Programme Specification for the 2025/6 academic year
BA (Hons) Communications
1. Programme Details
| Programme name | BA (Hons) Communications | Programme code | UFA3EGLEGL16 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study mode(s) | Part Time |
Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Campus(es) | Streatham (Exeter) |
NQF Level of the Final Award | 6 (Honours) |
2. Description of the Programme
The BA (Hons) Communications programme allows you to develop deep knowledge and understanding of a variety of historical, theoretical, and methodological approaches to the study of communication technologies and the production, dissemination, and reception of media texts. From early print media, through the broadcast era, to the current era of networked digital media, this degree will allow you to interrogate the ways that communication technologies mediate social realities in specific historical and cultural contexts. Employability skills are embedded throughout the programme, and you will hone practical and professional skills that will prepare you for work across a range of jobs in the creative industries. This is a truly interdisciplinary degree, with a core of Communication modules supplemented by a variety of optional modules in in Communications and other cognate disciplines, including (but not limited to) Film Studies, English, Politics, Law, Sociology, Anthropology, Theology, and Modern Languages. Modules are taught by published experts in Communications and the fields listed above, and students benefit from access to world-leading resources, such as the Digital Humanities Lab, the Foreign Language Centre, and the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum.
Advice and guidance on your programme can be sought from your personal tutor and programme director. All staff offer regular office hours that you can drop into without a prior appointment for this purpose.
3. Educational Aims of the Programme
The programme will offer you a structured framework of study in which you follow a balanced and complementary range of modules, with sufficient choice to ensure that you are able to follow an individual pathway of learning. The programme further aims to:
- provide you with opportunities to acquire and develop deep knowledge and understanding of the historical development, character, and content of a wide variety of communication technologies
- to equip you with the ability to critically evaluate and to synthesize a range of theoretical approaches and practices related to the study of Communications in a range of texts and contexts
- to develop an appreciation of a range of methodological approaches to the academic study of Communications
- to develop the necessary communication skills necessary for a variety of careers across the cultural sector, including the media, cultural, and heritage industries
- to provide opportunities for you to reflect critically upon graduate career planning and strategies
- to foster critical and analytical skills, including graduate research skills
4. Programme Structure
The BA Communications is a three-year full-time programme of study at National Qualification Framework (NQF) level 6 (as confirmed against the FHEQ). The programme can also be studied part-time in up to six years. This programme is divided into three stages. Each stage is normally equivalent to an academic year.
5. Programme Modules
The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.
https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=comms
You may take optional modules as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module.
You may take elective modules up to 30 credits outside of the programme in any stage of the programme as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module.
Stage 1
60 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMM1001 | Perspectives on Communications | 30 | No |
| CMM1002 | Communications Challenges | 30 | No |
Optional Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Media and Communications Stage 1 Option Modules 2024-5 | |||
| EAS1032 | Approaches to Criticism | 30 | No |
| EAS1040 | Academic English | 15 | No |
| EAS1044 | Imagine This: Prompts for Creative Writing | 15 | No |
| HAS1001 | Enter the Matrix: Digital Perspectives on the Humanities | 15 | No |
| EAF1506 | Interrogating Screens | 30 | No |
| EAS1016 | Digital Cultures: Narrative, Creativity, Industry | 15 | No |
Stage 2
60 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules for a total of 120 credits
Compulsory Modules
CMM2008 is a pre-requisite for taking either CMM3002 Communications Dissertation or CMM3003 Communications Practical Research Project in final year.
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMM2002 | Communications in the Workplace | 30 | No |
| CMM2008 | Communications Research Methods | 30 | No |
Optional Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Media and Communications Stage 2 Option Modules 2024-5 | |||
| CMM2010 | Professional Writing | 30 | No |
| CMM2011 | History of Communications | 30 | No |
| CMM2012 | Communications and the Climate Crisis | 30 | No |
| CMM2013 | Introduction to Games Studies | 30 | No |
| EAF2505 | Spectacular Attractions: Cinema and Sensation | 30 | No |
| EAF2511 | Television: Times, Trends and Technologies | 30 | No |
| HUM2000 | Humanities in the Workplace | 30 | No |
Stage 3
30 credits of compulsory modules, 90 credits of optional modules
Compulsory Modules
Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:
a - You must select either CMM3002 or CMM3003 (you cannot choose more than one module from this group).
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMM3002 | Communications: Dissertation [See note a above] | 30 | Yes |
| CMM3003 | Communications: Practical Research Project [See note a above] | 30 | Yes |
Optional Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Media and Communications SH Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6 | |||
| CMM3005 | Gender, Sexuality and Media | 30 | No |
| CMM3009 | Selling the Self: Influencer Culture and Digital Capitalism | 30 | No |
| CMM3007 | Critical AI Studies | 30 | No |
| CMM3008 | Imagining Tech Futures for the Common Good | 30 | No |
| CMM3010 | Social Media and Migration | 30 | No |
| CMM3006 | Digital Inequalities | 30 | No |
| EAF3515 | Something to See: War and Visual Media | 30 | No |
| EAF3501 | American Independent Film | 30 | No |
| EAF3519 | Cinema in the Anthropocene | 30 | No |
| EAF3523 | Perspectives on Animation | 30 | No |
| EAF3522 | Film, Philosophy, and the Internet | 30 | No |
| DRA3102 | Audio Dramaturgy: Theatre of the Ear | 30 | No |
| EAS3128 | Writing the Short Film | 30 | No |
6. Programme Outcomes Linked to Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods
Intended Learning Outcomes
A: Specialised Subject Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
1. Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the historical development of a range of communication technologies. | ILOs 1-6 are acquired through lectures, seminars, workshops, study groups, tutorials and other learning activities throughout the programme. The degree of specialisation of subject knowledge increases during the programme, culminating in the dissertation. Modules at stage 3 are most closely related to the research specialism of the staff teaching the module. The precise method of teaching varies according to each module. On team-taught modules you will normally engage in both lectures and seminar groups. In smaller options you will normally spend most of your contact time in seminar groups and workshops. Your learning is further developed through engagement with assessments, following guidance from tutors and lecturers and through feedback on work submitted | The assessment of these skills is through a combination of presentations and participation in seminars, annotated bibliographies, web-based assessments, audio-visual and written essays, exams, other written reports/projects, and a dissertation or large-scale practical project. Essays, exams, and presentations are especially significant within the programme because they assess each of the skills in ILOs 1-6. |
Intended Learning Outcomes
B: Academic Discipline Core Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
7. Apply critical skills in the analysis of communication technologies and media texts. | ILOs 7-11 are developed throughout the programme in all modules, with the emphasis becoming more complex as students move from stage to stage. They are developed through lectures and seminars, written work, and oral work (both in presentation and seminar discussion). They will culminate in the substantial and independent research skills demonstrated within the dissertation or large-scale practical project. | The assessment of these skills is through a combination of presentations and participation in seminars, annotated bibliographies, web-based assessments, written and/or audio-visual essays, exams, other written reports/projects, and a dissertation or large-scale practical project. |
Intended Learning Outcomes
C: Personal/Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
12. Apply advanced literacy and communication skills in appropriate contexts including the ability to present sustained and persuasive written and oral arguments. | ||
7. Programme Regulations
Classification
Full details of assessment regulations for all taught programmes can be found in the TQA Manual, specifically in the Credit and Qualifications Framework, and the Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook. Additional information, including Generic Marking Criteria, can be found in the Learning and Teaching Support Handbook.
8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning
All students within Communications have a personal tutor for their entire programme of study and who are available for at least three hours a week at advertised ‘office hours’. There are induction sessions to orientate students at the start of their programme. A personal tutoring system will operate with regular communication throughout the programme. Academic support will be also be provided by module leaders. You can also make an appointment to see individual teaching staff.
9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning
Please refer to the University Academic Policy and Standards guidelines regarding support for students and students' learning.
10. Admissions Criteria
Undergraduate applicants must satisfy the Undergraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.
Postgraduate applicants must satisfy the Postgraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.
Specific requirements required to enrol on this programme are available at the respective Undergraduate or Postgraduate Study Site webpages.
11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards
Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.
The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.
14. Awarding Institution
University of Exeter
15. Lead College / Teaching Institution
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS)
16. Partner College / Institution
Partner College(s)
Not applicable to this programme
Partner Institution
Not applicable to this programme.
17. Programme Accredited / Validated by
0
18. Final Award
BA (Hons) Communications
19. UCAS Code
Not applicable to this programme.
20. NQF Level of Final Award
6 (Honours)
21. Credit
| CATS credits | 360 |
ECTS credits | 180 |
|---|
22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group
[Honours] Communication, media, film and cultural studies
23. Dates
| Origin Date | 07/01/2020 |
Date of last revision | 01/09/2022 |
|---|
