BA (Hons) Media Studies with a Placement Year

Course Overview

Media shapes our lives, today more than ever before. It makes celebrity, fame and fortune. It’s also a force of persuasion and power—a place of information and misinformation. Your degree in Media Studies with a Placement Year will help you to understand, interpret, and shape our complex world. You'll do a placement in Year 3, gaining real-world experience that connects your academic skills with employment while you gain new skills to complement your course. Whether you’re aiming for a career in the media and creative industries or not, this is a subject that will prepare you for the workplace of the twenty-first century. Whatever direction you choose in life, your studies will equip you with the knowledge, critical skills, technical insights, and experience you need to achieve your ambitions.

In your course, you'll explore a range of media supported all the way by our friendly and approachable, world-leading scholars and creative practitioners. You'll also engage with important concepts, theories, and approaches within the discipline. Throughout, you'll develop the skills involved in media production. This could be in film or TV production, podcasting, radio or other digital media forms.

Our dedicated resource for digital creativity, known as BLOC, offers state-of-the-art media technologies. This will support your learning and allow you to explore various media tools. You'll also have the chance to gain real-world experience as our internship scheme provides an opportunity to work and network with industry professionals. Previous students have interned at local media production companies, as well as at the East Anglian Film Archive.

Across the degree, you'll also develop many transferable skills. These include advanced research skills, effective communication, teamwork, leadership, and self-management. These will equip you for a wide range of career opportunities in the media industries and beyond. In the past, our graduates have gone on to success as film industry executives, producers, media managers, creative directors, and other related fields such as film heritage, for example. We look forward to welcoming you into our media program and helping you achieve your goals in this dynamic and exciting field.

This course is open to

UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.

We welcome and value a wide range of qualifications, and we recognise that some students might take a mixture of different qualifications. We have listed typical examples that we accept for entry.

You should hold or be working towards the specified English and Mathematics requirements and one of the examples of typical entry qualifications listed below. If your qualifications aren’t listed, or if you are taking a combination of qualifications that isn’t specified, please contact Admissions.

English and Mathematics

All applicants must hold or be working towards GCSEs in English Language and Mathematics at minimum grade 4 or grade C.

In place of Mathematics GCSE we can also consider Functional Skills Level 2 Mathematics.

We accept a wide range of English Language qualifications, please see our English Language equivalencies page.

Typical International Entry Requirements

We accept many international qualifications for entry to this course. For specific details about your country, view our information for International Students.

A levels

BBB

BTEC

Level 3 Extended Diploma: DDM

Combinations of BTEC and A levels

Extended Diploma: DDM

Diploma: DD plus B at A level.

Extended Certificate: D plus BB at A level.

BTEC in Public Services, Uniformed Services and Business Administration are all excluded from our BTEC offers

International Baccalaureate

31 points overall

INTO UEA

If you do not meet the academic and/or English language requirements for direct entry our partner, INTO UEA offers progression on to this undergraduate degree upon successful completion of a preparation programme. Depending on your interests, and your qualifications you can take a variety of routes to this degree.

English Foreign Language

Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading): 

• IELTS:  6.0  overall (minimum  5.5  in all components) 

We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies for a list of example qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.

Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.

  If you do not yet meet the English language requirements for this course, INTO UEA offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the English skills necessary for successful undergraduate study.

Deferred Entry

We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.

Admissions Policy

Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all undergraduate applicants.

Employability

You’ll graduate with the skills required to find work in the creative industries, both in the UK and elsewhere in the world. You could enter broadcasting, social media, public relations or a content agency. Alternatively, you could continue your academic passion with postgraduate study at UEA.

Examples of careers you could enter include:

• Social media
• Publicity officers
• Radio
• Television production
• Journalism
• Publishing (books, magazines, newspapers)

Discover more on our Careers webpages.