Media Management MA

Media innovation and entrepreneurialism are concerned with the processes and practices by which companies and entrepreneurs finance, design, and develop new media products and businesses, and bring them successfully to market. This module explores the processes through which individuals and organisations can foster innovation — from idea generation and concept testing to securing various forms of investment and scaling ventures. You are required to apply these principles in the envisioning of a new media product and the development of a detailed business plan. Throughout the module, attention is given to the ethical and sustainability dimensions of media enterprise, including responsible data use, accessibility, environmental impact, and long-term social value creation. Entrepreneurialism and the application of creativity in ethical, sustainable, and financially viable business development are key learning outcomes — valued by media firms and central to enhancing your employability.

20 credits

Research expertise is increasingly important across a wide range of career paths. This module equips you with essential research skills for media and related fields, providing a foundation in methods that cuts across disciplines, approaches, contexts, and sectors. Emphasis is placed on how data is made and put to use across different contexts. Using real-world case studies and scenarios, along with hands-on workshops in data collection and analysis, you will explore diverse methods and data types, assessing their strengths, limitations, and relevance to scholarly, policy, industry, and civil society audiences. You will learn to critique existing research, make informed methodological and ethical decisions, and reflect on how a range of values and assumptions shape the research process.

20 credits

This module explores the changing nature of the structures, drivers, and practices informing the management and transformation of legacy and emergent media and content enterprises. You will examine how the aims, competitiveness, operation, and sustainability of organisations are being reshaped by rapidly evolving technologies, in particular artificial intelligence. The module is centred on identifying key challenges and opportunities and articulating effective solutions.

20 credits

This module guides you through the process of planning, developing, and completing an independent dissertation or professional project. You will identify your own area of research interest or professional inquiry and, with the guidance of an allocated supervisor, shape it into a meaningful question, focus, or goal. Workshops provide support in key aspects of the research process, including project design, data collection and analysis, and academic writing. Throughout the module, you will also engage in structured opportunities to refine and develop your ideas, ensuring that the final written submission is the result of a well-supported and iterative research process.

60 credits

This module focuses on strategic planning and research skills, and the tools you will need to inform effective advertising. You will study a range of planning and research processes and tools, including account planning, market research, insight identification, media planning, connection planning, and trend forecasting. You will also work with a client brand to structure a business problem into a creative proposition to reach an audience more effectively. The module will be assessed through the production of a research phase and subsequent strategic and creative plans, with supporting rationale.

20 credits

This module primarily addresses team-level and project management challenges facing creative organisations and the role these practices play within wider systems of structured innovation, while inviting critical examination of higher leadership functions. You will design and assess creative workflows and development processes and/or identify the practical challenges involved in project development and leadership. This includes the identification and evaluation of relevant AI-enabled tools.

20 credits

This module investigates the transformation of the entire global media landscape. You will examine how a diverse spectrum of organisations, from public service broadcasters and government agencies to community media, activist NGOs, and global digital platforms, are evolving their strategies in the face of technological, social, and economic disruption. You will develop a critical framework for understanding these shifts and gain hands-on experience with strategic foresight tools, enabling you to confidently analyse and anticipate the future of the media ecosystem in an evidence-based way.

20 credits

This module explores the principles and practices of promotion and marketing within the contemporary media industries, with a focus on client-facing work. You will develop an understanding of branding, market positioning, audience insight, and integrated marketing communications (IMC), alongside the interpersonal, strategic, and ethical competencies required to manage client relationships effectively. The module bridges creative and business practices, emphasising teamwork, conflict resolution, and project management in response to live or simulated briefs. The assessment centres on the development of a social media campaign for a real or client-informed brief, situating this project within broader marketing frameworks and industry concerns.

20 credits

This module teaches you practical skills that enhance your employability. You will gain knowledge about jobs, networking, and interview and presentation skills necessary for developing CVs, writing compelling covering letters, and creating professional online profiles. You will develop job-finding skills and complete one or more work placements (depending on length) in a media business environment. You will produce a full Personal Development Plan (PDP) to identify your core skills and match them with suitable work placement opportunities. You will continue to develop the PDP as you approach media and development organisations and businesses, obtain work placements, and maintain a diary to reflect on your skill and experience development. This module extends across the summer term to allow you to gain the maximum value from your work experience. The intention is for you to gain work experience in the UK, preferably in London; however, relevant work experience outside the UK will also be approved.

20 credits

Content creation, whether influencer, industry or fan based, lies at the core of the media industry. This module studies the media production process and focuses on decision-making, resource allocation, and industry constraints on creativity. This is a module for those new to producing professional content as well as individuals who wish to refine their media skills.

During the module you will examine how industrial structures, technological change, and audience practices shape the development, circulation, and value of media content across global and local contexts. The module will use a structured approach to enable you to develop new ideas and content proposals for a variety of existing or emerging media (e.g. social media, podcasts, VR experiences, streaming), expand them onto a second platform, all of which to generate a production handbook (i.e. a “Bible”). In addition, the module will help you to hone your skills in pitching your ideas to commissioners, potential investors or crowd funding.

20 credits

This module introduces you to the field of media analytics in a cross-platform environment. It explores the institutional contexts of audience measurement systems in the UK and examines what it means to work as a media analyst. The module distinguishes between different applications of media analytics and audience data: as the currency of advertising markets and as a resource for informing content, marketing, and commercial strategy and decision-making, both in media organisations and digital enterprises. It surveys measurement practices and approaches across media sectors.

You will analyse the key stakeholders involved in audience measurement and the political and economic dynamics that shape these systems. From a critical perspective, the module investigates how measurement frameworks can embed structural forms of discrimination and marginalisation. Finally, the module aims to develop your practical skills in data storytelling and visual communication. Through an introduction to the key principles of effective data presentation and hands-on exercises in audience data visualisation, you will gain experience using spreadsheet software and contemporary data visualisation tools.

20 credits