Digital Media BA (Hons)

Study level: Undergraduate
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The Digital Media BA course focuses on creative production in the field of media using digital tools in 3D modelling, code as a creative medium, immersive technologies, and audio and video production among others.

Year of entry

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time
Sandwich

Duration

3 years full-time
4 years sandwich

Course code

P479

Start date

September 2024
January 2025


Course overview

The course offers a space for students to experiment with a range of digital technologies, practices, processes, and theories.

  • Our responsive, creative curriculum allows students to address the rapid developments concerning the impact of new, emerging and future media technologies and broader changes to the media and networked communications landscape.
  • Our project-led approach supports students in becoming adept with a range of critical and creative media equipment and interactive technologies to inform their practice and understanding.
  • Students will benefit from a course that sees critical digital theory, immersive skills development, and professional practice as mutually exclusive, along with a university-wide commitment to collaborative learning and supporting sustainable global citizenship development.
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Guardian University Guide 2021 and 2022

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5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

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Top 5 UK Student City (Coventry)

QS Best Student Cities Index 2023

Why you should study this course

  • Our course explores a mix of creative and technical skills and knowledge development through a range of modules that will take students through the entire software development workflow from concept to user testing.
  • You will have free access to a wide range of high standard, professional media equipment via our Media Loan Service, with technicians who can support you and give advice and instructions for ease of use4.
  • Past staff and students have a strong track record of collaborative applied projects with organisations including Genesys, Uber, Google, The United Nations (Mission 1.5) Jaguar Land Rover, Coventry Telegraph, Rolls-Royce, BBC Big Screens, The Gallery of Living History and BT2.
  • In the past students have had the opportunity to attend talks from expert guest speakers such as Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes, Venom: Let there be Carnage), Luke Richards, CEO and Creative Director, Black Cat Entertainment and Simon Wright, Director of Genesys Creators, Genesys (subject to availability).
  • On this course, you’ll be taught by staff with expertise in immersive technologies and 360 video, music and digital composition and sound recording, user interface design, digital marketing, and digital culture. (Staff may be subject to change.)
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Why study Digital Media BA (Hons) at Coventry University?

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What you'll study

This course has a common first year.

The common first year enables you to work alongside students doing similar courses to you, to widen your knowledge and exposure to other subject areas and professions. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other students, so you can share your insights and experience which will help you to develop and learn.

If you discover an interest in a specific subject you have studied, upon successful completion of your first year, you could swap degrees with another course in your common first year (subject to meeting progression requirements).

Common first year courses

  • Animation BA (Hons)
  • Digital Media BA (Hons)
  • Games Art BA (Hons)
  • Games Design and Development BA (Hons)
  • Visual Effects (VFX) BA (Hons)

In the first year, the curriculum is shared across related courses allowing you to gain a broad grounding in the discipline before going on, in the second and third years, to specialist modules in your chosen field.

Modules

In year two, you will continue to develop the skills and knowledge you’ve learnt. We do this by embedding the following four principles into the curriculum and developing your:

  • Technical skills - digital fluency, backed with the right academic knowledge
  • Study skills - to be an adaptive, independent and proactive learner
  • Professional skills - to have the behaviour and abilities to succeed in your career
  • Global awareness - the beliefs and abilities to be a resilient, confident and motivated global citizen

You will develop more advanced knowledge and skills to do with: how digital media impacts society, digital media formats and content creation, amongst others.

Modules

There’s no better way to find out what you love doing than trying it out for yourself, which is why a work placement2 can often be beneficial. Work placements usually occur between your second and final year of study. They’re a great way to help you explore your potential career path and gain valuable work experience, whilst developing transferable skills for the future.

If you choose to do a work placement year, you will pay a reduced tuition fee3 of £1,250. For more information, please go to the fees and funding section. During this time you will receive guidance from your employer or partner institution, along with your assigned academic mentor who will ensure you have the support you need to complete your placement.

Modules

Year three aims to bring you to the level to enter the world of work by consolidating your knowledge and skills from year one and two. You could also work on a large final project in an area of your interest, with the support of a mentor.

You will have the opportunity to choose between two optional modules in your final year, ‘Immersive Production and Experimental Praxis’ and ‘Creative Application Design and Development’ to total 120 credits.

Modules

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

We live in a world today where we breathe the digital. From the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep at night, it’s everywhere. The digital has become a membrane between us, and our idea of what reality can be. Digital media as a course explores this new digital reality and tries to pierce through the digital membrane to explore how reality has been changed and transformed by these creative technologies. We approach it at creative professionals and researchers who want to understand this new reality and unleash its potentials. We first understand it and then we play with it. Whether it’s through an immersive production, a digital marketing campaign, or a transmedia narrative experience.

Dr Darren Berkland, Course Director, 2022
A student in the media room, using a video production suite.

How you'll learn

Your course will focus on areas such as immersive, transmedia, and digital storytelling, creative coding, web design, web coding, animation, digital marketing, and digital culture.

Students successfully completing the first two years of the course can opt to spend a year out between the second and third years on placement or study abroad2.

Your personal tutor will regularly review and discuss your progress on the course. We aim for you to develop through activity-led learning, with an emphasis on live projects, industry briefs, real-world working simulations, experimentation and play. You will also have the opportunity to take part in international trips2 where you will be able to develop your knowledge and skills through fieldwork and group projects. Previous students had the opportunity to participate in creating and hosting an immersive experience enhanced by augmented reality in Hong Kong together with students from the Hong Kong Design Institute2.


Teaching contact hours

We understand that everyone learns differently, so each of our courses will consist of structured teaching sessions, which can include:

  • On campus lectures, seminars and workshops
  • Group work
  • Self-directed learning
  • Work placement opportunities2

The number of full-time contact hours may vary from semester to semester, however, on average, it is likely to be around 12 contact hours per week in the first and second year dropping to around 10-12 contact hours per week in the third and final year as you become a more independent learner.

Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of approximately 15 hours each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.

Part of university life is undertaking self-directed learning. During a typical week you will have time that allows you to work independently to apply the skills and knowledge you have learnt in taught or facilitated sessions to your projects or assignment briefs. This self-directed learning allows you to use your research skills, consolidate your knowledge or undertake collaborative group work.

As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.

Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions, or orders and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.


Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will could vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods include

  • Practical or project work
  • Coursework
  • Essays
  • Presentations and posters

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes. Assessments may include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.


International experience opportunities

We aim to encourage students to broaden their horizons by taking advantage of either study abroad or placement opportunities2. Our students may also have the opportunity to go on field trips or international trips2. Past trips have included Berlin, New York, Hong Kong, and Barcelona. These are often combined with industry or community projects on location in the international destination. Last year a group of our previous final year students had the opportunity to work on the AR Prison Break project and present this immersive experience using augmented reality at the Spark Festival in Hong Kong.

I like the Digital Media course because we are given a lot of opportunities to experiment with a wide variety of technologies in different fields, which I find helpful in figuring out the industry I want to work in after I graduate. There are also a lot of opportunities outside the course which are helpful in terms of applying the skills and knowledge from the course to a real-life project and expanding your professional network of contacts.

Kostadin Vasilev, second year Digital Media student, 2022
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Entry requirements

Typical offer for 2024/25 entry.

Requirement What we're looking for
UCAS points 112
A level BBC
GCSE Minimum 5 GCSEs graded 4 / C including English and Mathematics
BTEC DMM
IB Diploma 29 points
Access to HE The Access to HE Diploma. Plus GCSE English at grade 4 / C or above

If you do not have the typical entry requirements, you may want to consider studying this course with a foundation year. We recognise a breadth of qualifications, speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

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Portfolio

You may be required to attend a portfolio showcase, activity session or audition or submit a portfolio via email (as is appropriate to your course), either virtually or face to face, as is practical to arrange. Invites for these sessions will be sent directly to your contact email.

Each application will be considered on its merits.

Are you eligible for the Fair Access Scheme?

We believe every student should have the opportunity to dream big, reach their potential and succeed, regardless of their background. Find out more about our Fair Access Scheme.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:


You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

If you do not have the typical entry requirements, you may want to consider studying this course with an international foundation year. Upon successful completion our International Foundation Year - Art, Design and Media will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to progress onto this undergraduate degree.

Portfolio

You will be required to submit a portfolio via email or alternatively attend a showcase activity session or audition (as is appropriate for your course) which can be virtual or face to face, as is practical to arrange. Invites to send in your portfolio or attend these sessions will be sent directly to your contact email.

Each application will be considered on its merits.

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6.0 overall, with no component lower than 5.5

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

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Fees and funding

2024/25 tuition fees.

Student Full-time Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man £9,250 per year Not available
EU £9,250 per year with EU Support Bursary**
£19,850 per year without EU Support Bursary**
Not available
International £19,850 per year Not available

If you choose to do a work placement2, you should consider travel and living costs to cover this. There is also a tuition fee3 of £1,250 that will cover your academic support throughout your placement year.

For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them. Find out what's included in your tuition costs.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

  • Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
  • Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.


Facilities

We have a well-stocked Media Loan Shop so you can borrow an extensive range of specialist, professional equipment, including 4K and HD video cameras, DSLR cameras, tripods, audio equipment and lighting.

  • Hyperstudio
    The Hyperstudio is designed to be an experimental space where staff, students, community, and industry can collaborate to solve real world problems. It is a cube with high-speed connectivity and power, that is both a making and showing space into which, an array of physical and digital technologies can be brought to support project needs.
  • Immersive media studio
    The immersive media studio is a studio space designed to allow design, collaboration and testing of immersive experiences that combine audiovisual elements in diverse ways. It is centred on performance capture and high-end XR capabilities, and includes capability for immersive audio integration.
  • Hacklabs: Electronic and Digital
    The two hacklab spaces are experimental spaces on the bleeding edge of emerging technologies and processes where students and staff can be guided in their exploration of new and emerging practices in an array of fields. A library of resources such as sensors and other physical computing solutions, and software for experimentation will be available.
Two male students presenting in a TV studio to a camera in the foreground.

Television Studio

You’ll have access to our on-site television studio The Tank, offering specialist equipment such as large cameras, mixing facilities and fibre-optic wiring throughout.
 

Male student setting up a photography light in a studio.

Photography Suite

This specialist facility is available to media students to take and process photos in a professional environment. There is also support for printing, high-end scanning and film processing.

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Media Loan Shop

Our media loan shop provides you with access to the equipment and support you need to excel in your studies – from basic audio recorders to professional cameras and expert advice from our technicians.


Careers and opportunities

On successful completion, you should be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: the various processes and practices that combine towards the production, circulation and consumption of media, communication and cultural texts.
  • Generate ideas, concepts, proposals, solutions or arguments independently and/or collaboratively in response to set briefs and/or as self-initiated activity.
  • Appreciate the cultural and social significance of the emergence of new technological forms of media and communication practice and how these shape the lived experience of everyday domestic and professional life.
  • Undertake a variety of forms of research appropriate to different forms of study and analysis and be able critically to reflect on the appropriateness of each form of research.
  • Critically reflect on the chosen processes of production of media artefacts and products.
  • Engage in creative, innovative and imaginative work.
  • Analyse information and experiences, formulate independent judgements, and articulate reasoned arguments through reflection, review and evaluation of digital media practices.
  • Work in flexible, creative and independent ways, demonstrating self-discipline, self-direction and reflexivity.
  • Gather, organise and deploy ideas and information in order to formulate arguments cogently, and express them effectively in written, oral and other forms.
  • Produce work which shows an effective manipulation of web, design, sound, image and/or the written word, demonstrating competences in operational aspects of digital media technologies, systems, techniques and professional and academic practices.

This course places your future employability at its core, so you will be well placed to go into several industries that require multi-skilled digital media professionals on graduation. Throughout your studies, you will develop your own Professional Practice Portfolio which you may use when looking for work.

Roles could include Digital Artists and Designers, Digital Project Managers, Creative Technologists, Web Developers, Content and Platform Developers, Digital Researchers, Learning Technologists, Digital Marketing and Business Professionals, as well as more traditional areas within the creative media industries.

We are committed to preparing you for your future career and giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. Our Talent team can offer tailored career and enterprise support if you wish to seek employment or discuss professional practice opportunities within course specific industries. Our dedicated enterprise officers also offer valuable assistance on how to begin as a freelancer/entrepreneur.

Where our graduates work

The School has a very long and impressive history of previous graduates who have gone on to establish themselves in extremely high profile media and cultural employment, examples of which include: executive producer for many highly prestigious Hollywood films, director for BBC documentaries, DJs for national radio stations such as BBC Radio 6 and Virgin Radio, developer at a customer experience company, digital marketing executive at a full-service agency, planners and creatives for a number prestigious London-based advertising agencies.

Further study

You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study.

Graduate Immigration Route visa

Based on current information from the UK Government, international students whose study extends beyond summer 2021 may be eligible for a visa under the UK Government’s Graduate Immigration Route, which will enable students to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for up to two (2) years. Check the most up to date guidance available to check your eligibility and any updates from the UK Government before making an application or enrolment decision.


How to apply

Full-time students applying to start in September 2024 can apply for this course through UCAS. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.

Part-time students should apply directly to the university.


If you'd like further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.

International codes:
AHU096

How to apply

For further support for international applicants applying for an undergraduate degree view our International hub.

You can also download our International guide which contains lots of useful information about our courses, accommodation and tips for travel.

This course with foundation year is not currently available to international students. If you do not meet the entry requirements to directly join year 1 of the degree, please take a look at our International Pathways Programme for additional options.


Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.

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