Programme Specification: MSc Global Media and Communications with Fudan or USC
1. Awarding Body
2. Details of accreditation by a
professional/statutory body, e.g. ESRC;
BPS etc
3. Name of final award
4. Programme Title
5. Duration of the course
6. Based in the Department/Institute:
7. Relevant QAA subject benchmark
statements
8. Application Code
9. First written/last amended
LSE
N/A
MSc
Global Media and Communications
24 months full-time
Media and Communications
N/A
Fudan P4U4 / USC P4UB
1998 / November 2012
10. The programme aims to:
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to provide a high quality postgraduate education which introduces students to major
social scientific approaches to media and communications;
to provide a research training for students wishing to go on to MPhil/PhD research,
and to encourage the development of independent research skills;
to prepare students for doctoral or professional research in global media and
communications and for entry into a variety of media and communications-related
careers.
11. Programme outcomes: knowledge and understanding; skills and other attributes
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to enable students to develop an understanding of a range of theoretical and
methodological approaches to the study of global media and communications;
to provide students with access to knowledge of conceptual developments and
debates in research on global media and communications;
to provide students with a foundation in research relevant skills in media and
communications (including qualitative and quantitative empirical and theoretical skills);
to enable students to acquire the skills to think analytically and to facilitate their critical
awareness of the academic and professional literature relevant to their studies of
media and communications;
to allow students the flexibility to pursue particular topics of interest to them in a
variety of areas related to the social scientific study of global media and
communications;
to provide transferable skills in critical evaluation, marshalling of varied evidence,
organisation of complex materials and effective written and oral communication;
to introduce students to current developments in the professional media and
communications world by organising regular seminars from invited professionals
working in major firms and institutions;
to provide a stimulating and supportive learning environment for students on an
individual basis, in groups and in collaboration with supervisors.
See information relating to careers
12. Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved
and demonstrated
Theories and Concepts in Media and Communications (Power and Processes) involves a one
and a half hour weekly session with associated seminars. The methods course is taught as a
series of practical classes and lectures. Core and optional courses are taught through a twohour weekly lecture/seminar. The courses at USC Annenberg comprise 45 hours of class time
per course.
Students are assessed by written examinations, a series of research assignments, essays
related to the substantive courses and the dissertation which must be submitted towards the
end of August in the second year.
13. Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules and awards
See the MSc Global Media and Communications programme regulations
Additional information
14. Criteria for admission to the programme
Students will need to have at least an upper second class honours degree or its equivalent in
a social science subject. Applications are particularly welcome from those with professional
experience in the media and, in this case, degrees in another subject would be accepted.
15. Indicators of quality
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Entrance requirements (see 14) and strong demand for LSE/USC strand, while
LSE/Fudan strand is still in development (for 2010 entry, a total of 350 applications
were received for 65 places);
Members of department serve on relevant editorial boards of refereed journals;
Research quality: 75% judged world leading or internationally excellent in 2008 RAE
exercise;
Members of the department are authors of key texts in the programme subject area;
External Examiner’s reports;
The feedback we have received from the students who graduated has been largely
very positive. Two students have won the LSE’s Robert McKenzie prize;
The programme is one of the pioneering programmes to use on-line teaching and
learning resources.
The LSE Careers Centre website provides data on career destinations of LSE graduates.
16. Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standard of teaching and
learning:
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Media@lse students survey feedback in addition to School surveys of teaching
quality;
Staff-student termly meetings;
Review and promotion includes an assessment of teaching;
Tutor monitoring of student progress;
Media@lse Teaching and Learning Committee;
Complaints/consultation procedure;
External Examiner’s Reports;
In addition to other student feedback forms, the programme has used the following
forms to improve the quality and standard of teaching and learning:
- The on-line learning environment (developed on WebCT and now on Moodle)
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includes a course programme, on-line seminar discussions, electronic course
packs, PP lecture slides, students’ presentations, relevant links etc;
The Teaching and Learning Centre is available to monitor and observe teaching and
offers constructive advice on how to improve the standard of teaching and quality;
The Teaching Learning and Assessment Committee which regulates all aspects of
teaching quality;
Departmental TLAC review once every five years;
The Graduate Studies Sub-Committee which oversees all graduate programmes and
ensures that significant changes to programmes and courses pass through a
sequence of formal stages, so that curricular changes are appropriate and compatible
with other developments.