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Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Course Overview
-
L27 -
City Campus -
Full-Time -
12 Months -
16 Sep 2024
This course will enhance your theoretical knowledge and will provide an opportunity to put theory into practice. Your first semester critically engages with key theories and the second focuses on developing your analytical, investigative and practical skills. During the final part of your course, you will complete a major independent project.
Your modules offer perspectives on a broad range of topics in relation to the study of media and culture, such as the effect of globalisation on media consumption, the impact new media platforms have had upon fandom, and how cultural identities are marginalised through mediatized images.
Work will be evaluated via a range of innovative assessment methods, including pitching your work to industry experts. You will learn collaboratively through seminars, guest lectures and workshops, with a wealth of opportunities to give your learning real-world context. Our academic staff's professional experience will ensure your expertise meets the expectations of potential employers.
We host regular guest lectures from visiting practitioners and researchers providing opportunities to learn from talented and creative minds. Visiting professionals have included newspaper editors, digital marketing executives and radio producers.
You will join a vibrant academic community that works in collaboration with people from a range of disciplines, giving you access to expertise from a variety of subject areas. You will be taught by academic staff whose research is highly regarded around the world, with excellent contacts across a host of regional and national organisations, including newspapers and magazines, sports organisations, social media marketing agencies and radio stations.
A rich variety of employability opportunities will be available through your modules and as extra-curricular activity. You'll have the chance to contribute to and attend an interdisciplinary conference event that will encourage networking and help provide a platform to showcase your work and ideas.
Studying in the heart of Leeds, you will be close to a wealth of nationally significant cultural sites within the city and across the north, including Media City in Manchester and the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford.
Why study Media and Culture at Leeds Beckett University...
- Guest lectures delivered by industry professionals
- Professionally experienced expert teaching team
- Strong and meaningful partnerships with community organisations
- We offer distinctive and creative programmes that are responsive to the changes taking place in society
- Expert careers service
MA Media and Culture - Student view Student Kenza talks about her experience studying at Leeds Beckett
Everything you need to know
Discover all there is to know about the course, from entry requirements and fees to exploring the school you’ll be joining - we’ve got it covered.
Entry requirements
Applicants should either have at least a second class honours degree in the cognate subjects of Media, Humanities or Social Sciences, at least a second class honours degree in a non-cognate subject supported by evidence of an aptitude for the subject applied for, or have equivalent experience or training, normally from within the work environment.
All applications should be supported by a reference, either academic or professional; you can download our reference template for completion.
All applicants should satisfy our University English language requirements.
Entry requirements
Applicants should either have at least a second class honours degree in the cognate subjects of Media, Humanities or Social Sciences, at least a second class honours degree in a non-cognate subject supported by evidence of an aptitude for the subject applied for, or have equivalent experience or training, normally from within the work environment.
All applications should be supported by a reference, either academic or professional; you can download our reference template for completion.
All applicants should satisfy our University English language requirements.
IELTS
IELTS 6.0 with no skills below 5.5, or an equivalent qualification. The University provides excellent support for any applicant who may be required to undertake additional English language courses.
Selection Criteria
We may use selection criteria based on your personal attributes; experience and/or commitment to the area of study. This information will be derived from your personal statement and reference and will only be used if you have met the general entry requirements.
Independent study is a crucial part of learning at university and you will be required to undertake many hours of self-directed research and reading, and preparation and writing of assessments. Your course is delivered through a number of modules, which will help you to plan your time and establish a study routine. Outside of your lectures, workshops and tutorials, a range of support is available to assist with your independent study. Our subject-specific librarians will be on hand to direct you to the specialist learning and study-skill resources. You’ll also be assigned an academic advisor to give you tailored feedback and support.
Teaching & Learning
The option modules will comprise a selection from the portfolio of module specifications as listed below. The option modules that run will depend on student preference and staff availability. We cannot guarantee that every single option will run. Option modules will be discussed with you in detail, and you’ll be provided an option module handbook. You’ll then be asked to state your preference.
What you'll learn
Understand how to practically conduct research. In preparation for your major project, this module will see you critically explore key research methodologies including textual analysis, content analysis, critical discourse analysis, questionnaires, interviews, observation, ethnography and Netenography. You will understand effective strategies for gathering empirical work, understand issues such as ethical dilemmas and researcher bias and how they may be mitigated, and how to analyse data. This module will enhance your study skills such as critical reading, critical writing and presenting.
Study a range of theoretical perspectives on media and culture. You will develop critical thinking skills while you focus on the original work of key theorists whose ideas continue to be significant and relevant today including Jean Baudrillard, Roland Barthes, Stuart Hall and Walter Benjamin. This module will enable you to develop an extensive knowledge of different theoretical voices in media and cultural studies, and how these voices contribute to debates surrounding the role of media in today?s global society.
Gain real-world industry experience by working with industry professionals. This module will provide a platform for you to apply your theoretical knowledge to produce new, practical and creative content. You will experience how a chosen media/cultural industry operates and undertake a live project having received a brief from an industry professional.
Critically investigate forms of discrimination within a media and cultural context. You will define discriminatory practices such as racism, sexism, homophobia and class issues before exploring the interdisciplinary nature of discrimination. This module will encourage you to understand ways in which discrimination can be challenged within media and cultural industries. Your studies will focus on the works of various anti-discriminatory organisations, campaign groups and industry professionals who are committed to social change.
Consolidate your studies and tailor your learning experience by defining an area of academic investigation, practice or creative exploration. You will be supported by tutors and media professionals while you pursue either a major academic, professional or creative project.
What you'll learn
Explore the relationship artists have cultivated with the media. From international dissident Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, who uses art and social media to inspire global audiences, to US 1970s avant-garde feminist film-maker Martha Rosler, this module will explore how artists use Twitter, television and art-house movie theatres to disseminate challenging cultural and political questions.
Critically explore the ways in which new media technologies have become embedded within the practices of everyday life. Across the module, you will consider how mobile media technologies influence and shape the ways in which we navigate through time and space, and how they have altered our experiences of leisure and pleasure, created new realms to perform fan identities, and the ways in which we produce and consume news content. This module will see you investigate, select and apply key concepts such as technological determinism, post-fandom, the panopticon, Online Disinhibition Effect, and presumption to specific aspects of mobile media culture.
Apply post-war psychosocial thinking to the question of contemporary citizenship. Neoliberal rationalities may be diverse and chaotic but they do depend on the construction of certain `ideal' citizens: this module will ask if happiness and self-control play a role in that construction. You will examine the creation of modern interiority, popular psychology and the role of big pharmacology in order to ask `is optimism cruel?'.
Investigate the relationship between mainstream culture and the reproduction of social inequalities and social injustice. This module will take the monster as its focus in order to introduce some of the ways marginalised people and populations are presented as threats. You will study cultural representations in reality television and factual welfare programming to ask just how fear, hate and disgust are circulated and why.
Explore the connections between a range of cultural contexts that make use of and depend upon music for their structures of meaning. You will study the roles and uses of music in mediating events, places and identity in film, TV, radio and online environments. This module will connect issues and ideas via the common thread of the use of music to mediate meaning.
Explore the inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality, especially in technologically advanced societies. Through the lens of the hyperreal, this module will focus on fictional works on futuristic and alternative visions of our society, and nonfictional and news media reports about current societal problems. It will tackle the ways in which contemporary fictional and nonfictional narratives inform our realities. You'll identify, simulate, and replicate storytelling techniques found across the spectrum of digital culture and critically think about the interdependence between utopian/dystopian futures and our evaluation of the present. You'll study key themes such as: the relationships between futuristic cityscapes and technology, the environment and social inequalities, and the celebration of digital heroes and 'cancellation' of pariahs.
Fees & Funding hellooo
£8,250
UK
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2024/25 is £8250. The amount you will pay may increase each year to take into account the effects of inflation.
£17,500
International 2024
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2024/25 is £17500. The amount you will pay is fixed at this level for each year of your course.
Fees & Funding
£8,250
For students entering in 2024
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2024/25 is £8250. The amount you will pay may increase each year to take into account the effects of inflation.
Additional course costs
Tuition Fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC,laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
In many cases, costs associated with your course will be included in your course fee. However, in some cases there are ‘essential’ additional costs (those that you will be required to meet in addition to your course fee), and/or ‘optional’ additional costs (costs that are not required, but that you might choose to pay). We have included those essential or optional additional costs that relate to your course, below.
Optional Costs
- Educational visits; the details and location will vary but the costs you will need to pay could include travel, accommodation and subsistence
Other study-related expenses to consider: materials that you will need to complete your course such as books (whilst the library provides access to readings recommended for your modules, you may wish to purchase your own copies of some books); you can also make suggestions for books to be added to Library stock; placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery (you may need to pay for multiple copies of your dissertation or final project to be printed and bound); events associated with your course such as field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations). Other costs could include academic conferences (travel costs) and professional-body membership (where applicable). The costs you will need to cover for graduation will include gown hire and guest tickets, and optional extras such as professional photography.
As well as your mobile phone, you will also need access to a desktop computer and/or laptop to complete assignments and access university online services such as MyBeckett, your virtual learning environment. You can book and borrow AV equipment through the media equipment service accessed online via the student hub and located in the library at each campus. Equipment includes: 360 Cameras, iPads, GoPros, MacBooks, portable data projectors, portable projection screens, flipchart stands, remote presenters, digital cameras and camcorders, SLR cameras, speakers, microphones, headphones, headsets, tripods, digital audio recorders and PC/laptops (a laptop loans service is provided on campus in the library on both campuses). Student laptops are also available from the laptop lockers located in the libraries.
This list is not exhaustive, costs are approximate and will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental, travel or living costs are also in addition to your course fees. If you choose to study via distance learning, you may not be able to access all of the facilities listed if you are not able to visit us on campus.
£17,500
For students entering in 2024
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2024/25 is £17500. The amount you will pay is fixed at this level for each year of your course.
Additional course costs
Tuition Fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC,laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
In many cases, costs associated with your course will be included in your course fee. However, in some cases there are ‘essential’ additional costs (those that you will be required to meet in addition to your course fee), and/or ‘optional’ additional costs (costs that are not required, but that you might choose to pay). We have included those essential or optional additional costs that relate to your course, below.
Optional Costs
- Educational visits; the details and location will vary but the costs you will need to pay could include travel, accommodation and subsistence
Other study-related expenses to consider: materials that you will need to complete your course such as books (whilst the library provides access to readings recommended for your modules, you may wish to purchase your own copies of some books); you can also make suggestions for books to be added to Library stock; placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery (you may need to pay for multiple copies of your dissertation or final project to be printed and bound); events associated with your course such as field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations). Other costs could include academic conferences (travel costs) and professional-body membership (where applicable). The costs you will need to cover for graduation will include gown hire and guest tickets, and optional extras such as professional photography.
As well as your mobile phone, you will also need access to a desktop computer and/or laptop to complete assignments and access university online services such as MyBeckett, your virtual learning environment. You can book and borrow AV equipment through the media equipment service accessed online via the student hub and located in the library at each campus. Equipment includes: 360 Cameras, iPads, GoPros, MacBooks, portable data projectors, portable projection screens, flipchart stands, remote presenters, digital cameras and camcorders, SLR cameras, speakers, microphones, headphones, headsets, tripods, digital audio recorders and PC/laptops (a laptop loans service is provided on campus in the library on both campuses). Student laptops are also available from the laptop lockers located in the libraries.
This list is not exhaustive, costs are approximate and will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental, travel or living costs are also in addition to your course fees. If you choose to study via distance learning, you may not be able to access all of the facilities listed if you are not able to visit us on campus.
Moving on up
Leeds Beckett climbs 40 places in the Complete University Guide 2024
Your future in our hands
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a course. Take a look at the team you’ll be working with, employability statistics and career prospects to help make up your mind.
Career Prospects
You will develop a variety of transferable skills and build professional networks that will enable you to progress in industry, move into a new sector or set up your own venture. Alongside your major independent project, your proven critical analysis skills will create roles across a variety of industries, including television, cultural development, mobile technology management, journalism, marketing and events management.
- PR practitioner
- Journalist
- Game designer
The new Media & Culture MA looks really exciting. The core and option modules take interesting angles on media and cultural practices as you explore mobile media, music, art, discrimination and how social groups are represented. The MA allows for deep theoretical engagement but what's brilliant is that you have the opportunity to apply your skills within industry!
Katie Langford
Postgraduate student
Beckett Careers Team
Our careers service is not just there for undergraduates, we support our postgraduate taught and research students too.
Your postgraduate degree will boost your CV and help you stand out from the crowd. Whether you're just starting out on your chosen career path, changing careers or moving to the next level, we can provide you with expert advice and resources to help you take the next steps to achieving your goals.
Your Beckett experience
At Leeds Beckett your experience is important to us, find out more about what to expect from your time on this course and life at uni.
School of Humanities and Social Sciences The School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Leeds Beckett celebrates student and staff with a true passion for the Arts and Humanities.
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