If you have a passion for media and communications and are thinking of studying for a degree in this subject area, you may be wondering how your course of choice will prepare you for the world of work. Deciding to study at a UK university has many benefits – including career-focused degrees that help you prepare for employment and have the best start in your chosen career. As a media and communications student in the UK, you will learn transferable skills such as project management, pitching ideas and critical thinking – which are valuable to employers. You will also study on a course that mixes creative practice with media theory, so you are equipped with the tools you need to target a career path in the media. Here are a couple of recommended UK institutions that offer fantastic support to those studying media and communications.
1. Develop your practical and professional development skills at Bangor University, with state-of-the-art facilities
Studying media and communications at a UK university will expose you to cutting-edge technology, facilities and the tools you need to succeed in a media-related career. Bangor University for example offers structured support and the latest technologies to students so that they can find fresh imaginative approaches and prepare for sustainable, professional practice in the modern workplace. These professionally equipped facilities include a cinema space with Dolby surround sound, a professionally equipped radio studio, audio editing suites, auditoriums, and video and radio kits (for location work). You'll also find digital video edit suites running Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express on Apple Macs, as well as audio editing suites running Adobe Audition. All of these facilities are free for students to use.
Bangor’s stunning setting, at the foot of the Snowdonia mountain range on the shores of the Menai Straits in North Wales, also provides an inspiring and unrivalled setting for media students.
Bangor's multi-million pound Pontio centre is a major social hub for students, focusing on learning, innovation and the performing arts. If you become a media and communications student at Bangor University, your course will have an emphasis on creative exploration and critical understanding. Students who choose practical modules have access to specialist resources to support media production work. For those who choose critical modules, they will be guided by world-leading media, advertising, policy and technology analysts. Of course, you can also choose both!
Media at Bangor University is ranked top 10 in the UK for overall Student Satisfaction (according to NSS 2021). The university is also ranked 1st in the UK for research intensity within creative writing and is in the top 10 for graduate prospects in this subject area (based on The Complete University Guide 2022).
The university offers undergraduate courses in media studies, production, journalism, theatre, film and creative writing. These courses can be studied separately, or in combination, or alongside languages such as Chinese, French, German, Spanish and Italian. All of the programmes combine academic study with practical experience, meaning that as a student, you will acquire the skills needed for employment while developing your creativity.
After studying your undergraduate degree, you have the option to progress into postgraduate study in film studies, media, journalism and publishing. For students who wish to develop a senior management career in the creative industries, they have the option to study for an MSc in international media and management. This course incorporates modules from business and aspects of intellectual copyright law, with a media-focused dissertation designed to investigate and interrogate theory and practice in the creative economies both locally and/or globally.
Studying media subjects at Bangor can be a launch pad to a great career. Award winning film director Danny Boyle is a Bangor University alumnus. The university maintains excellent links with BBC Wales, the advertising industry, marketing agencies, technology companies, regulators, policy makers, theatre companies, newspapers and the television industry, and often students will find their undergraduate work placements in these organisations. Graduates have gone on to work in a range of roles, including writing, publishing, performance, journalism, advertising and marketing, radio, digital, web and new media production.
2. Build up your professional network and links to the industry while studying at Bournemouth University
As a student studying for a media and communications degree, you'll need to develop a professional network that you can rely on once you have finished your course and begin your career. Through Bournemouth University's media and communication degrees, you will be able to do exactly this while engaging in coursework and projects that challenge marginalisation, embody ethical practices, protect the vulnerable, empower communities and develop the creative industries.
Bournemouth's Department of Media Production was successfully voted in as members of CILECT, The International Association of Film and Television Schools, at the 2020 CILECT General Assembly. The membership recognises the high standards of the department’s work, and stands as recognition of the quality of the resources and student work produced within the department. As a member of CILECT, the Media Production Department joins a global community that brings together students and staff from across the world to share professional, educational and artistic best practice.
Bournemouth University received its International Moving Image Society (IMIS) accreditation certificate in 2015. Originally founded (as the BKS: The British Kinematograph Society) in 1931, the International Moving Image Society is a highly respected professional body, uniquely placed to assure, encourage and support industry relevance in media production courses. Most courses within the Media Production Department have received this accreditation in recognition of their industry-standard teaching.
The National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) based at the university was also presented with the Queen’s Anniversary Award in 2011, for world-class computer animation teaching with wide scientific and creative applications, and its contribution to world-leading excellence and pioneering development in the teaching of computer animation.
As a result of the strong career networks, many Bournemouth University graduates have gone on to win awards for the quality of their visual effects work, including Oscar winners for films such as Inception, Interstellar and Ex Machina. While studying on a NCCA course, you will have the opportunity to network, be mentored by and learn from a range of practitioners, preparing you for a career in the industry.
Bournemouth University offers outstanding links to industry and accreditation on most of its media and communication degrees, ensuring courses remain relevant and that students are well prepared for a role in the fast-paced world of media. Students have the option to gain industry experience on a 30-week placement, which is a great opportunity to integrate into the industry. You will also be able to apply what you learn in a workplace setting, which enhances the real-world experience, and provides excellent networking opportunities and insight into your chosen industry – all of which will help you stand out.
If you are thinking of studying media and communications in the UK at a degree level, it is important to consider how your chosen course will prepare you for the world of work and employment. UK universities offer students large amounts of support and networking opportunities, as well as the facilities and industry links they need to succeed in their chosen careers while planning their futures. You'll have access to world-renowned departments with leading academics, writers and creatives, and you'll be able to develop strong links to industry and connections while developing your practical and professional development skills. There's never been a better time to start a media career in the UK!
For more information, you can visit the Bangor University and Bournemouth University websites.
Bangor University: https://www.bangor.ac.uk/
Bournemouth University: https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/
