B.A. Media and Communication

Degree awarded	Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Duration and credits	6 semesters; 180 ECTS credits
Starts in	October (winter semester)
Language of instruction	German

About the programme

In view of the ongoing changes in media consumption behaviour, no occupational field today can do without a theoretically and methodologically sound knowledge of the media sector. From the basics of media-based communication to specific analytical skills in individual media genres, the B.A. Media and Communication programme imparts core competencies in media studies, including film and television research, media psychology, media education, media informatics and communication studies. In addition to comprehensive media analysis skills, students are given insights into practical media production (e.g. print, audio-visual and online media, transmedia storytelling).

The programme thus draws from the humanities, cultural and social sciences and combines this content with the media as the subject of research and a conceptual-analytical media practice (online, print, television, film production, games). The programme is designed to give its students the theoretical and methodological underpinnings that will allow them to engage in reasoning processes according to scientific principles. Upon graduation, students are equipped with the necessary qualifications for subsequent master's-level study and with numerous skills and abilities that are relevant to their future professional life. The programme places a focus on scientific-institutional and practical-editorial media occupations, such as media research and teaching in an academic context (universities, adult education) and practical media education as well as media work in foundations, museums and various institutions.

This is an accredited programme which has received the Seal of Quality of the Foundation for the Accreditation of Study Programmes in Germany and MedienCampus Bayern e.V.

For details, please consult the Academic Advice Service's infosheet (German).

Features

A cross-media programme: Students learn the ropes in Bavaria's first cross-media university newsroom.
ZMK: The Centre for Media and Communication houses all editorial and studio rooms in a modern building with cutting-edge technology.
Campus media: Get involved in the University's student media – the radio station, Campus TV, magazines or blogs.

This bachelor's programme in Media and Communication gives you the optimal preparation for occupations in the media industry requiring analytical skills and media studies knowledge for the design, implementation and production of content in all media genres (online, print, audio-visual).

You are presented with a wide range of specialisation options as you progress through your studies, leading to a wide range of possibilities: editorial work in television, radio and the new media as well as print media, public relations, media consulting, marketing or adult education and media research.

Potential employers include media companies (film, television, publishing, online etc.) as well as advertising and PR agencies, education providers and public-sector organisations.

B.A. Media and Communications is an interdisciplinary programme that draws from the fields of communication studies, media studies and media education.

In the first two semesters you will acquaint yourself with the theoretical principles required to study the media as a system, the existing media genres and media consumption behaviour. In addition to attending introductory modules in media linguistics, semiotics and psychology as well as digital humanities and cultural-aesthetic media education and media work, you will take modules in media law and empirical social research methods.
In the focus modules you will acquire the methodology for analysing public communication.

You will develop an initial specialisation depending on the modules you choose to complete, be it in digital humanities, communication studies, cultural-aesthetic media education and media work, cultural media research, media informatics, media linguistics or psychology with a focus on human–machine interaction. The extension module groups enable you to focus more strongly on your future career goals. These modules are: film practice, media production, media informatics, teaching and learning with multimedia, media practice, transmedia narration as well as business and economics.

For further details, please consult the Academic Advice Service's information sheet (German) and the module catalogue (German).

To apply for this degree programme you need a recognised university entrance qualification, e.g. the German Abitur or an equivalent qualification.

You will need German language skills at level C1 CEFR or higher to study this degree programme, as that is the main language of instruction for this programme. Therefore, you will have to provide a recognised German language certificate such as DSH-2 or TestDaF 4 in all four categories, unless German was the language of instruction for your secondary school education (e.g. Abitur at a German international school) or prior tertiary education.

The University of Passau has set up a German language teaching unit, German Courses Passau, which offers a selection of preparatory language programmes tailored to the needs of international students. These range from summer courses to a full academic year and cater to learners of all levels.

Degree Programme	B.A. Journalism and Strategic Communication	B.A. Media and Communication
Content focus	Social (public and interpersonal) communication	Media production and its cultural and historical significance
Science	Communication Science (empirical social science)	Cultural and media studies (analytical humanities)
Occupational area	All communication professions, especially journalism and public relations, corporate and organisational communication, social media management, work in communication departments of companies, NGOs, foundations, associations, etc.	Professions in the field of media production (content in social media, games, movies and television, advertising), media analysis and media conception (editorial work, programme planning), media didactics, media literacy, adult education
Professional qualification	Work in all areas of journalism (print, online, cross-media, data journalism etc.) and multi-channel PR as well as in the field of data analysis (e.g. market and opinion research)	Analysis and reflection of contemporary media production in cultural contexts, use of media in educational processes
Specialties	Practical cooperations with partners from the media and business (especially practical work in editorial departments), free choice of supplemental minor subject (e.g. political science, psychology, economics or computer science), complementary to the academic Bachelor's thesis practical final thesis (journalism or PR) at the Centre for Media and Communication	Interdisciplinarity, many elective options (e.g. cultural studies mediality research, cultural-aesthetic media education, digital humanities or psychology with a focus on human-machine interaction), two-month compulsory internship
Stay abroad	Voluntary in the 5th semester	Voluntary in the 5th semester
German requirements	C1	C1