MA in Global Media & Transnational Communications
This interdisciplinary and cross-cultural degree programme engages students who care about life in a multimedia age; the push and pull between local and global cultures, national, ‘post-national’ and transnational forces, face–to-face and web-based communications, citizen and professional media, power and resistance on-screen and on the street.
Ioannis, MA in Transnational Communication & Global Media
1 year full-time or 2 years part-time.
The Global Media & Transnational Communications MA attracts budding scholars, media practitioners, activists, and advocates from many regions, with a variety of educational and professional backgrounds.
It is particularly suitable for those wanting to move their knowledge and analytical skills up a level for further study as well as for those who have experience of studying or working in the media and cultural sectors, non-profits and other third sector organizations, alternative media, the arts, grassroots and international advocacy and activism. Graduates find work and excel in all these domains.
1 March for entry the following September. Applications received by the deadline are guaranteed consideration; we may consider late applications if there are vacancies. You should not normally expect to receive a decision until May.
Due to the popularity of this programme we ask you for a deposit of £450 to secure any offer made to you after applying for the programme. The deposit will be credited against your tuition fees when you enrol. Please note: You will only be required to provide a deposit if you are offered a place, you do not need to pay a deposit in order to apply.
Please see how to apply for information on applying to our MA programmes. This programme in particular looks for applications that include:
- at least one, preferably two academic references
- an academic transcript of other degrees, completed or pending
- a personal statement outlining your motivations for applying to this programme, aims and ambitions, and current research interests
- a CV for returning students or those with working experience
- a transcript of your IELTS or TOEFL Language test results, where required.
Please see How to apply.
You should have an undergraduate degree of at least upper second class standard in a relevant subject. You also need to show
- a demonstrable interest in examining the intersection of broad sociocultural, political and economic trends with those specific to the (global) media sector and ICTs; in theory and practice.
- interest in being open to doing comparative study in an international setting
- a readiness to engage in intercultural and interdisciplinary approaches to your field of interest
- If your first language is not English, you normally need a minimum score of 7.0 in IELTS (including at least 6.5, preferably 7.0 in the written and reading elements) or equivalent. Find out more about our English Language requirements.
- Fee Waivers NOW AVAILABLE for 2012/13: Fee waivers are now available for 2012/13 across all MA programmes to selected students. Whichever MA course you apply for this year, if you accept an unconditional offer you will automatically become eligible for the fee waiver scheme that will fund waivers equivalent in total to 13 full time home/EU fees.
Overseas students are also eligible for the scheme. Only applications received by the official deadline will be considered for fee waivers. Successful students will be notified by May 30 2012.
The ethos of the Department is one which looks to achieve a healthy balance between scholarly pursuits and practical skills; we look to develop all-round thinkers and doers who can, and do contribute to the cultural and professional life of their communities and countries. Graduates from this program go on to work in government departments, broadcasting, online media, PR and advertising, international NGOs and non-profits, intergovernmental organizations, the entertainment industry, the arts and cultural sectors. On completing this program you will be able to (re)enter the workplace, return to your creative pursuits, activism, or advocacy project or, if you wish, continue onto further research with up-to-date knowledge about the facts and fictions around these trends.
Goldsmiths is a place where we aim to support and develop students to express themselves creatively and self-critically in theoretical, creative, practical and/or professional pursuits. You will be equipped with new insights and ideas, analytical skills and practical knowledge about how both traditional and newer media, familiar and cutting-edge information and communication technologies, and computer-mediated communications actually operate and contribute to society, culture, and politics in contemporary settings.
Please see Tuition fees.
Please see more detailed information about the core courses, options, and programme specifications
Please see Staff research interests.
Media & Communications
The Global Media & Transnational Communications MA explores the increasingly complex mediascapes of the 21st century. It provides students with the necessary scholarly knowledge and experience-based understanding of real and imagined changes in the media industries and communication networks.
We study their impact on everyday life, the workplace, cultural, social, and political institutions by
- exploring the challenges traditional media sectors face as news, entertainment, and services go global & converge on the web
- critically studying the past, present, and future of the Internet & information and communications technologies
- examining changes to communicative cultures, media production, and services in a ‘post-Web 2.0’ context
- thinking about how ordinary people, businesses, governments, and multilateral institutions (mis)use ICT
- looking more closely at how local communities, governments, and transnational corporations look to influence media futures
- researching differences in how people, cultures, and countries access and use media and communicate across borders
- debating the implications of the digital divide, media censorship, and digital surveillance by governmental and commercial agencies
- reading, watching, and hearing how artists, creative entrepreneurs, power elites and ordinary people respond to technological and social change
Distinguishing Features: this programme's content, structure, and assessment takes an interdisciplinary and innovative approach to
- reading, thinking, and articulating challenging ideas
- conducting individual and collaborative research
- accessing and contributing to current debates
- incorporating practitioner and activist perspectives
- teaching and learning that is both research-led and student-inspired
- supporting excellence in individual and group projects
Activities: Based on a horizontal learning model with a clear structure, the core program is organized around lectures, participatory workshops, student presentations, written work, informed debates.
- It features guest speakers from around the world and various media and communications domains.
- It involves students in creating their own media-based projects, such as our prize-winning live Video Conference event with international partners.
- It looks to foster original research dissertation work, formal presentation and collaborative skills
Staff, guest speakers, and research students on this programme are affiliated to the Centre for the Study of Global Media & Democracy, the School of Mass Communications at Texas Tech University (USA), the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, Edinburgh Law School, Le Monde diplomatique, a number of international NGOs, activist and advocacy groups, international scholarly and media networks.
What you study
Along with two compulsory (core) courses, research skills module and dissertation, you can choose from a range of theory (and some practice) optional courses from Media & Communications as well as other Goldsmiths departments. For more about the core program structure and content click on more detailed information.
Assessment
essays; individual and group presentations; research papers; qualitatively assessed assignments and discussion leading; dissertation
Application enquiries
Please see how to apply for information on applying to this programme.