About This Course
This exciting degree course is aimed at students who want to study Journalism and Media, including: television and radio journalism; print journalism; digital journalism; media practice; public relations; and the history, development and ethics of journalism. The emphasis of the course is on balancing practical and academic aspects. This course will equip you with a solid grounding in the principles of journalism, as well as the technical and practical skills required to make you a sought-after professional in this field.
Journalism and Media staff in the School have a range of research interests including advertising, media law and regulation, privacy, digital journalism, broadcast journalism, professional writing, comics, visual culture, live television and media events, gaming and virtual worlds, and 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, computer games and documentary.
Placement Year
This course is available as a 4-year ‘with Placement Year’ option. Please apply for Journalism and Media Studies with Placement Year BA PP5P. 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?
- The School is unique in its close integration of academic and theoretical approaches with hands-on creative practice. Students in the School 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.
- The School specialises in a number of key areas: Professional Writing and Journalism; Media and Digital Communication; Film Studies; Performance Studies; Creative and Media Practice. The School has 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 in the School are practising professionals and consultants.
- The School has a fully-equipped media centre with editing suites, production studios, media and digital media equipment available to students.
- Bangor is the site for a range of Creative Industries conferences, video conferences and events. It is a regular site for visiting creative writers, film-makers, journalists, designers, dramatists, new media makers and more, and encourages students to engage widely with their creative interests beyond the realms of the formal coursework.
- 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
Journalism and Media Studies at Bangor offers a balance of practical and analytical tasks. Practical Journalism modules concentrate on developing the student's ability to produce journalistic pieces for print, television, radio and the web. Practical modules will be assessed both on practical output and on the individual's ability to reflect critically on their practice. Other modules are assessed by exam and assignment and frequently also offer the opportunity to submit practical work as an element of assessment. As you progress through the degree, much of your study will be done in small teaching groups with an emphasis on learning both group work skills and the ability to carry a piece of work through yourself from initial concept to completion.
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 Journalism and 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 and 2022/23 entry).
- The fee for all placement, international and sandwich years is £1,350 (2021/22 and 2022/23).
- 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
The practical elements of this degree equip the students with a thorough understanding of the principles which inform journalistic practice. A number of our graduates have gone on to work in the newspaper industry, and on television and radio, both in front of the camera and as part of the production team. Several graduates each year go on to develop their work further with us through a period of postgraduate study, where once again the School uniquely 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.
