Media, Ethics and
Social Change

MA (online)

Flexible learning. 100% online

Media, Ethics
and Social Change
MA (online)

Flexible learning. 100% online

6 intakes a year

2 - 4 years part-time

Course fee: £12,660

6 intakes a year

2 - 4 years part-time

Course fee: £12,660

Request more information

Learn the skills to use the power of digital media to bring about social change.

Learn at your own pace, 100% online

Benefit from one-to-one career consultations

Produce a creative media project

Join a global classroom of international students

Connect with our leading academics

Study part-time over 2-4 years

Media and Film at Sussex is ranked 14th in the UK (Complete University Guide, 2021)

Modules

Each module lasts seven weeks and is delivered via Canvas, a state-of-the-art online learning platform, which can be accessed by a computer, tablet or smartphone alike so you can truly study whenever and wherever you like. You can take control of your schedule by fitting the recommended 20 hours study time per week around your existing commitments and lifestyle.

You’ll be able to critically review your workplace practices and help lead change from within. In order to graduate the course, all of the below modules must be successfully completed:   

Activist Media Practice 
Digital Media Ethics 
New Developments in Digital Media 
Media Theory 
Public Relations 
Gender, Sexuality and Digital Media 
Digital Media: Theory and Critique 
Race, Culture and Media 
Producing Media for Social Change 
Media and Climate Crisis 
Big Data for Social Change 
Participatory Media

This course is part-time and can be completed in a minimum of two years. You have the opportunity to step on and off the course, pausing your studies if your work or life commitments require, providing you complete the course within four years from enrolment.

Entry requirements

An upper second-class (2:1) undergraduate honours degree or above from any UK university or international equivalent. You could also be considered for entry to this course with relevant professional experience and may be required to submit a portfolio of work as part of your application. English Language requirements also apply, see below for further detail.

English language requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English (and whose first degree was not taught in English) need to supply evidence of IELTS (Academic) High level (6.5 overall, including at least 6.0 in each component).

Fees & funding

Course fee: £12,660
Cost per module: £1,055

Fees can be paid on a module-by-module basis, or as a single fee at the start of the course. You may also consider corporate sponsorship and employer funding. Our Admissions Team will be able to assist you with next steps for this method of payment.

Course fees will remain fixed for 24 months from your initial course start date. Thereafter, the course fee will rise at a rate of 2.5% per calendar year (subject to rounding for administration purposes).

Please visit our fees and funding page for more information on funding for Masters students.

20% Alumni discount

If you have previously graduated from an undergraduate, postgraduate or PhD course with the University of Sussex you will be eligible* for a 20% discount on this online course.

Find out more about the alumni discount and eligibility criteria.

*T&Cs apply.

Online learning

Studying online unleashes a variety of benefits to help support professionals complete a master’s degree alongside a demanding career and busy lifestyle.

You will learn from the same leading academics as our on-campus courses who are paving the way in their field of research, meaning you’ll gain insights without leaving the comfort of your own home.
You’re in charge of your schedule from day one – so there’s no need for a career break. You can decide when and where you want to study. Our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Canvas, is accessible 24/7 and live seminars are recorded too.
No travel required – the course is delivered 100% online so you can make the best use of your time.

You can become part of a global learning experience and make connections from around the world.

Professionally focused MA

The course has been designed to give you the broad range of skills employers desire; digital marketers and journalists will enhance their knowledge and use of digital platforms to reform the ways they work and bring more ethical practices to their workplace.

You will receive career-related content on our VLE and relevant web pages. As well as tailored one-to-one career consultations and workshops – delivered digitally.

With the knowledge and practical skills you’ll gain from this course, you will be well placed to take the next step in your career.

Many of our ambitious alumni are now in managerial positions in the UK and overseas at Bloomberg News, Citibank, the BBC, Yahoo! Japan, Oracle, and Fleet Entertainment Group. As a graduate from the University of Sussex, you will join a global network of alumni who continue to support and enhance each other’s development and careers long after graduating.

General information

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“I missed the opportunity to complete a Masters in my previous career and had always hoped to do one, one day. I have a lot of commitments at home with family and running a business, this format suits both my lifestyle and my choice of subject.”

– Liana Naylor, UK-based Sussex Online Student

Student testimonial video

Meet some of our inspiring learners, hear their reasons for choosing the Media, Ethics and Social Change course at Sussex, and find out how they fit online learning into their busy lives.

Read the transcript

I’m Rhiannon Brace and I’m a communications officer. So, I became really interested in digital media when I went from doing admin to finding more interesting ways to communicate with staff who some of them were at home and some of them were working in the office still and making podcasts and films online was a way to communicate in a more engaging way.
And then I thought I had this renewed like passion for it which made me want to study. The ethics side of the course was probably one of the reasons why I chose the course because there aren’t that many courses in Digital Media that have that strong ethic side and it wasn’t something that I’d really considered before I saw the course and but it’s actually so useful when you think about the use of media and the effect it has on the people who use it
The advantage of not having to be at a lecture. And if you can’t make it you can just watch the recording after and that is really helpful because you could be on a train journey, you could be at home in bed and just decide that you feel like doing some work the flexibility of having an app, having a website, having all the materials you need, and it’s just completely accessible, just makes life a lot easier.