(Full time / Part time) 2019 start
New Media MA
Overview
Smartphones and social media, digital networks and big data, gamification and mobile platforms – new media continue to change the way we live, work and communicate. This programme interrogates the impact of digital technologies on individuals and society, and provides you with the skills and knowledge to be able to think critically and creatively about new media.
You'll learn about diverse digital media techniques and processes, including coding and hacking, web design, animation, digital ethnography and more. Through a hands-on approach, you'll gain an understanding of the social, cultural and economic roles of new media, and explore what it is like to work in the new media industries.
With a range of optional modules to choose from, you'll be able to tailor your degree to your personal and career interests. Taught by expert practitioners and researchers, you'll gain the knowledge and skills to thrive in this dynamic, fast-paced sector.
Our School has a range of fantastic facilities to support your studies. Our 58-seat cinema is equipped with Dolby Digital sound, high-definition projection facilities and projectors for 16mm and 35mm film. You can work on your own projects in our 44 editing suites, equipped with Avid Media Composer editing software and Adobe Creative Cloud. Our fully equipped TV studio has a large green screen area, lighting and photo-flash facilities. We have a track and dolly, sliders, Glidecam, cranes and a photographic dark room. We run a loans service where you can borrow HD digital camcorders and Canon stills cameras to help with your project work.
Course content
You'll take a core 60 credit module called Digital Practices across both semesters. This will introduce you to critical issues through a fortnightly lecture. During a weekly 2-hour workshop you'll be introduced to a range of digital practices including web building, web design, data mining, animation, hacking, and coding. In the second semester we concentrate on digital methods, thinking about a range of digital tools and processes for undertaking research.
You'll be introduced to a range of web languages such as HTML, CSS, PHP, WordPress and JavaScript. No experience of the practical skills are required, but some knowledge is desirable. You'll consider the relationship between new media and contemporary culture and the interactive forms and practices that are emerging and you'll gain practical production, project management and critical skills and respond to new media briefs in collaborative projects.
You'll then have the chance to broaden your approach with your choice of optional modules, from photography and cinematics to political communication, television narratives and public relations in society.
You'll complete a written dissertation, using the digital methods and skills you've learnt and applying these to a critical research issue.
If you choose to study part-time, you’ll complete the MA over two years, instead of one, taking fewer modules each year
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Modules
Year 1
Compulsory modules
- Dissertation and Research Methods 60 credits
- Digital Practices 60 credits
Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
- Television Narrative 30 credits
- Feminism, Identity and Media 30 credits
- Popular Music and Society 30 credits
- Innovations in Political Communication 30 credits
- Identity and Culture 30 credits
- The Cultural History of Promotional Communication 30 credits
- Individual Directed Study (New Media) 30 credits
- Radio Technologies, Industries and Cultures 30 credits
- Cultures of Contemporary Photography 30 credits
- Cinematics and Photography 30 credits
- Stylistic Aesthetics of Chinese Language in Media and Communication 15 credits
- Rhetoric and Public Speaking 15 credits
- Managing Business Across Cultures 15 credits
- International Organisations: Context, Theory and Practice 15 credits
- Writing for Professional Purposes 15 credits
- Cultural Policy 30 credits
- Critical Debates in Culture and Place 30 credits
- Researching Inequality in the Media 30 credits
- Reality TV: Truth or Fiction? 30 credits
Learning and teaching
You’ll be taught in a mixture of practical workshops, lectures and small group seminars which allow you to discuss your reading and present some of your research to other students. Independent study is also crucial to this degree, allowing you to practice your skills and deepen your knowledge.
Assessment
We also use a range of assessment methods, depending on the modules you choose. They’re likely to include practical projects, essays, reports, group and individual presentations and case studies among others.
Applying, fees and funding
Entry requirements
A bachelor degree with 2:1 (hons) in the following subjects: humanities, communications, media studies, new/digital media, or other programmes incorporating elements of design and media production. Relevant professional experience will also be considered. Some experience of new media production is desirable.
Applications based on degrees in other subjects may be considered on an individual basis by the programme leader. If you do not have a degree in social sciences or humanities, we may request a personal statement explaining why you should be offered a place on this course.
We receive a high number of applications and places on this course are limited. Please note, meeting the entry requirements of this course does not guarantee an offer of a place.
International qualifications
To see equivalent entry requirements for your country, check our international entry requirement directory.
For more information contact the School of Media and Communication admissions team.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Communication and Society (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Communication and Society (10 weeks).
If you need to study for longer than 10 weeks, read more about our postgraduate pre-sessional English course.
How to apply
This link takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.
If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
Documents and information you need
- Your degree certificate and transcripts, or a partial transcript if you’re still studying
- Your most recent CV
- If English is not your first language, you’ll need to provide evidence of your English language qualifications.
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
Fees
- UK/EU: £8,500 (total)
- International: £20,500 (total)
Read more about paying fees and charges.
For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.
Part-time fees are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.
Additional cost information
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs
Scholarships and financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more at Masters funding overview.
Tuition Fee Scholarships
The School of Media and Communication offers three tuition fee scholarships to UK/EU students, each worth the full tuition fees. We also offer three tuition fee scholarships to international students, each worth half the tuition fees.
To see all our scholarship and funding opportunities, visit the School of Media and Communication scholarships page.
Career opportunities
This programme is still relatively new, and digital media are rapidly growing, evolving and expanding.
People with high-level production and project management skills in new media will be in high demand for decades to come, and this programme will equip you with the knowledge and skills to thrive in a wide – and rapidly expanding – range of careers in new media practice.
These could include digital marketing, animation, web design and development, social media, analytics, PR and consultancy among others. You’ll also be well prepared for future research in this young and fast-changing field.Careers Support
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.