Media Production with a Foundation Year - BA (Hons)

Birmingham City University

Launch your media career with our BA (Hons) Media Production degree. Our industry-focussed programme is designed to develop critically thinking, innovative content creators for television, radio, podcasting, online, social media as well as new and emerging platforms ensuring you have the skills and attitude needed to adapt and change in line with industry.

Supported by an experienced team of award-winning tutors with industry and academic experience, students will learn technical and editorial approaches to enable them to tell compelling stories for a range of audiences across multiple platforms. We’ll help you to become ‘industry-ready’ as you learn from guest speakers and industry experts giving you the chance to make useful contacts and get a head start with work placements and other opportunities to gain professional skills.

This four-year programme has been specifically designed to allow students who do not initially meet the entry requirements for a three-year degree, to undertake additional level 3 study designed to ensure they are successful on their chosen degree programme.

After successful completion of your foundation year, you will have the flexibility to switch (should you wish to change direction) onto a several of related undergraduate media degree programmes.

What's covered in this course?

Through research-led teaching, you will create media content in our industry-standard television and radio studios, learning about all the important roles as you go. Working collaboratively, you will learn how to record audio and shoot and edit video, along with developing the technical and personal skills needed to operate our studios effectively. You will also learn how to develop and pitch your own ideas, a necessary skill in today’s competitive industry, whilst becoming aware of sustainability and ethical issues affecting the media landscape.

There will be opportunities to make traditional content such as magazine shows, documentaries, drama, adverts whilst also exploring new ideas in social media and experimental content. When you work in our enviable complex of six radio studios, you will be getting to grips with how to operate the studio, present a show, record interviews, create podcasts and use digital technology to edit and mix sound. As you progress through the course, you will put together music radio shows, short features and podcasts, with the option to run a live radio station at the University. This is a truly stimulating course, which will immerse you in the editorial and practical aspects of programme-making and content creation.

Enhancing employability skills:

The aim of our BA (Hons) Media Production course is to prepare you for a career in the fast-paced world of media and broadcasting. Thanks to our outstanding facilities and our reputation for producing work-ready, highly skilled graduates, our students are readily sought after.

As well as your industry-specific skills, you will also develop a range of transferable skills, which will boost your employability, while your network of contacts – from work experience/placements, masterclasses and guest lectures – will be invaluable when you begin to look for employment after graduating.

Placements:

You’ll undertake a two-week placement in year one and a three-week placement in year two. Although you’re expected to find the placements yourself, you’ll receive as much support as you need from staff, and you’ll also have opportunity to apply for one of the several placement schemes we operate with the BBC and Sky. We operate an electronic jobs noticeboard, which includes many opportunities, and there are frequent masterclasses from companies that offer placements.