Home

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. You will engage critically with theories and research related to meaning-making and digital media practices and technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI). We are, therefore, looking for students with a strong practical and social interest in fresh approaches to literacy and educational creative media practices in the digital age. Different from a Journalism, Marketing or Communications Studies degree, this course 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 (2026/27)
£14,200
£7,100
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£39,200
£19,600
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 26 Jun 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026
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 course 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 course 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

You will learn concepts related to everyday digital media use, media and AI literacy in educational settings, creativity, and popular culture, and how these are used by literacy, film and media educators in global contexts. Critical theory and creative practice are linked throughout the degree. Working alongside UCL and British Film Institute tutors, you will acquire skills in the reading and making of digital texts and artefacts, working creatively with a range of established and emerging media. You will also conduct your own independent research study, cultivating your own critical, scholarly voice as you explore a digital media topic of your choice. 

Who this course is for

This course is for anyone interested in digital media and AI literacy across the curriculum. It will suit teachers and educators in any sector seeking continuing professional development in the field of new literacies, media education or film 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

UCL Institute of Education (IOE) is one of the world's leading centres for education and related areas of social science. For the twelfth year in succession IOE has been ranked as the world's leading university for Education (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025).

The Digital Media course at IOE is one of the longest-established postgraduate media courses 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, new literacies, AI literacies and learning and everyday digital cultures. The course 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 and beyond, promoting conversations between academics, literacy teachers, film and media educators, children and young people, community and minority groups, art and design practitioners and 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

Graduates of this course go on to a wide variety of careers in media and literacy education in colleges, primary and secondary schools, community settings, museums, libraries and galleries, and education-related settings. They also work in the private sector (IT and technology, public relations and retail), NGOs, research organisations, and government departments. They are also well-placed to follow academic careers in educational research.

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

This course will equip students with skills, knowledge and understanding of digital media and AI literacy. 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.

Networking

Our Course 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 mixture of 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. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Digital Media: Education.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Where you'll study

Department of Culture, Communication and Media

The Department of Culture, Communication and Media is committed to excellence in research and teaching in the areas of Art, Design and Museology, Academic writing, English education, Applied Linguistics, Music Education, Learning with Digital Technologies and teacher professional development.

Find out more about the department

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Digital Media: Critical Studies, Education and Production

—

Are you interested in the digital media and technology in society and education? We welcome you to book your place at our Virtual Open Event. You will meet our academics, hear about the courses you are interested in and have the chance to ask any questions you might have. These sessions are free and open to all.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £14,200 £7,100
Tuition fees (2026/27) £39,200 £19,600

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course 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 with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For modular/flexible offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a £350 deposit will be charged.

For modular/flexible offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a £500 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 £15 (note, this was the fee for 2025 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. 

For in-person teaching, 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 £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. 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

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

Next steps

There is an application processing fee for this course 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 course 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 course?

Tips:

  • When answering these questions, use your own words and avoid making general statements.
  • Try to describe your personal motivation for applying for this course, 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 courses (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: 2026-2027

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Culture, Communication and Media
Culture, Communication and Media

ma.dm.info@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.