UDMEDMAR - BA (Hons) Media and Marketing

The BA Media and Marketing course combines the study of the media, marketing and mass communications providing students with authentic expertise in these areas and helping them develop their employability profiles in marketing, media relations, and corporate communications contexts. The course establishes a relationship between the critical study of media and the professional study of marketing. This degree also explores the multifaceted ways in which media both shape and are shaped by our diverse socio-cultural contexts, including the impact of marketing and corporate communications practices on our way of life.

Media and marketing are inextricable linked in the commercial world, and this course brings them together as fields of academic study and practice. In the fabric of modern life, TV streaming, podcasting, cinema, social media and the Web among other media serve as channels for information, education, politics, entertainment and the arts as well as marketing endeavours. They are also channels for marketing goods and services and customer engagement facilitating corporate communications and branding initiatives. A good comprehension of the media landscape thus becomes fundamental for a successful career in marketing, branding or corporate communications.

Studying the BA Media and Marketing will empower students to critically comprehend the profound impact of media on our social, political, and economic spheres. Students will develop a critical understanding of how media shapes our symbolic world influencing perceptions, meanings and values. Furthermore, they will gain in-depth knowledge of fundamental marketing principles and practices and develop a strong grasp of corporate contexts and effective media use within these within these frameworks.

The course employs a blend of traditional and innovative teaching methods fostering problem-based and inquiry-based learning complemented by reflective engagement. This learning approach is supported by diverse formats including lectures, seminars, tutorials, hands-on workshops, specially prepared online resources and work placements. Student learning experiences are also enriched through guest speakers, field trips, in-class discussions, teamwork and collaboration. The curriculum also integrates essential employability skills and professional practice. Students are encouraged to reflect on their learning journey preparing themselves for knowledge creation, life-long learning and leadership.

A blended learning strategy is employed to enrich the student learning experience, facilitate communication between students and tutors and foster collaboration among students. The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) will serve as a platform to support online activities, facilitate both formative and summative assessment and provide corresponding feedback. Additionally, VLE will be used as a tool to access valuable online learning materials such as academic publications and other relevant online resources from research institutions and professional organisations.

In addition, students will have opportunities to acquire practical skills in video and audio production, photography and, notably, digital content creation. Student will also develop transferable skills that hold value across diverse academic and employment settings. Various modules will contribute to the development of a broad spectrum of critical abilities and foster a creative and imaginative approach to problem solving as well as effective communication. Moreover, the curriculum will assist students to effectively communicate marketing concepts, pitch projects persuasively and navigate the landscape of the business industry.

Course Aims
The aims of the BA Media and Marketing course are to:

• Introduce students to a diverse range of appropriate theoretical, methodological and practical frameworks for understanding the media and marketing including media production, consumption, and symbolic meanings; and exploring the relationship between these elements and systems of marketing, advertising, and corporate branding.

• Encourage students to master the critical analysis of media texts, institutions and audiences considering their historical and socio-cultural contexts, and successfully apply their learning in various ways, such as work-based learning and independent project work and in particular to the analysis and application of marketing and advertising developments for professional practice.

• Expand the intellectual and imaginative capacities of students by fostering a reflective understanding of the changing nature of media and marketing in society by emphasising their responsibilities to contemplate and the diverse ideas, values and practices that underlie these changes.

• Enable students to develop practical and transferable skills including but not limited to media production, report writing, product pitching, presenting, project work and time management and essential marketing skills. Enabling students to take responsibility for shaping their future career profiles through the choices that they make in their studies.

• Provide a supportive and nurturing educational environment that encourages students to pursue intellectual, professional, or creative development and fosters the formation of peer support networks within the broader learning community.

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

ULO: Demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and will act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible practitioners/professionals in their discipline.

LO1: Demonstrate coherent knowledge of media, their contexts and an understanding of a range of concepts, theories and approaches appropriate to the study of mass media’s negotiations with power, gender, race, and class;

LO2: Demonstrate coherent knowledge of marketing principles, practices and processes and the application of these to marketing/business environments and contemporary organisations;

LO3: Demonstrate the capacity to apply the knowledge of media and/or marketing in critical analysis, research, media production and marketing practices undertaken as a part of their programme of study;

LO4: Demonstrate knowledge of the central role that communication and/or media play in the world of marketing and e-commerce at local, national and global levels, and the ability to explore and articulate the implications of this;

LO5: Show understanding of media production processes and professional practices, and the ability to engage with and deploy these in a range of different marketing contexts;

LO6: Consider critical, ethical, and analytical views other than their own, and exercise independent and informed critical judgement in analysis of media forms and practices and marketing tools and strategies;

LO7: Formulate and sustain arguments, and/or address problems using ideas, tools and techniques, some of which are at the forefront of media and communications and/or digital marketing strategies;

LO8: Describe and comment upon particular aspects of current research, or equivalent advanced scholarship, recognising the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge;

LO9: Manage their own learning, and to make use of scholarly reviews and primary sources (such as, refereed research articles and original materials relevant to media and communications and marketing);

LO10: Apply the methods and techniques that they have learned to review, consolidate, expand and apply their knowledge and understanding, and to initiate and carry out projects;

LO11: Critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and potentially incomplete information to formulate consideration and pose relevant questions in order to arrive to a solution or identify a variety of potential solutions to a given problem;

LO12: Communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences;

LO13: Exercise initiative and personal responsibility, including decision-making in complex and unpredictable contexts.

https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/sbs/sbs-communication-media-film-and-cultural-studies-24.pdf?sfvrsn=c401b481_4

The course combines practical and theoretical learning. Through its distinctive curriculum combining a range of media and marketing modules, the programme aims both to critically analyse the media and communications sectors vis-à-vis modern marketing principles and practices. It explores the connections with various industry sectors of media and businesses in the context of national and transnational organisations.

Core modules engage students in both theoretical concepts and practical applications within the fields of media and marketing. Option modules enable students to extend their expertise in specific areas of interest within these fields. The dissertation or project modules allow students to develop an in-depth understanding of an area of their choosing.

The course makes use of formative and summative assessment strategies. Self-assessment and reflection on the learning process are integral components of the modules’ assessment strategies. Assessment methods for each module are tailored to align with the module's aims and learning outcomes. Students are expected to produce a diverse range of written, audio-visual, and oral assignments to demonstrate their skills in working across various media while engaging with multidisciplinary concepts. They are also expected to actively engage in teamwork and collaboration. Students are encouraged to produce creative practice-based assessed work as a part of their programme of study and are required to engage with theoretical frameworks and concepts from a range of disciplinary contexts, as appropriate to the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary nature of media and marketing.

Wherever possible, the assessment strategy incorporates alternative methods for demonstrating the achievement of learning outcomes. The programme also requires that all students engage in academic writing, report writing, presenting, and creative practice. The programme is entirely assessed through coursework, a pedagogic choice aimed at maximising the benefits of assessment for students. Assignments are distributed throughout the academic calendar to minimise deadline clustering.

The BA Media and Marketing uses a standardised assessment marking framework that can be tailored to individual assessment outcomes. Level descriptors outline the expectations for assessed work at each level of the programme. These descriptors are combined with a generic marking scheme that specifies the standards of work students need to achieve for each grade.

The standardised level descriptors and marking scheme are used in conjunction with a specific assessment criterion for each assignment outlining the precise expectations for every piece of submitted work. This arrangement ensures consistency in marking and feedback across modules and promotes a uniform progression in expected attainment throughout the programme.

Students have the option to choose a 15-credit career development learning module at Level 6 that enables them to engage in work experience. The Level 6 module CS6W50 Career Development Learning enables students to undertake a professional activity and participate in a work placement where they can contribute their knowledge and skills to an organisation, company, entrepreneurship programme or business start-up project. Preparatory work for this also takes place at Level 5 with the L5 module SM5093 Social Media Strategies familiarise students with the design and deployment of digital short-form content and the production of advertising media with business objectives.

Part time (half time) students would normally proceed through the programme in the following order:

• Year 1: Principles of management; Digital skills, Media Histories; Principles of marketing;
• Year 2: Practice of Marketing, Media Genres, Media and Society, Communication and Image
• Year 3: Digital Marketing; Contemporary Television, Media and Communities, Social Media Strategies
• Year 4: Visual Culture; Marketing Communications; Two Option modules (default: Documentary Photography; Popular Music: History and Culture; Sustainability, Business and Responsibility)
• Year 5: Urban Media; Brand Management; Gender, Bodies and Identities; one Option module (default: Queer Media; International Business)
• Year 6: Creative Reseach Project1; Creative Practice Project 2; Corporate Communications; One option module (default: Graphical Communications)
Part time students progressing at more or fewer than 60 credits per year would follow the same broad structure. Part time students beginning in February would be encouraged to take sufficient credits to enable them to join the September cohort from 1st September after they begin their studies.

All core modules are required to gain the BA (Hons) Media and Marketing awards.

Reflective learning and personal development planning are core dimensions of this course. A variety of learning, teaching and assessment methodologies are deployed to assist the student in their self-reflected personal development and in acquiring the tools to engage in living as a citizen and pursuing economic activity in contemporary societies.

During their study, students are asked to engage with theory and practice in a way that is grounded and concrete as well as dealing with abstract concepts. Reflective learning will vary across modules and pertains to both formative and summative feedback on submitted written and practical assignments. Reflective learning requires students to engage with peers and tutors offering opportunities for students to consider and reflect upon areas for improvement. Theoretical-orientated modules present opportunities for students to engage with abstract theory and test this against concrete examples. Additionally, reflective learning plays a crucial role in the practice-based creative work integrated into the curriculum. Assignments, ranging from essays and reports to creative projects and assessments in practice-based modules all provide chances for reflection on abstract theory, critical analysis of academic literature and policies, as well as learning through practice and hands-on experience.

Additionally, PDP is integrated within the curriculum through several modules including the optional modules SM6082 Media Industry Careers and CS6W50 Career Development Learning which encourage students to reflect on their future career aspirations, and the ways of using their learning to achieve those aspirations. Specifically, SM6082 Media Industry Careers prepares students to evaluate the media and marketing labour market for career development. And the CS6W50 Career Development Learning optional module, with its requirement for student involvement in work activities and placements either remote or in-situ in both non-profit and for-profit organisations, encourages students to reflect on their contributions to the workplace and the community. Moreover, it provides students with a realistic perspective on the career and labour market. Also, the SM5093 Social Media Strategies module helps students enhance practical skills in content creation and marketing strategy development which are highly sought after in the contemporary market.

The BA Media and Marketing course is designed to prepare students for media-related employment in both corporate and third sectors. Graduates with this degree have a blend of creative, commercial and analytical skills making them suitable for a variety of roles in the media and marketing sectors. The skills acquired through the programme, that range from strategic marketing planning to effective media production and communication, make graduates highly employable across a spectrum of industries and positions. With the ability to work within both traditional and digital media, graduates can succeed in areas such as management, advertising, public relations, social media management, content creation, digital marketing holding specialised roles like marketing coordinator and/or content strategist among others.

This course path not only strengthens students’ expertise in marketing but also expands their understanding of the evolving media landscape and application trends across diverse facets of commerce. This programme helps graduates move on to further academic studies in the UK and other European countries. Many BA Media and Marketing graduates choose to pursue postgraduate studies at Master level on more specific career paths in Media and Communications, Public Relations, as well as Business programmes. Overall, this BA in Media and Marketing not only facilitates immediate entry into today's competitive job market but also sets the stage for long-term career growth and academic development.

Our creative technologies and digital media graduates have gone on to exciting careers as content programmers, fashion copywriters, motion graphic designers, multimedia journalists and visual effects production assistants, radio presenters, studio runners and producers in companies such as D2 Interactive, TK MAXX, Motion Picture Company, Virtual Arts, Volant Media and We Are Capture.

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• a minimum of grades BBC in three levels (or a minimum of 112 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC National, OCR Diploma or Advanced Diploma)
• English Language GCSE at grade C/grade 4 or above (or equivalent)

If you don't have traditional qualifications or can't meet the entry requirements for this undergraduate degree, you may still be able to gain entry by completing our Media and Communications (including foundation year) BSc (Hons).