What is “Media Studies”?

Media studies involves the content, the history and the effects of different types of media; especially mass-media like television, film, radio, the internet and video games.

Having a qualification in media studies can be useful to obtain a career not only in those areas listed above, but also in a number of other careers such as performing arts, publishing, tourism, leisure, journalism, arts and crafts, design and advertising and marketing.

Areas in Media Studies

Media studies courses cover a large number of areas and are available at all levels of higher education. You could begin with an A Level or BTEC course in media studies, which would allow you to get an excellent overview of the various disciplines within media studies.

You could then progress in your education by doing a degree course to specialise in a particular area of interest, such as film and television, film studies and communication or American studies and popular music in society.

Why study media courses?

Not every media career requires you to have a media studies degree, but there are many jobs in media that do require you to have a degree, Higher National Diploma or other qualification.

As you progress through the education system, you can determine which area of media studies you want to pursue a career in and obtain the necessary qualifications.

Degrees available in media-studies-related subjects include:

• Media and Communication.
• Media Studies and Television Production.
• Media and International Relations.
• Media and Creative Writing.
• Film, Media and History.
• Film and Screen Studies.
• Public Relations and Media with a Year in Industry.
• Journalism and Media.
• English Language and Media and Culture.
• Sports Journalism.

Career Outcomes from a Media Studies Course

Once you have completed a specific media studies course, there are many career options available in your chosen sector. Popular careers that graduates embark upon include the following.

Music Producer

In this role, you would assist groups and artists to create recorded music in a studio. The music could be for an album, a soundtrack, an advertisement or another creative output.

It’s useful to have a degree in a subject like music production or sound engineering if you want to pursue this profession.

Broadcast Journalist

As a broadcast journalist, you would research, investigate and present news content for radio, television or internet programmes. To get into broadcast journalism, it helps to have a degree in a subject like journalism, business or economics.

Television, Film or Video Producer

Working as a producer for films, videos or television programmes, you would oversee all areas of a project’s production, from conception to completion.

To get started in this profession, you’ll usually need to have a degree in a subject like communication and media studies, film studies or media production and broadcast production.

Web Content Manager

This profession involves ensuring websites’ content is well-structured, easy to find and easy to use. You would manage web pages, images, reviews, videos and social media. To become a web content manager, it’s useful to have a degree in a web-content-related subject.