Introduction
Explore media theory and practice from broadcast media to digital publishing, and graduate ready to work in today’s fast-moving industry with our BA (Hons) Media and Communication degree in Cambridge.
Study at an award-winning university
We're the Times Higher Education (THE) University of the Year. We've also been awarded a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework – a reflection of the outstanding education we offer our students.
On our Media and Communication degree you’ll develop an in-depth understanding of our data-driven society and contemporary media environment. You’ll explore issues such as digital media theory, identity and representation, politics and popular culture.
You’ll learn to analyse and debate the latest theories and discover the impact of media on all our lives such as the role of ‘Fake News’ and the ethical responsibility of journalism in a 'post-truth' age.
Working in our specialist facilities, you’ll also get hands-on and engage with media production including documentary filmmaking, photography, and digital publishing; creating apps, podcasts or new online platforms.
Choose to study abroad for one semester and get funding to cover the cost, and hone your skills through work placements. You can also choose to take an optional placement year.
Course options
Key facts
Entry Requirements
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Fees and Paying for University
Student experience
Student work
Grete Kutkaite, "Golden Cities"
See more of our film, media and communication students' workFacilities and showcase
Industry-standard facilities
As part of your studies at ARU, you’ll have access to all of our creative industries facilities including:
- Film studio with overhead lighting, tracks, dollies and green screen
- Multi-camera television studio with modular set panels and modern set dressing
- Full range of location kit from 4K digital cameras, professional lighting, to Steadicam
- Sound-recording equipment for location filming
- Editing suites with Da Vinci Resolve and the full Adobe Creative Cloud software suite
- Finishing suite with audio monitoring and grading panels
- Aaton Cameras and Steenbeck editors for 16mm film production
- Motion capture equipment
- Podcast and video capture system
Futures Lab and workshop equipment
Our new digital workshop includes a variety of computer aided manufacturing machines, helping you learn up to date manufacturing and design processes as well as supporting many traditional techniques. These technologies include:
- 3D printers and scanners - FDM printers; material-specific extruders; SLA Formlabs printers; SLS Formlabs Fuse1; structured light 3D scanners
- 2D printing and cutting machines - laser cutters; Roland BN20 vinyl printer & cutter; Gerber substrate cutter; Mimaki TX300P sublimation printer.
Learn outside the classroom
Throughout the course you’ll benefit from extra-curricular events such as:
- Cambridge Film Festival and our Campus Cinema events
- regular field trips, such as to the BFI and Tate Modern
- guest lectures, with recent speakers including film editor and sound designer Larry Sider, and filmmaker William Raban
- events offered through our student-led film societies
- Support to apply for external grant film projects with resent successes including Random Acts CH4, New Creatives BBC Arts.
- the chance to join Cam FM, a student-run radio station with studios on our campus and at Cambridge’s famous Fitzwilliam Museum.
Take a closer look
Our Creative Showcase shines a spotlight on what makes ARU creative and cultural – our spaces, places and people. Find out more about our community, the difference we make, the stories we tell, and the things that inspire us.
You can also explore the work of our graduating students in our digital graduate showcase.
Lecturers
Sarah Gibson Yates
Senior Lecturer
Tanya Horeck
Professor
Neil Henderson
Deputy Head of School
Sean Campbell
Deputy Dean for Research and Innovation
Tina Kendall
Associate Professor
Mareike Jenner
Senior Lecturer
Jennifer Nightingale
Senior Lecturer
Simon Payne
Associate Professor
Harriet Fletcher
Lecturer
Toby Venables
Senior Lecturer Practitioner
Careers
You’ll graduate from our BA (Hons) Media and Communication ready for many media-related roles, including broadcasting, film, photography or television production, media consultancy, journalism, public relations and advertising. You’ll also pick up skills for other professions that require an understanding of the media, including web design and publishing.
Our links with local and national organisations will help you make contacts and find work placements in the industry. These placements could form part of your assessed work and, for many previous students, have led directly to employment.
We also offer dedicated employability support throughout your time here.
Graduation doesn’t need to be the end of your time with us. You might decide to stay at ARU and study for a Masters degree, such as MA Film and Television Production. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.
Employability and personal career development
Informed by employers, our courses support an integrated approach to employability. You’ll have opportunities to develop the skills and abilities they are looking for and gain a deeper understanding of how your academic learning relates to the world of work through Live Briefs and Ruskin Modules.
To amplify your career ambition, you will need to actively dedicate time outside of your studies, whether you choose to explore placements, internships or volunteering. Or you could make a social impact by collaborating with our partner organisations through our volunteer scheme Students at the Heart of Knowledge Exchange (SHoKE). These all give you an edge, providing you with experience that you will be able to evidence on your CV and talk about in interviews.
Our Employability and Careers Service offers a range of expert advice and support to build your unique professional profile, including tailored career appointments, advice on writing your CV, and help to complete job applications. You’ll have 24/7 access to the Careers Centre, our comprehensive online digital resource, which empowers you to start building a Personal Career Development Plan from the very start. Design your future at ARU.
Gain contacts and experience
Our links with local and national organisations will help you make contacts and find work placements in the industry. Our recent students have found internships and placements with companies including BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, digital marketing agency Sookio, Eastern Daily Press and Norwich Evening News, C4B Media, Cubiqdesign, and Cambridge Style Magazine.
Find out more about our creative industries placements and work experienceLife in Cambridge
Our friendly, bustling campus is a stone’s throw from the centre of Cambridge, often described as the perfect student city.
Our favourite places in Cambridge Did you know...? Facts about Cambridge Watch: Our CambridgeWant to talk to someone?
Do you have a question that we haven't answered so far? Talk to our application experts. You can also ask our Student Ambassadors about life at ARU.
We're here Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm (please note we close at 3.30pm on the first and third Thursday of the month for staff training), and Friday 9am-4.30pm.
Foundation year available
This course offers a foundation year – an extra year of study to help you prepare for university, and build your knowledge and skills.
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