Editor in Chief of Marie Claire 
  • Richard Keith, Journalist for Edge Magazine and Publisher, PCGamer 
  • Georgina Lawton of online ezine Gal-Dem for women and non-binary people of colour 
  • Steve Swann, investigative journalist, BBC 

Applying for this course is easy. Simply add us to your UCAS account by using the institution and course code mentioned in ‘Key information’. There is no interview for this course. We’re just interested to hear why you want to study this subject at degree level.  

Entry Requirements

UCAS pointsA LevelBTECIB requirement
112-120BBC-BBBDMM-DDM112-120 points

GCSE: Grade 4/C in English Language and 4/D Mathematics

Access Course Tariff: An overall merit profile in 45 credits at Level 3.

All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency, equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band.

Career Prospects

Media:

There are just under one million people employed in the UK media industry, according to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES). Opportunities for employment can be found in:

  • advertising
  • marketing
  • film
  • interactive media
  • radio
  • television

Publishing:

In contrast the publishing industry is smaller, with 148,000 people employed in the UK. There are a number of areas you can enter including:

  • book publishing;
  • web publishing
  • education publishing
  • journals and periodical publishing
  • B2B publishing
  • newspaper and magazine publishing
  • social media publishing

Employability is central to everything we do. Our course opens up a huge range of social media or web-based careers, from working for established media companies and departments, to setting up your own online magazine, video production or graphic design company. Our graduates also work in PR, marketing and advertising, where their analytical and communication skills are highly valued.

Recent graduate entrepreneurs include Talha Ahad, CEO of The Centrum Media, Pakistan’s first digital news network, and Daniel Lau, head of advertising agency The Beat Creatives in Malaysia. 

Course Details

Degree programmes are structured into levels, 4, 5 and 6.  These correspond to your first, second and third/final year of study.  Below you can see what modules you’ll be studying in each

Year 1

Introduction to media communications
Introduction to journalism
Journalism, law and ethics
Global media and society
Sound and image storytelling
Visual communication

Optional modules
Becoming a writer
Introduction to film criticism
Genre fiction: building worlds
Language in the media
Introduction to english linguistics 1
Genre, style and stars

Year 2

Radio journalism
Research methods in media communications
Mobile media design
Magazine design

Optional modules
Graduate skills
Video feature
The publishing industry
New media branding
Employability skills
How journalism changed the world: from watergate to social media and fake news

Year 3

Professional practice publishing project
Music, celebrity and media
Creating a pr campaign
Web design for media professionals

Optional modules
Advertising
Corporate communications
Representation and identity in contemporary media

*The information’s are correct at the time of publishing, however it may change if university makes any changes after we have published the information. While we try our best to provide correct information, It is advisable to call us or visit university website for up to date information.

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