Bachelor of Media and Communications
Undergraduate
UNE-MCM-DEG 2024Course information for 2024 intake View information for 2025 course intake
Creative communications for the digital era
Get to the core of communication and storytelling, then learn how to adapt it for digital. You’ve got the choice to specialise in media and culture - or - writing and publishing. Get ready for careers in PR, advertising, social media, journalism, and more.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 3 years full time or part time equivalent
- Total subjects
- 24
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
- CSP available
- Yes
Bachelor of Media and Communications
About this degree
Upon completion of this course, graduates will be able to:
- demonstrate coherent and in-depth knowledge of the disciplinary field of media and communications across local and global contexts, including the practices, languages, forms, materials, technologies and techniques studied in this field;
- demonstrate knowledge and applied understanding of the disciplinary methods of media and communications, including its rationales, themes, concepts, theories and interdisciplinary dimensions;
- identify and apply appropriate research methods for gathering, interpreting, analysing and evaluating ideas and information from a variety of sources, and for developing and synthesising knowledge;
- select and use appropriate communication technologies, forms, styles and techniques to investigate problems and present ideas and arguments coherently for specific purposes and types of intended audience;
- adapt and apply knowledge and skills with initiative, to plan and develop projects, solve problems and make decisions in scholarship and/or professional practice; and
- work independently and collaboratively, with an understanding of social, cultural and ethical contexts in further learning and professional practice related to media and communications.
This course equips students with broad and coherent knowledge and skills in the rapidly changing field of media and communications. Students may choose a 'Media and Culture' or 'Writing and Publishing' major. They learn methods and techniques of film studies, television studies, news media, digital and social media, adaptation, creative and professional writing, and editing and publishing. The course enables students to apply knowledge and skills in professional work or further studies in media and communications.
We live in a rapidly changing world, and none more so than the world of media and communications. The rise of digital media, social media and streaming services has seen the landscape change like no other, but the fundamentals of effective communication and storytelling remain constant. At the heart of effective communication is both the ability to tell an engaging story and to ensure it reaches and resonates with its target audience. UNE's Bachelor of Media and Communications will equip you with the necessary tools to achieve both objectives, and help you forge a career in the media and communications industry, no matter how the landscape changes in the future.
This degree will help prepare you for a career in a range of industries, including digital media, advertising, news, the television industry, national and international film, documentaries, rhetoric and public affairs, and publishing and editing.
Recommended study pattern
Program of Study
Core Units
- Complete four core units
Prescribed Units
- Complete one prescribed unit
Media and Culture Major
- Complete eight units
Writing and Publishing Major
- Complete eight units
Elective Units
- Complete 11 elective units
Award requirements
Candidates who meet the course requirements for the Bachelor of Media and Communications and who have successfully completed 48 credit points towards a major will have that major appear on their testamur.
Choose your subjects
Majors
Students are required to complete one of the following Majors comprising of 8 subjects per Major:
- Media and Culture
- Writing and Publishing
Electives
Complete 66 credit points of elective units. Elective Units can be selected from any unit offered by the University subject to candidates meeting overall course requirements and prerequisite and timetabling requirements for individual units.
Exit points
Subject to meeting Advanced Standing rules, candidates who apply to discontinue their studies in the course may be eligible to exit with the Diploma in Arts on completion of 48 credit points in accordance with the Diploma in Arts course rules.
Subject to meeting Advanced Standing rules, candidates who apply to discontinue their studies in the course may be eligible to exit with the Advanced Diploma in Arts on completion of 72 credit points in accordance with the Advanced Diploma in Arts course rules.
Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.
Indicative total fee $48,038
The amount shown here is indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.
Fees may vary depending on:
- the subjects you choose
- credit from previous work experience
- your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.
To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.
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How to apply
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Entry requirements
You can apply for this course if you have undertaken any of the following qualifications with an appropriate Grade Point Average (GPA):
- Undergraduate Certificates
- Diplomas
- Advanced Diplomas/Associate degrees
- Bachelor degrees
- Postgraduate degrees
If you are admitted on this basis, you will be eligible for admission under standard entry.
Please note: all admissions are subject to UNE’s Admission, Credit and Enrolment Policy.
If you are currently studying Year 12 (school or TAFE) or have done so within the past 2 years.
Guaranteed ATAR is 72.55.
Please note: all admissions are subject to UNE’s Admission, Credit and Enrolment Policy.
You can apply for this course if you have undertaken VET studies. When assessing your application, we will look at the following factors:
- Level and type of qualification (Certificate IV or above)
- Graded or ungraded (competency-based)
- Complete or incomplete.
If you are admitted on this basis, you will be eligible for admission under standard entry.
Please note: all admissions are subject to UNE’s Admission, Credit and Enrolment Policy.
You can apply for this course on the basis of work and/or life experience via at least one of the following methods:
Professional Experience
If you have completed at least one year of paid professional experience, we can assess you for admission on this basis. Simply provide a resume and a Statement of Service from your employer/s in your application.
Mature Age Special Entry
Tell us more about your work and life experience, demonstrating why you believe you will be successful in the course you are applying for. Simply complete the form and upload it in your application.
Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)
The STAT is a test that assesses a range of competencies considered important for successful tertiary study. UNE accepts the multiple-choice component provided you have completed it within the three years prior to course commencement.
If you are admitted on this basis, you will be eligible for admission under standard entry.
Please note: all admissions are subject to UNE’s Admission, Credit and Enrolment Policy.
If you are admitted into this course and believe you have already completed the equivalent of one or more of the units in your Program of Study within the last ten years, you can apply for Individual Unit Advanced Standing.
Career opportunities
Graduate with greater knowledge about the media, how it works and how it has evolved. You’ll have gained diverse communication and analytical skills and be equipped to adapt to any rapidly changing workplace. Media and communications play an important role in any organisation; it’s their avenue to speak clearly and directly to their audience and to highlight their role in society. Many of our media and communications graduates go on to forge careers in public relations roles, in both the public and private sectors.
Career options for graduates include:
- journalism
- radio and television
- public relations, marketing and advertising
- social media
- corporate writing
- public sector research and administration
- communications strategy
- marketing messaging.