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Media and Communication with Modern Languages BA (Hons)

Set yourself up for a career in media with key practical research skills and critical perspectives combined with the study of a language. You will be taught by experts in media, television and cultural studies as well as experienced practitioners in the field of public relations and new media.

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Block teaching designed around you

You deserve a positive teaching and learning experience, where you feel part of a supportive and nurturing community. That’s why most students will enjoy an innovative approach to learning using block teaching, where you will study one module at a time. You’ll benefit from regular assessments - rather than lots of exams at the end of the year - and a simple timetable that allows you to engage with your subject and enjoy other aspects of university life such as sports, societies, meeting friends and discovering your new city. By studying with the same peers and tutor for each block, you’ll build friendships and a sense of belonging.

Read more about block teaching

Overview

Undertake in-depth investigation of how media and communications saturate our lives and the role that they play in society. Competence in multiple languages is key to success in the global job market, so by combining your studies with a language, you will distinguish yourself from other graduates and enhance your employability. 

On this course you will explore a diverse range of modules such as photography and video, television studies, and music industry management. You’ll have the chance to ask questions about representation in the media, and the place of audiences and fandoms. You will be able to choose from modules exploring journalism, political communication, advertising and consumption, and writing for the screen, gaining a range of skills that make you attractive to global employers.

This course enables you to study Media and Communication with Mandarin, the world’s most natively spoken language. You can start your study of Mandarin at DMU at beginner, intermediate, or advanced level.

Our graduates have gone on to work in fields such as journalism, PR, media production, marketing and as editors at leading organisations such as Brunswick, JMM PR and AKQA (Audi, Warner Bros, Nike), Mentorn Media (Question Time), Independent New Media, Yours Magazine and Universal Pictures.

Key features

  • Enhance your employability through a recognised competence in a foreign language, distinguishing you from other graduates and improving your career prospects.
  • Gain industry experience by undertaking a work placement. Previously students have completed placements at employers such as BBC Radio Leicester and Leicester’s Phoenix Cinema.
  • Benefit from close links with local media partners including BBC Radio Leicester, community media organisations and Leicester’s independent arts and cinema complex, Phoenix Square.
  • Our creative technology studios feature a host of broadcast-standard radio production and audio recording studios and management systems, alongside stand-alone film studios equipped with multi-cameras, blue screen and green screen facilities.
  • Gain valuable, industry-relevant experience by taking part in award-winning student group Demon Media, with The Demon magazine, Demon FM radio station, Demon TV and The Demon website. You can also become a member of the Media and Communication Society, Film Society, Media Discourse Group and reading groups.
  • Benefit from block teaching, where most students study one subject at a time. A simple timetable will allow you to really engage with your learning, receive regular feedback and assessments, get to know your course mates and enjoy a better study-life balance.

 

More courses like this:

Film Studies BA (Hons)

Journalism BA (Hons)

Media and Communication BA (Hons)

 

 

  • UK
  • EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code:

Media and Communication with Mandarin: P37C

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement

Fees and funding: 

2025/26 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

 

How to apply

Submit a study-related enquiry

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code:

Media and Communication with Mandarin: P37C

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for international students: £16,250

Find out more about available funding for international students.

 

How to apply

Submit a study-related enquiry

Entry criteria

  • Five GCSEs at grade C or above, including English or equivalent, plus one of the following:
  • Normally 104 UCAS points from at least two A-levels or equivalent or
  • BTEC National Diploma/ Extended Diploma at DMM or
  • Pass in the QAA accredited Access to HE. English GCSE required as a separate qualification as equivalency is not accepted within the Access qualification. We will normally require students to have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course or
  • International Baccalaureate: 24+ points or
  • T Levels Merit

Portfolio Required : No

Interview Required: No

We welcome applications from mature students with non-standard qualifications and recognise all other equivalent and international qualifications

 

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessments

 

 

Year one

Block 1: Media: Identities and Representations

Block 2: Media Industries

Block 3: Mandarin module

Block 4: New Media: Design & Production

 

Year two

Block 1: Digital Cultures

Block 2: Researching Media and Communication

Block 3: Mandarin module

Block 4: Streaming Cultures OR New Media: Creative Project

Year three

Block 1: Global Communications and Strategic Advertising Management OR Media Discourse: Global Events

Block 2: Writing for the Screen OR Paranormal Media

Block 3: Mandarin module

Block 4: Dissertation

Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

 

See detailed module information

 

On this course, you will benefit from Education 2030  - DMU’s new way of delivering courses. Through block teaching, you will focus on one subject at a time instead of several at once.

You will be taught both by industry practitioners and by academics whose research puts them at the forefront of contemporary media knowledge. Assessed work will make demands on your academic and creative skills and includes writing essays, producing research and practical projects, and making presentations.

Full-time students taking four 30-credit modules would normally expect the weekly workload to be a minimum of eight hours of class contact in the form of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials plus 32 hours of personal study.

 

Each year the language module focuses on language competence/skills classes and a ‘cultural awareness’ class each week which introduces the history, culture, institutions, politics and literature of your chosen language. In the final year there may be an opportunity to study language for specific purposes (e.g. business language). You will take a 30 credit module in your chosen language which will equate to two hours of language classes and one hour of cultural studies per week, learning about the country and its people.

 

Facilities and features

 
Placements
Placements
Placements
 

Facilities

Practical workshops are taught in our media labs equipped with Apple Mac Pro and iMac computers running on the latest operating software and with access to Adobe Creative Cloud. Students can also access computer labs equipped with both Macs and PCs, as well as fully equipped workspaces across the university designed to accommodate group and collaborative work.

Students on creative media modules have full access to a range of facilities including editing suites, TV studios, digital and analogue radio studios, dark rooms, multi-camera blue and green screen studios, video production labs designed for high-definition video extraction, high-definition editing, CGI, and DVD creation and mastering.

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
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Graduate careers

Our Media graduates have gone on to work in fields such as journalism, PR, media production, marketing and as editors at leading organisations such as Brunswick, JMM PR and AKQA (Audi, Warner Bros, Nike), Mentorn Media (Question Time), Independent New Media, Yours Magazine and Universal Pictures.

Many of our students have also pursued careers in teaching, social work, the police or retail management.  

Tweet all about it! Hollie lands social media role at BBC

Hollie Copas, 21 landed a role as a Social Media Coordinator for BBC Recruitment.

Hollie is grateful to DMU for both the skills it has given her and for the student experience with Demon Media, the university’s award-winning student-led media strand. “My time at DMU was really enriching because I have ended up with something that I love so soon after graduating, and the university gave me the platform to do that.”

 

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DMU Global

Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich studies, broaden cultural horizons and develop key skills valued by employers. 

Through DMU Global, we offer an exciting mix of overseas, on-campus and online international experiences, including the opportunity to study or work abroad for up to a year.

Media and Communications students visited the Paley Center for Media in New York, home to digital archives, including video footage from the 1940s and radio materials dating back to the 1920s. Students have also immersed themselves in fan culture and met celebrities on the red carpet of a film premiere in Hollywood, California.

 

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Placements

During this course you will have the option to complete a paid placement year, an invaluable opportunity to put the skills developed during your degree into practice. This insight into the professional world will build on your knowledge in a real-world setting, preparing you to progress onto your chosen career.   

Previous students Media and Communication students have taken up placements with leading companies such as HBO and Tempur Sealy International.

Our Careers Team can help to hone your professional skills with mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and an assigned personal tutor will support you throughout your placement. 

You can also gain valuable, industry-relevant experience by taking part in the Demon Media group, featuring The Demon magazine, Demon FM radio station, Demon TV and The Demon website, amd by joining The Media and Communication Society, Film Society and Media Discourse Group at DMU.

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