Media and English

Media and English is a combination that brings together the critical study of how meaning is made and communicated in contemporary media with the close reading and analytical frameworks that literary study provides. Media studies examines the full range of contemporary communication forms, from journalism, film, and television to digital platforms, social media, and emerging technologies, asking how these forms shape culture, influence public opinion, and create the mediated environment in which most people now live their lives. English adds depth through its training in close textual analysis, its engagement with the literary tradition, and its development of sophisticated writing and critical argument.

Together, the two disciplines develop graduates who can read both literary texts and media artefacts with precision and critical awareness.

At Leeds Beckett University, this part-time programme benefits from what the current description characterises as inspired teaching and intellectual debate alongside day-to-day interaction with award-winning authors, media industry professionals, published lecturers, and world-renowned researchers. This active engagement with practitioners and researchers reflects the programme's commitment to connecting academic study to the living cultures of both literature and media. You will develop creative and critical thinking alongside the analytical skills to engage rigorously with texts and media forms, and the part-time structure makes the programme accessible to students managing other commitments.

The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in another academic and cultural environment and to engage with media and English in a different national context.

Graduates from media and English programmes pursue careers in journalism, broadcasting, publishing, digital media and content production, public relations, communications, education, cultural organisations, and research. The combination of analytical writing skill and critical understanding of contemporary media is valued across a wide range of creative and professional contexts. Postgraduate study in media, English, creative writing, or journalism is a natural progression for those seeking specialist expertise.