MSc Media and Communications MSc Media and Communications (Research)

About the MSc Programme

These programmes offer an intensive, year-long exploration of a wide range of contemporary issues in media and communications. They aim to provide:

• A broad based understanding of the development and forms of media systems in relation to political economy, regulation and power, production and organisation, processes of mediation and influence, communication content and audience response.
• An up to date engagement with diverse theoretical, conceptual and empirical developments in research on media and communications.
• A mix of core and optional courses, culminating in an independent research project in media and communications, that provides an ideal preparation for research or employment in media and communications and related fields.
• The flexibility to tailor the programme to pursue particular topics of interest by selecting from a wide range of courses taught by leading experts in the Department of Media and Communications and other departments at LSE.

The Research track programme also provides advanced research training, enhancing students' methodological and statistical skills. This degree offers:

• Research training for students wishing to undertake MPhil/PhD degrees.
• Advanced methodological training as preparation for research-related careers.
• Recognition by the Economic and Social Research Council (1+3 and +3 schemes) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Students may also apply for the Media and Communication Governance stream| of the MSc Media and Communications. This will enable them to follow courses with a focus on strategy, governance and regulation in the media and communication sectors, including courses related to media regulation and law.

We attract students from a diverse range of backgrounds, often including professional experience working in media and communications related fields. Indeed, the opportunity for cross-cultural meetings and exchange of ideas among the student body is a valuable feature of studying at LSE.

You should have at least an upper second class honours degree or its equivalent in a social science subject. We particularly welcome applications from those with professional experience in the media and communication fields and, in this case, we would accept a degree in other subjects. Exceptionally we may consider professional experience instead of a first degree. 

On graduating, our students enter a variety of careers in the UK and abroad, including broadcasting, journalism, advertising, new media industries, political marketing, market research, regulation and policy, media management and research in both public and private sectors. See lse.ac.uk/media@lse/alumni|

Teaching and assessment

The programmes consist of four units, including required and optional courses and the dissertation. Courses typically involve a combination of lectures and seminars. The Methods of Research course is taught as a series of lectures and practical classes. You will be examined by written examinations, research assignments, essays related to courses and the dissertation, which must be submitted in the summer.

The programmes run for a full calendar year. Formal teaching is usually completed by the end of the Lent term. Examinations for all courses are generally held during May and June. The remaining months are set aside for students to complete their dissertations, and it is not normally essential for students to remain in London during these months.

Part-time students will normally take and be examined in courses to the value of two units in each year of study.  In the first year, these two units, selected in discussion with the student's academic adviser, will usually include the compulsory theoretical course(s) and one or more option course(s).  The methods course(s) and the dissertation are then usually taken in the second year, together with the remaining option course(s).  Students may be permitted to vary the courses to be taken in each year with the approval of their academic adviser.

Please note that we do not provide a practical training in journalism, production, campaigning or media management.

Compulsory courses

(* half unit)

• Theories and Concepts in Media and Communications I (Key concepts and interdisciplinary approaches)* and Theories and Concepts in Media and Communications II (Processes of communication in modern life)*
• Methods of Research in Media and Communications (including Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis* (for students on the non-research track)
• Advanced Methods of Research in Media and Communication (including Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis) (for students on the research track)
• Dissertation

Options

Choose to the value of one and a half units (one unit for students on the research track) †:

• Screening the Present: Contemporary Cinema and Cultural Critique*
• Interpretations of Information*  
• Digital Convergence and Information Services*
• Media and Communications Regulations*
• Media Law: Regulating Publication*
• Media Law: Regulating Newsgathering* 
• Critical Approaches to Media, Communication and Development*
• Media and Communication Governance*
• The Audience in Media and Communications*
• Mediated Resistance and Citizens*
• Political Communication*
• Media, Technology and Everyday Life*
• Contemporary Issues in Media and Communications Regulation*
• The Social Psychology of Economic Life*  
• Gender and the Media Representation*
• Innovation and Information Systems: Concepts and Perspectives* 
• Cultural Constructions of the Body*
• International Media and The Global South*
• Information, Communication and Knowledge Systems*  
• Identity, Transnationalism and the Media*
• Critical Studies in Media and Journalism*
• Global Media Industries* 
• Interpersonal Mediated Communication* 
• The Social Psychology of Communication
• Science, Technology and Resistance*
• Psychoanalysis and Communication* 
• Qualitative Research With Non-Traditional Data*
• Film Theory and World Cinema*
• Digital Media Futures* 
• Current Issues in Media and Communications*
• Representation in the Age of Globalisation* 
• Any other half unit paper which is offered in the School at master's level, subject to the consent of the student's teachers

† Students must take option courses to the value of at least one half unit from the Media and Communications Department.

Please refer to the School's policy on course capping: lse.ac.uk/courseCapping|

Please note that the availability of option courses is dependent upon a number of factors and thus neither the School nor the Department of Media and Communications can guarantee that all options will be available each year.