Course content

The course provides you with the critical skills to analyse and contextualise a variety of media and cultural forms, including films, photography, advertisements, news and digital media. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore your own creativity in producing cultural artefacts, with opportunities ranging from documentary-making to social media development, and from photographic installations to magazine production.

The media building provides students with access to Apple Mac computers, a lighting and photographic studio and sound recording facilities, together with support from media technicians, to ensure students can deliver work of the highest quality. Media, Communications and Creative Practice students can borrow equipment such as high-spec video cameras, sound recording equipment and cameras and support is available to present students' work at the end-of-course degree show.

Enhancing Your Employability

Opportunities to enhance your employability are embedded throughout the Media programme - we want you to graduate with a highly-desirable set of skills. Our second-year optional module "Work Placement in the Humanities" allows you to engage with potential future employers whilst being supported by academic and career advisors to design and complete a programme of work in partnership with the workplace. Our Careers and Employability advisors also run excellent workshops and offer tailored, individual guidance throughout the course.

You may also have the opportunity to choose the third year module, ‘Work Experience in Media, Communications and Culture’, which allows you practice your skills and manage and execute a brief outlined by an external company or organisation. This experience will help you to set your own goals, evaluate performance and build professional relationships.

Learn a Language and Study Abroad Opportunities

As a Media student you'll have the opportunity to learn a language. Whether you are a complete beginner or already have a foundation of knowledge we offer a flexible and guided route to enhancing your skills. We currently offer British Sign Language, Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. Upon successful completion of a series of elective language modules, you will have the opportunity to gain an enhanced degree title.

Studying Media at Keele also gives you the chance to study abroad at one of our partner institutions enabling you to broaden your knowledge while experiencing a new culture. Our Global Opportunities team will support you throughout the process, ensuring you are able to get the most out of your international experience.

It is also possible to undertake an International Year between Year 2 and Year 3. You will have the opportunity to spend the two semesters of the international year at one partner university or one semester at one university and the second semester at another. On successful completion of all modules across the year, you will graduate with a degree title ‘with International Year’.

Related courses

• Business and Media
• Film Studies and Media
• Marketing and Media
• Media and Music Production
• Media and Sociology

Facilities

You will enjoy the use of designated teaching spaces, including a specially equipped screening room. If you choose to take practice-based modules, you will also have access to filmmaking equipment, as well as the specialised editing suites in the Media Building, open 24/7. Keele University’s library holds a wide range of written and visual material that you will use for your course, as well as housing designated study spaces for individual or group work.

Foundation year

You may choose to study this course via foundation year.

If you’re returning to education following a break, wish to study a new subject or don’t have the grades or sufficient equivalent experience for direct entry to this course, a foundation year may be a good option for you.

Following successful completion (including any additional progression requirements) of the foundation year you can progress on to this course.

The foundation year offers September starts across all subjects, and January starts across all science, humanities, social sciences and business routes.

The January intake excludes the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery degree with Foundation Year and other health-related foundation Year degree

For more details visit our foundation year webpages.

Foundation year

Fees and funding

Going to university can be a daunting as well as an exciting experience. It can be difficult to understand the true costs of being a student, as well as the financial support that is available to help you meet those costs.

We can help you to manage your funds, create a budget and ensure that you receive any funding for which you may be eligible. We also offer financial support such as the Keele University Hardship Fund and emergency loans.

For more information visit our money, advice and guidance section.

Career prospects

96% of Keele graduates were in a job or further study within six months of graduating (HESA, 2017)

When you graduate from Keele, you’ll be ready to take up a role in a wide range of media-rich careers. The distinct range of creative and academic opportunities offered in the degree will provide you with media-specific and key transferable skills, which are essential for a broad variety of roles both within the creative industries and beyond.

Previous graduates have gained employment in fields ranging from film-making and TV production to journalism and public relations, graphic design and marketing.

We regularly invite alumni back to give current students an insight into how they’ve transferred their skills to the workplace.

Regardless of which career you pursue after Keele, employers will want evidence of the range of skills and personal qualities you possess and which are required for the job. Your degree is clearly important in this respect but don’t forget the extra-curricular activities, positions of responsibility, jobs and voluntary work you may have been engaged in while studying at Keele. These activities allow you to demonstrate the skills and personal qualities required by employers and will be vital in your attempts to secure graduate employment.

Find out more about our careers and employability services, including career planning, alumni mentoring, jobs, internships, starting your own business and much more.