Media & Communications - BA (Hons) Degree

The Cardiff Met BA (Hons) Media and Communications degree consists of 360 credits taken over three years.

• Year 1 you will study 6 core modules.
• Year 2 you will study 5 core modules, with an additional optional module chosen by you.
• Year 3 will contain 4 core modules, with the option to develop your own Independent Project topic/area of study.
• Optional year-long ‘Industrial Work Experience’ module can also be taken between Year 2 and 3.

Year 1

• Meaning in Media
• Media, Culture and Society
• Media Writing: Journalism
• Media Writing: PR and Communications
• Creative Digital Design
• Mobile Filmmaking

Year 2

Core Modules

• The Media Business
• TV Times
• Specialist Media Writing and Production: Journalism
• Specialist Media Writing and Production: PR and Communications
• Placement*

*During the placement module, you will complete a compulsory supported work placement in industry with one of our partner organisations. Past placement settings have included ITV Wales, Afanti Media, EatSleep Media, Cardiff Rugby to name a few.

Optional Modules

• Creative Media Project
• Leadership and Management
• Preparing to Teach

Industrial Work Experience

You have the option to spend a year in industry on work experience after successfully completing your second year of study. This year in industry can boost your career prospects and give you an advantage when applying for jobs after graduation.

Year 3

• Digital Enterprise Project
• Independent Project
• #Media
• Radical Cinema

Effective learning, teaching and assessment methods underpin the educational aims and the learning outcomes of all of our programmes and modules. Learning and teaching methods may include lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, guest speakers and industrial visits. Our Virtual Learning Environment is also an integral aspect of the learning package that supports the needs of our students.

Lead lectures introduce key topics and concepts, while seminars, tutorials, workshops and practical sessions focus on the application of key concepts with the aim of enhancing the student experience and engagement. You will also meet tutors on a one to one basis. As a school, we work hard to provide student-centred learning opportunities that deliver a high quality and flexible learning environment. 

Learning and teaching methods emphasise and facilitate the development of your critical reasoning, and encourage the integration of practice and theory. Throughout your programme, you will experience both tutor-led learning and self-directed methods of learning, increasing independence and reflection and encouraging you to develop a positive attitude toward lifelong learning. 

Our teaching and learning methods embed the Cardiff Met 'EDGE' (Ethical, Global, Digital and Entrepreneurial) skills and you will be well equipped to demonstrate graduate attributes expected of you in an increasingly competitive world of work. We aim to help you to develop into reflective professionals and critical scholars. 

At Cardiff Met you will encounter a learning experience from induction to graduation that is coherent and develops your identity within your programme of study. Specific features of the learning experience on BA (Hons) Media and Communications include:

• Renowned researchers and industry experienced tutors that are integral to the learning package offered to our students.
• On-campus media facilities which are utilised in order to enhance the student learning experience and apply the theoretical knowledge in a real-world setting.
• Industry partnerships which are used to underpin and enhance the delivery of the programme.
• A degree programme that meets employer needs.

Facilities

Excellent on-site media facilities and thriving media industries in Cardiff and the surrounding region combine with a network of media industry partners to provide a comprehensive work-related and work-based learning programme. This is designed to enable you to apply the knowledge gained from the degree curriculum in real-world settings and gain valuable experience to use as a foundation for further study or future employment.

We’re committed to innovative assessment practices that match identified learning outcomes for your module and degree. This means assessment, wherever possible, is linked to enhancing not only your subject knowledge but skills vital in developing your employment opportunities. Examples of assessment include research portfolios, group work, practical portfolios, critical and reflective practice, reviews, poster presentations and essays. 

We have a variety of approaches to assessment across the degree depending upon the module. Practical modules are assessed through portfolios and accompanying critical essays in which you are required to reflect upon and contextualise your work. These modules also include class-based formative peer-assessment in the form of practical workshops. These do not count towards your final grade but the sessions do help you grow and reflect as a media practitioner. 

Modules also make use of Virtual Learning Environments for assessments and you may be asked to view material online and then to respond to it. 

You will receive tutor support in class and through our VLE in order to prepare you for each assessment point. We also have library facilities online and at campus.

The Cardiff Met EDGE supports you to thrive in the modern world. Throughout your degree you will experience a range of opportunities to develop your Ethical, Digital, Global and Entrepreneurial competencies through problem-based learning and work-based learning placements. We will ensure that you get a range of opportunities to develop transferable skills such as communication, teamwork and leadership.

Work placements, simulations, collaborative enterprise projects, portfolio development, and learning from guest speakers, will ensure that you are industry ready. We will also support you to seek opportunities to work or study abroad.

Students who have graduated from the BA (Hons) Media and Communications at Cardiff Met can go on to work in careers both within and beyond media, journalism, PR, marketing, communications, and digital and social media. Graduates have gone on to work in media and related roles for organisations such the BBC, Arsenal FC, Nike, and Network Rail.

Many students also pursue their own opportunities and develop businesses based on ideas they’ve generated throughout their studies. There is on-going support from the Careers department, as well as enterprise support available from the Centre for Entrepreneurship. These include interview preparation, CV writing, networking advice and opportunities, business mentoring, funding advice and free office space.

Alternatively, you might choose to continue onto further study through our MA Specialist Journalism for example or progress to doctoral level studies. You can also progress onto more generic master’s level qualification in Media, Broadcast, Marketing and Management programmes at Cardiff Met, or other Higher Education institutions.

Typical Offers

• Tariff points: 104
• Contextual offer: See our contextual offers page.
• GCSE: Preferably five GCSEs at Grade C / 4 or above to include English Language / Welsh First Language, Mathematics / Mathematics – Numeracy.
• English Language Requirement: Academic IELTS 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in all elements, or equivalent.
• A level subjects: Minimum three A levels to include grades CCC. No specific subjects required. Welsh Advanced Skills Baccalaureate considered as a third subject.
• BTEC National / Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: MMM
• T Level: Merit.
• Access to Higher Education Diploma: No specific subjects required.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: No specific subjects required.
• Irish Leaving Certificate: 2 x H2. No specific subjects required. Higher level subjects only considered with a minimum grade H4.
• Scottish Advanced Highers: Grade DD. No specific subjects required. Scottish Highers are also considered, either on their own or in combination with Advanced Highers.

Combinations of the above qualifications are accepted if they meet our minimum requirements. If your qualifications aren’t listed, please contact Admissions or refer to the UCAS Course Search.

Further information on Overseas qualifications can be found here.

If you are a mature applicant, have relevant experience or RPL that you would like us to consider, please contact Admissions.

How to Apply

Further information on how to apply can be found here.

For general enquiries please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6044 or email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

For course specific enquiries, please contact Rob Taffurelli:

• Email: rtaffurelli@cardiffmet.ac.uk