About the Course

Studying Media will enable you to:

• Record, monitor and evaluate the process of your own media production from planning to outcome keeping a record of your progress as if you were working as a media professional.
• Understand how meaning is constructed by analysing a range of media, such as film, magazines, newspapers and websites.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the media industry. You will study production processes, learning about how a film is made for example, and the range of different media organisations that exist in the UK and globally.
• Show an understanding of how social groups are represented in the media, comparing messages and values in media texts.
• Plan and construct a media production from a prescribed brief, demonstrating technical skills and showing understanding of concepts such as audience, genre, representation and form.

You will have a great deal of opportunity to use the College’s excellent IT resources for creative and research purposes.

Media Studies is a respected subject in its own right, but it is an excellent complement to AS Level English, psychology, sociology, politics, history and art and design.

 

Key Units

You will study a range of media texts produced by the above industries such as advertisements, news articles, computer games, magazines and films.

You will also explore media issues and media representations, and, in year two, develop your understanding of these and other areas such as media regulation and censorship, new technologies and textual construction, as well as an individual research project.

You will also create your own media product such as creating a magazine for students, a promotional campaign for a film or a music video.

 

Entry Requirements

To study 3 A Levels

5+ GCSEs grades 9-4 in different subjects, including English Language and Maths at a minimum of grade 4

The Sheffield Sixth Form welcomes students who have studied vocational qualifications. However, the minimum entry requirements for the A Level programme, as shown above, must be GCSEs.

 

Assessment

A combination of coursework and exams. Examinations for A level take place at the end of two years of study and after 1 year for AS level.
 

Where does this lead

Media Studies can be studied at university degree level and may lead to careers in the media, including:

• Television and radio
• Journalism
• Teaching
• Publishing
• Advertising
• Law
• Business
• Computing and design

 

Tell Me More

Will this subject suit me?

The ideal student would be creative, interested in the media and take an interest in current affairs, and contemporary culture. The course is ideal for students who want to develop their skills in writing, design, photography and film. You will enjoy the intellectual challenge the subject entails, enjoy reading and be prepared to grapple with abstract concepts.
 

Personal Study Time

A Level students are expected to devote as much time outside the classroom to their studies as in lessons. Homework will be set regularly but students are expected to undertake self- directed research as well. Students will receive effective feedback, guidance and help from their tutors.