Media and Communications
The Department of Media and Communications is part of the School of Literature, Art and Media. It is the host department for the Media and Communications and Digital Cultures subject areas.
About Media and Communications
The Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) is an interdisciplinary degree offered at both Pass and Honours levels. The ‘media and communications’ component of the four-year pass degree offers students professional training in the main areas of media production and an advanced education in the history and theory of the field.
Core units of study focus on media production, the structure of the media and communications industries, the media's role in culture and politics, globalisation and legal and ethical issues in the field. You explore these areas through a diverse array of disciplinary perspectives and relevant critical theories and develop professional skills in the fields of print, audio, video, online media and public relations. In your fourth year of study, you will undertake an industry internship and complete either a major media project or research essay.
The degree equips students with multi-platform skills for entry into areas such as print, broadcast and online journalism (and the convergence of these areas), international communications, media regulation and public policy, media and public relations and corporate communications. The four-year structure of the pass degree also qualifies students to apply to those graduate programs in the United States that require a four-year undergraduate degree.
Requirements for the degree
For the Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications), you complete the following:
- 192 credit points over four years of full-time study
- 78 credit points in core Media and Communications compulsory units of study (18 credit points from junior units of study and 60 credit points from senior units of study listed in this subject area, including an internship in the fourth year)
- a major from Table A and further elective units of study which may add up to an additional optional major from either Table A or B of this Handbook, or a Marketing major from the University of Sydney Business School.
Sample student pathway through the Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications)
| Sample pathway - Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | S1 |
Junior MECO unit MECO1001 |
Junior unit | Junior unit | Table A major junior unit |
| S2 |
Junior MECO unit MECO1002 |
Junior MECO unit MECO1003 |
Junior elective unit | Table A major junior unit | |
| Year 2 | S1 |
Senior-intermediate MECO unit MECO2601 |
Junior elective unit | Junior elective unit | Table A major senior unit |
| S2 |
Senior-intermediate MECO unit MECO2603 |
Senior-advanced MECO unit MECO3601 |
Senior elective unit | Table A major senior unit | |
| Year 3 | S1 |
Senior-advanced MECO unit MECO3603 |
Senior-advanced MECO unit MECO3606 |
Senior elective unit | Table A major senior unit |
| S2 |
Senior-advanced MECO unit MECO3605 |
Senior-advanced MECO unit MECO3602 |
Senior elective unit | Table A major senior-advanced unit | |
| Year 4 | S1 |
Senior-advanced MECO unit MECO3671 |
Senior-advanced MECO unit MECO3673 |
Senior elective unit | Table A major senior unit |
| S2 |
Senior-advanced MECO unit MECO3609 |
Senior elective unit | Senior elective unit | Table A major senior unit | |
Honours
An Honours program is also available in Media and Communications. Acceptance into the program requires an average of 70 percent across 48 senior credit points within the completed BA (Media and Communications). In the Honours program, students are expected to attend weekly Honours seminars and departmental seminars. All students will submit a thesis of 18,000-20,000 words on an approved topic, with a research proposal submitted to the Honours Coordinator by December of the year prior to enrolment. Additional assessments will focus on research design, methodology and critical readings undertaken in first semester. Mid-year enrolment is not available. Part-time enrolment is available with permission from the Honours coordinator.
Refer to the degree resolutions in this Handbook and to the Faculty Admissions Policy for Honours: sydney.edu.au/handbooks/arts/rules/faculty_resolutions.shtml
Contact/further information
Department website: sydney.edu.au/arts/media_communications/
Undergraduate Coordinator: Dr Megan Le Masurier
Phone: +61 2 9351 3628
Email: