BlogUniversityWhat It’s Like Studying a Bachelor of Media at UNSW

What It’s Like Studying a Bachelor of Media at UNSW

Bachelor of Media UNSW - Fact Sheet

Thinking about undertaking a Bachelor of Media at UNSW?

Are you concerned with current events? Want to stay on the pulse with people, the world, our media and even the arts? Then it could be the perfect degree for you!

We have compiled all the info you could possibly want, including info on majors, campus vibes and classes! 

Get reading below! 

What is a Bachelor of Media at UNSW?
Core Units and Majors
How to Get into a Bachelor of Media at UNSW
What’s the Teaching Format?
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?

What is a Bachelor of Media at UNSW?

The Bachelor of Media at UNSW prepares students for a diverse and ever-changing media landscape! With the option to major in either Communication and Journalism, Screen and Sound Production or Public Relations (PR) and Advertising, the possibilities are endless with what you can produce!

The degree has a real-world focus and encourages students to constantly build their portfolios through assessments and experiences. If you’re someone who loves a challenge and enjoys thinking in creative and innovative ways, you’ll find this degree really worthwhile and engaging!   

Career Paths

Career paths that can be derived from this degree are extremely open, especially as the media landscape is constantly evolving and changing! You could end up in any of the following career paths:

    • Journalist 
    • Video and Sound Producer
    • Screenwriter
    • Interactive Media Designer
    • Radio Journalist 
    • Photo Journalist 
    • Content Writer 
    • Social Media Advisor 
    • PR Manager 
    • Advertising Practitioner 
    • Advertising Creative

Check out our articles on a career as a Journalist or a Producer!

Can this degree be studied in conjunction with another?

The Bachelor of Media with a Major in Communication and Journalism or PR and Advertising can both be studied as double degrees. The degrees will go for a longer length of time, typically 4 to 5 years total depending on the second major chosen, but you will emerge with double the qualifications – this creates more employability and skill for yourself! 

MajorCommon Combinations
Communication and Journalism- International Studies
- Arts
- Music
- Laws
PR and Advertising- International Studies
- Laws
- Music
- Arts
- Commerce
- Design
Screen and Sound Production- International Studies
- Music
- Arts
- Laws

Honours

The Bachelor of Media at UNSW can also be studied as honours if students maintain a high enough WAM (Weighted Average Mark) for entry. Typically the WAM sits at 75!

In media honours, students can pick from a range of broad topics to write their thesis on, the only limit is your own imagination! More info on honours here!

Core Units and Majors

What are the Core Units?

Within the Bachelor of Media at UNSW, there are common units that all students completing the degree must undertake. These common core units will expand students’ knowledge of the media landscape and how we can participate in it.

Some of the units you’ll be studying include Mobile Cultures, Media Power, Working with Data, Media Rights, Media Wrongs and more!

More specifically, one unit you’ll be taking is Media, Culture and Everyday Life, which explores the concepts of traditions, perspectives and the masses in relation to the media! This course starts within the familiar and expands to new media terms and ideas. 

Another core unit Media students study is titled Media, Society, Politics. This unit explores the ways in which information is mediated and related between social, cultural and political institutions. 

What are the Majors?

As well as core units, students will decide which Major to undertake. Students can choose between PR and Advertising, Screen and Sound Production and Communication and Journalism

PR and Advertising has a heavy focus on the creation of content that is innovative, new and different and will provide students with the knowledge required to practise this specialisation. Practical and strategic communication skills will be developed to put students in a position to navigate our complex media landscape! 

Screen and Sound Production provides students with a broad range of media, audio-visual, digital and screen production skills. The innovative blend of theoretical and creative teaching allows students to excel in this specialisation, and they will gain a knowledge of screen and sound’s role within contemporary society in a media driven landscape.

Communication and Journalism primarily focuses on developing student’s abilities to “think like a journalist” – students will learn to make quick decisions, write intelligently, but also learn not to compromise any integrity! Students will get the hang of storytelling in an authoritative and realistic manner, creating credible and cutting-edge content! 

Bachelor of Media UNSW - Student Quote

Are there built-in internships?

There are no compulsory internships for the degree, however, it is highly recommended that students undertake the unit, Industry Internship. This unit, offered by the Arts and Social Science Faculty, gives students the opportunities to find internships in a controlled and monitored environment! 

 

How to Get into A Bachelor of Media at UNSW

The ATAR cut off to receive guaranteed entry into a Bachelor of Media at UNSW is 84. If you did not obtain this ATAR, don’t be discouraged – there are pathways to enter into this degree, they include:

ACCESS Scheme – This initiative takes into consideration the hardships and disadvantages students may face. If you are eligible for ACCESS, your Selection Rank is increased, meaning you may gain entry into the Bachelor of Media.

You can find more on ACCESS here!

HSC Plus – HSC Plus gives up to 5 extra credit points for students who perform well in subjects relating to the degree students wish to take! For media, you can gain extra points for studying and doing well in Music, Modern History, Mathematics Advanced, English Advanced, any language courses and Aboriginal Studies!

You can discover more about HSC Plus here!

Scholarships

UNSW offers a large range of scholarships to eligible students! They have a handy Scholarships Calculator tool that will be able to tell you if you’re eligible for any of the scholarships offered by UNSW.

Check it out here!

What’s the Teaching Format?

UNSW follows a trimester teaching format, meaning that there are three 10-week teaching periods across a year. Generally, students will take on three subjects each trimester to complete a full-time load, but also have the option to only take two subjects for one trimester per year – which will still keep them on track to finishing their degree on time.

Bachelor of Media UNSW - Class Structure

The delivery method of the Bachelor of Media at UNSW varies depending on individual subjects, but you can expect to have lectures and tutorials or seminars

Typically taking around 2 hours, lectures involve a professor explaining models and theories relevant to media to an auditorium of up to 200 students. Don’t slack off though, because all this content will be discussed further in-depth within tutorials or be needed for assessments later on!

Tutorials occur after the lecture has taken place, with a smaller classroom of around 30 students for 2 hours. These classes solidify the knowledge digested through discussion, collaboration, activities and the opportunity to ask questions

Some classes have seminars instead of tutes, which are basically just mini-lectures with practical activities involved. Since seminars are much smaller, with up to 20 students, you’ll have the chance to work with different software and technologies, experiment with cameras and more, but be mindful that these classes can be 4 to 5 hours long.

How often will you need to be at university?

Contact hours for the Bachelor of Media at UNSW vary, however it is estimated that students will be on the campus for at least 12 hours each week!

What are the assessments like?

The methods of assessments in the Bachelor of Media at UNSW are as avant-garde as the ever-changing subject itself! Assignments can range from peer reviews, discussion panels, presentations, weekly discussions and more.

Generally, you can expect assignments and quizzes to take up the highest weightings of assessments.

Some of these assessment formats may be similar in structure to exams or assignments you have been doing throughout your educational endeavours. There also may be some new ways of being assessed that you are not familiar with!

Peer reviews could be new to you, as they involve you presenting work to the class – it could be a speech, essay or a piece of writing, and the class will dig into it and give you critiques and questions regarding your work!

Discussion panels also hold this peer review type of assessment! Within a discussion panel, you will present something to the class, like an essay or presentation on a topic. The class will ask questions – it’s almost like you’re the tutor giving a mini lecture and tutorial! 

Skills That You Refine and Learn 

Bachelor of Media UNSW - Skills

The Bachelor of Media at UNSW gives students lots of skills that can be readily applied as soon as they leave the classroom and go into the workforce! The broad nature of this degree means that you will work on and build a broad range of skills.

Both your analytical and creative thinking muscles will be flexed. Students will learn to think outside the box, whether it be for the next big news story, or creating an innovative campaign for a client! 

Communication and collaboration are also imperative skills that will become second nature to you if you study a Bachelor of Media at UNSW.

Communications and Journalism major students are encouraged to contribute to the UNSW publication Newsworthy. PR and Advertising major students – this applies to you too, it takes a village to raise a beautiful and well-rounded campaign! 

This degree at UNSW is also well renowned for the use of state of the art equipment, this means you will have the chance to utilise software and programs that are industry-standard! 

Interested in the pros and cons of this degree? Check out our article here!

What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?

The Bachelor of Media in UNSW is a part of the Arts and Social Sciences Faculty, which is a large faculty of disciplined and experienced lecturers and tutors. The experience with tutors is pretty much described as you get as much out of them as if you are willing to put in! 

If you are willing to put in the effort to ask lecturers for help, tips or even just connect with them, you will be rewarded by your networking efforts. Staying in contact with lecturers can prove to help you find excellent internships and have good recommendations for experiences!

The UNSW Media cohort is a large and diverse group of creative thinkers! You can typically see students walking around campus with a copy of their publication Newsworthy, or discussing current events!

Societies and Mentorships

The UNSW Media Society provides students with networking and up-skilling opportunities! However, the Media Society also provides students with like-minded people and peers to connect and grow with.

UNSW also hosts the mentorship program, FASS Peer Support Program, this group is run by fellow students and aims to foster a supportive and engaging environment for first-year students! The peer mentors make sure their mentees feel happy and supported.

Check out more on the program here!


Matilda Elliott is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and a Communication graduate with a major in Journalism at Western Sydney University. You can find some of her published work in a range of platforms including SBS World News, The Music Network and within her own creative exploits with her twin sister. Matilda is a lover of listening, helping people to tell their stories, making genuine connections, clowning around in her circus troupe and dancing like no one is watching at live music shows!

 

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