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Digital Media: Education MA

London, Bloomsbury

The Digital Media: Education MA route explores the social and cultural dimensions of digital media in formal to informal educational settings, in schools and beyond. Students engage critically with theories and research related to meaning-making and digital media practices. We are, therefore, looking for students with a strong practical and social interest in fresh approaches to literacy, including popular culture and educational creative media practices in the digital age. Different from a Journalism, Marketing or Communications Studies degree, this programme is focused on issues within and debates around Digital Media Education, with a specific emphasis on qualitative research methods.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£13,500
£6,750
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£36,500
£18,250
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 04 Apr 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

Applicants with a 2:1 from a UK university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in Education Studies, Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Film Studies, Digital Media Arts or English Literature will be considered. Applicants with a 2:2, in a relevant subject, plus at least 2 year's work experience in an educational setting (in a school, college, university, cultural/arts agency) may be considered. Applicants with a non-relevant subject will not be considered.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 3

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

This programme is suitable for international students on a Student visa – study must be full-time, face-to-face, starting September.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Students will learn concepts related to everyday digital media use, media literacy in educational settings, creativity, and popular culture, and how these are used by film and media educators in global contexts. Critical theory and creative practice are linked throughout the degree. Students will critically engage with, and produce, media texts such as short films and blogs, working alongside UCL and British Film Institute tutors, and work towards developing their own research study.

Who this course is for

This programme is for anyone interested in media education and film education. It will suit teachers and educators in any sector seeking continuing professional development in the field of media education. It will also suit practitioners in NGOs, social media, museums, galleries, youth and outreach workers or those in educational publishing, media production or any aspect of media education.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

The Digital Media programme at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society is one of the longest-established postgraduate media programmes in the UK. It is based at the UCL Knowledge Lab, a leading interdisciplinary centre whose mission includes researching digital media, reflecting on digital cultures, and developing digital technologies. With an international reputation in media literacy research, the Digital Media MA team are active researchers in areas relevant to digital media education, learning and everyday digital cultures. The programme team belongs to the ReMap research centre (Research in Media Arts and Play) whose membership is drawn from UCL colleagues and cultural organisations with an interest in arts, culture and new literacies in the context of education and digital media. This collective research directly informs the design and teaching of this Master's degree.

We are involved in collaborations within UCL, such as with the School for the Creative and Cultural Industries and beyond, promoting conversations between academics, film and media educators, children and young people, community and minority groups, art and design practitioners, and gallery and museum curators. We have an ongoing partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI) whose tutors work with students on the Moving Image Production and Dissertation modules.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

This route will equip students with skills, knowledge and understanding of media education and media literacy in the digital age. They will acquire practical skills in the reading and making of digital texts and artefacts in various forms. They will learn a range of methods in educational research, with an emphasis on ethnographic and qualitative approaches rather than quantitative methods.

The best quality of my course is certainly the faculty members who lead it. The professors and lecturers on the 'Digital Media: Education MA' are incredibly knowledgeable, inspirational, engaging and encouraging. Learning from them has been an amazing opportunity.

Tanya Geggie, Digital Media: Education MA

Tanya Geggie

Digital Media: Education MA

Q&A with Tanya Geggie

Employability

Graduates of this programme go on to a wide variety of careers in media and education-related settings. They are also well-placed to follow academic careers in educational research. 

Networking

Our Programme Induction and seminars are in-person and function as your first opportunity to network with your peers and tutors. You will be encouraged to take advantage of wider UCL networks including volunteering, clubs and postgraduate events. Students may also be invited to one-off guest lectures or seminars. In addition, the UCL Careers service has a large number of resources to support you with finding appropriate networks for your chosen field.

Teaching and learning

Teaching is delivered through a blend of online and face-to-face lectures, seminars, presentations, tutorials and workshops.

Students are assessed by coursework assignments, plus practical or portfolio work for some modules. In addition, all students will write a Dissertation.

For full-time students, typical contact hours are around six to eight hours per week. Outside of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials, full-time students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments.

In terms one and two full-time students can typically expect between six and eight contact hours per teaching week through a mixture of lectures, seminars, online formative feedback and tutorials. In term three and the summer period students will be completing their own dissertation research, keeping regular contact with their dissertation supervisors.

Contact hours for part-time students will depend on the modules selected. Typically a part-time student will only work on one module in any one term. For each module, typical contact hours vary between three and four per week and students will additionally engage in approximately 10 hours of self-study per module. The time allocated will vary from module to module and tutors will advise you in how to manage your workload.

Modules

This includes two compulsory modules (30 credits each); two optional modules (30 credits each); a Dissertation (60 credits). Optional modules are also available from IOE's English Education MA subject to availability.

You will follow one module per term over two years.

This includes:

  • two compulsory modules (30 credits each, one of these taken in each Autumn term)
  • two optional modules (30 credits each, one of these taken in each Spring term)
  • and  a Dissertation (60 credits) starting in the Spring term

One optional module is also available from IOE's English Education MA, taken in the Spring term, strictly subject to availability.

There is also an option for students to complete the MA over a period of time, between two and five years.

Compulsory modules





Optional modules






Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits: two compulsory core modules, two optional modules, and a Dissertation or shorter Report. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Digital Media: Education.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £13,500 £6,750
Tuition fees (2025/26) £36,500 £18,250

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For flexible/modular offer holders a £500 fee deposit will be charged.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Students are responsible for covering any travel, accommodation, and other expenses involved in conducting research for their dissertation, and should account for these costs when planning their finances.

DBS may be required depending on the type of research undertaken for the dissertation module. The DBS application cost will be covered by UCL, but offer holders will also need to have their ID checked and verified at a Post Office, for which they will incur a charge of £18 (note, this was the fee for 2024 but may change). The offer holder is also required to arrange and pay for any overseas police check that may be necessary; costs vary by country. For more information about the DBS application process, please contact the Admissions team. 

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

Some bursaries are offered to UK applicants across the three MAs on the Digital Media Programme, to the value of £5,000 for full-time study, with the requirement that the applicant has been offered a place on the programme and is eligible to pay UK fees. Please find more information here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/scholarships/digital-media-programme-bursary

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

IOE-Clarke Scholarships

Deadline: 5 May 2025
Value: Tuition fees, return flights and stipend (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

IOE-ISH Centenary Masters Scholarships

Deadline: 5 May 2025
Value: Tuition fees and accommodation at International Students House (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Next steps

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

The personal statement is your chance to tell us why you are a good match for this MA, and why this MA is the right programme for you. Tell us something about your interest in and enthusiasm for new media literacy practices and educational research related to film and digital media. If you can, give us an idea of a topic you might wish to explore in your dissertation. Your statement should cover the following points in a maximum of 600 words:

  • Why do you want to study Digital Media: Education at postgraduate level?
  • What issues, topics or problems do you look forward to exploring?
  • Why are you particularly interested in Media Education and Cultural Studies approaches to these problems?
  • How has your academic and/or professional background prepared you to meet the demands of this programme?

Tips:

  • When answering these questions, use your own words and avoid making general statements.
  • Try to describe your personal motivation for applying for this Programme, giving examples.
  • Tell us about any practical media production experience you may have had.
  • Do not simply repeat information from your CV or copy text from the UCL website.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Culture, Communication and Media
Culture, Communication and Media

ma.dm.info@ucl.ac.uk

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