How is the MA Global Cultural Studies different from an MA Media and Society?

MA Media and Society focuses on media industries, audiences and regulation. MA Global Cultural Studies takes a broader comparative cultural frame — film, music, publishing, gaming, digital culture — across borders. The two overlap but answer different research questions; choose by what you want to study.

Does the MA Global Cultural Studies require comparative case work?

Yes. The transnational research methods module trains students in genuine comparative analysis. The dissertation is expected to be comparative or transnational in scope. The MA Global Cultural Studies is built specifically for students wanting to think across cultural contexts.

Can the MA Global Cultural Studies be studied online or part-time?

Yes. The MA can be taken over 24 months part-time or fully online. Online students join the same seminars by video, complete the same research project, and write the same dissertation under remote supervision.

Is the MA Global Cultural Studies useful for international cultural-sector roles?

Yes. The comparative-cultural-policy and global-cultural-flows modules map directly to international festival, multilateral cultural-body and INGO programme roles. The MA Global Cultural Studies provides a strong academic credential to anchor an application.

What dissertation topics work well for the MA Global Cultural Studies?

Past examples include a comparative reception study of a streaming series across two national markets, an analysis of cultural policy convergence across the EU and a transnational study of a particular musical subculture's online community. The MA Global Cultural Studies rewards a tightly scoped comparative or transnational question.

MA Global Cultural Studies in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MA Global Cultural Studies at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a one-year UK postgraduate degree for graduates and working professionals who want to think comparatively about culture across borders — its production, circulation, consumption and politics in an interconnected world. You will work through current critical theory, transnational and comparative methods, and produce a 12,000-to-15,000 word dissertation grounded in original research.

The MA Global Cultural Studies is built around the assumption that culture is increasingly globalised in production but locally inflected in reception — and that taking either fact seriously requires comparative literacy. Reading lists draw on current decolonial, transnational and digital-platform scholarship alongside the established cultural-studies canon.

Key Features

UK-recognised master's degree aligned with Cultural Studies Association and British Academy frameworks.
Comparative cultural theory core — current decolonial, transnational and platform-era scholarship.
Transnational research methods at master's level — comparative case study, multi-sited ethnography, digital methods.
Industry-relevant strand — cultural production industries, audience research, policy applications.
Industry-led masterclasses from working cultural critics, programmers and policy advisers.
12,000–15,000 word dissertation on a global or comparative cultural topic.

What You Will Learn

The MA Global Cultural Studies is structured around the working competencies of an applied or academic cultural researcher with a transnational frame — theoretical literacy, comparative method, policy and industry knowledge and clear writing for multiple audiences. You leave able to design a comparative cultural study, locate it in current scholarship, and write up findings for academic, policy or practitioner audiences.

Contemporary cultural theory — current critical, decolonial and feminist scholarship.
Transnational and comparative methods — case study, multi-sited ethnography, digital methods.
Cultural production industries — film, music, publishing, broadcast, gaming, digital platforms.
Audience research — qualitative and quantitative methods, reception studies.
Global cultural flows — circulation, translation, adaptation, localisation.
Cultural policy in comparative perspective — UK, EU, North American, East Asian frameworks.
Platform power — algorithmic distribution, content moderation, advertising markets.
Research ethics — informed consent, working across cultural boundaries, reflexivity.

Who This MA Is For

Graduates in cultural studies, media studies, sociology or related fields progressing to master's.
Working professionals in cultural-sector, editorial or research roles wanting comparative literacy.
Career-changers planning research-track or applied cultural-analysis roles.
International students seeking a UK comparative-cultural-studies master's taught in central London.

Career Pathways

MA Global Cultural Studies graduates move into research, editorial, curatorial and policy-adjacent roles across the UK and international cultural sector. Typical post-MA destinations include:

Cultural Researcher (think tank, consultancy, broadcaster)
Programme Curator (international festival, gallery, museum)
Editorial Researcher (long-form magazine, international publisher)
Cultural Policy Adviser (Arts Council, multilateral body, NGO)
Audience Research Lead (broadcaster, publisher, platform)
Doctoral Researcher (UK or international university)

The MA Global Cultural Studies supports doctoral study, senior research roles and policy-adjacent careers.

Entry Requirements

A UK 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent) in a related subject, OR a 2:2 in any subject with two years of relevant professional experience.
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement (max 1 page) outlining your motivation, relevant experience and intended specialism.
Two academic or professional references.
Applicants without a related undergraduate degree may be considered with significant industry experience and a written sample.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.