Why Study / Key Benefits

The Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Media Studies) at Massey University is a postgraduate qualification designed for students who already have relevant undergraduate study and want to develop advanced knowledge, research ability and critical-analysis skills in media studies. Massey describes the programme as examining the production, consumption and content of media such as smartphones, social media, television, popular music and film. It combines theoretical study with creative practice and can provide a pathway into the Master of Arts (Media Studies).

Key benefits include:

• Advanced study of contemporary media theory and practice.
• Development of research and analytical skills.
• Study of the relationship between media, technology, culture, politics and society.
• Opportunities to examine film, popular culture, digital media and global media practices.
• Development of skills in analysing media texts, forms, processes and practices.
• Access to Massey's online learning system and digital educational technologies.
• Teaching from academics who are internationally published in contemporary media studies.
• A direct academic pathway toward Massey's Master of Arts (Media Studies), subject to meeting the master's entry requirements.

Programme Structure and Subjects / Topics

The Media Studies endorsement requires 120 credits. The current official programme schedule lists the following 30-credit courses:

• 154702 Advanced Film Studies – 30 credits
  Examines critical and theoretical approaches to cinema and their application to the social, cultural, economic, political and aesthetic significance of film.
• 154704 Researching Media and Cultural Studies – 30 credits
  Introduces theoretical frameworks, research designs and research methods used in Media Studies and Cultural Studies. It also supports students preparing research proposals for later research-based study.
• 154708 Modern Fiction, Popular Culture and the Media – 30 credits
  Examines twentieth-century approaches to fiction, including modern and postmodern developments and the relationship between elite art and popular culture. Literary and film texts are used for analysis.
• 154709 Technology and Cultural Change – 30 credits
  Examines how technology produces and transforms contemporary culture, including its influence on space, time and human experience.
• 154747 Media Practice and Global Culture – 30 credits
  Examines contemporary media practice in the context of globalisation, with attention to digital and mobile media technologies and the cultural, social, political, economic, ethical and environmental implications of media production, distribution and consumption.

Disciplines / Specialisations

The specialisation is:

Media Studies

Media Studies is one of the approved Postgraduate Diploma in Arts endorsements. Other current PGDipArts endorsements include Defence and Security Studies, Economics, Education, English, Geography, Geospatial Science, History, Maori Studies, Philosophy, Politics and International Relations, Psychology, Social Anthropology, Social Policy and Sociology. These are separate endorsements rather than additional subjects that a Media Studies student must study.

Programme Highlights

• NZQF Level 8 postgraduate qualification.
• 120-credit programme.
• Normally one year full-time.
• Media Studies is a compulsory 120-credit endorsement.
• Distance and online delivery.
• Open to international students studying online from outside New Zealand.
• Advanced study of film, media, culture, technology and global media practice.
• Dedicated research-methods course.
• Combination of theoretical analysis and creative/media practice.
• Potential pathway to the Master of Arts (Media Studies).

Career Outcomes

Massey identifies a range of career areas for graduates of the Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Media Studies), including:

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

Latest Updates / Special Requirements

The current Massey programme page confirms that Media Studies remains an active Postgraduate Diploma in Arts endorsement and is currently delivered through distance and online study.

Important current requirements include:

• Relevant bachelor's-level preparation, normally a BA with a Media Studies major or equivalent.
• Normally a B- average or above in the bachelor's degree.
• Official transcripts from other universities.
• Completion of the full 120-credit Media Studies endorsement.
• Compliance with course prerequisites.
• Massey English-language requirements for postgraduate study.

International Student Visa Requirements

The important distinction for this programme is that Massey currently lists Media Studies as distance and online and explicitly says it is open to international students studying online from outside New Zealand.

If the student studies entirely online from outside New Zealand, a New Zealand student visa is generally not required solely for undertaking the online qualification.

If Massey approves an arrangement requiring the student to study physically in New Zealand, the student would generally need an appropriate student visa. Immigration New Zealand's Fee Paying Student Visa currently requires:

• An offer of place from an approved education provider.
• Evidence of sufficient funds to pay tuition fees or an applicable scholarship.
• Evidence of sufficient funds for living expenses or an acceptable sponsor.
• Acceptable medical and travel insurance.
• Compliance with health and character requirements.
• Genuine intentions to study.
• Evidence of an intention and ability to leave New Zealand when the authorised stay ends.