The MA in Media, Data and Society is designed for you if you have an interest in the opportunities, yet risks, that emerge from the increasing use of digital data in our society.
Study in a department ranked in the world top 75 and 4 th in the UK for Communication (ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2026).
The programme aims to provide you with an introduction in the approaches that are used for the collection, the analysis, and the storage of digital data, such as data mining and machine learning; as well as with a critical skillset about the political, economic, moral and societal implications of the use of digital data in contemporary society.
The programme has a strong interdisciplinary focus, with elements from communication studies, computer science, and sociology. It aims to provide you with the opportunity to develop an in-depth knowledge of the dimensions that permeate the use of digital data. We will focus on topics such as big data capitalism and surveillance, the changing digital audience practices, and digital media infrastructures, as well as methods that allow students to use tools for digital data collection, digital media analytics, and data visualisations.
The MA provides a critical and technical overview on digital data but it is also intended to answer the needs of students who wish to master skills and expertise as a means to building a career in the field of digital media and data analysis, and improve employability skills for a career in the broader digital sector or for further academic research on the topic. In particular, the programme will develop students’ skills using the R programming language: a prominent modern toolkit for data analysis which is freely available and in demand for data jobs both within and outside academia.
The programme also provides a strong platform from which to progress to further research at PhD level that is supported and supervised by colleagues at the Department of Communication and Media.
The programme has a strong interdisciplinary focus, with elements from communication studies, computer science, and sociology, meaning it will:
The qualifications and exam results you'll need to apply for this course.
You'll need to demonstrate competence in the use of English language, unless you’re from a majority English speaking country .
We accept a variety of international language tests and country-specific qualifications .
International applicants who do not meet the minimum required standard of English language can complete one of our Pre-Sessional English courses to achieve the required level.
Do you need to complete a Pre-sessional English course to meet the English language requirements for this course?
The length of Pre-sessional English course you’ll need to take depends on your current level of English language ability.
If you don’t meet our English language requirements, we can use your most recent IELTS score, or the equivalent score in selected other English language tests , to determine the length of Pre-sessional English course you require.
Use the table below to check the course length you're likely to require for your current English language ability and see whether the course is available on campus or online.
If you’ve completed an alternative English language test to IELTS, we may be able to use this to assess your English language ability and determine the Pre-sessional English course length you require.
Please see our guide to Pre-sessional English entry requirements for IELTS 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0, for further details.