Wildlife Media

Wildlife media is a discipline that sits at the intersection of natural history science and visual storytelling, developing practitioners who can observe wildlife with genuine understanding and communicate that understanding compellingly through film, photography, and digital media. As awareness of biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, and the urgency of conservation has grown, so has the importance of skilled storytellers who can make the natural world vivid and meaningful to general audiences.

The three-year full-time Wildlife Media programme at the University of Cumbria allows you to explore the fascinating world of wildlife biodiversity, habitat, and behaviour while diving into the theory and practice of film and photography. Cumbria is renowned for its diverse landscapes and biodiversity, offering an extensive range of habitats for species including otters, deer, birds, and endangered species such as red squirrels and voles. Studying within and near a World Heritage Site and the English Lake District, you will have regular opportunities for hands-on field experience, developing your observational skills, your natural history knowledge, and your technical media craft in environments of genuine ecological interest.

You will learn to use cameras, sound equipment, and editing software to professional standards, and to develop stories that engage audiences and serve conservation purposes.

With a typical entry tariff of 120 points, the programme is accessible to students who bring a genuine love of the natural world alongside a talent or interest in visual communication. Graduates from wildlife media programmes pursue careers in wildlife filmmaking, natural history photography, conservation communications, environmental journalism, and digital media roles for conservation and environmental organisations. Many also work in broadcast, as research assistants on natural history productions, or in the growing field of science communication.