BA

Media and Education

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You are viewing this course for September start 2023

Key Facts

P3X3

  • UCAS Tariff

    120 - 96

  • Course duration

    3 years

Further details on entry requirements

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The BA in Media and Education and Aberystwyth University enables you to learn the strategic and structural components of the media industry while at the same broadening your knowledge and awareness of pedagogical developments in the United Kingdom.

The Education component of this degree seeks to develop your knowledge and understanding of the role of education in differing contexts and a wide variety of schools, educational settings and post-16 providers. During the duration of the degree, the Education component will provide relevant subject knowledge and professional skills, coupled with a range of educational experiences, which will give you the opportunity to experience employment in a range of professional roles related to education.

The Media component of this degree will allow you to study in great detail the following: advertising, news analysis, website design, digital culture, surveillance society, gender and the media, media history and policy together with creative practice experience in multi -platform production and experimental media. Your three years of study will be dynamic, invigorating and stimulating.

Course Overview

Why study BA Media and Education at Aberystwyth University? 

The course 

• Taught by two departments (the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies and the School of Education) you will have an opportunity to explore the connections between creative and critical thinking and develop a deep understanding of the relationship between professional practice and imaginative thought. 

 • The Education element to this degree has an emphasis on learner support, special educational needs, and classroom practices, with a range of specialist modules in these areas. This degree is also a pathway to entry onto PGCE primary and secondary teacher education programmes. 

• The various core and optional modules available to you during the duration of this course will give you a deeper understanding of sociology, psychology, cultural studies, history, philosophy, linguistics and marketing. 

 Facilities 

 • At Aberystwyth University, our students benefit from our strategic closeness to the National Library of Wales. This is a copyright library which houses every book that has been published in the United Kingdom. In addition, it also home to National Sound and Screen Archive in Wales which is a valuable resource to your research.  

• On the University campus, our facilities include the Hugh Owen Library which is open 24/7, the Students’ Union, the Sports Centre and the Arts Centre which has close and deep links with the departments of Theatre, Film and Television Studies. The multitude of facilities on Penglais campus ensures that your student experience is memorable and exceptional. 

• The Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies has strong links with external industry, these include the BBC Wales which houses it regional office in the heart of the Department, Boom Cymru, Avanti, Arad Goch and the Mid-Wales Arts Centre. The Department itself is modern, vibrant and has all the latest teaching facilities that media student requires, this includes a brand-new PC lab designed to assimilate the digital media industry, digital production and editing suits, a viewing cinema, a television studio and modern learning spaces.

Our Staff

All academic staff at the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies are research active and/or involved in Knowledge Transfer projects and have either relevant academic qualifications at doctoral level or equivalent professional experience and expertise.

Undergraduate lecturers in the School of Education are either qualified to PhD standard or are experienced practitioners in their field. All teaching staff currently possess, or are working towards, a recognised teaching qualification.

Modules September start - 2023

Please note: The modules listed below are those currently intended for delivery during the next academic year and may be subject to change. They are included here to give an indication of how the course is structured.

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Children's Development and Learning * ED14520 20
Studying Communication FM10720 20
Studying Media FM10620 20
The Learner and the Learning Environment * ED13820 20

Options

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Health and Wellbeing in the Early Years ED14620 20
Inclusive Learning Practices ED11820 20
Key Skills for University ED13620 20
Language Development ED14320 20
Play and Learning:Theory and Practice ED13720 20
Policies and Issues in Education ED10120 20
Making Short Films 1 FM11520 20
Studying Television FM10220 20

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Psychology of Learning and Thinking * ED20120 20

Options

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Discourses Language and Education ED22420 20
Education, Diversity and Equality ED20420 20
Literacy in Young Children ED20220 20
Making Sense of the Curriculum ED20820 20
Research Methods ED20320 20
Safeguarding and Professional Practice ED24320 20
Working with Children ED20620 20
Advertising FM21920 20
Creative Documentary FM26520 20
Creative Studio FM25420 20
Digital Culture FM25520 20
LGBT Screens FM20120 20
Media, Politics and Power FM22620 20
Stardom and Celebrity FM21520 20
Television Genre FM20620 20
Youth Cultures FM22320 20

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Critically Reflecting and Evaluating Learning and Skills * ED30120 20

Options

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Children's Rights ED30620 20
Communication ED34720 20
Emotional and Social Development ED34820 20
Major dissertation ED33640 40
Mathematical Development in the Early Years ED30320 20
Special Educational Needs ED30420 20
Contemporary TV Drama FM30320 20
Experimental Cinema FM34520 20
Experimental Media Production FM33540 40
Gender and the Media FM38320 20
Independent Research Project FM36000
Media Law FM36720 20
Media Semiotics FM34120 20
Television History FM32620 20
Videogame Theories FM38420 20

* Also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh

Careers

What opportunities are there for me? 

Many of our graduates have found career paths which include: 

• Broadcasting media; 

• Floor managers;

 • Camera operators; 

• Producers and directors; 

• Marketing; 

• Media Planning; 

• Education; 

• Public relations. 

What will I get from my degree? 

Employability is at the heart of our teaching. We encourage our students by: 

• Inviting guest speakers to our campus; 

 • Obtaining work experience with the BBC, Fiction Factory and Boom Pictures; 

On completion of this degree, our students become; 

• Effective communicators; 

• Able to work independently and as part of a team; 

• Experience in industrial equipment such as three camera high definition digital television studios, over 40 high definition digital video cameras and digital and video projection facilities. 

What work experience opportunities exist whilst studying? 

Discover more about the various employment opportunities that our Aberystwyth University Careers team offer.

Enhance your employability prospects with GO Wales and YES (Year in Employment Scheme) managed by our Careers department. 

Teaching & Learning

What will I learn?

The breakdown below will provide you with an illustration of what you may study during the three-year degree scheme.

In your first year you may explore:

• Relationship between media forms, media institutions and society;
• The theory and principles surrounding the learner and the learning environment;
• The technology and tools that are used within teaching and learning;
• The links between established media theory and contemporary approaches to new media;
• The links between classic and contemporary debates in communication;
• Effective classroom practices and teaching skills’
• Inclusive learning practices;
• The research relating to modes of communication between radio, press, advertising, mobile phone technologies and the internet;
• Key concepts and techniques of media production, directing, cinematography, editing.

In your second you may discover: 

• Specific histories, traditions and roles to each medium;
• The importance of safeguarding and professional practice;
• Television production;
• Television history;
• How to support learners with complex needs;
• A variety of ways and theoretical approaches to textual analysis;
• Experimental media production;
• Policies and perspectives of learning differences and inclusion;
• Website design;
• Surveillance technologies;
• Journalism;
• Advertising;
• Scriptwriting.

In your final year you may have the opportunity to: 

• Produce, direct, edit a short video which can be experimental, documentary or narrative fiction;
• The role of assessment in education;
• Teaching methods;
• A dissertation research project focusing on an area of interest;
• Children’s rights;
• Supporting learners with special educational needs;
• The best work will be entered for the Royal Television Society Student Video Awards.

How will I be taught?

Our programme is taught by lecture- workshops allowing for the best interaction and active engagement. In addition, we deliver this programme through seminars, group-based project work, screenings and technical demonstrations

You will be assessed through:

• Group-devised productions;
• Individual film and video projects;
• Research projects;
• Practical analyses;
• Production diaries;
• Creative scriptwriting;
• Formal essays;
• Examinations.

Further information

You will be assigned a personal tutor throughout your degree course, who will help you with any problems or queries, whether these are academic-related or personal issues. You should feel free to contact them at any time for help and advice.

You will also have the opportunity to complete a Personal Development Plan (PDP) at Aberystwyth. This is a structured process of self-appraisal, reflection, and planning, which will enable you to chart your personal, academic and professional development throughout your time at university. By recording your academic performance and highlighting the skills you already have and those you will need for future employability, the PDP portfolio will equip you with the necessary tools to plan effectively, develop successful approaches to study, and consider your future career options and aspirations.

Typical Entry Requirements

UCAS Tariff 120 - 96

A Levels BBB-CCC

GCSE requirements (minimum grade C/4):
English or Welsh

BTEC National Diploma:
DDM-MMM

International Baccalaureate:
30-26

European Baccalaureate:
75%-65% overall

English Language Requirements:
See our Undergraduate English Language Requirements for this course. Pre-sessional English Programmes are also available for students who do not meet our English Language Requirements.

Country Specific Entry Requirements:
International students whose qualification is not listed on this page, can check our Country Specific Entry Requirements for further information.

The University welcomes undergraduate applications from students studying the Access to Higher Education Diploma or T-level qualifications, provided that relevant subject content and learning outcomes are met. We are not able to accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas or T-levels as a general qualification for every undergraduate degree course.
Our inclusive admissions policy values breadth as well as depth of study. Applicants are selected on their own individual merits and offers can vary. If you would like to check the eligibility of your qualifications before submitting an application, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for advice and guidance.

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