Media and Communications

Media and communications is the study of how messages, stories and information are produced, distributed and received in contemporary society, and what effects they have on culture, politics and individual experience. The discipline sits at the junction of critical analysis and creative practice, asking both how media works and what you can make it do. It covers journalism, public relations, broadcasting, digital content, social media, advertising and the economic and institutional systems that shape them.

At the University of Keele you will study for three years full-time, developing the analytical tools to critically understand, research and evaluate media alongside the practical skills of creative communication and impactful storytelling. The programme includes a sandwich year in professional practice and a year abroad, giving you extended industry experience and international exposure in a sector that increasingly operates across national boundaries. Your placement year places you inside a real media or communications organisation, where you can test and develop your skills in a professional context and build the portfolio and contacts that creative industries employment depends on.

Graduates in media and communications work across journalism, broadcasting, content production, public relations, social media, digital marketing, corporate communications, advertising and the full range of creative industries. The combination of critical media literacy and practical creative capability is valued not just by media companies but by the growing number of organisations across all sectors that are essentially media producers in their own right, creating content for their audiences across digital platforms. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in journalism, digital media, communications management or public relations, particularly those seeking specialist professional qualifications.