Digital Media BA Honours
University of Westminster
Key Information
Select location
Campus location
London, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 15,400 / per year **
Application deadline
Request info *
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
* we urge applicants to apply as soon possible and recommend applicants to apply at least three months before the course starts
** international | UK: £9,250
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Introduction
The University of Westminster is a pioneer in media education, introducing the first Media Studies degree to the UK. Our expert knowledge and ties to the industry have inspired the new Digital Media BA, designed to prepare you for the media roles of the future.
Our Digital Media course will show you how to create and share your message professionally across any digital platform so you can truly connect with your audience. The course is flexible, giving you the time and space to explore different aspects of digital media. All students gain skills in content creation, digital media production, storytelling, and research, alongside a critical appreciation of the role of media in society. Students then build on these practical skills and conceptual insights by choosing a specialism which reflects their interests and aspirations.
At the end of the first year, you will be able to choose from pathways in Media Production, Communication, Public Relations and Advertising, and Journalism. You will have the opportunity to learn from industry professionals throughout the course and can benefit from our industry links by opting to complete a work placement year. Alternatively, you might decide to expand your educational experience by studying aboard between Years 2 and 3. You will also have access to our award-winning Careers and Employability Service with its network of over 3,000 employers.
This up-to-date blend of skills and knowledge will equip you to work successfully in a wide range of sectors and professions in digital media and beyond. Whether you want to work for a leading multinational, a start-up, a media outlet, the public sector or to launch your own company, this course will give you the broad expertise alongside the specialist knowledge you need, both when you enter the job market and into the future.
Top reasons to study with us
- Westminster is ranked top 10 among UK institutions for Communication and Media Studies in the QS World University Rankings 2021
- Westminster is one of the UK’s leading universities for ‘Journalism, publishing and public relations’, with our courses ranked in the top 10 in the Guardian University Guide 2022
- Employability and enterprise skills are embedded in the modules through the use of practical tasks and problem-solving exercises that mirror the workplace and, where possible, incorporate live briefs
- Work-based learning provided through the core module Working in Digital media in Year 2
- Digital Media Placement Year or International Experience Year available between Years 2 and 3
- Develop sought-after skills. Many of our students have their sights set on the creative industries when they graduate, but the high-level skills you’ll develop are in demand across a range of other sectors and professions
- Produce your own content in a professional setting. Our award-winning student-led Smoke Media offers plenty of opportunities to get involved. In the past, students in our media and communication courses have hosted their own shows on Smoke Radio and have been editors-in-chief of Smoke Magazine
Choose your pathway
You’ll be able to choose your preferred pathway at the end of Year 1.
Each pathway will give you a distinctive preparation in one of the most important fields of digital media.
You can choose from:
- Digital Media Production
If you want a practical course focusing on media production, web design, commercial radio and audio storytelling. - Digital Media and Communication
If you are interested in internet cultures, data and society and media and communication research. The ideal preparation for further postgraduate study. - Digital Media PR and Advertising
If you want to explore the commercial aspect of marketing communications and consumer culture. - Digital Media and Journalism
If you want to work in journalism, focusing on stories, multiplatform news, media law and how to launch a publication.
Why study this course?
- Join a leading Media School
We are ranked 6th in the UK for communication and media studies in the prestigious QS World University Rankings 2020. - Learn from top academics
Our academics are internationally renowned researchers working at our world-leading Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI). - Industry-standard facilities
You'll have access to 3D printing and virtual reality technology as well as fully equipped newsrooms and TV and radio studios.
Career Opportunities
Digital skills are among the most sought-after in graduates. As a result, our students are ideally placed to build successful careers in both the private and public sectors.
The University's Careers and Employability Service has built up a network of over 3,000 employers around the world, helping all our students explore and connect with exciting opportunities and careers.
- Expanding sector
This is how much the UK’s world-leading digital and tech sector is worth (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, November 2018) - Get work-ready
Access insight talks from industry experts and gains professional experience during the optional work placement year. Our Creative Enterprise Centre will help you to develop key entrepreneurial skills. - Cross-disciplinary course
The structure of the programme is designed so you can also work collaboratively with other students on cross-disciplinary projects.
Industry links
We offer our students strong industry connections to employers across a wide range of digital media industries in London, one of the two pre-eminent global centres for the media. You will also benefit from access to our internationally renowned research academics, members of our Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI), whose work is at the cutting-edge of research exploring the implications for digital and legacy media of issues such as globalisation, and activism, artificial intelligence and fake news.
Work experience
Work-based learning is provided through the core module Working in Digital Media 1 in Year 2. You’ll be able to choose to take an optional sandwich year between Years 2 and 3, with a maximum 40-week placement to develop your employability skills and boost your CV with relevant work experience. A sandwich year coordinator will help students identify placements through leveraging our industry contacts via our Careers Advice teams, Creative Enterprise Centre and the School Employers’ Panel, but it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to find a placement.
Job roles
Graduates have the practical and conceptual skills to work flexibly in a broad range of digital media roles, such as:
- Digital content manager
- UX designer
- Digital storyteller
- Social media strategist
- Digital marketing specialist
- Online journalist
- Public relations officer
Graduate employers
Graduates from this course will be able to find employment in a wide range of sectors and professions, including government and the not-for-profit sector, as well as the creative industries.
Our graduates are able to work independently as well as collaboratively in roles that demand advanced communication and research skills, such as consultancy, research, administration and management. The programme also enables graduates to continue on to further postgraduate study.
Graduates from our media and communication courses have found employment at organisations including:
- Ogilvy
- McKinsey Consulting
- Sky TV and Online
- BBC TV News, Online and World Service
- Royal College of Art
- ITN
- The Guardian
- Financial Times
- Elle Magazine
Admissions
Curriculum
At the end of the first year, you’ll choose a specialism to study in your second and third year, among the following pathways:
- Digital Media Production: for students who want a practical course focusing on media production, web design, commercial radio and audio storytelling.
- Digital Media and Communication: for students who are interested in internet cultures, data and society and media and communication research. The ideal preparation for further postgraduate study.
- Digital Media PR and Advertising: for students who want to explore the commercial aspect of marketing communications and consumer culture.
- Digital Media and Journalism: for students who want to work in journalism, focusing on stories, multiplatform news, media law and how to launch a publication
Your final degree award will reflect this specialism, eg BA (Hons) Digital Media and Journalism.
Full-time undergraduate students study 120 credits per year. The following subjects are indicative of what you will study on this course.
Year 1
The following core modules will be taken by all students on the Digital Media BA:
- Creating Digital Content
- Storytelling across Platforms
- Exploring Research in Media and Communication
- Digital Media and Society
- Creative Industries and Professional Life
Credit Level 4
Year 2
In Year 2, you’ll take two shared core modules, two pathway modules and two option modules.
Digital Media Production
- Working in Digital Media (shared core module)
- Theories of Media and Communication (shared core module)
- Commercial Radio (pathway module)
- Web Design (pathway module)
You'll also choose two modules from the option module list below.
Digital Media and Communication
- Working in Digital Media (shared core module)
- Theories of Media and Communication (shared core module)
- Internet Cultures (pathway module)
- Media and Communication Research: Principles and Practice (pathway module)
You'll also choose two modules from the option module list below.
Digital Media, PR and Advertising
- Working in Digital Media (shared core module)
- Theories of Media and Communication (shared core module)
- Strategy and Marketing Communications (pathway module)
- Consumer Culture and Society (pathway module)
You'll also choose two modules from the option module list below.
Digital Media and Journalism
- Working in Digital Media (shared core module)
- Theories of Media and Communication (shared core module)
- Content and Communications: Launching a Digital Publication (pathway module)
- Stories, Updates, Feeds – Multiplatform News (pathway module)
You'll also choose two modules from the option module list below.
Option modules
- 3D Interactive Media Development
- Celebrity Culture and the Media
- Design Thinking
- Digital Aesthetics
- Human-Computer Interaction and User Experience
- Media and Climate Crisis
- Mobile First
- Politics, Journalism and the Media
- Produce Your Own Podcast
- Representations of Information
- Specialist News and Features
Credit Level 5
Placement Year
Digital Media Placement Year: if you choose to take the opportunity of one-year work placement after Year 2, you’ll complete the Digital Media Extended Work Placement module.
International Experience Year: if you choose to take the opportunity to spend one academic year after Year 2 studying overseas at one of our Exchange Partner Institutions, you’ll complete the Digital Media Study Abroad module.
Year 3
In Year 3, you’ll take two shared core modules, one pathway module and two option modules.
Digital Media Production
- Dissertation or Individual Practice Project (shared core module)
- Digital Media Project (shared core module)
- Audio Storytelling (pathway module)
You'll also choose two modules from the option module list below.
Digital Media and Communication
- Dissertation or Individual Practice Project (shared core module)
- Digital Media Project (shared core module)
- Data and Society (pathway module)
You'll also choose two modules from the option module list below.
Digital Media, PR and Advertising
- Dissertation or Individual Practice Project (shared core module)
- Digital Media Project (shared core module)
- Data and Society (pathway module)
You'll also choose two modules from the option module list below.
Digital Media and Journalism
- Dissertation or Individual Practice Project (shared core module)
- Digital Media Project (shared core module)
- Media Law, Regulation and Ethics (pathway module)
You'll also choose two modules from the option module list below.
Option modules
- Creative Advertising
- Digital Marketing, Social Media and Web Analytics
- Diversity and the Media
- Specialist, Creative and Long Form Journalism
- Specialist PR
- Technology, Culture and Society
- Transforming Audiences
- UX and App Design
- Working in Digital Media 2
Credit Level 6
International Opportunities
Many of our courses offer international study and work experiences, and the University provides other global opportunities that all students can apply for - so whatever you're studying, you'll have the chance to go abroad.
Opportunities could include:
- Taking part in a semester or year-long exchanges at institutions around the world
- Attending an international summer school or field trip
- Developing your CV through volunteering or work placements abroad
International experience broadens horizons, boosts self-confidence, and improves global understanding, alongside being fantastic for your career.
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Program Tuition Fee
Scholarships and Funding
The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible undergraduate students, which cover all or part of your tuition fees.
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English Language Requirements
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