Program Overview

Digital Media and Communications (with Foundation Year) BA (Hons)

Overview

Immerse yourself in the production of compelling digital content, developing skills to meet the demands of the fast-changing media environment. Hone your creative, artistic and digital skills by working to a range of briefs and real-life scenarios, preparing you to launch your career in the digital media and communications industries.

Course Details

Foundation Year Core Modules

• Creative Media: Explore media fundamentals, including the making of images, video, sound and audio-visual materials. You learn skills in risk assessment for technical equipment, use of digital software and online resources and practical skills in making. Alongside practical sessions, you study professional environments, media theories, critical analysis and audience perspectives. Working with a group, you tackle a brief to develop a creative piece where you are encouraged to experiment and take creative risks. (40 credits)
• Final Project: Create original ideas and concepts for your individual project, creating an artefact, report, campaign, comic, product or other form related to the arts, design and media industries. You explore the context and history of the creative arts and use this to inform your project. Learning to research and analyse ideas about art, design and media, you develop your understanding of creative working and the relationship between creativity, society and the environment. (40 credits)
• Storytelling: Learn the fundamentals of storytelling and its historical, social, cultural and political contexts in relation to media such as TV, marketing, music and writing. Explore visual, audio and written examples of narrative form and construction. You enhance your understanding of the use of plot, themes, character, point of view, visual representation, audio-visual blending, storyboarding, non-linear story and prose. You are guided to develop a story form relevant to your chosen discipline/creative practice. (20 credits)
• Study Skills: Develop key study skills in preparation for starting your degree, including critical thinking, teamwork, research and delivering presentations. You are introduced to primary and secondary research sources and shown how to use the virtual learning environment (VLE). You also find out about the wide range of student support and learning resources on campus. (20 credits)

Year 1 Core Modules

• Collaboration Project: Enhance your skills in team-working, communication, project management and negotiation. You collaborate with a group of your course mates to produce a small-scale creative project in response to a subject-specific brief. (20 credits)
• Digital Media Cultures: How does the digital media environment shape the way that we interact as humans? Consider the knowledge, beliefs and practices that are typical of individuals engaging with the ever emerging digital media platforms that have become a way of life.
• Introduction to the Creative Industries: With many opportunities in the creative industries sector, learn how to start on your career path while developing vital employability skills such as networking and digital presence. Understand the structure of the sector and the interdisciplinary relationships between art, design and media. Discover how the sector operates locally, nationally and globally – debating the role of policy and the importance of sustainability. (20 credits)
• Social Media Content Creator: Hone your skills in creating engaging and visually appealing media content. Creativity and innovation is vital in digital content creation, whether photos, videos, blogs, vlogs, or live streaming. Therefore it’s vital to ensure successful engagement with your target audience.

Year 2 Core Modules

• Creative Research Project: Develop critical thinking and analysis skills, exploring contemporary issues and debates related to the creative industries. You research a specific area or development within your chosen subject – this may be technical, economic, ethical, legal, cultural, sociological, or a combination. You draw on appropriate academic and industry sources to contextualise your research. You present your topic and initial research within taught sessions, providing an opportunity for peer and tutor feedback. (20 credits)
• Industry Project: You develop and explore, in depth, a creative industry-based project in your specialist area of design, art, media, music, photography or illustration - relevant to your future professional practice. While forming a professional portfolio of work, you experience real-world business scenarios and challenges, industry competitions and cross and inter-disciplinary activities. You gain skills in project management, applied research methods and collaborative creative work. (40 credits)
• Society, Ethics and Online Media: Explore the rapidly changing online media landscape through the lens of society and ethics. Approaches towards misinformation and disinformation, data privacy, intellectual property and discrimination are a key duty of media professionals. Challenge perspectives on the right thinking, how to leverage media platforms appropriately and how to ethically engage with your audiences.
• Working in the Creative Industries: There are many challenges facing contemporary art, design and media practices. You research the social, political or ecological challenges around us to generate a small-scale project. You develop and reflect on your understanding of enterprise in the context of the creative industries. Contextualise your own professional practice and aspirations through application of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. (20 credits)

Final-Year Core Modules

• Major Project: You produce a self-managed, individual extended piece of independent investigation and/or creative production or portfolio of work. Supervised by an academic member of staff, you take responsibility for the planning and execution of the work, including the consideration of associated legal, social, ethical and professional issues. You explore in depth a chosen subject area, demonstrating your ability to analyse, synthesise and creatively apply your learning, showing critical and evaluative skills and professional awareness. (60 credits)
• Professional Practice: Plan and implement your departure from education to your first or new career, or to further study. You continue your creative practice, developing a portfolio and/or extended piece of work which reflects you as a creative. You explore discipline-specific employability strategies, and engage and network with industry to develop key connections. (60 credits)

How You Learn

• Think, dream and make: learn through doing, with focused studio time for practice-based creative work, allowing you to develop ideas and undertake larger-scale, more ambitious projects.
• Develop your creative voice: you are coached to find and grow your creative voice. Collaboration with industry professionals and your peers gives you new perspectives on developing your practice.
• Grow resilience: develop a creative journal, capturing your challenges, milestones and reflections to see patterns in your thinking and linking reoccurring ideas. You learn how to test ideas, explore creative directions, understand pitching etiquette and develop large-scale projects to help you thrive in the creative industries.
• Join the creative sector: our intensive, career-focused modules help you understand working in the arts and creative industries. From industry leaders’ professional wisdom and insight to accessing professional opportunities and creative coaching, you become an industry insider and leave with a working understanding of the professional community.
• Become connected: benefit from supportive voices, specialist expertise, shared wisdom and new ideas, establishing critical relationships that propel you into your creative career.
• Get creative: take part in MIMA Creative Week, a festival of workshops where you experiment with new materials, participate in field trips and upgrade your tech skills.
• Expand your horizons: collaborate with our international partners in Prague, Dubai and India becoming international creative citizens while developing an understanding of wider global contexts, sustainability and the changing shape of equality and diversity.

How You Are Assessed

Assessments enable you to demonstrate practical design and creative innovation skills. You receive formative verbal and written feedback throughout the course to support your development in preparation for the summative assessment.

Entry Requirements

• Any combination of level 3 qualifications. Each application is considered on a case-by-case basis.
• We may also be able to help you meet the entry requirements through our Summer University short courses.

Employability

• Career Opportunities: You may progress on to a range of careers across industries including marketing and advertising, public relations, publishing and communications, in roles such as digital content producer, multimedia specialist, digital copywriter, transmedia storyteller and social media manager.
• Work Placement: This course can be studied over four years if you wish to include an optional work placement year.

Information for International Applicants

• Qualifications: International applicants - find out what qualifications you need by selecting your country below.
• Useful Information: Visit our international pages for useful information for non-UK students and applicants.

Other Course Routes

• Full-time: £9,535 a year (UK applicants), £17,000 a year (international applicants)
• Part-time: Not available part-time

Choose Teesside

• iPad: Are you eligible for an iPad, keyboard and up to £300 credit for learning resources?
• Accommodation: Live in affordable accommodation right on-campus - from only £100 a week
• Campus: Study in our town-centre campus with £280m of recent investment.
• Adobe: Study at Europe's first Adobe Creative Campus and develop your creative and digital skills.