About the course

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, gaming 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. We’ll share case studies from our own research, as diverse as Korean cinema or South American rap.

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.

What you’ll learn

Course structure

You will study a mixture of core and optional taught modules during semesters 1 and 2. After you have completed the taught modules of the course, you will undertake a large project in semester 3 to further develop your knowledge in a specific area of global management and media.

How the course is 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.

Teaching schedule

Teaching takes place over the first two semesters. There are no formal group classes during Semester 3, but you consult with supervisors and access the University’s learning and teaching facilities and support services.

Semester 1 runs from the end of September to the end of January, with an assessment period in January.

Semester 2 runs from the last week of January to the middle of June, with the assessment period in June.

Semester 3 runs from June to the end of September.

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 work in groups to 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 photoessay examining the politics of masculinity in the gay community. Previous students have used forms ranging from photography and films to multimedia installations.

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.

Fees and scholarships

Fees (2021/22 academic year)

UK/EU students FT £8,000 / PT £4,400 per year

International students £16,000 per year

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.

Scholarships and Funding

The University is committed to rewarding excellence and potential. Each year we offer a range of prestigious scholarships;

UK/EU students - more information on scholarships and funding

International students - more information on scholarships and funding

Our expertise

Teaching staff

Teaching on this course is delivered jointly by staff from the Keele Business School and the Media, Communication and Creative Practice team within the University’s 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, French and Francophone film, non-Western cinema and Western minority filmmakers. 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:

• Dr Elizabeth Poole
• Dr Eva Giraud
• Dr Pawas Bisht
• Mandy McAteer
• Dr Neil Archer
• Dr Maria Flood

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).

Open 24/7, the Media Building houses extensive digital media production facilities, including film and photography studios and digital post-production labs. 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.

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.

Based in the heart of England, Keele University is easily accessible by motorway and public transport. You’ll find everything’s on your doorstep, with the most important facilities gathered together at the centre of campus, which, at over 600 acres, is the biggest in the UK.

Recognised for the highest quality teaching, the University was awarded Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), while 97% of our research is classed as world-leading or of international importance (REF 2014). In the global top 20 for campus sustainability, environmental and corporate responsibility underpin the running of our own business and these themes are embedded into our teaching of future professionals and leaders.

Careers

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.

Typical roles:

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