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BA (Hons)Media Production
Apply through Clearing
Available through clearing
- 2023
- 2024
- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
UCAS code: P310
Institution code: S30
UCAS points: 104-120Flexible entry options available
Campus: Southampton City CentreView on Google Maps
Why study a media production degree at Solent University
Are you riding the wave of the new generation of content creation? Learn to bring your stories to life through ever-changing media platforms and create your own professional future.
- Top0for learning resources for media studies (NSS 2022)
- Top0for learning opportunities for media studies (NSS 2022)
- 0%of students feel staff are good at explaining things (NSS 2022)
- Access to extensive media loans that include high-end video and audio equipment, cinema and DSLR cameras with an extensive range of lenses, professional-grade lighting equipment and a full stock of accessories.
- During your degree, you will be able to work with our in-house creative agencies to gain valuable real-world experience.
- Enjoy live briefs and media take-overs where you will provide media content production and online social media marketing for a range of real clients.
- Exciting guest speakers, for example, film directors James Gayle (Shogun Digital), Emma Millions (Frieda TV), ideas guru Alison Norrington (Story Central) and podcaster Nina Garthwaite (In the Dark).
- Trips to exhibitions, film festivals and events (ie, Aesthetica Film Festival in York, Photographers Gallery in London, Short Sounds Film Festival in Bournemouth).
- A creative, multi-disciplinary environment for world-leading research in media, culture and the arts – you will learn from experts in their field.
Course overview
Solent’s media production degree is the ideal way to sharpen your content creation skills and become the multi-skilled media professional that industry employers are looking for. Our forward-looking course is underpinned by the distinct strands of video, audio, photography and online. But be prepared to move far beyond film, television, radio, and the still image as you know them: our cutting-edge curriculum embraces emerging media practices to help you tell your stories in new and increasingly immersive ways. With industry-standard facilities, a highly experienced teaching team, and an emphasis on real-world learning, our graduates are perfectly placed to pursue hands-on work in media content creation in photography, video production, podcasting and social media marketing.
At the heart of our course is a concern for story in a contemporary media environment, exploring the questions: How do we tell stories using different media? and How do audiences experience stories across a range of different platforms and channels?
These are questions you will explore in photographic, audio, video and online production modules throughout the course. It is an exciting time to be working in media as the industry is changing fast as technology rapidly evolves. However, at the heart of all media making, even today, is storytelling. On this course, you will learn to become an expert storyteller, learn how to collaborate with other media creators, complete industry-focused challenges, and work towards finding your place in the media.
You’ll explore, and take on, the role of a producer learning how to generate, develop and put into practice your story ideas, from documentary to drama, fact to fiction, and all points in-between. You’ll create live and recorded content which will engage audiences and you’ll learn how to use social media to promote and publicise your work, plus how to persuade potential clients that your ideas are winners.
All students will need to undertake 100 hours work experience in order to fulfil the requirements of the level six Work Experience unit. The experience can be gathered at any point during the course. Students’ work experience is assessed via a reflective portfolio during the second period of level six. Students will negotiate and arrange the work experience with the organisation concerned. Advice on how to arrange the work experience and produce the assessed element will be given by the work placement tutors on an on-going basis through tutorials.
All the activities on this degree are ultimately focused on your employability, ensuring that you graduate fully prepared for the world of work. You’ll take on live tasks, often set by real employers, producing content to a professional brief and develop an understanding of what it’s really like to be a creative in today’s media industries. You’ll gain experience through placements with real employers in real workplaces. And at the end of your studies you’ll have the opportunity to present your productions to media industry employers at our degree show event.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Call: +44 (0)23 8201 5066Email: admissions.international@solent.ac.ukCourse features
Foundation year available
If you're not quite ready for a full undergraduate degree, there's alternative entry through one of our foundation years
Specialist facilities
This course has access to specialist facilities
Further studies
After successfully completing your studies, there's an opportunity to continue your studies at Solent
Top-up option
If you have an appropriate Level 5 qualification, you can top it up to a degree in just a year
Who is this course for?
Solent’s media production programme is well-suited to students from a range of academic backgrounds with interests in media content creation, social media, video production, podcasting and photography. Candidates should be keen to build a portfolio of practical work and be comfortable working with new technology.
What does this course lead to?
Graduates from this course will be perfectly placed to pursue careers across the media industries, as well as related careers in content creation, journalism, PR, advertising and marketing.
Upon successful completion of this degree, graduates may choose to progress onto a range of our MA courses to develop their skills further.
Solent stories
Hear from Solent alumni about where their careers have taken them and how studying at Solent prepared them for their future.
Read more storiesMeet the team
The staff team includes a number of highly experienced media practitioners with backgrounds as professionals in the creative industries, supported by a number of highly qualified academics with specialisms in media making and production studies. Collectively they bring to the course experience of broadcast radio, newspaper and social media publishing, sound design, filmmaking, podcasting, television, events management, social media marketing, graphic design, website development and photographic exhibition. The team has close links with local creative and cultural organisations and are actively involved with local film festivals, media events and creative networks. Nationally the team have links with galleries, journals and media organisations that provide a regular flow of industry contacts who they bring down to the university to work with the students.
The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.
Facilities
Media production students benefit from access to our full range of professional media facilities and learning resources. Media facilities include testing labs, production studios, portable devices and TV/radio broadcasting equipment. Film-making equipment includes high-definition (HD) video cameras and DSLR full-frame cameras with a wide range of top-quality lenses and lighting kits.
Students also have free access to our media loans service, offering cameras, lenses, tripods, lighting and sound equipment which can be booked as required. Students on this course have full access to the University’s multi-million-pound media academy which boasts industry-standard facilities including green screen studios, post-production suites, and a range of audio production facilities. The academy’s post-production facilities also feature Mac Pro computers and the full Adobe Creative Suite for editing, colour grading and special effects.
Core modules
Producing: Selling Stories
Learn to generate fresh ideas, to shape them and present them in the form of a pitch. Explore the structure of story, the terminology, and how to analyse media content using these ideas.
Audio: Live Stories
Develop your technical skills and knowledge through practical work as part of a team, working to create and deliver a live radio/podcast-style programme to an audience in a real-time environment.
Photography: Stills and Stories
Learn to tell compelling stories through your photography, from pre-production theming and research to getting to grips with the technical elements of the camera, to framing, image editing and post-production.
Creating Your Brand
Control your own story. Learn to understand the media industry, find your place within it, and creating a personal brand – through design, graphics and self-reflection – that enhances and amplifies your creative voice.
Post-Production: Editing Stories
Learn the essential skills of the editor. Explore a range of digital editing techniques and software, as well as the aesthetic strategies that underpin and motivate editing choices in different contexts.
Video Production: Stories for Clients
Learn to follow a brief and tell engaging stories, managing projects through conception, pitching and delivery. Learn to respond and adapt to feedback, developing creatively and iteratively in service of the client vision.
How you will learn and be assessed
You will learn by:
You may be assessed by a combination of:
- Assignments
- Practical activities
- Individual presentations
- Group presentations
- Coursework
- Final major project
Solent’s curriculum framework builds on our unique, creative and applied approach to teaching. The transformation of students’ lives is at the heart of our mission as a university, and our curriculum – informed by the latest theory – reflects this shared educational vision.
Find out more
Study support
The student achievement team are on hand to help you succeed during your studies at Solent. They aim to contact you at key times during your time here with personalised information, advice and guidance, by email or phone.
Access Solent provides information, advice and guidance for disabled students.
All students can access Succeed@Solent, Solent's online guide to getting better grades. It offers extensive, practical information and advice on topics such as academic writing, research and presentations.
Why choose the industry?
The creative industries have been one of the success stories of the UK economy in recent years. Whereas other sectors of the UK economy have contracted, the creative industries have grown. Successive governments have viewed the creative industries as having a key role to play in the regeneration of the economy at national, regional and local levels.
A CBI report from 2011 titled Skills for the Creative Industries: Investing in the Talents of our People noted that, of the 182,000 creative industries companies in the UK (not including sole traders), 84% employ fewer than 10 People (Nathan 2011, 2). This is absolutely in line with what we have been told by our network of industry contacts. These businesses require graduates who can turn their hands to many different tasks and are willing to ‘pitch in’.
Value of the UK’s Creative Industries £107.5bn in 2017 – Creative Industries Federation.
Over 3.2 million people were working in the UK’s creative industries in 2018 - Creative Industries Federation
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2023/24 academic year are:
- UK, EU (settled status) and Channel Island full-time fees: £9,250 per year
- International full-time fees: £15,000 per year
For further information, please visit our tuition fees page.
Extra course costs
While most course costs are covered by your tuition fees, some essential resources and optional extras may need to be paid for separately. These additional costs are listed below. For advice on budgeting and managing your money, please contact student.funding@solent.ac.uk.
The 2023/24 other costs are not yet available. For guidance, previous other costs have been:
Compulsory costs
The module 'Your Brand Online' requires you to register a URL and purchase domain hosting for a website. You will be taught you how to build a dynamic website using a popular content management system (CMS). We will recommend a hosting company to you with whom we have negotiated a cost-effective package in the range of £20-£30 in total, depending on market prices at the time. You will need to complete the transaction yourself at the start of your second year on the course.
Optional costs
Students will need to purchase SD cards, external hard drives estimated at around £100 in total.
Bursaries, scholarships and financial support
Solent University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships that provide financial assistance or waive fees for tuition or accommodation. Each bursary or scholarship has specific eligibility criteria. Check out our bursaries and scholarships pages to find out more.
Graduation costs
There is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £45 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost. Extra guest tickets will go on sale after results publication and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost per ticket is currently £15. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
Financial information videos
Student finance This video 'Student finance - bitesize' is available as a text transcript, with a description of visuals.
Student funding - the essentials This video 'Student funding essentials - Student Funding for 2023' is available as a text transcript, with a description of visuals.
Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
104-120 UCAS tariff points
- A minimum of two completed A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at DMM or BTEC Diploma at D*D, a T-Level Merit, or equivalent qualification, or a combination of qualifications which comply with the minimum entry requirement of 104 UCAS points.
- All applicants will be invited for interview.
- Direct entry into year two or three may be considered for this course.
- For further information about UK qualifications, please contact admissions.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about EU qualifications, please contact admissions.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about international qualifications, please contact admissions.
Note to all international students requiring a visa
All international applicants need to be aware that the English language requirements to attend Solent University, and the English language requirements to obtain a visa from the Home Office, may be different. This means that if you meet the Solent University language requirement to gain a place on the course, you may still have to meet additional requirements to be granted with a visa by the Home Office.
We strongly advise all applicants to visit the Home Office website which outlines all the requirements for a successful visa application and to take a look at our 2023 course entry statement document.
104-120UCAS points
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Call: +44 (0)23 8201 5066Email: admissions.international@solent.ac.ukHow to apply
Full-time
Any student applying for the first year of a full-time/sandwich undergraduate course must apply through UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service). This includes mature, overseas and EU students.
Nearly all schools and colleges offer their students the facility of applying electronically through the UCAS website using 'Apply'; it may also be used by those applying independently in the UK and overseas. This facility and all course information can be found on the UCAS website: www.ucas.com.
Your application should reach UCAS by 25 January if you hope to enter a course the following autumn. Early application is advised for the most popular subject areas. Late applications may be made until the end of June. The UCAS Code for the University is S30, code name SOLNT.
Find out what happens after you apply
Contextual offers
Solent endeavours to offer learning opportunities to students from all backgrounds. When we receive and review an application, we take into consideration the context and personal circumstances of applicants when making a decision, which means our advertised entry tariff could be reduced.
Alternative entry options
Top-up route:
We welcome applications from students currently studying a Foundation Degree, DipHE, HNC, HND or modules of an undergraduate degree course at another university, who wish to enter directly into Years 2 or 3 of one of our undergraduate degree courses. Please contact our admissions team for more information: contact us
Language requirements
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language. The agreed minimum requirements for this course are:
- IELTS minimum 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual component
- TOEFL IBT minimum 80 with a minimum of 20 in each individual component
- Duolingo English Language Test - 115 overall with minimum of 95 in each component or equivalent.
Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
Pre-Sessional English programme
The University also offers a pre-sessional English programme for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
We will prepare you for your future
Suitable roles for graduates include
- Producer/director
- Media officer
- Creative director
- Digital marketing
- Marketing coordinator
- Production coordinator
- Video producer
- Fashion media producer
- Production assistant
- Content developer
- Social media marketing coordinator
- Web developer
We will help you start your career
The Solent Futures team is committed to getting students into great careers.
While you are studying, the team can help you with finding work experience or placements, link you with a mentor, check your CV, or offer one-to-one guidance.
If you're in your final year, we also have graduate job opportunities just for Solent graduates.
Find out more
Support at Solent
All students at Solent University have access to a range of specialist support services. Whether you are having financial difficulty, need additional help with academic skills or want advice on setting up your own business you'll find that help is always on hand.
Most of our specialist support services are based around the Student Hub, a central space where you can access all the information and support you may need during your time at University. The Student Hub is the first point of contact if you have any queries relating to your course, including questions about your timetable, options, and assessments and extenuating circumstances.
We work in partnership with the University to build a sense of pride and confidence in your Union, University and student experience.
Find out more
Further study
Thinking about studying further than an undergraduate degree? Alumni can get 20% off their postgraduate study.
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Make your application
- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
