Media Studies Undergraduate - 2021 Entry

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.

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.

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/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.

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

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

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. 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.