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    Global Media and Management - MA

    The rapid development of the Internet, social networks and mobile media is transforming the way we deliver news, entertainment and communications to audiences worldwide. A blend of theory and practice, this course will deepen your understanding of the technical, cultural and commercial implications of these changes. Giving you direct experience of planning and preparing creative projects, drawing on our extensive research and consultancy, you’ll develop the specialist knowledge of media production and management skills needed to manage creative activities and enterprises innovatively and effectively. Many of our graduates have gone onto work for top media and entertainment companies.

    Month of entry

    • September

    Mode of study

    • Full time, Part time

    Location

    Subject area

    • Media Studies

    Fees for 2022 entry

    • UK - Full time £8,400 per year, Part time £4,600 per year
      International - Full time £16,800 per year

    Fees for 2023 entry

    • UK - Full time £8,900 per year. Part time £4,900 per year.
      International - £17,700 per year.

    Duration of study

    • Full time - 1 year, Up to 20 months with entrepreneurship or placement pathway, Part time - 2 years
    Apply now

    Why study Global Media and Management at Keele University?

    Keele is ranked among the UK Top 10 universities for the research opportunities offered to postgraduate students (Postgraduate Research Experience Survey, 2019)
    24/7 access to extensive digital media production facilities including film and photography studios, a screening room (cinema) and digital post-production labs
    Large choice of optional modules and hands-on experience of professional media production equipment and industry-standard software, including Adobe Creative Cloud
    Take part in lectures, workshops and 'live briefs' from leading media industry professionals, including Keele alumni working for major media organisations such as the BBC and Channel 4
    Keele is a member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Northwest Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership, giving access to funding opportunities if you progress to a PhD

    Course summary

    The creative industries are now well-established as one of the fastest-growing and increasingly important sectors of the world economy, generating some $2,250 billion in revenues and representing 3% of world GDP, according to 2020 figures from Ernst & Young. Yet to manage creative activities and enterprises successfully requires both creative expertise and business acumen.

    Combining media, cultural, management and business studies, our course provides a unique insight into global media and culture from both a corporate and creative perspective. Delivered jointly by the School of Humanities and Keele Business School, it considers production, distribution, marketing, consumption and regulation across a broad spectrum of creative industries, from advertising and publishing to art, fashion, music, film and TV.

    Our practical approach means that you’ll learn about relevant theories, principles and concepts in real-world contexts and actively apply them – whether designing a communications campaign from a client brief for D&AD’s New Blood Awards or undertaking a ‘live’ consultancy or work placement project. One previous student mocked up a digital recruitment campaign for his employer, England Golf, the governing body for amateur golf, while another produced a set of online marketing videos for the World of Wedgewood visitor attraction.

    You’ll benefit from our close links with a wide range of local arts and cultural organisations, such as the New Vic Theatre, which ensures content remains relevant and up-to-date. We will examine how social, political and corporate attitudes to media, entertainment and culture have changed over time and how form, content and distribution has been affected as a result.

    Applicable to activities which range from managing popular brands or copyright to acting as an agent for individual talent, specific publications or entertainment ventures, you’ll learn how to promote and control media within a turbulent economic, rapidly-developing environment. We’ll identify successful proactive management approaches, drawing on real-life examples including guest lectures from leaders, effective tools for solving leadership dilemmas and live industry case studies.

    At the same time, you’ll gain hands-on experience in our state-of-the-art Media Building, using industry-standard software and equipment to develop the creative skills and practices required for digital media and cultural production.

    You’ll also be studying at a university where you can immerse yourself in a wide range of creative and cultural events and societies, courtesy of ArtsKeele, giving you access to valuable networks of professional contacts. The fortnightly Keele Hall Readings, for instance, last year featured acclaimed writer Okechukwu Nzelu, whose first book won a Betty Trask Award, and Caleb Parkin, self-proclaimed 'day-glo queero techno eco poet and facilitator'.

    Other courses you might be interested in:

    Next Steps

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    "I chose to do this MA because the media study allowed me to explore my desire to move into advertising and look into the nuances of that industry, and the management study provided an opportunity to explore the wider context of international business and business leadership. The media element has provided me with a greater skillset on industry standard software, as well as more insight into things like creating and planning an ad campaign. Whereas the management side has provided a well-structured insight into being involved with, and leading, a company."

    Nat, Global Media and Management

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    Course structure

    This exciting master’s course responds to the increasing demand and interest in the creative, media and cultural industries and the management of creative communications within businesses and organisations. It has been designed for those already working or seeking career advancement as a manager, promoter or producer, or as an advisor to creative or cultural policy, development and analysis.

    From a creative background, you may be seeking to expand your knowledge of business to gain a commercial perspective and enhance your entrepreneurial skills, perhaps with a view to setting up your own company. Alternatively, you may already be working in management within the creative industries or elsewhere and wish to build your confidence and develop your media knowledge and skills.

    The MA in Global Media and Management can be studied as either a one-year full-time or two-year part-time course, with a September start.

    To give you a strong foundation in media and management, you will study three compulsory taught core modules, including the double Globalisation, Culture, Media module.

    You have considerable flexibility when it comes to choosing your final method of assessment, from a research Dissertation or substantial Media Project, to gaining work-related experience via a Consultancy Project, Placement Project or Entrepreneurship Project.

    Depending on your interests or career aspirations, you can also further tailor your studies through your choice of compulsory and elective optional modules, on subjects as diverse as accounting for decision making, to creativity and personal development. You will choose one optional module in Semester 1 and up to four in Semester 2, depending on which final assessment method you choose.

    You will complete 180 credits to obtain the master’s qualification.

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    MA Global Media and Management at Keele University

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    Entry requirements

    Academic entry requirements

    Undergraduate degree with second class lower (2:2) or an international equivalent in Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Business Studies, Management or Marketing, or another appropriate Humanities or Social Sciences subject.

    Applicants with other qualifications and appropriate experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

    English language entry requirement for international students

    IELTS 6.5

    The University also accepts a range of internationally recognised English tests.

    If you do not meet the English language requirements, the University offers a range of English language preparation programmes.

    During your degree programme you can study additional english language courses. This means you can continue to improve your English language skills and gain a higher level of English.

    Pre-master's in business 

    The Keele University International College offer a one semester Pre-Master's in Business programme for international students who do not meet the traditional entry requirements for a postgraduate business degree at Keele University.

    Please visit the Keele University International College for more information on how to apply, entry requirements and course details.

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    Funding

    Apart from additional costs for text books, inter-library loans and potential overdue library fines, we do not anticipate any additional costs for this postgraduate course. 

    Living costs

    Keele University is located on a beautiful campus and has all the facilities of a small town. Student accommodation, shops, restaurants and cafes are all within walking distance of the teaching buildings. This is a very cost effective way to live and to reduce your living costs.

    Planning your funding

    It's important to plan carefully for your funding before you start your course. Please be aware that not all postgraduate courses are eligible for the UK government postgraduate loans and, in this case, you would be expected to source alternative funding yourself. If you need support researching your funding options, please contact our Financial Support Team.

    Scholarships

    We are committed to rewarding excellence and potential. Please visit our scholarships and bursaries webpage for more information.

    Next Steps

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    "What I enjoyed the most about this program was that it gave an extremely well rounded view of what it takes to support and lead a company; structurally, in terms of management and leadership and creatively, in terms of marketing and mediated communications."

    Camille, Global Media and Management

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    Your career

    This programme is designed to give you an in-depth understanding of global media production, of different business and management approaches and the capacity to manage these processes effectively within the creative economies. Key transferrable skills, such as high-level communication, critical thinking and problem-solving, are embedded within the programme to maximise your career opportunities.

    It will prepare you for a range of management and leadership careers across the media and cultural sector, including in economics, business strategy, media policy, intellectual property rights and marketing. You could choose to follow the communications route within a much broader range of sectors or focus on policy advisory and consultancy roles. On completion, you’ll be ideally placed to pursue further postgraduate studies at MPhil or PhD level.

    Past graduates have secured positions in a variety of creative (and related) industries, including broadcasting and filmmaking, advertising/PR, games development and tourism.

    Positions may include:

    • Advertising manager
    • Brand manager
    • Content designer
    • Creative director
    • Events manager
    • Internal communications manager
    • Marketing manager/consultant
    • Media journalist
    • Press officer

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    Teaching, learning and assessment

    How you'll be taught

    The principal purpose of the MA Global Media and Management is to provide you with the necessary skills and knowledge to pursue a career in the media and cultural industries or managing creative activities in-house and on behalf of client organisations.

    We adopt a research-led and practice-based approach to teaching, which is generally delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, small group discussions, individual supervision and computer laboratory classes.

    You’ll have plenty of opportunities to get involved in practice-based projects using social media, photography, video and blogging. These range from developing a multimedia presentation or poster to planning a full-blown communications campaign, responding to a brief prepared by a professional agency and pitching your ideas to a panel of academics and business professionals, closely mirroring what you’d do in the workplace.

    We’ll encourage you to engage in debates about contemporary production contexts, such as the impact of political and economic policy on developing media policies and technologies. Sharing insights from our own research, you might, for example, analyse and rationalise a particular content creator’s approach to documentary film or music.

    Workshops are used to develop practical production skills and computer laboratories for pre and post-production. You’ll have access to the editing suites, studio and industry-standard equipment and we pay particular attention to developing digital design and audio-visual production skills.

    You’ll learn from leading researchers and external practitioners, gaining industry insights through guest lectures and field trips. Previous students have had talks from filmmakers producing content for BBC and Channel 4 and entrepreneurs managing their own feature film production companies.

    You’ll be encouraged to take advantage of ArtsKeele, the University’s vibrant arts programme, comprising art, music, live poetry readings, performances, public lectures and other cultural treats. For example, Keele Creative Writing Anthology provides opportunities to hear live readings from published award-winning poets and novelists, previously featuring Helen Mort, Jenna Clarke and Caleb Parkin. While Keele Concerts Society organises a mixed programme of internationally acclaimed music on campus and at the New Vic Theatre. Recent performances included a trio of folk singers and one of the world’s finest classical guitarists.

    How you’ll be assessed

    Assessment is varied and includes the use of traditional essays, reports and exams with more creative methods, such as skills portfolios, reflective diaries, workbooks, presentations, communications plans, posters and practical projects. Most modules combine several forms of assessment.

    Where possible, assessment is designed to reflect skills and practices in the workplace, including team working, idea generation, meeting deadlines and so on. In the core Globalisation, Culture, Media module, for example, you’ll prepare a poster presentation, with past students focusing on topics ranging from the UK TV wrestling industry to McDonald’s adaptation to markets across the world. This activity helps replicate the research and communication skills you will need in the workplace.

    In Creative Media Practice, you’ll try your hand at media curation, preparing a multimedia presentation on topics such as documentary film representations of migrant communities and planning a photo essay examining the politics of masculinity in the gay community.

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    Keele Postgraduate Association

    Keele University is one of a handful of universities in the UK to have a dedicated students' union for postgraduate students. A fully registered charity, Keele Postgraduate Association serves as a focal point for the social life and welfare needs of all postgraduate students during their time at Keele.

    KPA interior

    Hugely popular, the KPA Clubhouse (near Horwood Hall) provides a dedicated postgraduate social space and bar on campus, where you can grab a bite to eat and drink, sit quietly and read a book, or switch off from academic life at one of the many regular events organised throughout the year. The KPA also helps to host a variety of conferences, as well as other academic and career sessions, to give you and your fellow postgraduates the opportunities to come together to discuss your research, and develop your skills and networks.

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    Our expertise

    Teaching staff

    Teaching on this course is delivered jointly by staff from Keele Business School (KBS) and the School of Humanities.

    KBS staff have extensive teaching, research and work experience in their fields. The School maintains a strong commitment to excellence and innovation in teaching and research. Our staff members have substantial teaching experience and are committed to continuing professional development as academic teachers. Many of our permanent lecturers have PhDs or other higher degrees or professional qualifications.

    The Media department is made up of leading experts in media, digital media, film and photography. Their specialist expertise spans topics as diverse as social movements and memory work, islamophobia and religion, globalisation and film, Hollywood cinema, and British social realism. They are actively involved in media production, have published films, books, research monographs and contribute regularly to contemporary discourse, through leading international journals, including Cultural Politics, Media, Culture & Society, Cinema Journal, and the Journal of Cinema & Media Studies, to name just a few.

    Teaching team includes:

    Dr David McWilliam (Programme Director), Lecturer – Prior to joining Film Studies and English at Keele, David taught at Lancaster University, Liverpool John Moores University, and Manchester Metropolitan University. An active member of the International Gothic Association, he works on crime, Gothic, neo-Victorian, and science fiction literature, film, and television in relation to contemporary politics, adaptation, monstrosity, posthumanism, and biopolitics. He has published in Gothic Studies, Violence in American Popular Culture, The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters, and the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts. He is currently working on a monograph looking at manifestations of Gothic dissent in contemporary film and television in the context of neoliberal realism.

    Dr Pawas Bisht, Lecturer– Pawas lectures in media, culture and creative practice. In his work as a researcher and experienced documentary filmmaker, he examines the intersections of media, memory and politics at both individual and collective levels. He has worked on diverse subjects including the Bhopal Gas Disaster, a portrait of the British designers Pat Albeck and Peter Rice, and an examination of the politics of Gulag memory on the Solovetsky Islands in Russia’s Far North.

    Professor Elizabeth Poole, Professor of Media and Communications – Elizabeth’s expertise lies in media and religion, particularly, the media representation of Islam and Muslims, as well as the production and reception of content on diversity. This research has led to the publication of three books, and also informed public debate through her engagement with advocacy and parliamentary groups. Her recent work has focused on digital media, more specifically, how hate speech can be promoted and confronted on social media.

    Dr Neil Archer, Senior Lecturer – After completing his MA in World Cinemas at the University of Leeds, followed by a PhD in French cinema at the University of Cambridge, Neil taught Film Studies at Anglia Ruskin University before joining Keele in 2013. He has published extensively on the practices and aesthetics of parody, the road movie and science fiction. His latest book examining English popular cinema in the contexts of the UK’s EU referendum and Brexit is being published by Bloomsbury in 2020.

    Dr Rachel Wood, Senior Lecturer – Rachel joined Keele in 2021 and is the Programme Director for Media and Senior Lecturer in Media. Her research and teaching interests include the gendered body, social media influencers, ethical consumerism, popular feminism, and sex and sexuality. She has previously worked at a number of UK Universities after completing her PhD in Gender Studies 2015 at the University of Sussex.

    Mandy McAteer, Lecturer – Mandy studied photography at the University of Westminster before gaining an MA in Contemporary Visual Culture at Keele. Her specialist areas of practice are moving and still image production. She is interested in notions of cultural identity, stigma, discrimination, the visual representation of marginalised groups, and the sense of ‘otherness’. As well as working in a commercial context for clients such as Amnesty International and Traidcraft, she has had numerous commissions for both moving and still imagery featuring subject matter such as mental health, refugees and Asylum Seekers.

    Next Steps

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    Take a tour of Keele's Media Building

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    Facilities

    The programme is taught in specialist facilities dedicated to our media and management programmes with access to professional media production equipment and software as part of the programme (at no additional cost).

    Media Building

    Open 24/7, the dedicated Media Building houses extensive digital media production facilities, including film and photography studios and digital post-production labs with access to professional media production equipment and software as part of the programme. They include:

    • Two Apple Macintosh labs with industry standard software such as Premiere Pro, Photoshop, QuarkXPress, Motion, Sound Pro and Live Type.
    • A range of professional digital video, photographic and sound equipment.
    • A professional photographic studio and print finishing room with large scale print equipment.
    • An exhibition space and workshop for the design of multimedia installations
    • A sound recording booth for voiceovers and podcasts.
    • A screening room with specialist surround sound environment.

    Keele Business School

    You will also study in Keele Business School’s new home – the Denise Coates Foundation Building – a state-of-the-art facility complete with 220-seat lecture theatre, a ‘think lab’ study space, data laboratory, cafe and business lounge.

    Home to our accounting, business management, economics, finance, HRM, international business, management and marketing programmes, our Business School is the first to be located on a Science Park. As well as new teaching spaces, our building is unique in that it is also home to the Smart Innovation Hub, a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which includes space and support programmes for innovation-led businesses, providing opportunities for students and staff to work collaboratively with entrepreneurs and business owners, gaining invaluable networks and experience. You’ll have access to the University’s business support and study alongside innovative companies that are based in the building.

    If you choose to study business and management modules available, you’ll have access to the Bloomberg Suite with all its economic, financial and business real-time data, world news, analyses and reports from the world’s biggest financial organisations. You can choose to complete the Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) certificate free of charge, an eight-hour e-learning, self-paced course which covers economic Indicators, currencies, fixed income and equities.

    Next Steps

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    Take a tour of Keele Business School

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