What we know of the world and how we act in it is critically related to our use of communication technologies, from language to screen, and from text to social networks. Media studies arose as an academic discipline out of the tradition of critical analysis in English literature courses. It has since grown and established itself as an important academic field in its own right, drawing from a wide range of academic material including texts and ideas from anthropology, psychology, criticism, sociology, philosophy, cultural studies, film theory, art history, and political science.

The media is in a near-constant state of upheaval with legacy media operations shrinking their operations and in some cases closing completely. The landscape is being redefined through online publishing and social media by an army of bloggers, YouTube stars, and citizen journalists. There has never been a more interesting time to study media and never a greater need for people who understand the current complexities of the industry. The media industry is notoriously competitive and some areas still count first-hand experience over academic qualifications but a media studies degree will give you a good grounding for a job in journalism or a similar media role. Graduates also go on to roles in public relations, as television producers, program researchers, or in marketing, communications, or publishing.