Why Study / Key Benefits

Massey University’s Bachelor of Arts (Media Studies) examines how media are produced, consumed and interpreted across areas such as smartphones, social media, television, popular music and film. The programme combines media theory with practical media production, allowing students to analyse media while also creating media products such as short films and documentaries. Massey says students develop creative and critical approaches to media production, communication skills, research and analysis abilities, and an understanding of the relationships between media, culture and society.

Key programme benefits include:

• Study of contemporary and traditional media forms.
• Combination of theory and practical media production.
• Development of digital media literacy.
• Opportunities for hands-on work in areas such as photography, documentary and visual storytelling.
• Analysis of media audiences, representations, technologies and industries.
• Development of communication, critical-thinking and creative problem-solving skills.
• Access to Massey’s digital technology, media facilities and online learning system.
• Flexibility to combine Media Studies with a minor or other elective study areas.

Programme Structure and Subjects / Topics

The Media Studies major consists of 120 credits, normally eight 15-credit courses. The overall BA also includes the compulsory BA core and elective components.

The current Media Studies course selection includes:

Year/level progression and subjects include:

• 154101 Media and Society – relationship between media and society, media representations, audiences, technologies, political economy and local/global contexts.
• 154250 Digital Media: Theory and Practice – contemporary digital and networked media, digital media literacies and digital media production.
• 154202 Advertising and Consumer Society – advertising, consumerism, capitalism, branding, creativity and agency.
• 154203 Popular Culture and the Media – cultural theories, identity, representation and cultural politics.
• 154204 Digital Media Production: Photography – digital photography, image production/editing, photographic genres, techniques and ethical issues.
• 154208 Screen Media – film and television, formal/textual characteristics and technological change.
• 154224 Digital Media Production: Documentary – planning, producing and editing short digital documentaries.
• 154301 Culture, Power and the Media – advanced study of media, popular culture and power relationships.
• 154302 Gender and Race in the Media – theoretical approaches to gender, race and ethnicity in media.
• 154303 Hollywood Cinema – Hollywood cinema's formal, social, cultural, technological and industrial development.
• 154304 Digital Media Production: Visual Storytelling – advanced video, motion graphics, visual effects, colour grading, music videos and social-media-focused video.
• 154311 Social Media and Digital Cultures – social media, identity, relationships, work, politics, societies, misinformation and influencers.
• 154313 Global Media Cultures – global media distribution, transnational communities, cultural identity and collaborative media production.

The BA also has a compulsory core covering:

• Turangawaewae: Identity & Belonging in Aotearoa NZ
• Tu Kupu: Writing and Inquiry
• Tu Arohae: Critical Thinking
• Tu Rangaranga: Global Encounters
• Tu Tira Mai: Practising Engagement

Disciplines / Specialisations

The programme-specific specialisation is:

• Media Studies

The BA allows students to broaden their studies through electives and, where regulations permit, a minor from the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Science. A second major may also be possible by using elective credits, subject to the applicable regulations.

Media Studies itself covers areas such as:

• Media and society
• Digital media
• Advertising
• Popular culture
• Photography
• Film and television
• Documentary production
• Visual storytelling
• Social media
• Global media cultures
• Gender and race in media
• Media, culture and power.

Programme Highlights

• 360-credit Bachelor of Arts.
• NZQF Level 7 undergraduate qualification.
• Three years full-time.
• 120-credit Media Studies major.
• Available at Auckland and Manawat campuses.
• Distance and online study available.
• Open to international students studying on campus in New Zealand or online from outside New Zealand.
• Combines theoretical media studies with practical media production.
• Practical areas include photography, documentary production and visual storytelling.
• Covers contemporary areas including social media and digital cultures.
• Opportunities to explore film, television, popular culture and advertising.
• Students can potentially combine the major with a minor or additional major subject to BA regulations. 

Career Outcomes

Massey identifies the following potential career areas for Media Studies graduates:

• Advertising
• Digital post-production
• Film and television production
• Web content creation/editing
• Journalism
• Public relations.

Latest Updates / Special Requirements

The current Media Studies programme page states that there are no special admission requirements beyond Massey's university admission regulations.

Important programme-specific considerations are:

• Not all Media Studies courses are available in every year.
• Course availability can vary by semester.
• Some higher-level courses have prerequisites.
• Students should plan prerequisite courses carefully before progressing to higher-level Media Studies courses.
• The major requires 120 credits.
• Students must satisfy the BA's overall 300-level credit requirements.

International Student Visa Requirements

International students physically studying the Media Studies BA in New Zealand generally require a Fee Paying Student Visa from Immigration New Zealand.

Current Immigration New Zealand requirements include:

• Offer of place from an approved education provider.
• Evidence of tuition-fee payment, ability to pay, or an applicable scholarship.
• Evidence of sufficient living funds.
• Acceptable medical and travel insurance.
• Genuine intention to study.
• Satisfactory health and character requirements.
• Evidence that the student can leave New Zealand at the end of the stay.