Program Overview

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International Media and Communications Studies BA

Overview

Communication defines us as human beings. At Nottingham, you’ll be given the chance to think critically about the rapidly changing world of media and communication in a global context. From the legacies of European Empires, to the transformative power of new media technologies, you’ll develop a critical understanding of media and communication in a wide range of cultural contexts and political systems around the world.

Course Structure

• Year 1:
  • Studio project 1A
  • Studio project 1B
  • Media and Democracy
  • Ways of Seeing, Hearing and Reading
  • Institutions and Practices
  • Global Media and Cultural Flows
  • Optional modules:
    • Sustainability 1a
    • Sustainability 1b
    • Arts Engaged in Health (Engaged Arts)
    • Data, Culture and Society (Engaged Arts)
    • Digital Projects: Data and Text (Engaged Arts)
    • Digital Projects: Sound and Vision (Engaged Arts)
    • Disease and Society (Engaged Arts)
    • Exploring Digital Arts (Engaged Arts)
    • Exploring Sustainability (Engaged Arts)
    • Sustainability Action (Engaged Arts)
    • The Critical Citizen: Modes of Thinking in Contemporary Society (Engaged Arts)
    • Writing and Being: Academic, Activist, Professional, Creative and Personal (Engaged Arts)
• Year 2:
  • Studio project 2A
  • Studio project 2B
  • Encountering Culture: Media, Art and Screen Experiences
  • Objects and Technologies
  • Optional modules:
    • Journalism and News Media
    • Persuasive Communications and Political Belief
    • Communicating Identity
    • British Empire and its Cultural Legacies
    • Cultures of Collecting and Collections
    • Travelling Stories: Narrative Locations
    • Emotions, Affect and the Senses
    • Applying the Digital Humanities (Engaged Arts)
    • Arts Work Placement Module (Engaged Arts)
    • Community Engagement and Social Impact (Engaged Arts)
    • Decolonisation and Justice (Engaged Arts)
    • Employing the Arts (Engaged Arts)
    • Issues in the Health Humanities (Engaged Arts)
    • Living and Working in a Multi-Lingual World (Engaged Arts)
    • Made in Nottingham (Engaged Arts)
• Year 3:
  • Studio Project - Level 3
  • Optional modules:
    • Irrational Media
    • Media, Memory and the Disaster
    • Digital Labour
    • The Cultural Sector Now
    • Professional Practice: Festivals
    • Censoring Stories
    • African and Afro-Diasporic Visual Cultures: 1900s to the present
    • Playful Experiences
    • Protest, Dissent and Civil Society
    • The Outmoded
    • Sound and Everyday Life

Skills Development

The degree focuses on media theory and cultural history. It helps develop critical skills in:

• Media analysis
• Cultural awareness
• Industry engagement

The broad range of teaching and learning approaches means you'll develop skills sought by many sectors, both media-related and wider.

Why Choose This Course?

• Beginners welcome! - you do not need any prior experience in International Media and Communications Studies as our year one modules give you a university-level introduction
• Freedom to explore - as you move through your course, deepen your knowledge of your favourite topics and explore new ones
• International outlook - you’ll gain a global perspective, exploring diverse cultures, international media, creative industries, and visual arts
• Embedded practical and interdisciplinary skills - participate in the Cultural, Media and Visual Studies department-wide modules
• Boost your media skills with the Students' Union award-winning broadcast and print groups -NSTV, URN, and Impact Magazine
• Networking and industry insights - through your automatic membership to the Creative Student Network
• Learn a language alongside your main subject with the Language Centre optional modules
• Go to Hollywood - opportunity to apply for our prestigious competitive Hollywood Internships programme

Language Study

You may be able to choose to study a language as part of this degree.

Learning another language can open career opportunities around the globe and enriches your CV. It could also help you in your studies by being able to access learning materials in other languages.

Entry Requirements

• Qualification: BA Hons
• Entry Requirements: ABB
• Start Date: September 2026
• UCAS code: P900
• Duration: 3 years full-time (part-time option available)
• Fees: £9,535*

Additional Costs

All students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). We also recommend students have a suitable laptop to work both on and off-campus. For more information, please check the equipment advice.

Essential course materials are supplied.

Books

You'll be able to access most of the books you’ll need through our libraries, though you may wish to buy your own copies of core texts.

A limited number of modules have compulsory texts which you are required to buy. We recommend that you budget £100 per year for books, but this figure will vary according to which modules you take.

The Blackwell's bookshop on campus offers a year-round price match against any of the main retailers (for example, Waterstones, WH Smith or Amazon). They also offer second-hand books, as students from previous years sell their copies back to the bookshop.

Volunteering and Placements

For volunteering and placements (for example work experience and teaching in schools), you will need to pay for transport and refreshments.

Scholarships and Bursaries

Faculty of Arts Alumni Scholarships

Our Alumni Scholarships provide support with essential living costs to eligible students. Find out more about eligibility and how to apply.

University of Nottingham bursaries and scholarships

We offer a range of international undergraduate scholarships for high-achieving international scholars who can put their Nottingham degree to great use in their careers.

Careers Overview

You'll be well placed to start a career in the media, communication, and cultural sector with knowledge of:

• Different types of content
• How media contents are used and presented
• The impact these contents have in different contexts

You'll also have a critical understanding of the creative and cultural industries (and how they operate). This will allow you to explore multiple career pathways.

The degree will also build a wide set of skills for success across different sectors, such as:

• Ability to conduct and report on in-depth research
• Think critically and communicate effectively
• Operate independently and as part of a team
• Construct reasoned arguments and be able to defend them

The skills you develop will make you:

• Resilient - as the nature of work changes you can adapt
• Flexible - you can choose across different sectors as you develop and grow and opportunities arise

Job Prospects

Average starting salary and career progression

78.8% of undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual starting salary for these graduates was £23,974.

HESA Graduate Outcomes (2017 to 2021 cohorts). The Graduate Outcomes % is calculated using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time within the UK.