Key information
Duration: 1 year full time
Institution code: R72
Campus: Egham
UK fees*: £8,300
International/EU fees**: £17,600
The course
International Media Management (MA)
This course combines a thorough knowledge of business practices and the management of projects with a detailed understanding of specific management practices within the media industries. Your knowledge of media management will span traditional and digital media and cover how to manage all levels of project, along with digital and marketing skills essential to navigating the wider media landscape encompassing a variety of business models and audiences.
There will be a number of high-calibre tutors leading this course, many of whom are actively producing for TV and big-screen, as well as publishing extensively in the area of media and communications. You will also benefit from visits by many industry speakers and guest lecturers throughout the year.
- This course teaches the project management, business and vocational skills essential for working within the media industry and overseeing the life cycle of complex projects from conception to completion
- This programme believes that learning both creative and business skills is the most effective way to prepare next generation media graduates for the industry
- The multi- faceted nature of the media demands a multi-skilled professional and that is what we hope the students will grow into through your experience on this programme
Course structure
Core Modules
Year 1
Students take modules adding up to 180 credits.
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This module introduces you to key debates about the social, political and economic significance of the Internet-based media and their institutions, and how these are changing. Focusing on some of the main theories concerning the relationship between the media and society, this module also introduces you to online distribution and big data, allowing you to consider the relationship of these systems with more traditional media and their social implications.
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The aim of this module is to create a comprehensive understanding of the industrial process required to create long-form TV Drama. Beginning with Ideas, and where they come from, you will examine through examples the stages that transform an internal vision into written Treatments, then Scripts, and finally into Moving Pictures via the contracting of Crews, Artists, Studios, and Equipment. Assessments include the writing of a Script Report on a professional TV script, and the assembly of a Production Report describing the whole process using prose, graphics, and diagrams. A context-making visit is undertaken to a working TV Production Centre where a long-running TV Drama is recorded, and whose experienced staff answer questions from students.
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In this module you will examine the relationship and interdependencies between television texts and those of the related broadcast media of radio and the Internet. You will explore the major genres of TV production through international examples. You will also discuss the ways in which innovation in the major genres of TV can take place.
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In this module you will examine the main issues in the operation and (de)regulation of global television industry, providing an overview of the differing markets for television programmes and differing commission and production regimes around the world. You will look at the commonalities and differences between different television business models (Free with Ads, Subscription, Other); network organisation; independent production etc). You will also discuss the nature of global flows in programming and the market system that enables them.
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In this module you will develop an understanding of the way in which marketing has evolved and continues to evolve as a result of the rise and dominance of digital and social media. You will consider the influence digital media, the web, mobile and social technologies have had on marketing, and the impact they will likely continue to have on the way marketing practice develops in the future. You will examine the theoretical and historical context of digital and social media marketing, particularly how they relate to the film and television industries, and critically assess a range of campaigns and multiplatform marketing strategies.
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In this module you will develop an understanding of how complex projects in the creative industries are managed and financed. You will look at real feature films and television shows, following a drama project from the birth of the story idea through to the cinema or television release. You will consider the ways to manage such projects successfully and explore how tortuous and full of pitfalls the creative path can be.
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This module will describe the key principles of academic integrity, focusing on university assignments. Plagiarism, collusion and commissioning will be described as activities that undermine academic integrity, and the possible consequences of engaging in such activities will be described. Activities, with feedback, will provide you with opportunities to reflect and develop your understanding of academic integrity principles.
Optional Modules
There are a number of optional course modules available during your degree studies. The following is a selection of optional course modules that are likely to be available. Please note that although the College will keep changes to a minimum, new modules may be offered or existing modules may be withdrawn, for example, in response to a change in staff. Applicants will be informed if any significant changes need to be made.
Year 1
There are optional course modules available during your degree studies. Students can select one of the following modules:
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In this module you will develop an understanding of the contemporary issues facing media managers and the creative industries more generally. You will look at a variety of methodological approaches to the study of the creative industries, considering their relative strengths and weaknesses. You will analyse industry report data, presenting your findings in written and relevant visual forms. You will be assigned a supervisor who will provide support and guidance on how to carry out primary research and prepare your report to common industry standards.
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You will produce a short video or radio piece to UK industry-standards. You will create work which communicates with its intended audience and manage all aspects of the production process, including self-direction and the direction of others. On completion, you will reflect on your production, using knowledge gained in other areas of the course to analyse its success.
Teaching & assessment
This innovative new course combines two previous successful Masters courses (International Television Industries and Media Management) into a single degree with increased optionality taught by established media professionals as well as experienced project management professionals from the MSc Project Management team.
This course utilises a mixture of teaching methods from lectures, seminars, industry visits to individual tutorials. You will be allocated two Personal Tutors (one from Media Arts and the other from MSc Project Management). Assessment of knowledge and understanding is undertaken through seminar presentations, group projects, writing exercises, and coursework essays. The culmination of your degree will be a dissertation project, Media Industries Report or Production Practice Dissertation.
Entry requirements
UK Honours degree or equivalent
Normally we require a UK 2:1 (Honours) or equivalent in relevant subjects but we will consider a high 2:2 or relevant work experience. Candidates with professional qualifications in an associated area may be considered. Where a ‘high 2:2’ is considered, we would normally define this as reflecting a profile of 57% or above.
Applicants with relevant professional qualifications or creative experience in the Media will also be considered.
As part of the application Applicants may be required to submit an 800-word essay in English entitled "An analysis of the changes over the last five years in Media Management in one company or sector in your country".
International & EU requirements
English language requirements
All teaching at Royal Holloway is in English. You will therefore need to have good enough written and spoken English to cope with your studies right from the start.
The scores we require
- IELTS: 6.5 overall. Writing 6.5. No other subscore lower than 5.5.
- Pearson Test of English: 61 overall. Writing 61. No other subscore lower than 51.
- Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English (ISE): ISE III.
- Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) grade C.
Country-specific requirements
For more information about country-specific entry requirements for your country please see here.
Your future career
Previous graduates have gone on to work in independent television and film production, for broadcasters like Channel Four in the UK as well as international media agencies such as Comcast Universal International, Fox International Channels, CGTN, Hunan and for distributors, exhibitors and talent agencies.
Fees, funding & scholarships
Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £8,300
EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £17,600
Other essential costs***: -
How do I pay for it? Find out more about funding options, including loans, grants, scholarships and bursaries.
* and ** These tuition fees apply to students enrolled on a full-time basis. Students studying on the standard part-time course structure over two years are charged 50% of the full-time applicable fee for each study year.
All postgraduate fees are subject to inflationary increases. This means that the overall cost of studying the course via part-time mode is slightly higher than studying it full-time in one year. Royal Holloway's policy is that any increases in fees will not exceed 5% for continuing students. For further information, please see our terms and conditions. Please note that for research courses, we adopt the minimum fee level recommended by the UK Research Councils for the Home tuition fee. Each year, the fee level is adjusted in line with inflation (currently, the measure used is the Treasury GDP deflator). Fees displayed here are therefore subject to change and are usually confirmed in the spring of the year of entry. For more information on the Research Council Indicative Fee please see the RCUK website.
** The UK Government has confirmed that EU nationals are no longer eligible to pay the same fees as UK students, nor be eligible for funding from the Student Loans Company. This means you will be classified as an international student. At Royal Holloway, we wish to support those students affected by this change in status through this transition. For eligible EU students starting their course with us in September 2022, we will award a fee reduction scholarship equivalent to 60% of the difference between the UK and international fee for your course. This will apply for the duration of your course. Find out more
*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2022/23 academic year, and are included as a guide. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing, have not been included.
