Global Media and Management

Course Overview

The rapid development of the Internet, social networks and mobile media is transforming the way we deliver news, entertainment and communications to audiences worldwide. This practice-based 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, and 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.

Key facts

Keele is ranked 3rd in the UK for business by the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES 2019).
Large choice of optional modules allows you to tailor your studies to match your interests.
Opportunity to gain substantial practical experience through a consultancy project or work placement.* For example, one student assessed the viability of setting up a digital projection company in the Midlands, while another undertook an analysis of European markets for a UK jewellery design company.
Work on ‘live’ brief to design a communications campaign for the D&AD (Design and Art Direction) New Blood Awards.
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.
24/7 access to extensive digital media production facilities including film and photography studios, a screening room (cinema) and digital post-production labs.
Hands-on experience of professional media production equipment and industry-standard software, including Adobe Creative Cloud.
Our students go on to work for top media and entertainment companies as diverse as the Kobalt Music Group and England Golf.

*Please note that our students’ health and wellbeing is paramount, therefore contact and work-based activities have been suspended due to the global pandemic

Camille Lummis, MA Global Media and Management

"I now work at Kobalt, one of the top music publishing companies and I have no doubt that my time at Keele was an integral part of me achieving this goal. " - read more about Camille Lummis, MA Global Media and Management

Ben Johnson, MA Global Media and Management

"The reputation of Keele University and the range of postgraduate courses available helped with making the decision-making process easy." - read more about Ben Johnson, MA Global Media and Management

Domitille Johanet, MA Global Media and Management

"What I enjoyed most was the creative real case studies we learned from" - read more about Domitille Johanet, MA Global Media and Management

Nat Hall, MA Global Media and Management

"The small class sizes make seminars more engaging and provide a good opportunity for debates and discussion" - read more about Nat Hall, MA Global Media and Management

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

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.

To give you a strong foundation in media and management, you will study three compulsory taught modules, including the double Globalisation, Culture, Media module, which runs over both semesters. Depending on your interests or career aspirations, you can tailor your studies through your choice of 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 three in Semester 2, depending on your which final project pathway you choose.

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.

Core Taught Modules

SEMESTER 1

Core modules

Globalisation, Culture, Media
Mediated Communications: Theory and Practice
Leadership

Optional modules

You will choose one of the following modules:

Marketing Management in the Digital Age
International Business Context
Contemporary Marketing Research

SEMESTER 2

Core modules

Globalisation, Culture, Media (continued)

Elective modules

You will choose one of the following:

Doing Media Research
Creativity and Personal Development
Optional modules

You will choose two of the following:

Entrepreneurship
Opportunities and Challenges in Contemporary Management
Contemporary Issues in International Business
Branding
International Marketing Communications
English For Media Professionals

Alternatively, you will choose one of the above modules and the following module:

Creative Media Practice

SEMESTER 3

After you have completed the taught modules, you will undertake a large project to further develop your knowledge in a specific area of media production, management consultancy or media research. You will choose one of the options below:

Dissertation

The dissertation is a formal written academic project of between 15,000 and 20,000 words, making it ideal preparation for future academic research at MPhil or PhD level or for the report-writing and scrutiny expected of senior management professionals. Taking inspiration from your own interests, and with support throughout from a supervisor with relevant expertise, you’ll choose a topic to research in the field of global media and cultural studies. As an example, previous students have used Beyoncé to examine the complexities of race in post-feminist media discourse, studied audience reactions to four popular ads aired during the Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup, and analysed the social media framing of the #TakeAKnee hashtag.

Media project

The media project involves the creation of a substantial media artefact; this could be a film, photographic work or an installation. You will be assigned a supervisor based on the medium in which you wish to work, with whom you’ll agree your subject matter. As an example, previous students have produced a docufilm about a female Chinese migrant to the UK who now runs a Chinese restaurant, created a photographic installation examining the camera as a tool for spectacle, and prepared a series of six short promotional films about Wedgwood pottery.

Consultancy project

During June and September, you will spend eight to 12 weeks undertaking a management research project on behalf of an organisation (chosen by Keele Business School). You’ll put into practice what you’ve learned, developing and applying your skills to solve a business problem, issue or focus on a specific project. As part of the eventual assessment, you’ll present your findings to the host organisation, exactly as you would do within the workplace. As an example, one student worked with a bespoke jewellery company to develop its brand and product offer in both UK and world-wide markets. Another conducted a feasibility study for a new business model for a virtual media organisation.
Please note that participation in the Consultancy Project is only available after a comprehensive selection process.

Placement (UK/EU students only)

In an increasingly competitive job market, employers are looking to recruit employees who have high-level knowledge, skills and workplace experience. With support from the School’s Placement Officer, you will gain first-hand professional experience on a suitable, paid work placement for between six to 12 months. During your placement, you will be required to complete an extended project on behalf of the organisation. As part of the eventual assessment, you’ll present your findings to the host organisation, exactly as you would do within the workplace. Studying an MA in Global Media and Management could lead to a wide variety of potential placements in areas such as global brand management, advertising, marketing and communications, and the media. Your placement can be based anywhere in the UK giving you the opportunity to work with local, national and international organisations.
It may be possible for students who require a visa to study in the UK to add a work placement to their programme.

Entrepreneurship (UK students)

An excellent opportunity if you have an idea for a new business venture, this module will provide you with the time, space and expertise to develop it. For between six to 12 months, you’ll be given the option of a base within the University’s incubator and have access to workshops and guidance from a network of entrepreneurs and business advisers. During this time, you’ll complete a portfolio of evidence on your idea and present this to an external stakeholder. Places are limited, and you will be required to undertake an interview prior to acceptance on this module. The Entrepreneurship Pathway is only available to UK students due to visa restrictions.

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.

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.