Masters applications for 2025 entry are now closed.
Applications for September 2026 will open on Wednesday 24 September. Applications are now open for programmes with a January 2026 start. View our programmes »
Overview
Designed for aspiring media professionals and scholars, this MA offers an interdisciplinary exploration of media and communication theories, equipping students with critical industry insights and practical skills to navigate and lead within the evolving media landscape. As part of the course, you will critically engage with practices surrounding digital and social media, and gen. AI.
- Media and Communications is a broad interdisciplinary field, bridging elements of theory and practice, and sitting at the intersection of cultural studies, sociology, social anthropology and business studies
- Our MA has been designed with flexibility in mind, providing students with the opportunity to customise their degree depending on their career goals or interests
- It provides students with the advanced level foundation for the next generation of communications professionals, media researchers and educators
- Gain hands-on experience and training within our unique and world-leading research facilities, such as the Digital Humanities Lab and the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
- Research-inspired learning through unique modules led by staff research expertise, including video games and social media management-focused modules
Top 15 for Communications
Home to the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
Develop transferable skills and specialist knowledge through interdisciplinary teaching
Top 15 for Communications
Home to the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
Develop transferable skills and specialist knowledge through interdisciplinary teaching
Entry requirements
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree or above (or equivalent). We welcome students from any academic background.
Please also see our guidance on essential documentation required for an initial decision on taught programme applications.
Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B1.
Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
The MA Media and Communications will provide students with an internationally exceptional educational experience, by providing them with hands on experience and training within our unique and world-leading research facilities such as the Digital Humanities Lab and the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum.
- It will enable them to make a positive difference in the world by fostering advanced level transferable skills in analysis, communication, and research applicable beyond academia alone.
- It will deliver research-inspired learning through unique modules led by staff research expertise.
- Our graduates will be highly skilled with key transferable skills in research and analysis, opportunities to acquire social media expertise, leaving them well-placed to pursue a high-level academic career in the field or to move into professional communications roles.
- It will empower and engage learners by offering them practical as well as theoretical learning opportunities through hands-on work within our research facilities and the ability to choose their own direction of study and expertise through the Media and Communications Dissertation module.
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
120 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module |
Credits |
|---|
| CMMM001 |
Media and Communications: Theory and Concepts | 30 |
| CMMM015 |
Digital Media Cultures | 30 |
| CDFM001 |
Dissertation - Written | 60 |
Optional modules
| Code | Module |
Credits |
|---|
|
Media and Communications options 2025-26 |
| CMMM014 |
Industry Insights |
30 |
| CMMM006 |
Soft Power and International Communications |
30 |
| CMMM013 |
AI and Society: Critical and Cultural Perspectives |
30 |
| DRAM141 |
Ideas Generation and the Creative Process |
30 |
| DRAM142 |
Creative Management |
30 |
| DRAM169 |
Creative Industries |
30 |
| EAFM009 |
Transmedia Adaptations |
30 |
| EAFM089 |
Archival Encounters: Material Film Histories |
30 |
"What I’ve enjoyed most so far is that professors, including Dr. Zizheng who teaches this course, offer many opportunities for internships and participation in seminars organized by brand managers. This has truly provided me with valuable insights and opportunities to break into the industry.
I chose the MA in Media and Communications because of my background in Fashion and Apparel Design. I wanted to expand my knowledge of how to help brands with promotion. Additionally, the Social Media: Management and Strategy module was particularly appealing to me. It offers insights into brand management strategies and theories, which will be practically useful for my career."
Read more from Yue
Yue
MA Media and Communications
Fees
2026/27 entry
UK fees per year:
£12,650 full-time; £6,325 part-time
International fees per year:
£25,550 full-time; £12,775 part-time
Scholarships
The University of Exeter offers a wide range of scholarships to support your education, with £7 million available for international students applying to study with us in the 2026/27 academic year, including our prestigious Exeter Excellence Scholarships *. We also provide awards for sport, music and other achievements, as well as regional and partner scholarships with organisations such as Chevening, The Beacon Trust and the British Council. For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship
We are pleased to offer University of Exeter alumni beginning a standalone postgraduate programme in 2026/27 with us a scholarship towards the cost of your tuition fees. Full details can be found here.
*Terms and conditions, including deadlines, apply. See our website for details..
Teaching and research
Students will receive an internationally exceptional education, including hands-on experience and training within our unique and world-leading research facilities, such as the Digital Humanities Lab and the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum.
Our MA Media and Communications will empower and engage learners by offering you practical as well as theoretical learning opportunities through hands-on work within our research facilities, and the ability to choose your own direction of study and expertise through the Media and Communications Dissertation module
Research-led teaching ensures module content includes the latest trends in Media and Communication Studies. Our research areas include: contemporary media and culture, data, technology, futures, outer space, techno-apocalyptic narratives, digital preservation, slow computing, digital sustainability, and pre-digital nostalgia.
Guest speakers will give you a starting point to develop your own broad network of professional contacts and to identify key practitioners within your chosen specialism. Throughout the MA, you will also be engaged in a critique of the industry and a debate about its future opportunities and development possibilities.
Facilities
We are exceptionally lucky to have some fantastic facilities and resources on the Streatham Campus.
Digital Humanities Lab
Digital Humanities is increasingly important in all areas of humanities research, including history, archaeology, literatures and languages. This research space enables the examination, preservation and analysis of historical, literary and visual material. Facilities in the lab include:
- a flagship seminar room equipped with a 4.2-metre video wall, encouraging interactive engagement in a shared display space
- two state-of-the-art photography labs, including provision for the 2D digitisation of heritage material and primary sources
- an audio-visual lab with a recording studio and sound editing suite
- a MakerSpace equipped with 3D scanning and printing equipment
The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum holds a wide-ranging collection of more than 70,000 film related artefacts and is the largest research archive in any British University. The collection is available for all students to use as a research and study resource, giving students a highly distinctive and valuable experience of studying and researching film using primary materials, documents and artefacts. State-of-the-art equipment in our Digital Humanities Lab enables the examination and analysis of these materials.
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Alexander Taylor
Neil Ewen
Alexander Taylor
Alex is an anthropologist of data and communications infrastructure. He works at the intersection of critical data studies, media and communication studies and infrastructure studies. His research concentrates on the material, temporal and environmental dimensions of communications infrastructure, with a focus on data storage and security. He has conducted fieldwork in the data centre industry, primarily working inside nuclear bunkers that have been repurposed as ‘disaster-proof’ data storage sites for cloud computing companies.
He studies human-technology relations by observing and working with engineers, data security technicians and infrastructure maintenance workers. The analysis of media representations and archival materials plays a central role in his research, as does the materiality of digital infrastructure. His research interests include: data, technology, futures, outer space, techno-apocalyptic narratives, digital preservation, slow computing, digital sustainability, and pre-digital nostalgia.
Profile page
Neil Ewen
Neil is the Subject Lead for Communications and a Deputy Head of the Department of Communications, Drama and Film.
His research interests lie broadly in the politics of contemporary media and culture. He has particular interests in celebrity, political communication, and sport.
He’s an Affiliated Member of the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA) at the University of Amsterdam, and a member of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) and the Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association (MeCCSA).
Profile page
Careers
MA Media and Communication students will acquire valuable transferable skills in advanced research, writing, communication and project management.
You'll be prepared for professional opportunities in research-led careers, education, academic careers, media and cultural industries, national and international policy and production sectors, commercial and public service organisations, NGOs, as well as charitable organisations and the third sector. Above all, you will have the critical skills necessary to evaluate and understand media in a range of professional and private spheres.
The innovative open nature of the programme structure is designed to accommodate a wide range of specialist interests within the broad spectrum of careers that are available within the field of media and communications. These range from leadership roles such as account handler, project manager or event manager through to creative roles such as concept or brand designer, or content or idea strategist.
Optional modules will help you gain specialist roles and careers in areas of digital marketing or social media management, strategy and/or consultancy. This also includes skills to develop strategic and successful media campaigns.
Guest speakers will give you a starting point to develop your own broad network of professional contacts. Throughout the MA, you will also be engaged in a critique of the industry and a debate about its future opportunities and developments possibilities.
While we do not guarantee placements, we work closely with the University’s Career Zone, our dedicated placements officer, and initiatives such as the Exeter China Career Ready and India Career Ready programmes to support students in securing jobs and internships. We encourage students to engage with their personal tutors early on to discuss career goals, and we provide tailored support throughout their studies. Our graduates have gone on to roles with organisations ranging from global companies like Ubisoft, Ralph Lauren, and Edelman, to smaller firms offering valuable early-career experience.
Key areas in which our graduates could work include:
- Advertising and market research/analytics
- Media/Social media management/Strategy/Consultancy/Content creation/Campaigning
- Management consultancy activities
- Media campaigns
- Media policy/education
- Computer programming and consultancy
- Video, television and music production and publishing
- Education
- Charities/NGOs
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