Media Studies and English Literature Undergraduate

This exciting course is aimed at students who want to study English and combine it with Media Studies in order to equip themselves better for a career in these highly competitive professional fields. Media Studies includes: television and radio, film and video, software and computer games, design, professional writing, journalism and advertising. Skills and techniques learnt during the study and writing of texts lie at the core of many of the key areas in these industries. This course 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.

You will also benefit from expert tuition that relates to the research interests of the academic staff from both Schools. The School of English can offer internationally recognised excellence in areas that include Medieval Literature, the Early Modern period, Romanticism, literary Modernism and Contemporary fiction and poetry. Within that range there are also strengths in Arthurian literature, Gender theory and Women's Writing, Literature and Science, and Welsh Writing in English.

Creative Studies and Media at Bangor specialises in three key areas: Creative Writing, Professional Writing, Journalism; Media, Film and Cinema Studies, New Media; and The Entertainment Industries and Performance Arts. The School has research interests in all areas of the Creative Industries, with research programmes running in several key areas: the dimensions and enhancement of Creativity, Publishing and Bookselling, European Cinema, New and Digital Media, Performance and Nation, Creative Mobile Technologies, Celtic Film and Media, Creative Industries Policy and Management, Children's Picture Books, Postcolonial Film and Media, Creative and Critical Understanding, Digital Versatile Disk, Critical Responsiveness for Creative Practitioners, Interactive Television and Podcasting.

Why choose Bangor University for this course?

• The University has a dedicated Creative Studies and Media building situated overlooking the beautiful Menai Strait and housing its own digitcinema, performance space, teaching rooms and meeting area. It is also the home of a number of national and international research, development and outreach programmes in the creative arts and creative industries. The University has a fully equipped Media Centre, with editing suites, production studios and media equipment available to students.
• Bangor has been the location of a number of festivals, is a regular site for visiting writers, film-makers and dramatists, and encourages students to engage widely with such areas as new media, journalism and cross-arts activity.
• We are committed to teaching in small groups and the majority of our modules are delivered through weekly workshops or seminars.
• This course is strengthened by Bangor's close links with many outside bodies and our staff are practising professionals, who work on joint projects and act as consultants to industry.
• 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.

For more on studying degree courses see our Study at Bangor section.

Media Studies offers a balance of practical and analytical tasks. Media production modules concentrate on three areas: studio production, single camera filming and editing, and radio production. These modules are assessed purely on the practical work of the individual. Modules on the influence of the media, drama and documentary have a more traditional approach and are assessed by exam and assignment. Much of your study will be done in small group teaching.

What will you study on this course?

Please click on the link below to see the modules current students on this course are studying.

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 and English Literature Modules page.

Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.

Media Studies:

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.

English Literature:

Mandatory Costs: 

In English Literature, mandatory costs will be the purchase of books. The precise cost will vary according to the choice of modules, but the average cost would not normally exceed £50 per module in English Literature and/or Creative Writing.

Optional Costs:

Theatre and cultural visits - the cost of these will vary from year to year depending upon the organised programme of events.

General University Costs

Home/EU Student Tuition Fees (starting in 2019–20 & 2020–21)

• Full time: £9,000 per year
• Part time: £750 per 10 credits

International Student Tuition Fees*
* Please note: the international tuition fees displayed are for the current academic year (2020-21). The fees for the next academic year (2021-22) will be confirmed soon.

When coming to University, you will have two main costs, Tuition Fees and Living 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 guest tickets (£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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

USA Requirements

International Year Zero:  HSD GPA 2.0 OR SAT 1500+ 
International Year 1:  HSD GPA 3.0 OR SAT 500+ each section OR ACTs 26+  
Undergraduate Courses:  HSD GPA 3.0 OR SAT 550+ each section OR ACTs 26+  
Postgraduate Courses:  Bachelor Degree GPA of 3.0. GRE not required 
PhD/Research Course:  Masters Degree 

Note: Some courses may require higher entry requirements. Refer Individual Course page for details. 

Applicants from USA need NOT provide additional evidence of English Language ability, if previous education was with English medium of instruction. Otherwise, an IELTS overall 6.0 with 5.5 in each component or equivalent is normally required (some courses may require a higher score).

For 2021 entry:

Offers are tariff based, 80 - 112 tariff points from a Level 3 qualification* e.g.:

•     A Levels (English Literature / English Language / English preferred but not required)
•     International Baccalaureate Diploma (including H5 in English Literature or Language)
•     BTEC National/Extended Diploma and Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: MMP - DMM**
•     City & Guilds Advanced Technical/ Extended Diploma: considered on a case by case basis**
•     Access course with English Literature element
•     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 full details go to our website and for a full list of accepted Level 3 qualifications, go to www.ucas.com

General University Requirements

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.

To study a degree, diploma or certificate course 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 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 help and advice about being a mature student at Bangor, please visit the Study at Bangor site.

Specific entry requirements can be seen on the individual course pages.

EU and International students' entry requirements

For information and further detailed guidance on 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.

More information

Home/EU students and International UCAS applicants

E-mail for General Admissions: admissions@bangor.ac.uk or write to:

Admissions Office
Bangor University
Gwynedd
LL57 2TF

Telephone: +44 (0)1248 383717 

International students (non-UCAS applicants)

Email to International Admissions: internationaladmissions@bangor.ac.uk or write to

Admissions Office
Bangor University
Gwynedd
LL57 2TF

Telephone: +44 (0) 1248 382028

Opportunities at Bangor

The University’s Skills and Employability Service provides a wide range of resources to help you achieve your graduate ambitions. Developing your personal skills and enhancing your employability while at university is becoming increasingly important in today’s job market.

The Bangor Employability Award (BEA) and Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR)

The Bangor Employability Award enables students to build on their transferable skills through the recognition of activities they become involved in during their university life. Students can gain points towards the award through extra-curricular activities such as volunteering, attending workshops or actively participating in the Students’ Union’s clubs and societies.

The HEAR is a final graduation report that all undergraduates receive. The report itemises all academic achievements and additional extra and co-curricular achievements. Academic achievements appear on the report automatically and students are able to note their eligible activities by using the online platform ‘My Employability Hub’. This ensures that future employers are made aware of the additional skills the student has gained outside of the curriculum.

The Award is open to everyone and taking part in the scheme can make a major difference to your performance in the graduate job market.

Internships

Bangor University runs undergraduate and postgraduate internship schemes twice a year, which allow students to work in a professional environment while learning relevant skills and earning money.

Internships offer valuable experience in a professional workplace and there are a range of internships you can get involved in.

Student Volunteering

Not only is volunteering worthwhile – it also improves your employability and widens your experience.

The Students’ Union has a dedicated Student Volunteering Office (SVB) which currently contributes a total of 600 hours each week, promoting a close relationship between the university and the local community. Find out more on the Student Volunteering pages of the Bangor Student’s Union website.

TARGETconnect - Working while you Study

The Skills and Employability Service offers support to students searching for employment during and after their studies.

TARGETconnect advertises the following opportunities:

• Graduate jobs – Local, National and International
• Full-time, part time, permanent and temporary jobs
• Work experience / internships
• Voluntary opportunities

General University Application

How to apply through UCAS

Apply online via UCAS

UCAS stands for Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. All university applications are processed through UCAS and then passed on to the universities listed.

Students may apply for a maximum of five courses. For Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary courses students are only allowed to apply for four courses.

The application form is found on the UCAS website, under ‘Apply’.

When to apply?

We advise you to apply as early as you can as we will start considering applications and making offers straight away. The initial UCAS deadline for UK and EU students is 15 January, however we welcome applications after this date. Those received between 15 January and 30 June will continue to be forwarded to universities by UCAS and will receive consideration where places are still available.

Your Personal Statement

Writing your Personal Statement is the part of the application form that requires most work. You are only allowed 47 lines or 500–550 words to explain why you wish to study the course and the skills you have that are essential for university study.

To write a successful personal statement for your UCAS application you must have a good understanding about the course and its content. Remember that you write only one personal statement for your five choices. Make sure that the courses are similar, if not the same, and make sure that you do not mention a specific course or university.

Read our advice on how to draft a winning personal statement or watch our video guide.

After you’ve applied

You should keep an eye on your application on UCAS ‘Track’. Offers from universities will appear on track and you will be able to accept or decline offers.

You can only reply when you have received all your decisions. The types of reply you can make are firm acceptance and insurance acceptance. Usually students reply in early May.

International Student?

If you are an international student, our International Student pages offer further information on applying.

As an international student applying to study one of our undergraduate programmes you can:

• apply via UCAS,
• or apply direct to Bangor through our online direct application system
• or apply with the help of one of our recruitment agents

Erasmus student?

We receive around 350 exchange students every year from all over the world. 45% of these students come from Europe and the remainder from as far as Singapore, South Korea and Australia.

The University’s International Exchanges Office is responsible for welcoming these students.

Confused about your next steps?

Take a look at our Going to University website for information and advice on getting ready for university.