About This Course
This exciting degree is aimed at students who want to study Media Studies, including: television and radio; film and video; digital media and computer games; professional writing; journalism; public relations; media practice. Skills and techniques learnt during the study and production of audio-visual material lie at the core of many of the key areas in the creative industries. This course will equip you with a solid grounding in the technical and practical skills required to make you a sought-after professional in these fields.
Staff in the School have a range of research interests including comics, gaming and virtual worlds, visual culture, live television, hypertexts and have recently written on topics such as film and video, multimedia, global media systems, virtual landscapes, social networks, interactive television, media and representation, cult TV and computer games.
Placement Year
This course is available as a 4-year ‘with Placement Year’ option. Please apply for Media Studies with Placement Year BA P30P. Find out more about 'with Placement Year' coures here.
The placement year provides you with a fantastic opportunity to broaden your horizons and develop valuable skills and contacts through working with a self-sourced organisation relevant to your degree subject. The Placement Year is undertaken at the end of the second year and students are away for the whole of the academic year. The minimum period in placement (at one or more locations) is seven calendar months; more usually you would spend 10-12 months with a placement provider. You would normally start sometime in the period June to September of your second year and finish between June and September the following year. Placements can be UK-based or overseas and you will work with staff to plan and finalise the placement arrangements.
You will be expected to find and arrange a suitable placement to complement your degree, and will be fully supported throughout by a dedicated member of staff at your academic School and the University’s Skills and Employability Services.
Why choose Bangor University for this course?
- We are unique in our close integration of academic and theoretical approaches with hands-on creative practice. Students have the opportunity at all levels to combine a study of their chosen field with practice-based outcomes such as writing, performance, and media/digital media production.
- We specialise in a number of key areas: Professional Writing and Journalism; Media and Digital Communication; Film Studies; Performance Studies; Creative and Media Practice. We have research interests in all areas of Film Studies, with research programmes running in several key areas.
- We have excellent links with theatre companies, newspapers and the television industry.
- Many members of staff are practising professionals and consultants.
- We have a fully-equipped media centre with editing suites, production studios, media and digital media equipment.
- Bangor is the site for a range of Creative Industries conferences, video conferences and events.
- Sponsorship and scholarship opportunities are available on a competitive basis.
- Final-year projects are often carried out in collaboration with a company and could include working in a team with students from creative arts degree courses.
Course Content
You will be attending lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops and viewing sessions, and undertaking both practical and theoretical tasks. Media Practice modules focus on three main areas: film and TV production, radio production and digital media more generally. Practical modules will be assessed both on the practical output and on the individual’s ability to reflect critically on their practice. Modules on the history and influence of the media, and media culture, are assessed by examinations and assignments, but assessment methods will vary according to the modules that have been chosen.
What will you study on this course?
Modules you might take include:
Year 1
- Creative Practice
- Media Culture
- Introduction to Practical Journalism
- Digital Communication
- Introduction to Screenwriting
- Introduction to Media Practice
Years 2 & 3
- Cultural Economy of the Media
- Media Practice: Factual
- Writing for Film and Television
- Games Design
- Practical Digital Journalism
- Research and Methods
- Developing Scripted Media
- Japanese Cinema
- Final Year Group Project
- Dissertation
- Animation and Motion Graphics
- Short Film Pre-production
- Short Film Production
- Adapting for Film and Media
- E-publishing
Modules for the current academic year
Module listings are for guide purposes only and are subject to change. Find out what our students are currently studying on the Media Studies Modules page.
Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.
Course Costs
Necessarily Incurred Costs:
Students are encouraged to purchase core texts for modules; the price for the core texts is typically between £20 and £50 per 20-credit module. All software is provided on University systems, but students may choose to purchase copies from software distributors for personal use.
Students on film production modules who choose to film away from Bangor will need to pay for travel to filming locations.
Optional Costs:
These can include School graduation events, optional field trips, Welcome Week trips.
General University Costs
Home (UK) students
- The cost of a full-time undergraduate course is £9,000 per year (2021/22 entry).
- More information on fees and finance for Home (UK) students.
International (including EU) students
Additional Costs
There are also some common additional costs that are likely to arise for students on all courses, for example:
- If you choose to study abroad or take the International Experience Year as part of your course.
- If you attend your Graduation Ceremony, there will be a cost for gown hire (£25-£75) and cost for additional guest tickets (c.£12 each).
Course-specific additional costs
Depending on the course you are studying, there may be additional course-specific costs that you will be required to meet. These fall into three categories:
- Mandatory Costs: these are related to a particular core or compulsory module that you’ll be required to complete to achieve your qualification e.g. compulsory field trips, uniforms for students on placement, DBS Check.
- Necessarily Incurred Costs: these may not be experienced by all students, and will vary depending on the course e.g. professional body membership, travel to placements, specialist software, personal safety equipment.
- Optional Costs: these depend on your choice of modules or activity and they are shown to give you an indication of the optional costs that may arise to make sure your choice is as informed as possible. These can include graduation events for your course, optional field trips, Welcome Week trips.
Entry Requirements
For 2021 entry:
Offers are tariff based, 80 - 120 tariff points from a Level 3 qualification* e.g:
- A Levels (no specific subjects required)
- International Baccalaureate Diploma
- BTEC National/Extended Diploma and Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: MMP - DDM
- City & Guilds Advanced Technical/ Extended Diploma: considered on a case by case basis
- Access
- Welsh Baccalaureate is accepted.
International Candidates: school leaving qualifications and college diplomas are accepted from countries worldwide (subject to minimum English Language requirements), details here.
We also welcome applications from mature applicants.
*For a full list of accepted Level 3 qualifications, go to www.ucas.com.
General University Requirements
To study for a degree, you’ll be asked for a minimum of UCAS Tariff points. For a fuller explanation of the UCAS Tariff Points, please see www.ucas.com.
We accept students with a wide range of qualifications and backgrounds and consider each application individually.
All students need to have good basic skills and the University also values IT and communication skills.
As part of the University’s policy we consider applications from prospective disabled students on the same grounds as all other students.
We also consider applications from mature students who can demonstrate the motivation and commitment to study a university programme. Each year we enrol a significant number of mature students. For more information about studying as a mature student, see our Studying at Bangor section of the website.
EU and International Students' Entry Requirements
For detailed guidance on the entry requirements for EU and International Students, including the minimum English Language entry requirement, please visit the Entry Requirements by Country pages. International applicants can also visit the International Education Centre section of our website for further details.
Bangor University offers International Incorporated Bachelor Degrees for International students whose High School qualification is not equivalent to the UK school leaving qualification. The first year (or Year 0) is studied at Bangor University International College, an embedded College on our University campus and delivered by Oxford International Education Group.
Careers
As well as developing an understanding of media production and the context behind this, students will be practising a number of highly desirable transferable skills. Our students have therefore progressed to careers in areas such as the creative industries, and the creative media in particular, education and the public sector, and marketing and public relations. Several graduates go on to develop their work further with us through a period of postgraduate study, where once again the School offers a combination of critical and creative approaches to the study of media and media practice.
Opportunities at Bangor
The University’s Skills and Employability Service provides a wide range of resources to help you achieve your graduate ambitions.
The Bangor Employability Award (BEA)
With the BEA, you can gain recognition for your extra-curricular activities (e.g. volunteering, clubs and societies, part-time work, etc.)
Internships
Bangor University runs a paid internship scheme within the university’s academic and service departments.
Student Volunteering
Volunteering widens your experience and improves your employability. Find out more about the volunteering on the Students’ Union’s website.
