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Undergraduate

BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures

House of illustration public art gallery at Kings Cross | Image: Alys Tomlinson
College
London College of Communication
UCAS code
P301
Start date
September 2024
Course length
3 years

BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures explores the role that media, cultural and creative processes play in shaping today’s world and helps you to develop your critical thinking in practical ways.

Why choose this course at London College of Communication

Social purpose and innovation: By critically engaging with contemporary ideas and creative projects, you’ll join a new generation of changemakers who can reflect on the role of media in promoting positive social transformation.

Creativity and advocacy: You’ll fuse media and cultural theory with creative practice to inform your critical thinking and content creation skills across digital media technologies and platforms – realising social impact through independent interpretation and problem-solving.

Collaboration: You’ll have opportunities to work with students and staff on other courses and internationally, including our collaborative partner, Hong Kong University School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE), and our global partners Toronto Metropolitan University and the Danish School of Media and Journalism (DMJX).

Employability and enterprise: You’ll explore your professional interests and personal brand by developing a portfolio and mapping your creative skillset to roles in industry. You’ll also have opportunities to engage with professionals and cultural advocates, and to undertake a Diploma in Professional Studies (DPS) between Years 2 and 3.

Global outlook: Home to staff and students from across the world, you’ll study within a rich environment with unparalleled opportunities for research, work-based learning and networking.

Open Days

The next Open Day for this course will be announced soon.

Explore life at LCC with our interactive Virtual Open Day.

Course blog

cmclcc.wordpress.com

Course overview

On BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures, you’ll develop the tools to become an effective communicator who can advocate for change in - and through - the media and creative industries.

As part of a new generation of changemakers, you’ll be supported to understand these industries as cultural centres responsible for communicating norms and ideals.

Focusing on social justice, equality and sustainability, you’ll explore how the media drives social transformation, and learn how to investigate and intervene for change through a set of critical approaches to the study of media and cultural industries.

What to expect

Connecting complex concepts in media and society with creative content skills, you will:

  • investigate media cultures and creative industries through the critical analysis and development of audio, visual and digital cultural texts
  • make choices to develop your subject interests across different option units 
  • develop a critical understanding of media and cultural theories that draw from critical theory, media and cultural studies and socially informed approaches to the creative industries
  • become an effective communicator for change with an advanced understanding of social and racial justice, environmental and climate advocacy, human rights and equality – particularly in relation to diverse local and international contexts
  • collaborate with peers on and outside your course, alongside diverse communities, media professionals and social justice advocates through applied, creative and conceptual work.
  • navigate dynamic social, cultural and media landscapes as advocates, changemakers, activists, and creative professionals
  • prepare for professional life by developing a portfolio of creative and critical work

Industry experience and opportunities

With employability embedded throughout the course, you’ll gain industry experience through opportunities to work on live briefs and connect with industry speakers, guests and alumni. You’ll also build skills in audio-visual and digital content creation, alongside effective communication for change.

In Year 2, the Professional Industry Practice unit will support you to apply for placements and collaborative opportunities through areas such as CV writing and interview workshops. In Year 3, the Creative Futures unit will support you to develop your online professional profile, network with industry professionals, and develop strategies for working in the creative industries.

Previously, graduates from BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures have secured roles in media and creative communications industries in companies such as Weber Shandwick UK, YES & NO Magazine, SDTA Productions); start-ups like Uptime and Leslie; and in government and non-governmental organisations in the UK and internationally (Young Norwood (YN), the Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia). Graduates of this course also pursue freelance careers or go on to further study.

Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity to undertake the Diploma in Professional Studies or the UAL Diploma in Creative Computing between Years 2 and 3 to enhance your learning experience and employability skills.

Mode of study

BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures runs for 93 weeks in full time mode. It is divided into 3 stages over 3 academic years. Each stage lasts 31 weeks.

Course units

We are committed to ensuring that your skills are set within an ethical framework and are embedding UAL’s Principles for Climate, Social and Racial Justice into this course.

In common with all courses at University of the Arts London, this course is credit rated. The course is 3 years, levels 4-6. Each year requires you to achieve 120 credit points. To be awarded the BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures qualification, you need to accumulate a total of 360 credits.

Year 1

Introduction to Contemporary Media Cultures (20 credits)

This unit will welcome you to your course and introduce you to our learning approaches. We’ll introduce the UAL Creative Attributes Framework as a tool for understanding your university journey and feature sessions on independent study, collaboration, academic writing and academic conduct. You’ll also be introduced to the key topics that will be developed throughout your course.

Creative Foundations (20 credits)

Through a series of creative and technical workshops, this unit will provide a foundation for understanding and engaging with the creative process: from the early stages of creative thinking and skills development to realising and finalising creative outputs.

Representation, Diversity and Equality (20 credits)

You’ll develop a critical understanding of issues connected to equality and diversity through questions of representation, identity, difference and ethics - both within and outside the media industry. 

You’ll also be introduced to ideas and discussions about the complex intersection of identity, considering discourse around normativity and performativity while investigating inequalities and marginalisation in contemporary (media) cultures. 

Media, Communications and Culture (20 credits)

This unit will introduce you to the broad field of communication studies by mapping and applying key theories and approaches. 

You’ll explore ways of thinking about the formation, transformation, and influence of the communications industries, and contextualise contemporary debates about related practices, texts and users.

Platforms and Social Media (20 credits)

Providing an important foundation for understanding platforms and social media from a range of socio-cultural perspectives, this unit applies project-based learning to not only examine their complexity, but also to consider how they can be used for promotional and creative communication.

Community, Media and Change (20 credits)

This unit explores communicative and media strategies for engagement with a variety of different communities. By exploring key theories in communication, media theory and cultural studies, alongside sociological approaches to the notion of community, you’ll consider questions around the ethical implications of working and collaborating in highly complex environments.    

Year 2

Professional Industry Practice (20 credits) 

Supporting you to prepare for a career within or alongside the media and creative communications industries, this unit will introduce different modes of working in the professional landscape. 

You'll be encouraged to reflect on your own interests and creative skills in relation to employability, and to explore industry-based experiences such as placements, internships, live briefs, and freelance working.

Global Media Businesses, Practices and Cultures (20 credits)

You’ll examine the changing ways in which global communications are organised, the connections between business and cultural aspects of the media and creative communications industries, and their relationship to wider processes of economic, political, social and cultural change. 

You’ll also consider different work practices in the creative and cultural industries, and identify the competencies and behaviours required to work successfully within them.

Media and the Environment (20 credits)

In this unit, you’ll investigate the impact of media on cultural and societal structures, and on the environment itself. By studying media ecologies, geology and sustainability, you’ll make connections between media and the environment in creative ways, and make sense of the connections between media and socio-environmental justice through a series of local and global case studies

Interventions: Contemporary Media Activisms (20 credits)

You’ll have the opportunity to understand the changing panorama of social movements, protests and activism, developing the necessary theoretical and practical skills to become an advocate and critical agent in affecting and effecting social change through collaborations and activities. 

Communication Research Methods (20 credits)

You’ll be introduced to the research process by learning methods for data gathering and data analysis. With a focus on research outcomes, you’ll be supported to then apply these techniques to your written work as well as your creative practice and to produce a proposal for a research project in your final year. 

Level 5 Option Unit (20 credits)

This unit will enable you to choose an option that supports the further development of your creative production skills. Recent units offered have included:

  • Content Creation: Digital and Web
  • Content Creation: Film and Video
  • Content Creation: Podcasting and Audio
  • Professional Skills: Building Brands
  • Professional Skills: Data and Social Media Analysis
  • Professional Skills: Influencer Marketing Communications

Year 3

Research Project (40 credits)

In this unit, you’ll undertake an independent research project in an area of study that you’re particularly interested in, which can be accompanied by an incorporated creative project.

Creative Futures (20 credits)

In this unit, you’ll explore potential career options and postgraduate opportunities to prepare for life after graduation. 

Reflecting on your journey throughout the course, you’ll identify your skills, strengths and aptitudes alongside your aims and ambitions for the future before producing a 12- to 18-month action plan to help you consider your next steps.

Final Major Project (40 credits)

In this unit, you’ll consolidate and further advance your creative skillset along with your professional development by engaging in a Final Major Project that represents key ideas you have developed through the course.

Level 6 Option Unit (20 credits)

You’ll have the opportunity to choose from a range of research-based options and specialist topics to develop your interests across media and communications.

The following units will be offered each year:

  • Critical Sound Cultures
  • Futures Thinking
  • Information Warfares: Misinformation, Conspiracy and Extremism
  • Love in a Digital Age
  • Special Topics*

*Your selection of special topics may potentially include:

  • Comedy and Satire in Media and Communications
  • Community Management
  • Digital Humanitarianism
  • Food Cultures
  • Global and Indigenous Media
  • Rhetoric, Media and Political Communication

Optional Diploma between Years 2 and 3

Between Years 2 and 3 of the course, you’ll also have the opportunity to undertake one of the following additional UAL qualifications:

Diploma in Professional Studies (DPS) (Optional) 

An optional, year-long learning opportunity which enables you to develop your professional skills by undertaking time out for industry experience. Supported throughout the year by academics, you’ll build on the knowledge gained on your course in a range of national or international locations, and graduate with an additional qualification of Diploma in Professional Studies.

Diploma in Creative Computing (Optional) 

Between Years 2 and 3, you can undertake the year-long Diploma in Creative Computing. This will develop your skills in creative computing alongside your degree. After successfully completing the diploma and your undergraduate degree, you’ll graduate with an enhanced degree: BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures (with Creative Computing).

Learning and teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Seminars
  • Tutorials
  • Workshops
  • Project work
  • Individual and group work
  • Self-directed learning
  • Guest speakers
  • Study trips and visits
  • Assessed assignments
  • Online learning
  • Peer learning

Online Open Day

(Recorded November 2022)

Course Leader, Chiara Minestrelli, gives an overview of what it's like to study BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures at London College of Communication.

Graduate Showcase

Explore work by our recent students on the UAL Showcase

  • Text me when you're home
    Text me when you're home, Ruby Glen, 2023 BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures, London College of Communication, UAL
  • There Goes The Neighbourhood 🚶🏾‍♂️
    There Goes The Neighbourhood 🚶🏾‍♂️, Mina Sharada, 2021 BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures, London College of Communication, UAL
  • Thea
    Thea, Thea Monteiro, 2021 BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures, London College of Communication, UAL
  • We Eat What We Waste
    We Eat What We Waste, Nakezia Avilly, 2021 BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures, London College of Communication, UAL

Student voices

Alena Jarrett

Alena speaks about her dissertation, looking at the mediatization of fundraising and in particular The Prince's Trust.

Nakezia Avilly

Graduate Nakezia's project examines urban cities and their relationship with plastic waste.

Timothy Ogu

Timothy a graduate of BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures, formally known as BA (Hons) Media and Cultural Studies, talks us through their work.

Course stories

Facilities

  • Red light indicating recording is taking place.
    Image © Vladimir Molico

    Lens-Based and Audio-Visual

    Find out about the workspaces and studios that support Lens-Based and Audio-Visual practice.

  • A close-up of the moveable type available in the Letterpress area.
    Image © Lewis Bush

    Printing and Finishing

    Discover our printing techniques, from Lithographic Printing to Print Finishing and Bookbinding.

  • Student reading a book in between two bookshelves in the Library
    Students in the Digital Space. London College of Communication, UAL. Photograph: Alys Tomlinson

    The Digital Space

    The Digital Space is an open-plan, creative hub with computers set up with specialist software.

Staff

Fees and funding

Home fee

£9,250 per year

This fee is correct for entry in autumn 2024 and is subject to change for entry in autumn 2025.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students.

Home fees are currently charged to UK nationals and UK residents who meet the rules. However, the rules are complex. Find out more about our tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£28,570 per year

This fee is correct for entry in autumn 2024 and is subject to change for entry in autumn 2025.

Tuition fees for international students may increase by up to 5% in each future year of your course.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

Scholarship search

Entry requirements

The course team welcomes applicants from a broad range of backgrounds from all over the world. The course attracts students who apply direct from A-level (or equivalent) or from Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, or other art or design courses, as well as mature students who may have previously worked in industry.

The standard entry requirements for this course are as follows:

104 UCAS tariff points, which can be made up of one or a combination of the following accepted full level 3 qualifications:

  • A Levels at grade C or above (preferred subjects include: English; History; Media; Business; Art and Design, or other subjects within Social Sciences).
  • Distinction at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4).
  • Distinction, Merit, Merit at BTEC Extended Diploma (preferred subjects: Art and Design, Business/ Business Studies, Media).
  • Merit at UAL Extended Diploma.
  • Access to Higher Education Diploma (preferred subject: Digital and Creative Media, Marketing, Humanities and Social Sciences, Film and Production).
  • OR equivalent EU/International qualifications, such as International Baccalaureate Diploma at 24 points minimum 

And GCSE passes at grade 4 or above (grade A*-C).

APEL - Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

  • Related academic or work experience
  • The quality of the personal statement
  • A strong academic or other professional reference
  • A combination of these factors.

Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

English language requirements

  • IELTS level 6.0 or above, with at least 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

All classes are conducted in English. If English is not your first language you will be asked to provide evidence of your English language ability when you enrol. Please check our main English language requirements page for more information.

Selection criteria

The details on your UCAS application (including the academic reference and your personal statement) will be assessed against the following criteria:

  • A demonstrable interest in the discipline of contemporary media cultures;
  • An understanding of the need for a critical and analytical approach (through research and practice) to this area of study;
  • Commitment to the study and development of your own creative practice and subsequent career opportunities.

Apply now

Application deadline

31 January 2024 at 18:00 (UK time)

If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Apply to UAL

Home students can apply to this course through UCAS with the following codes:

University code:

U65

UCAS code:

P301

Start your application

Apply now

Application deadline

31 January 2024 at 18:00 (UK time)

If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Apply to UAL

International students can apply to this course through UCAS with the following codes:

University code:

U65

UCAS code:

P301

Start your application
or

Apply with a UAL Representative

Based across the world, our local UAL representatives can support you with your application from your home country. Check to see if there is a representative available in your country currently.

Find your representative

How to apply

Follow this step-by-step guide to apply for this course

Step 1: Initial application

You will need to submit an initial application including your personal statement.

Personal statement advice

Your personal statement should be maximum 4,000 characters and cover the following:

  • Why have you chosen this course? What excites you about the subject?
  • How does your previous or current study relate to the course?
  • Have you got any work experience that might help you?
  • Have any life experiences influenced your decision to apply for this course?
  • What skills do you have that make you perfect for this course?
  • What plans and ambitions do you have for your future career?

Visit the UCAS advice page and our personal statement advice page for more support.

Step 2: Interview

You may be invited to an interview following our review of your application. All interviews are held online and last 15 to 20 minutes.

For top tips, see our Interview advice.

You also need to know

Communicating with you

Once you have submitted your initial application, we will email you with your login details for our Applicant portal.

Requests for supplementary documents like qualifications and English language tests will be made through the applicant portal. You can also use it to ask questions regarding your application. Visit our After you apply page for more information.

Visas and immigration history check

All non-UK nationals must complete an immigration history check. Your application may be considered by our course teams before this check takes place. This means that we may request your portfolio and/or video task before we identify any issues arising from your immigration history check. Sometimes your history may mean that we are not able to continue considering your application. Visit our Immigration and visas advice page for more information.

External student transfer policy

UAL accepts transfers from other institutions on a case-by-case basis. Read our Student transfer policy for more information.

Alternative offers

If your application is really strong, but we believe your strengths and skillset are better suited to a different course, we may make you an alternative offer. This means you will be offered a place on a different course or at a different UAL College.

Deferring your place

You must apply in the year that you intend to start your course. If you are made an offer and your circumstances change, you can submit a deferral request to defer your place by 1 academic year. You must have met your conditions by 31 August 2024. If you need an English language test in order to meet the entry requirements, the test must be valid on the deferred start date of your course. If not, you will need to reapply. Requests are granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Contextual Admissions

This course is part of the Contextual Admissions scheme.

This scheme helps us better understand your personal circumstances so that we can assess your application fairly and in context. This ensures that your individual merit and creative potential can shine through, no matter what opportunities and experiences you have received.

Careers

BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures will help you to build up a range of transferable skills; the capacity to organise your ideas and make arguments; the ability to critique cultural objects and cultural practices; understand how the media is organised and how this organisation shapes content.

You will also build your confidence and develop the ability to present your ideas in a creative and authoritative way.

Graduates develop successful careers in the media, cultural and creative industries, including media and communication management and research, advertising, marketing, PR and film festival development.