Why Study / Key Benefits

Massey University’s Diploma in Arts (Media Studies) is a one-year undergraduate diploma designed to develop an understanding of how media are produced, consumed and represented, while introducing students to practical media-production techniques. The programme takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on linguistics, textual analysis, cultural studies, aesthetics, politics, and the study of gender, race, social class and national identity.

Key benefits include:

• Critical understanding of media industries and their social, economic and cultural importance.
• Study of media production, consumption and content.
• Exposure to both theoretical analysis and practical media production.
• Opportunities to develop digital-media and visual-production skills.
• Study of advertising, popular culture, screen media, photography, documentary, social media and global media cultures.
• The diploma can provide a pathway into the Bachelor of Arts, with Massey confirming that courses completed in the Diploma in Arts can be transferred to the Bachelor of Arts. 

Programme Structure and Subjects / Topics

The Diploma in Arts combines compulsory Diploma in Arts core study with the Media Studies subject courses. The Media Studies endorsement contains 60 credits of Media Studies courses, while the remaining credits are completed according to the Diploma in Arts regulations and approved programme structure.

The current Media Studies course schedule includes:

• 154101 Media and Society – 15 credits
  Introduces the relationship between media and society, including media representations, audiences, media technologies, political economy and local/global media contexts.
• 154202 Advertising and Consumer Society – 15 credits
  Examines advertising, consumerism, capitalism, branding, art, agency and advertising as both corporate manipulation and creative expression.
• 154203 Popular Culture and the Media – 15 credits
  Examines cultural theories, identity, representation and cultural politics through popular culture and media.
• 154204 Digital Media Production: Photography – 15 credits
  Hands-on digital photography involving planning, producing and editing images, together with study of photographic history, techniques and ethical issues.
• 154208 Screen Media – 15 credits
  Examines film and television, their formal and textual characteristics, technological change and the relationship between traditional screen media and digital media.
• 154224 Digital Media Production: Documentary – 15 credits
  Provides practical experience planning, producing and editing short digital documentaries, alongside study of documentary history, techniques and ethics.
• 154250 Digital Media: Theory and Practice – 15 credits
  Examines social, cultural, economic and technological changes created by contemporary digital and networked media and develops digital-media literacy and production skills.
• 154301 Culture, Power and the Media – 15 credits
  Advanced examination of media, popular culture and the contestation, negotiation and maintenance of power relations.
• 154302 Gender and Race in the Media – 15 credits
  Examines representations of gender, race and ethnicity in media through different theoretical approaches.
• 154303 Hollywood Cinema – 15 credits
  Examines the formal, sociocultural and technological characteristics of Hollywood cinema and their relationship with the film industry's historical development.
• 154304 Digital Media Production: Visual Storytelling – 15 credits
  Develops advanced video-production skills including motion graphics, visual effects, colour grading, music videos and social-media-focused digital content.
• 154311 Social Media and Digital Cultures – 15 credits
  Examines how social media influence identities, relationships, work, politics and society, including issues such as misinformation and influencers.
• 154313 Global Media Cultures – 15 credits
  Examines new media technologies, global media distribution, transnational communities, collaborative media production and cultural identity.

Disciplines / Specialisations

The relevant specialisation is:

Media Studies

The Diploma in Arts may be completed with or without an endorsement. For Media Studies, the programme provides a defined 60-credit subject area.

The wider Diploma in Arts allows students to construct their programme from approved subject areas and electives, subject to the qualification regulations. Media Studies itself covers areas including:

• Media and society
• Advertising
• Popular culture
• Digital media
• Photography
• Screen media
• Documentary
• Visual storytelling
• Social media
• Global media cultures
• Media, culture and power
• Gender and race in media
• Hollywood cinema.

Programme Highlights

• One-year full-time undergraduate diploma.
• 120-credit qualification.
• Media Studies endorsement worth 60 credits.
• Eight 15-credit courses for a normal full-time year.
• Auckland, Manawat and distance/online study options.
• Combination of media theory and practical production.
• Coverage of traditional, digital and social media.
• Practical work in photography, documentary and visual storytelling.
• Courses addressing advertising, popular culture, film, television and global media.
• Courses can provide a pathway into further Bachelor of Arts study, with Massey stating that Diploma in Arts courses can transfer to the Bachelor of Arts

Career Outcomes

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

• Advertising
• Editing
• Filmmaking
• Journalism
• Public relations.

Latest Updates / Special Requirements

The current official Massey page confirms that Media Studies remains available as a Diploma in Arts specialisation and is open to international students both on campus in New Zealand and through online study outside New Zealand.

Important requirements and considerations:

• There are no Media Studies-specific admission requirements beyond university admission regulations.
• The qualification requires completion of at least 120 credits.
• The Media Studies endorsement contains 60 credits.
• Individual courses can have prerequisites.
• Students must follow the official Diploma in Arts regulations when selecting the remaining credits.
• Students who subsequently progress to the Bachelor of Arts can transfer their Diploma courses, subject to the applicable rules.
• International students intending to study in New Zealand need to arrange the appropriate student visa.
• Massey recommends international students apply at least three months before their anticipated start date.

International Student Visa Requirements

An international student studying this qualification physically in New Zealand will generally need a Fee Paying Student Visa.

Immigration New Zealand currently requires applicants to have:

• An offer of place from an approved education provider.
• Sufficient funds to pay tuition fees or an applicable scholarship.
• Sufficient funds for living expenses or an acceptable sponsor.
• Acceptable medical and travel insurance.
• Good health and character.
• A genuine reason for coming to New Zealand to study.
• Evidence that they can leave New Zealand at the end of their stay.