Birmingham City University : Media and Communication - BA (Hons)

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Media and Communication - BA (Hons)

Summary
  • Campus
  • City North , Perry Barr
  • Tariff
  • BBC at A Level excluding general studies and critical thinking OR DMM in BTEC National Diploma OR Access Course - Pass overall with Merit in at least 18 Credits at Level 3.
  • Duration
  • Full-time: 3 years

Key Facts

  • Chance to study at a Skillset Media Academy - one of only 23 academies across the UK chosen to help develop a new wave of media talent.
  • Highly vocational course; puts your skills to work throughout.
  • Placements play a crucial role; recent students have gained invaluable experience at BSkyB, the BBC, Maverick Television and Endemol.
  • National Student Survey reports 80% of our students being thoroughly satisfied with the quality of the course.
  • Gives you the flexibility to opt for a general study of Media and Communication, or specialise through one of the following pathways: radio, television, web and new media, journalism, media photography, music industries or public relations.
  • Get real and rare insight from regular guest speakers who have included:
       - Brian Travers from UB40
       - newsreader Huw Edwards
       - Jo Geary, The Times’ Web Development Editor
       - BSkyB’s Head of Production Services, Dave Rooke
       - ‘Created in Birmingham’ blogger Pete Ashton
       - and many, many more

Why Choose Us?

  • Birmingham City University was among the first UK universities to deliver media degrees; this innovation and vision is now recognised by inclusion in a network of government-accredited Skillset Media Academies.
  • Preparing you for the realities of media work, industry placements (equivalent to 70 hours in your first year and 105 hours in your second) are compulsory.
  • Choice of eight degrees with seven different specialisms: radio, television, web and new media, journalism, media photography, music industries or public relations (approved by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations).
  • The only institution in the West Midlands that offers Music Industries as a specialist pathway within a Media and Communications degree.
  • “I have always been hugely impressed by Music Industries at Birmingham City University. It’s apparent from talking to students that they are given a genuine insight and understanding of how the modern music business is developing,” Jeff Thompson, Manager, Fat Northerner Records.
  • Like the media world, the course is fast-paced and exciting: 
       - You work on both group and individual production projects
       - You work in radio/TV studios, and editing suites
       - You use a new media production suite, a newsroom for print and broadcast journalism with Press Association news feeds, and fully equipped photography studio
       - You use blogs, create wikis, and employ other interactive media to support your work and          self-development
  • Encourages you to be a ‘thinking media worker’ - an individual, not just a cog in a machine; offers a balance of media production skills and academic study of the industry.
Course Outline

Birmingham City University was among the first universities in the UK to deliver media degrees and is now recognised for its innovative and excellent programmes by becoming part of a network of Government-accredited Skillset Media Academies.

Birmingham School of Media has a reputation for its superlative standard of teaching and its track record of graduate employability. The media and communication course offers a high level of flexibility, with the choice of eight degrees with seven different specialisms.

Students can opt for a degree-specific course or choose a more general one, depending on their career aspirations. Staff at the Birmingham School of Media, who have a wealth of real industry experience, will guide and support students through their choices. This is a fast-paced course that includes both the theoretical and practical sides of the media world.

Students will be expected to work on both group and individual production projects, as well as undertake two industry placements during the course.

Course Structure

Across each of the undergraduate degree routes there is an equal emphasis on production, theory and professional studies.

The professional studies strand of the course prepares students for at least two placements in a media or cultural industries organisation, such as the BBC, Maverick Television, Warwickshire County Cricket Club, newspapers, magazines, PR companies and local radio stations.

Teaching is conducted across a range of environments, including radio and TV studios, editing suites, a new media production suite, a newsroom, lecture theatres, seminar rooms, and online.

Students will use blogs, create wikis and other interactive media to support their work and self-development.

All staff at the School are established media professionals who bring with them a range of expertise. They are able to recognise and respond to the rapidly changing demands of the media, ensuring that the course remains relevant to the industry.

The School maintains close contacts with a variety of media organisations including Sky, BBC, Maverick Television and Future Publishing and visiting tutors and guest speakers regularly hold master class sessions to enhance and enrich students’ learning.

Modules

A full range of media is covered in this course, including journalism, photography, print, interactive, broadcast, music industries and public relations.

Placements

The School strongly believes in the practical application of learning and is fortunate to have very strong links with employers and the media industry. Students on placements have worked with a wide range of organisations including the BBC, Maverick Television and Endemol.

Assessments

Students are assessed in a variety of different ways, including practical project work – both group and individual, presentations, written and practical portfolios as well as traditional academic essays and exams.

Staff

Photo of Sue Heseltine

Sue Heseltine

Programme Director for the BA (Hons) Media and Communication and Award Leader for the MA Freelancing and Journalism Enterprise

During her professional career she spent more than 20 years as a working journalist in the print and broadcasting industries.

She started out on her local weekly newspaper, the Craven Herald and Pioneer at Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales. She then went on to work for regional newspapers in South Wales and the North of England, including The Star in Sheffield and the Yorkshire Post in Leeds. She has also worked for BBC Radio Sheffield and spent eight years as a TV journalist working mainly for Yorkshire’s regional news programme, Calendar, as well as for Sky News and Granada TV.

Sue teaches modules in print and broadcast journalism, media law and professional studies and she is a member of the Association for Journalism Education.

She continues to write for newspapers and magazines on a freelance basis and, as the village correspondent for the Staffordshire village where she lives, she also writes a weekly column for the Lichfield Mercury.

She says that the undergraduate programme aims to provide students with the skills to generate news stories for print, broadcast or online platforms.

“Graduates going out to find jobs as journalists these days need a much broader range of technological skills than they did when I started out as a reporter.

“Our job is to make sure they have those skills and that they understand how to use them. However journalists still need to be able to find information and communicate effectively – some of those important core skills remain fundamentally the same.”

She added that the post graduate course in Freelancing and Journalism Enterprise caters for a different type of applicant.

“Our MA is designed for people who already have some training or experience as journalists. The course aims to help work out how to make use of their existing skills ion a fast-changing world.

“We know that there are people who know how to be a journalist but feel that they need something extra to help them achieve their aims.

“In some cases that will be extra qualifications, in some cases it will be additional new media skills, in some cases it will simply be the opportunity to study and analyse the emerging journalistic landscape and work out how they can fit into it.

“The MA offers them all of these things”

Your Career

Career Prospects

Our track record for graduate employment is excellent, with the majority of graduates going into a media-related role. Each course opens up specific employability avenues related to the production route chosen. A high number of graduates have gone into producer/director roles, journalism, public relations, web development, freelance/own business.

Further Study Options

As a School, we invest significantly in our postgraduate provision as we recognise that more specialist and professional courses are required across the media industry. This year we are introducing six new courses, with more planned for the future. The postgraduate courses currently offered are:

  • MA Creative Industries and Cultural Policy
  • MA Event and Exhibition Management
  • MA Freelance Photography
  • MA Freelancing and Journalism Enterprise
  • MA International Broadcast Journalism
  • MA Magazine Journalism and Interactive Content
  • MA Media and Creative Enterprise
  • MA Online Journalism
  • MA Social Media
  • MA Television and Interactive Content
  • PgDip Broadcast Journalism
  • CIPR Advanced Certificate in Public Relations

Details can be found on the postgraduate section of the website.

Entry Requirements & Applications

Entry Requirements

Students must have at least one of the following:

  • BBC at A Level, excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking
  • BTEC National Diploma overall grade DMM.
  • International Baccalaureate with 28 points.
  • Access course - pass overall including merit in 18 credits at level 3
  • Equivalent qualifications or experience.

Application Details

FT UCAS Course Code: P910

Search for this course on UCAS.

Enquiries

Prospective students from the UK or EU may enquire online by using the Course Enquiry Form or call +44 (0)121 331 5595.

Prospective students from non-EU countries may enquire via the International Enquiry Form or call +44 (0)121 331 6714.

Fees Notes

If you already have an equivalent level qualification, you may be charged a higher fee for your course. For further information visit the fees area of the Student Info section.

Further Information

For more details on all the courses, including job opportunities, alumni stories and experience, details of open and applicants days, visit: www.mediacourses.com

To speak to the school office call +44 (0)121 331 7279 or Email: media@bcu.ac.uk

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