Communications and Media Studies

Communications and media studies is a discipline that examines how information, stories, and ideas are produced, distributed, and received through media institutions and technologies. It sits at the intersection of sociology, cultural studies, journalism, and digital media, asking how media shapes public opinion, how different platforms and formats construct the world for their audiences, and how power operates through communication. As media environments become more complex and more politically charged, the ability to analyse and work within them has never been more relevant.

This programme at Richmond, the American International University in London, includes a foundation year for students who benefit from additional academic preparation, a sandwich year in a professional environment, a year abroad, and a work placement. The combination of these structural features makes it one of the most experientially rich programmes available in this field. You will graduate not just with theoretical understanding of media and communications but with direct experience of working in relevant professional settings and of studying in an international context.

Richmond's American character and its London location together create a genuinely international learning environment that is well suited to a subject concerned with global media.

You will study media theory and history, journalism and news production, digital communications, political communication, social media and platform dynamics, cultural representation, and the research methods used to analyse media and its effects. The practical dimensions of the programme, supported by the placement and sandwich years, give you direct experience of how media organisations and communications professionals actually work.

Graduates move into careers in journalism, public relations, digital marketing, content production, broadcasting, political communications, advertising, social media management, and a wide range of roles in the creative and communications industries. The year abroad and the London base both provide connections and perspectives that extend your professional reach. Postgraduate study in journalism, communications, or media is a further option for those who want to specialise.