Degree type: BA (Hons)
UCAS Code: LL36 BA/MCS
Duration: 4 years (full-time)
How to Apply
Why choose this course?
The BA (Hons) Media, Culture & Society degree examines media, popular culture and wider social and political changes in society. The course encourages students to develop an in-depth sociological understanding of the way in which social, political and cultural forces influence the way we see society. The course allows you to address a range of questions: How are news stories constructed? What is the relationship between culture and nationhood? Why should we consider the politics of popular culture? This course provides you with a unique opportunity to study the multi-dimensional relationships between society, culture and the media industry.
You will be introduced to the central sociological issues in understanding and researching media, culture and society. At later levels you develop a deeper sociological understanding of crucial cultural and media phenomena, addressing a range of contemporary social and cultural questions.
You will study:
How you learn
Lectures provide you with the framework for further study through reading and tutorial sessions. You are encouraged to take responsibility for your own learning but the programme also emphasises the benefits of group work and learning from your peers on the course. The course draws from a range of disciplines and as such, it enables students to address and research a wide range of topic areas; from the representation of Edinburgh in the works of Ian Rankin to a critical sociological analysis of meat consumption in modern societies.
How you are assessed
Through examinations, essays, project work, group presentations and a final-year dissertation on a subject you choose.
The programme combines an innovative range of assessment methods so that you can develop a continuum of skills from independent learning through to group collaboration with others. Assessments gradually build-up your writing and analytical skills, culminating in the supervised Honours dissertation. The development of such skills allows you to be more prepared for the world of work.
Higher BBC; A Level CC; ILC (H) BBC; BTEC Diploma MMM (Government and Politics); BTEC Certificate DD (Government and Politics)
UCAS Tariff 180+ points*
*See UCAS Tariff Guidance below
Essential subjects: English or another literate subject (e.g. History)
Advanced entry (year 2)
Advanced Higher or A Level: BCC (to include grade B in Sociology, Politics or History)
BTEC Diploma: DDM (Government and Politics)
UCAS Tariff Guidance
Although there is no limit to the number of points that you can accumulate, for entry to Abertay you must have qualifications at an appropriate level (SCQF 6/NQF 3); you cannot count the same or similar qualifications twice; Standard Grades, Intermediate 2s, GCSEs and key/core skills cannot be counted; and D grades at SQA Higher and Advanced Higher are not counted.
Applicants who have taken either SQA Highers or A Levels must offer at least three Highers or two A Levels for degree entry (or two Highers or one A Level for DipHE entry). If you have studied a subject at two different levels, the most advanced will be taken into consideration; e.g. if you studied both Higher Biology and Advanced Higher Biology, then only the Advanced Higher will be counted.
Overseas/EU
All applicants are required to provide certified proof of competence in English Language and the University's minimum requirements are listed here
Mature
Applications from mature students are assessed on the same criteria used for school leavers, e.g. SQA Highers or GCE A Levels, where relevant school leaving qualifications exist. For those without standard entry qualifications, consideration is given to experience gained as well as professional qualifications and other forms of learning that could provide evidence of ability to benefit from a particular course.
The successful completion of approved access courses (such as those offered by Dundee College in association with the universities of Abertay, Dundee and St Andrews) provides significant evidence of ability to benefit from study at Abertay.
For further advice please use our Ask a Question section.
What our students say
"My degree has helped me in my life a great deal. The degree partly focused on the ability to critically analyse different authors. I think this has been the most useful part in terms of helping with my career. I can look at things from different angles and still form meaningful conclusions."
Angie, Dundee.
"The course itself is fantastic for anyone interested in how society works, especially in relation to the media and its influences. The programme covers a huge range of topics which can be theoretically and practically applied in any field of the media or sociology."
Katie, Dundee.
Your future
The course also gives you the foundation you need to pursue careers in research, journalism and public relations.
For example, Jane a former student from Perth completed a postgraduate diploma in Community Learning and Development and now works for Perth council as a community worker after spending time as a volunteer in India.
In a society where an understanding of culture and communication is of central importance, this course develops the flexible skills that employers increasingly require. As the course draws from a range of academic disciplines, it provides you with an excellent critical base for understanding how communications, media and cultural change shape daily life. This means that the degree provides you with the skills to pursue a wide range of career paths. Many of our former students have gone on to be teachers, social workers and community education workers.
| Fee Category | September 2012 Fees |
Scholarships & Bursaries |
| Scottish and other EU students |
The 2012 fee will be announced Apply to the Student Awards Agency |
Other forms of support |
| English, Welsh and Northern Irish students |
£7000 per year (max. amount payable You can apply for financial assistance, |
Bursaries & Scholarships |
| Overseas (non EU) students |
£9975 per year. Fees may be subject to annual increase. |
Overseas Scholarships |
Fees shown are payable annually, and may be subject to increase each year.
