Media
Entry Criteria
- English Language GCSE Grade 4
- Mathematics GCSE Grade 4
Examination Board
- OCR
Click here to visit the exam board course page for A Level Media Studies.
Teaching Staff
The media is everywhere, and influences information, and how the entertainment film industry, music industry, video games, industry, print industry and new media.
If you’re contemplating a career in the media, or are simply interested in any of the above media sectors, you will find this course stimulating and enjoyable.
You’ll write various essays requiring skills of analysis, interpretation and debate. You will be able to discuss topics like globalisation of the media, democracy in the online age, advertising, media regulation and the impact of social networking sites on traditional media platforms.
You will learn:
- how to research, plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills
- to evaluate your own practical work
- to understand codes and conventions of the different platforms (broadcasting, e-media, print)
- to develop enquiry, critical thinking and decision-making skills
- to develop your knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical media debates and issues.
Media complements a number of other subjects and potential progression routes. If you are considering humanities and social sciences subjects you will enjoy the investigative nature of media effects debates; if you are studying creative arts subjects the creative challenges of the production tasks will appeal to you and if you are studying science based subjects you will enjoy the different academic approach to the study of media texts. The course helps you to develop a critical overview of the media and our own consumption of the media.
The course gives students a wide array of skills to prepare you for taking a university degree in subjects including Media Studies, Journalism, Graphic Design, Marketing and other business or creative subjects.
All industries rely upon the media to support their business interests, whether it be a Facebook page, Twitter update, full blown website or weekly publication/blog.
What do our students say about Media Studies?
My favourite thing about studying A Level Media Studies was being able to see a product that I had made go from start to finish. For my Non Examined Assessment (NEA), I produced a three minute opening sequence. Seeing my NEA develop from start to finish was by far the highlight of my Media A level, I am incredibly proud of what I produced. The skills I have learnt from both the practical and theoretical side of the course are invaluable.
The advice I would give to a Year 12 beginning A Levels would be to remember that the step from GCSE to A Level is a big one, at the start A Levels do seem difficult, and it can seem like you are far away from were you want to be. However the more practise and effort you put in to your course, the better you will become. It is not about starting Year 12 and getting the highest grades, but instead being persistent with your efforts in working towards your goal.
Alongside Media Studies the other A Levels I took were Government and Politics and English Language. I also completed the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) where I looked at the influence of YouTube in people’s lives and whether children understand the difference between fiction and reality on YouTube.
As I come to the end of my A levels I look forward to beginning a Film Production degree at the University of Salford. I believe A Level Media Studies has provided a good foundation of theoretical and practical knowledge to help me as I begin a practical course in September.
