Future Media - MA
Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry.
Learn how to cut through noise, create meaningful content and activate innovative campaigns with right-first-time solutions. MA Future Media is a progressive, future-facing course that combines advertising agency methods, content production skills and digital marketing strategies for your progression in creative communications and media, across all digital channels and platforms....
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time/Part Time
- Award MA
- Start date September 2025
- Fees View course fees
- Subjects
- Location City Centre
This course is:
Open to International Students
Overview
Learn how to cut through noise, create meaningful content and activate innovative campaigns with right-first-time solutions.
MA Future Media is a progressive, future-facing course that combines advertising agency methods, content production skills and digital marketing strategies for your progression in creative communications and media, across all digital channels and platforms. The programme's "practice-led, theory-applied" teaching helps you to pivot your credentials and talent to align with new and evolving industry opportunities.
What's covered in this course?
The course reflects the wider industry collective; job markets you want to identify with, and your own aspirations: from sustainable futures to creative innovation, online safety, ethical practice, content production, strategic decision-making, and greater, more representative inclusivity for all in burgeoning creative industries.
These considerations are immediate and essential in media creation and communication. How, for example, do we weigh positives in generative AI, like augmented creativity against negatives like bias? How do we address an online-driven epidemic of anxiety in young people? What separates fact from fiction in all our news and social feeds? Many agencies and authors advocate firmer regulations, in-person interactions and more meaningful, inclusive reflections of our human condition.
Throughout MA Future Media, your teaching and learning are led by highly experienced academics with award winning creative credentials and in-class contributions from professional practitioners at the cutting edge of their profession. This is further enriched through hands-on content creation in our state-of-the-art studios.
In your year on the programme, you’ll be planning creative marketing and advertising campaigns with ad agencies, meeting potential mentors and employers, and developing brand and product promotions with clients. You’ll be creating content in professional contexts and building new user journeys in contemporary and emerging technologies with our industry standard resources for your assignments, and for your own continuing professional development.
Thanks to Future Media, my final project and your mentorship... I secured an internship, got my visa and now I'm a full time Account Manager working at Ping Pong Digital...
Amy Zhu, Account Manager, Ping Pong Digital, MA Future Media 2015
Why Choose Us?
- Our lecturers are professional academics with decades of proven experience and award-winning track records in digital marketing communications and advertising.
- Our teaching is structured in tutorial groups to give you the best possible learning experience.
- Our industry partners are top advertising and marketing agencies who work with us in class, provide mentorship on projects and in some cases opportunities in industry.
- All your assignments are rooted in real-world briefs with close links to industry professionals at the top of their game, so you learn from professional practitioners as well as your teaching team.
- Your final three-month project is all about you, your choices, and your professional development: many students who leverage their project as a mentored conduit to employment gain a job in their field of choice.
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OPEN DAY
Join us for a Virtual Open Event where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail, meet our subject academics and learn more about postgraduate finance, all from the comfort of your own home.
Next Event: 5 February 2025
Entry Requirements
Essential requirements
Applicants are normally expected to have a minimum of a 2:2 honours degree, or equivalent, in any discipline and be able to demonstrate an aptitude for project management, creative asset development or strategy and analysis.
We also welcome applications from individuals who may not satisfy the normal entry requirements, but have equivalent qualifications and/or experience. For example, you may have qualifications in marketing; business studies; English/linguistics;economics/statistics; multimedia/digital content creation; art and design; media and communications; journalism/PR; or psychology. Relevant work experience could include freelance filmmaking/production; working as a runner/production coordinator; or producing/directing.
Applications are only considered when accompanied by detailed personal statement. You must write between 700-1000 words to clearly say why you have chosen to study Future Media. You do not necessarily need to have a media or marketing background; what matters most is a passion for communication and an appreciation of communications channels and platforms.
Applying with international qualifications
See below for further information on applying as an international student.
If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MA
Starting: Sep 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
- £10,820 in 2025/26
- Full Time
- 18 months (including Professional Placement - see below*)
- £11,900 in 2025/26
- Part Time
- 2 years
- Show fees
- £1203 per 20 credits
- Year 1 - 80 credits
- Year 2 - 100 credits
Fees for Part-time students
This course can be studied on a Part-time study basis. The cost per year of study is based on credit requirements for that year.
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MA
Starting: Sep 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
- £18,600 in 2025/26
- Full Time
- 18 months (including Professional Placement - see below*)
- £20,460 in 2025/26
*Professional Placement option
The Professional Placement version of the course is optional and is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course.
This will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will also benefit from support sessions delivered by Careers+ as well as advice and guidance from your School.
Placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course. All students who do not find a suitable placement or do not pass the competitive selection process will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
Personal statement
You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
If you are applying for a stand alone module, please include the title of the module you want to study in your Personal Statement.
Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.
Course in Depth
Modules
The learning experience and outcomes of this course concentrate on:
- Client account handling and creative direction.
- Creative brief writing, concept development, visualisation and copywriting.
- Customer relationship management, task models, user journeys and wire frame development.
- Creative skills development in design, brand development and guardianship.
- Web analytics, search and social media monitoring.
- Video content creation, production and delivery for deployment.
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 160 credits):
This 40-credit module explores the disciplines of the creative communications process and the industry workflows that follow. Using the latest trend reports, case studies and research insights, you will learn how and why the most professionally celebrated workflows are rooted in systematic progression: from robust research discoveries to effective communication designs that reach and convert target audiences successfully. In the communications industry, these workflows are called methodologies.
This module introduces you to creative research methods and methodologies used in arts and design production. The focus here is on research through practice, where practice itself serves a research purpose. Through the analyses and synthesis of appropriate research tools you will deepen understanding of your own work, whilst querying what it is you might research and how you might achieve your aim.
This 40-credit module sets you in the hot seat of strategic and creative decision-making. Working with industry clients on ‘live’ briefs, you will be shown the strategic importance of data-led media planning and the effective importance of emotion-led creativity.
It’s all about making meaningful connections: you will make strategies to create in-bound marketing content, to attract audiences, and out-bound marketing content to persuade them. You will use state- of-the art production resources in hands-on content creation for live industry briefs and/or international competitions like the D&AD ‘New Blood’. You will also learn how to position, track, measure and optimise your communications activity, as well as explore best practice in the prompting of generative AI to augment your creative executions.
The purpose of the Professional Project module is to enable you to undertake an in-depth and theoretically informed research project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. This master’s module should be viewed as a first step in your professional progression rather than a final step in the degree.
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules:
This module provides an opportunity for you to apply your knowledge and skills to an external, professional brief. The brief will be ‘real’, set in negotiation with an external client/agency/community, or it may be a simulation, inspired by a typical professional scenario you might experience in a work situation. The brief will enable you to apply your discipline-specific skills broadly, collaborating with your fellow students and, where relevant, across disciplines and with other stakeholders.
Creative careers often lead individuals on unexpected journeys, traversing diverse paths. Recognizing and seizing opportunities becomes pivotal in shaping a fulfilling portfolio career - one that harnesses your creative abilities while sustaining your livelihood. Whether you’re crafting artistic artifacts, performing, providing services, or offering consultancy, the art of promoting and pitching ideas lies at the heart of an independent, entrepreneurial journey.
Central to this experience is a 70-hour work placement, which you can complete either in a concentrated block or spread out over the duration of the module. During this placement, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your professional attributes and subject-specific skills. To closely align with real-world job market conditions, you should expect to prepare a current and relevant CV, attend interviews, conduct research in order to source your own placement.
Support will be available from academic staff and the ADM Careers+ service to assist you in securing your placement.
Professional Placement
In order to qualify for the award of MA Future Media with Professional Placement, a student must successfully complete all of the Level 7 modules listed as well as the following Level 6 module:
This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 20-week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree.
The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
Download course specification
Download nowAs the tsunami of future media continues to grow exponentially, we’ll teach you how to ride the wave, optimise emerging technologies and exploit opportunities in a sea of new and evolving digital communications markets.
You’ll get to work in classes and teams to strategize, create and deploy simulated real-world campaigns, you’ll experience the jeopardy of client-facing deliveries and you’ll be guided by industry mentors and tutors throughout the process. There are neither exams nor lengthy dissertations in Future Media; every assignment is rooted in client or agency briefs and all your work is assessed on the quality of your delivery, your ‘pitch’ presentations, your professional reports and your practice. This experiential learning equips you with the knowledge you need to achieve your Masters, a creditable track record of professional practice and an accumulation of evidence that you can showcase in your continuing personal and professional development.
You’ll spend the first nine months of your year progressing through the theory and practice of developing and delivering digital marketing and advertising campaigns to client briefs. You’ll be learning on the job as the course introduces you to agencies and teaches you their methodologies, exposes you to professional practice and challenges your abilities in self-reliance, teamwork and performance under pressure. You’ll learn how to talk-the-talk and walk-the-walk because in a ‘pitch’ presentation everybody is depending on you, there is nowhere to hide and you only ever get one chance to make a first impression.
You also use this time to prepare for your final major project: usually collaboration activities with an agency, brand or mentor where students extend the research, development and delivery of innovations in digital marketing and advertising communications that they care about. This is all about you, your professional development, your pursuit of perfection and your proven application of knowledge to practice through an employment-led portfolio that showcases your expertise, talent and professionalism.
Learning from industry professionals
Find out more about the inaugural Forward 2020 conference which gave students the chance to hear from and network with leaders in the digital marketing industry.
Employability
Enhancing your employability skills
The Future Media course directly answers the industry call for “T-skilled” workers in the creative media industry, (Skillset. Strategic Skills Assessment for the Creative Media Industry London. 2009: 20). Here professional employability is defined by proficiency across disciplines and specialist expertise within them.
Typically, Future Media graduates at work are delivering multichannel digital campaigns for their clients but their choice of Final Major Project and continuing professional development plans can direct them towards specialist ends of the marketing spectrum. Graduates from this course are frequently employed in client liaison as account managers, brand strategists, creative producers, content curators and marketing campaign development.
Amy Zhu
Account Executive at PingPong Digital
“I currently work at a Chinese digital agency. My role involves internal and external communications and assisting the social media and technical teams. Future Media was a great way to further my undergraduate degree and put the theory I’d learned into practice.
Being immersed in the latest technology, techniques and innovations helped prepare me for the competitive job market and equipped me with the skills needed for my role.”
Links to industry
In addition to delivering specialist lectures our industry partners get involved in updating the content as well as helping to frame your assignment briefs as the digital landscape evolves.
Historically these collaborations include some impressive industry players:
SapientNitro describes itself as “a new breed of agency for an always-on world… redefining how stories are told across brand, digital and commerce”.
ThinkJam represents some of Hollywood’s biggest studios and markets their movies globally.
BBC Creative is the BBC’s in-house creative agency. Their ambition is to make as many people as possible love and value the BBC.
International
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Details of the entry requirements for our courses
- Some of the good reasons why you should study here
- How to improve your language skills before starting your studies
- Information relevant to applicants from your country
- Where to find financial support for your studies.
Our students
Future Media is defined by the diversity of its students and their continuing professional development in a constantly evolving global media landscape. A wide representation of cultures are represented in our graduates: Europe, Middle East, Africa, Russia, India, Asia Pacific and the Americas We know that our nations and cultures give us contexts and we leverage these by building shared experiences and values in all our interests and communications. Channels for communicating with audiences face constant disruption, as a global marketing student you will learn how to define the message and chose the channel to achieve maximum effect.
In their final major projects, many Future Media students use this disruption as a sandpit of real-world-risk to develop their own professional expertise and monetise their proficiency: Students from India and Russia have worked with viral ad giants Unruly to look at optimising campaigns in their own territories; similarly, students from Africa and China have worked with SEO experts MediaComm on developing mobile search campaigns and buying apps in their home nations while students from Europe, the Middle East and the Americas have worked with top agencies like AMVBBDO, Ogilvy One and OMD on innovative FMCG and communications campaigns using emerging technologies in culturally appropriate deployments. In every case, students build a portfolio of practice to showcase their skill-set at the cutting edge of a highly competitive job market.
Facilities & Staff
Our creative degrees are housed in the state of the art £62 million Parkside Building, part of our City Centre Campus.
We offer extensive studio and workshop space and cutting-edge equipment such as Vicon 3D (an external tracking motion capture facility) and Gypsy (an exoskeleton-based motion capture system). Both of these systems extend the possibility for production of 3D animation and films.
We offer cutting-edge provision such as digital print centres and Sonny Ross became the first Arts, Design and Media student to master the art of the RISO machine. He has since used this to produce many successful RISO publications including “Rojo & Baxter” which has been a success at various zine and book fairs across the country.
The Parkside Building also offers:
- exhibition space
- digital and analogue photographic facilities and studios
- dark rooms
Our staff
Mike Villiers-Stuart
Senior Lecturer and Course Leader MA Future Media
Mike has spent 30 years making creative marketing and advertising content for big brands like Centrica, global media giants like the BBC and international advertising agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi. Along the way, Mike’s work has won prestigious awards like BAFTA, D&AD Gold and RTS while launching digital channels for international...
More about Mike