
BA in Media Production
Birmingham, United Kingdom
DURATION
3 up to 4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2024
TUITION FEES
GBP 9,250 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* UK students: £9,250 per year | international students: £13,980 per year
Scholarships
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Introduction
Launch your career in the fast-paced media industry, with our BA (Hons) in Media Production degree. Prepare to become ‘industry-ready’ as you learn from guest speakers and industry experts. Make useful contacts and get a head start with your work placements and gain professional skills as you use our industry-standard facilities to create your media content. If you wish to make your mark in the media world, then this could be the course for you.
BA (Hons) Media Production develops the key skills you’ll need to enter the profession, alongside a range of transferable skills, which will help you gain employment in a range of careers. Previous School of Media graduates have gone on to employment in careers such as researchers, producers, editors, reporters and many more!
Highly regarded across the creative sector, our school of Media has fantastic links with industry, thanks to our blend of technical and academic studies - meaning your learning will always be relevant and up to date with current media industry practices.
What's covered in this course?
You’ll create your TV content in our four industry-standard TV studios, learning about all the important roles as you go. You’ll learn how to shoot a single camera and edit on Adobe Premiere and Avid suites and develop the technical and personal skills you’ll need to operate a TV studio effectively. You’ll also learn how to develop and pitch your own ideas, a necessary skill in today’s competitive industry.
When you work in our enviable complex of six radio studios, you’ll be getting to grips with how to operate a studio, present a show, record interviews, and use digital technology to edit and mix sound. As progress through the course, you’ll put together music radio shows, short features and podcasts, with the ultimate aim of running a live radio station at the University.
This a truly stimulating course, which will immerse you in the practical aspects of programme-making and content creation You’ll have ample opportunity to make documentaries, dramas, music shows, and studio programmes for both television and radio.
Throughout your time with us, you’ll be supported by academic staff who have years of experience in the broadcasting sector, such as award-winning former BBC producer Vanessa Jackson, and internationally recognised radio documentary producer, Sam Coley. You’ll also be taught by visiting lecturers who still work in the industry, widening your knowledge and experience of the sector.
Professional placement year
This course offers a professional placement year. This allows you to spend a whole year with an employer, between the second and third years of your degree and is a great way to find out more about your chosen career. Some students even return to the same employers after completing their studies.
The University will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. If you do not find a suitable placement, you will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
Please note that fees are payable during your placement year, equivalent to 20% of the total full-time course fee for that year (£1,850 for UK students).
Why choose us?
- Work on a live production from the very start! You’ll produce content on radio and television, reaching audiences across Birmingham.
- Learn in our £62 million Parkside building, home to our industry-standard television and radio studios.
- Our broadcast-quality digital radio studios are supported by the latest audio production tools and are used by media companies who also work with our students as guest lecturers and on their joint projects.
- You’ll be taught by award-winning academic staff who continue to work in the industry and have an accomplished track record in television and radio production.
- You’ll have the opportunity to enhance your industry awareness by getting involved with our Curzon Street Studios team in a wide range of production and film projects, including working on gigs and commercials for professional football clubs and high-profile industry giants such as Sony, Disney and Microsoft.
- You’ll have the opportunity to make media abroad on a specialised field trip or choose to study with an overseas partner.
Curriculum
Year One
Learn by doing with this hands-on degree, underpinned with theoretical and academic knowledge. Depending on the module, you’ll take part in seminar classes, practical workshops and one-to-one or group tutorials.
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 120 credits):
- Live Production 1
- Introduction to Media Contexts and Practice 1 – Television Production
- Introduction to Media Contexts and Practice 2 – Radio and Podcast Production
- Global and Community Impact
- Media Storytelling
Year Two
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 80 credits):
- Advanced Media Contexts and Practice 1 – Television Narratives
- Advanced Media Contexts and Practice 2 – Radio Programming and Production
- Live Production 2
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following list of core optional modules:
- Collaborative Practice
- Live Project
- Work Placement
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following list of optional School of Media modules.
- Gender, Sexuality and the Body
- Alternative Lifestyles (Pleasure, Leisure and Taboo)
- Comedy in Media and Popular Culture
- Perspectives On Community And Alternative Media
- Race, Ethnicity and the Media
- Media and Materiality
- Fandoms and Subcultures
- Communities of Practice: Culture, Heritage and Space
- Film Cultures
- Media Censorship and Regulation
- Celebrity Culture
- Creating Compelling Content
- Bi-Media Drama
- Television Studio
- Lifestyle and Branded Media
- Campaigning and Investigation Journalism
- Music, Media, and Digitalisation
- Digital Content Distribution
- Advanced Visual Communication
- Music Industries Promotional Practices
- Commercial Production for Radio
- Radio Documentary and Podcast Production
- Fashion Photography
- Photojournalism
- Digital Storytelling
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Year Three
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 120 credits):
- Live Production 3
- Professional Media Contexts and Practice - Media Innovation
- Professional and Academic Development
- Major Project
Career Opportunities
Enhancing employability skills
The aim of our BA (Hons) Media Production course is to prepare you for a career in the fast-paced world of media and broadcasting. Thanks to our outstanding facilities and our reputation for producing work-ready, highly skilled graduates, our students are readily sought after.
As well as your industry-specific skills, you will also develop a range of transferable skills, which will boost your employability, while your network of contacts – from work experience/placements, masterclasses and guest lectures – will be invaluable when you begin to look for employment after graduating.
Placements
You’ll undertake a two-week placement in your first year and a three-week placement in your second year. Although you’re expected to find the placements yourself, you’ll receive as much support as you need from staff, and you’ll also have the opportunity to apply for one of the several placement schemes we operate with the BBC and Sky. We operate an electronic jobs noticeboard, which includes many opportunities, and there are frequent masterclasses from companies that offer placements.