Media and Film Studies in the United Kingdom

The article was created thanks to the cooperation with our current female students of British universities.

The media/tv/film courses in the United Kingdom are attracting an increasing number of interested students each year. Their growing popularity may stem from the fact that media is an extremely extensive field of study.

You can apply for studies regardless of the subjects you take at your high school final exams, and the job opportunities are vast: marketing, advertising, PR, journalism, film, television, or radio are just the most popular choices. The wide range of available options means that media courses at British universities cannot be generalized, just as it often happens with many European universities. The same courses at different institutions may be hidden under different names and vice versa; the same naming can cover completely different modules, which are definitely worth checking before choosing a field of study.

When choosing a university and media studies, one needs to be prepared for a lot of "research," without which, we will not be able to choose the right direction properly. However, what a course is really like, turns out only after beginning the studies. The description on the university's website does not fully reflect the nature of the studies, does not show what emphasis is placed on, whether the studies are more theoretical or practical, etc. Moreover, a lot depends on the lecturers employed at the universities and their specialties. Therefore, when deciding on a media direction, everyone should be aware of how diverse studies in this field can be.

Most popular directions

It is worth noting that media fields vary greatly from each other. Some are decidedly practical, others decidedly theoretical, and there are those in between. The most popular among them include, among others:

Film Studies

Most courses by this name are theoretical, however, some universities also add practical modules. Film Studies students learn how to read and understand a film, what to pay attention to while watching – often a minor detail can be a clue. They also learn to view cinema from various perspectives – philosophical, political, cultural, and they deepen their knowledge in the field of film history, which is why at most universities, one can find modules related to these issues in the offerings.

Media Studies / Media & Communication

Considering the fact that media is a broad topic, under this name one can find a variety of offers. Since a medium is a communicator between the sender and the recipient - it can be many things. The main issues here will be television, radio, social media, digital marketing, film, but there will also appear, for example, streaming platforms, computer games or sociology. Students of this field will learn the patterns used by the media to retain viewers, how to reach different groups of society, how society changes the media, and how media changes society.
Some universities (e.g., Newcastle University) combine both areas and create a course called Film & Media Studies.

Film/TV/Media Production

Fields such as Film, TV, or Media Production, unlike those mentioned earlier, mainly prepare for creating movies and similar projects in a technical capacity. Consequently, there will be fewer purely theoretical modules, as in the case of, for example, film studies. Instead, there will be more practical work, such as working with a camera, photography equipment, and software. Another significant difference is how the coursework looks – instead of writing essays, students often work on projects, such as producing an advertisement, blog, reportage, short film, etc. For some universities, a portfolio is required during the application process – fortunately, most institutions do not have this requirement.

Digital Media

A comprehensive course covering computer graphics, website design, animation, as well as audiovisual arts. Students learn, for example, how to design a clear interface for applications or websites. They also learn about marketing and advertising. Usually, a portfolio is required for recruitment.

Other available directions

At British universities, you can also find less popular courses, often combining media or film studies with another subject:

• Media & Journalism
• Marketing & Media
• Media & Society
• Media & Communication with Mandarin Chinese
• Film & Creative Writing
• Advertising (you can read more about this course in the article about business courses)

Possibilities for further learning

As in most cases, master's studies are not required, only a small number of bachelor's degree graduates opt for further education. Therefore, if you belong to this group and want to increase your chances of getting your dream job, it is worth considering options such as:

Second degree studies (MA)

The most frequently chosen path of further education, that is the Masters Degree. It usually lasts for a year, and the range of subjects to choose from is extremely vast. Usually, students choose humanities, philosophy, art, or social sciences. Media is partly a hybrid of all the mentioned areas.
You can find more about the available programs here:
https://www.masterstudies.com/MA/

Doctorate (PhD)

It can be done practically in any field of humanities, from sociology to film. Often, doctoral programs are "research-led", which means that during the course, one conducts their own research. Doctoral candidates are frequently employed as lecturers or support staff at universities.

Career paths after graduation

According to www.prospects.ac.uk, there are over 60 professions you can engage in after completing media studies. The most popular among them are:

Advertising executive/planner

It is work at a multifaceted agency as a mediator between the company and the client. Designing, as well as coordinating advertising campaigns, along with maintaining effective communication both within the agency and with clients, are the main duties.

Copywriter

Responsible for co-creating advertising campaigns from the verbal side. Creates advertising slogans, headlines, slogans, as well as other texts used e.g. in flyers or in television commercials.

Creative director

Leads advertising agencies or marketing departments in companies. Responsible for the entire process of creating advertisements and image. Supervises the work of the entire team of copywriters, graphic designers, designers, etc.

Marketing executive

Responsible for the entire marketing of the company. The matters over which they have control include, among others: planning, advertising, PR, event organization, product development, distribution, sponsorship, and research.

Public Relations executive

Manages the reputation and image of a company or individual. Aims to influence public opinion without the use of paid advertising. Generates positive reception and interest from traditional and online media, product placement, relationships with influential individuals, etc.

Social Media manager

Implements a social media strategy for organizations, companies, or individuals. Manages social media platforms, increases client visibility on the internet, and also client interest. Produces content, which is then shared, and analyzes data and traffic statistics on websites.

Sales executive

Creates and manages promotional campaigns aimed at increasing sales or the use of a product or service. His task is to reach the customer directly and indirectly through various strategies.

Journalist

Can work in both online and print journalism. Finding stories, describing them in an interesting way, conducting interviews are just some of the many duties in this industry. Currently, journalists are increasingly valued for skills in IT, photography, or video creation.

Applications developer

Designs and creates mobile or computer applications. This profession requires knowledge of at least one programming language. Determining specifications, designing, building, testing, and implementing applications are the main duties.

Broadcast engineer

Works with broadcast systems in television, radio, and new media alongside producers, managers, presenters, and technical staff. His/Her duties may include technical work on set, post-production, studio work, as well as minor equipment repairs.

Filmmaker

Records and edits video material creating final products. They may work for television making longer productions or commercials, or in online media, creating short content. Often employed as a freelancer. They may also sell their materials to "Stock" type databases.

Photographer

They are involved in taking photos and editing them. They can work as a journalist, be employed at a specific company or as a freelancer. They can also sell their materials to stock-type databases.

Corrector de pruebas

Checks whether the material being created (usually text) is clear, coherent, complete, original, and correct in terms of lexical and grammatical accuracy. Prepares it for publication.

Radio producer

Responsible for audio content distributed through radio, internet, and mobile platforms. Is engaged in the entire process; from creating the idea to evaluating the reception by the listeners. Oversees presenters, DJs, sound engineers, and the IT team.

UX designer

Cares about a positive “user experience”. Participates in designing websites and programs for specific target groups. His/her task is to ensure that the given content and materials will be interesting and easy to use for people without technical knowledge.

Web designer

Plans, creates, and codes websites using both technical and non-technical skills. Is responsible for the project's graphic aspect as well as its usability and efficiency. Must have knowledge in the IT field.

Earnings after graduation

Media are a broadly defined issue, and the people working on film production or in television are often so-called freelancers. After the aforementioned paths, one can become a journalist, broadcaster, or director; everything depends on our interests and choices. What helps in finding a well-paid job in this industry is definitely experience, contacts, and sometimes a portfolio. In general:

• starting a career after receiving a diploma, one can expect earnings in the range of £18,000 - £20,000 annually;
• over time, as more experience is gained, earnings increase to an average of about £40,000 annually;
• In the highest positions, such as the editor-in-chief of a magazine, television producer, or creative director, salaries can even exceed 70 thousand annually.

It's worth adding that when it comes to media, television, radio, journalism, etc., a lot can also depend on the city in which one works (in England, in this field, the most can be earned in London).

Requirements for media and film courses

If you want to apply for media studies, universities do not require passing specific high school final exams, though undoubtedly, humanities subjects offered by high schools are a good foundation for deepening your knowledge at an academic level. When applying for courses that define themselves as theoretical, you can expect a substantial amount of sociology, and even philosophy and history, so passing subjects like civics or history will give you a bit of an edge (remember, however, that universities do not require prior knowledge of the topics discussed in lectures). It should be noted that courses described as more practical (e.g., Media Production or Film Production) may (but usually do not have to) require a portfolio.

Admission thresholds

Offers from top universities will oscillate around an average from the high school exams of 80-90% and will probably require passing at least 3 subjects at an advanced level. Good and very good universities require about 50-70% from 1 or 2 advanced levels on the high school exam.

Language requirements

Additionally, being an applicant with a non-UK high school exam, most universities will ask you to pass an English language proficiency test. The most popular one is the IELTS and ELLT - which is cheaper, can be taken online and is accepted by many British Universities. The standard offer is an average of 7.0 (sometimes 6.5) and at least 6.5 (sometimes 6.0) in each part of the exam (speaking, listening, reading, writing). If you have met the offer, you should not worry about your language skills. You probably will not have problems understanding lectures. The challenge may sometimes be articles and books that you will have to read, but remember – you do not need to know every word to understand the general idea!

Fortunately, many universities do not require an IELTS-type language exam, provided that you pass English at an advanced level in your matura exam (60%+).

Media and film studies in practice

Current students are probably the best source of information about chosen studies and majors. Find out what media and film studies look like in practice – through the eyes of female students, who once applied for their dream studies with the support of UniEdu by Smart Prospects.

Julia

In the first year of Media Production studies, I had four modules: Image Capture, Audio Capture, Multimedia, and Social Media. We learned how to operate a camera, properly select settings in manual mode, edit photos in Photoshop, edit video in Premiere Pro, audio recording and editing, creating and aesthetics of websites, as well as how Social Media works.

I had four-hour lectures per week and four two-hour laboratories. Due to the fact that our coursework took the form of mini projects, we had more time for their production. It is definitely possible to work during studies. Of course, we also received a list of books worth reading - all available at the university library, so that we could refer to them in the reports that accompanied the projects.

I didn't have exams, the only form of continuous knowledge assessment was three mini multimedia tests conducted in laboratories, in total they constituted 10% of the final grade.

My major mainly focuses on the technical aspect of production, programs, equipment, and organization, which is why upon completing it, I will receive a Bachelor of Science diploma, not of Arts.

I chose it precisely because it is more practical than theoretical (when something interests me, I can read about it for hours, but it's hard for me to sit down to the program by myself), moreover, when choosing my studies I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do, I only knew roughly in which direction, and here I have the opportunity to try out various fields.

Certainly, choosing this path requires preparing for independent work and being creative. Tutors are there to help and will gladly assist when we know what we want to do.

Marta

My major is located in the Department of Sociology and draws a lot from this field of science. In the first year, I had only 3 modules in total - 2 regarding my minors and one regarding my major (below you will find out what minor/major is), namely Introduction to Media and Cultural Studies. This module was divided into 4 thematic blocks:

• Consumption, Culture and Communication (a bit of economics, a lot about Karl Marx, definitely the hardest block, but also very interesting)
• Social Media/Social Lives (YouTube, feminism, LGBTQ+ communities online)
• Representation, Reality and Power (Reality TV, what is "truth" in the context of media?, who "rules" the media?)
• Remix, Remediate, Repurpose (memes, being a professional amateur online, technostalgia, retromania, viral media)

My entire coursework was based on essays. I didn't have any presentations or group projects (although I know they will appear in the second year). For this particular module, essays constituted 60% of my grade, and the exam 40%. The exam also consisted of writing 3 essays. As you can see, if you're not a fan of reading large amounts of text and writing essays, Media and Cultural Studies at Lancaster is not for you, which doesn't mean that a media course at another university won't suit your taste! Therefore, I encourage you to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the university offers and study in detail what you will exactly be learning (this information is provided on the websites of specific universities).

Lancaster University stands out from other universities, among other things, with its system of majors and minors. Most courses (although not all) offer the option to choose your minor, which takes place in October when you are already at Lancaster, not during the application process. What's it about? When applying to this university, you select your major, which in my case is Media and Cultural Studies. A few days after the start of Freshers' Week, Minor Talks take place during which lecturers present their modules so that students can later make an informed and the best possible decision. Interestingly, the choice is almost unlimited. If I wanted, I could take mathematics or French as a minor. I decided on Contemporary Social Problems (a compulsory module for Social Work students) and Religions of the Modern World (a compulsory module for Religious Studies students). Major/minor studies are based on the fact that the course within the minor encompasses 70-75% of the course, and the minor course – 25-30%.

What does it look like in the second year?

• You can abandon your minors
• You can continue with one (and then on the diploma, you will have, for example, Media and Cultural Studies with Religious Studies written).
• You can even switch your major with your minor, so for example, if I had such a preference, I could make Religious Studies my major and Media and Cultural Studies my minor.

Such a flexible study system is ideal for people who are not entirely sure what they want to study, as well as for those who simply have a wide range of interests.

And as for work: my so-called "contact hours", which means lectures and seminars, totaled 9 hours per week. This is the standard amount of hours for humanities and social sciences at Lancaster Uni. Lecturers and tutors assign "readings", which are academic articles or book chapters that you need to read and be able to discuss during seminars. Some lecturers also assign readings to prepare for lectures. Sometimes it's 20 pages, sometimes 100, and you still need to read for your "research" for essays, so even though my "contact hours" were not many, I spent a lot of time in the library reading and taking notes.

I worked on campus, which undoubtedly was a huge convenience. From the dorm to work, it was only a 5-minute walk! Sometimes I worked 5h a week, and sometimes 25h. Most often about 12h, earning 6.58 per hour. My parents paid the rent for the dorm, and I lived off my salary, which was completely sufficient.

It is true that I couldn't afford to party twice a week, or even every week, but I don't think my social life particularly suffered from it. You can definitely reconcile studying, learning, and social life. Balance is the key!

Summarizing…

Deciding to study in the field of broadly understood media, film, and TV, you may encounter a lightly mocking squint and a confused expression on the faces of friends and family members. Few people know what it's all about; be prepared for numerous conversations explaining what you are actually studying. Nonetheless, if you know that this is the field that interests you, we definitely encourage you to apply for studies in the United Kingdom!

Studying in the UK gives you the chance to make a choice that truly reflects what you are really passionate about!

With the professional and free support of UniEdu, you can take the first step on the path to a satisfying and profitable career! Start the same way we once did - by creating an account in the Applicant Panel on their website www.sp.edu.pl, logging in there, and completing your information. And if you have any questions or doubts, message them on messenger (FB) where you can ask any questions you may have about studying in the UK and the application process.