Communication and Media, BA

Course content

You'll be introduced to key areas of communications and media studies in Year 1, exploring theories and research that address vital questions such as:

Year 2 builds on this foundation when you study communications theories in more depth and develop your research skills. You'll place your knowledge of the media industries into the context of media policy-making and select optional modules on diverse topics such as the concept of genre in cinema, journalism ethics and digital media.

By your final year, you'll have the specialist knowledge and research skills to complete a dissertation on a specific communication or media topic of your choice, supervised by an academic specialist in the School. You'll complement this with your choice of optional modules in a wide range of areas, from citizen media to audience research, political journalism to documentaries. You could also undertake a four-week work placement to gain hands-on experience in the industry.

Course structure

These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

• Entry requirements, fees and applying

  Entry requirements

  A-level: AAB

  • Career opportunities

    This degree will give you broad and in-depth subject knowledge as well as key analytical and teamwork skills that are highly valuable in the media and creative industries. Our graduates work in a variety of media sectors including TV production, film, PR, events organisation, digital media, magazine publishing, media and cultural policy and research among others.

    Because this degree maintains an academic grounding in social sciences and humanities approaches, it's also a strong foundation for a range of different careers in the public, private and third sectors. In fact, the proportion of our students in full-time employment within six months of graduation is one of the highest in the university.

    What Do Our Graduates Do?

    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.

    Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website.

    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.

  • Study abroad and work placements

    Study abroad

    On this course you have the opportunity to apply to spend time abroad, usually as an extra academic year. The University has partnerships with more than 400 universities worldwide and popular destinations for our students include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and Latin America. 

    Find out more at the Study Abroad website.

    Work placements

    Practical work experience can help you decide on your career and improve your employability. On this course you have the option to apply to take a placement year module with organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors in the UK, or overseas.

    Find out more about work experience on the Careers website.

    If you don't want to spend a full year on a placement, you can still choose to take the Placement optional module, which gives you the chance to spend around four weeks working at a company or organisation within the media or a related industry. We have excellent links with the local, regional and national creative industries, ensuring that you have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience that complements your learning.

  • Related courses

    Digital Media BA
    Film, Photography and Media BA
    Journalism BA