General entry requirements

Minimum requirements

2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a related subject.

English language requirements

You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:

• Band B
• IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.

International qualifications

We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.

For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.

Academic References

We typically ask for one academic reference for taught courses, and two academic references for research courses.

You will be asked to include an email address for your referee(s) when submitting your application and we will contact them for you.

View our guide to academic references.Link opens in a new window

Additional requirements

There are no additional entry requirements for this course. However, we may ask applicants to write a short essay, provide a video statement, attend an interview or respond to a set of questions.

Core modules

There are five core modules, which also includes their course-specific applied management module. The bespoke applied management module for this MA is ‘Applied Communication Project’. This module gives you the opportunity to apply your learning in practice- or industry-related contexts.

Optional modules

Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:

All students will take one optional module.

Read more about the MA in Global Media and Communication on the Centre's website.Link opens in a new window

Teaching

You will learn in an international environment through interaction with academic experts and industry practitioners.

The core modules are taught through a combination of lectures, workshops and student-led presentations and discussions. These sessions are complemented by self-directed learning and access to resources and activities in a virtual learning environment.

The course is designed to facilitate participation and critical reflection and in some modules you will have the opportunity to apply your learning in a professional context. The course will enhance your research, writing and communication skills through guided and autonomous reading, group projects, presentations, case studies, reports, critiques and assignments that may require engagement with audio-visual technologies.

Class sizes

We traditionally limit class size to 20-35 students on each of the three taught Master's courses.

Typical contact hours

Typical contact hours range between 6-10 hours each week for core teaching – this excludes additional tutorials, workshops, and research seminars.

Assessment

• All coursework
• Written assignments come in a variety of forms: essays, case studies, evaluations, reports, proposals, portfolios and business plans
• Group presentations and tasks, team building exercises, and creative and practical projects
• A major project (written dissertation of 12,000 words) on a research topic of your choice

Additional course costs

For all MA courses, the cost of field trips or off-campus assignments are estimated to cost between £100-£200, although this will depend on which option module has been chosen or the nature of a project or placement undertaken for an applied management module.

Reading Lists

If you would like to view reading lists for current or previous cohorts of students, most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library on the Talis Aspire platform.

You can search for reading lists by module title, code or convenor. Please see the modules tab of this page or the module catalogue.

Please note that some reading lists may have restricted access or be unavailable at certain times of year due to not yet being published. If you cannot access the reading list for a particular module, please check again later or contact the module’s host department. 

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.

Your career

Graduates from the Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies have gone on to work in television, film, communications, data analysis, arts and educational organisations, research, PR, publishing and have even set up their own businesses. The course is designed for students seeking managerial careers and entrepreneurial roles in the media industries or the communications departments of public and private sector organisations. The course is equally popular amongst UK graduates and those from countries where the media and communications industries are experiencing rapid growth and negotiating the challenges of the global digital economy.

Our graduates have gone on to work for employers including: Acacia Avenue, Barclaycard, BBC, British Embassy, Bankside Films, The Economist, EMEA, Facebook, Fox Networks Group, Global Influencer, Google, The Academy of Urbanism, OVO, Penguin Random House and Sky.

Past students have taken up managerial roles in corporate branding, marketing and communication, public relations, community media, digital media, social and participatory media, media production, publishing (print and digital) and media research. Our graduates are multi-skilled self-starters who can fulfil a variety of roles from creative director, editor and consultant, to project manager and communications expert.

We have a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant offering impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:

• Discovering Careers in the Creative Industries
• Careers in Radio Film and Television
• Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
• A history and DIY Guide to setting up and running a Theatre Company

Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies

We are internationally renowned for our excellence in the teaching and research in the policy, management, development, enterprise and industry of culture, media communication and creativity. Our approach is based on a critical engagement with both the practical realities of working in the cultural sector and the ideological and conceptual questions which lie behind them.

Find out more about us on our website.Link opens in a new window

Our Postgraduate Taught and Research courses

• Arts, Enterprise and Development (MA)
• Creative and Media Enterprises (MA)
• Cultural Policy Studies/Creative Industries/Media and Communication (MPhil/PhD)
• Global Media and Communication (MA)

Tuition fees

Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.

Find your taught course fees  

Fee Status Guidance

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.

Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?

If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.

Find out more about how universities assess fee status

Additional course costs

As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.

For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).

Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2025/26 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:

• Core text books
• Printer credits
• Dissertation binding
• Robe hire for your degree ceremony

Scholarships and bursaries