How long is the BA in Media Studies?

The BA in Media Studies is three years full-time (with part-time and accelerated routes), taught on-campus in London, fully online with live production reviews, or via distance learning.

Can I study the BA in Media Studies online?

Yes. The BA in Media Studies is offered fully online with live weekly production reviews, or as distance learning with structured discussion seminars.

Is the BA recognised in the UK?

The BA in Media Studies is a UK honours degree aligned with Royal Television Society academic references and CIPR communications frameworks used by UK employers.

What are the entry requirements for the BA in Media Studies?

Three A-levels at BBC (IB 28, BTEC DMM), GCSE English at grade 5/C and Maths at grade 4/C, IELTS 6.5 for non-native English speakers, and a writing or media sample.

What does the BA in Media Studies cost and are scholarships available?

Fees vary by route and domicile. The BA in Media Studies offers means-tested bursaries and a creative-progression award each intake — contact admissions for current fees.

BA in Media Studies in London Programme | LSCT London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BA in Media Studies at the London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a three-year undergraduate degree for students who want to analyse and produce media — from the BBC Charter renewal debate to TikTok algorithms and the political economy of streaming. The degree is shaped by Royal Television Society academic standards and CIPR communications frameworks, and is taught from our central London base alongside online and distance routes.

You will study how media is funded, regulated, made and consumed. Assessment combines a practical production portfolio, an analytical research paper and a final-year dissertation supervised by a media-studies academic with industry credits.

You will publish or broadcast to a real audience from the first term, with editorial standards set on day one and applied consistently across all student output. The faculty maintains active newsroom and agency contacts across UK media so guest practitioners drop into seminars regularly and feedback loops back from the industry into the syllabus continuously.

Key Features

UK honours degree aligned with Royal Television Society academic references.
Three study modes — central London seminars, online with live production reviews, or distance learning with structured discussion.
Practical production strand running across all three years — print, audio, vertical video.
Media regulation module covering Ofcom, IPSO and the Online Safety Act 2023.
Platform-economy module on algorithmic power, attention and creator economies.
Final-year dissertation assessed against published-paper rubrics.

The programme is scheduled around the rhythm of a working media operation — newsdays mid-week, longer-form work over the weekend — so students experience the cadence as well as the craft. Editorial standards are set on day one and applied consistently across every piece of student work.

What You Will Learn

The degree builds three media literacies — analytical reading of how media texts work, fluency with the political economy that funds and regulates them, and the practical craft to make media yourself.

Media theory — political economy, audiences and representation.
UK media regulation — Ofcom, IPSO, ASA and Online Safety Act.
History of UK broadcasting and the press.
Platform studies — algorithms, attention and creator economies.
Digital and vertical-video production.
Communications strategy and PR fundamentals.
Research methods, ethics and data analysis in media research.
Production portfolio across print, audio and video.

Modules are assessed by working practitioners as well as academics, which means feedback reads more like an editor note than a marker comment. Students leave with cuttings, packaged work and a portfolio that can be sent straight to a hiring desk.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers preparing for content, communications or policy careers.
Career changers entering creator-economy and brand-content roles.
International students seeking a UK-recognised media-studies degree.
Industry professionals formalising their analytical media training.

Working journalists adding a specialism are welcome and the media department offers flexible scheduling for those filing daily. International applicants seeking UK media credentials are supported through the post-Brexit publishing landscape and IPSO regulatory framework.

Career Pathways

Graduates work across UK and international media, communications and policy organisations. Typical destinations include:

Content Strategist
Social Media Manager
PR Account Executive
Press Officer
Digital Editor
Communications Manager (junior)

Recent destinations include desks at UK regional and national titles, in-house communications teams at FTSE-listed firms, the press functions of public-sector bodies, charity communications, and independent podcast and digital-publishing operations. The placements team supports portfolio review, pitch practice and direct introductions where appropriate.

The BA is a credible foundation for an MA in Communication Studies or a Master's in media policy.

The media department maintains an active alumni network across UK newsrooms, agencies and in-house communications functions, with former students regularly returning as guest tutors and direct referrers for current cohorts.

Entry Requirements

Three A-levels at grades BBC or above, or an equivalent UK / international qualification (IB 28+, BTEC DMM, Foundation Year pass).
GCSE English Language at grade 5/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or equivalent).
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
A personal statement and a piece of writing or media you have produced submitted with your application.

Mature applicants with newsroom, agency or in-house communications experience may apply with a CV and a small portfolio rather than the formal qualifications listed above. International applicants are supported through pre-arrival orientation and CAS issuance, and the media department offers tutorial support for those building UK-context portfolios.

Why Study at LSCT

The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom — and our students use that proximity in their projects, placements and graduate job hunts. Our media faculty teaches with working journalists, broadcasters and communications professionals, so seminars read live UK regulation cases rather than dated case books.

The media department brings practitioner panels into every cohort — from working journalists who file daily to PR directors who handle current FTSE reputations — which keeps the syllabus connected to the live UK industry. Students publish to a real audience under their own bylines from the first term.

Apply for BA in Media Studies

The BA in Media Studies is built to launch your career in the Media, Journalism & Communication sector. Click Enrol Now to submit your application; admissions reply within one working day.

Admissions on the media programme respond within one working day with intake confirmation and a short portfolio review where applicable. Tuition discussions and any relevant industry-progression bursaries are flagged privately by the team during enrolment.

The team can discuss study-mode flexibility between cohorts and pre-arrival orientation for international students taking on the central London on-campus route.

Cohort sizes remain deliberately small so editorial feedback is detailed and immediate, and current students consistently report the working-practitioner tutors as the strongest feature of the LSCT media programme.