Digital Media (Placement Year)

BA Hons

  • UCAS code P301
  • Entry year 2026
  • A level requirements ABB
  • Duration Full time 4 years
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We welcome applications from the United States of America

We've put together information and resources to guide your application journey as a student from the United States of America.

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • 2

    2nd for Communication & Media Studies

    The Complete University Guide (2025)

  • Access to Digital Media Studio and specialist equipment

  • Joint 10th for graduate prospects (Communication and Media Studies) The Complete University Guide (2025)

Developments in digital technology range from overly friendly chatbots to inconspicuous algorithms. But what role do digital media technologies, in their many forms, play in our everyday lives, our local communities and cultures, and the global societies we live in? The skills you’ll develop on this programme will prepare you for a dynamic career in one of the many areas where digital innovation is fundamental.

Why Lancaster?

  • Taught by world-leading experts in digital media, you will learn from academics who shape conversations in areas such as media power, ethics and AI
  • Take advantage of our fully equipped digital media studio and specialist equipment to support your studies
  • Dive into a field that is constantly evolving, preparing you for a fast-paced industry where no two days are the same
  • Discover the relationships between digital developments and social concerns, and how technologies are affecting societies around the world
  • Build strong contacts through networking opportunities, guest lectures and workshops with industry professionals, and field trips

Real world challenges

This course explores the question of how digital technologies, in their many forms, function in our everyday lives and the global societies we live in. You will develop awareness of how the design and deployment of digital technologies orders, shapes and disrupts society, often having more complex consequences than imagined or acknowledged.

You will discover how digital media is constantly evolving, exploring the past, present and future of media and its role in society. You will analyse key themes in digital societies, such as artificial intelligence, social media, digital tracking, algorithmic power, surveillance and quantification, and how these themes are presenting both opportunities and challenges within our everyday lives.

Envision your journey

Our research is world leading. You will be taught by our team whose expertise covers a wide range of fascinating topics, from artificial intelligence and algorithmic cultures to fandom, sustainability, media activism, gender and sexualities, and more. Our international experts intervene in key debates about our “mediated world”, including consulting on media ethics and policy.

Your final project allows you to pursue you own intellectual interests and creative passions through a piece of original research. You might choose to write about the research you have carried out or produce a media piece like a website, a podcast, a music video, journalistic interviews, or a social media campaign. You can let your imagination run wild!

You will have access to the latest digital media equipment to help you complete your assessments, and you’ll be able to showcase your work at our Final Degree Show.

Beyond the classroom

You can build your creative portfolio by getting involved with our student media societies. Lancaster University has a television station, a newspaper, a radio station and a cinema where you can take on all sorts of roles, from social media management and digital content creation all the way to presenting live – if you dare!

We organise bespoke careers’ sessions on employment opportunities in the media and creative sectors, with the opportunity to join expert led workshops, creative sessions with media activists, and visits to heritage organisations. In the past we have run workshops with journalists from organisations such as the BBC; masterclasses in areas like podcasting; and career talks with professionals based at think tanks and NGOs.

Throughout your time at Lancaster, you will build a strong network of contacts that will be valuable as you start your career as a digital media professional.

Your Placement Year

Sometimes known as a year in industry, your placement year will take place between your second and final year of study and this will extend your degree to four years.

Placements and Internships

Hear from students and employers on how Lancaster University could support you to gain real-world experience and bolster your CV with a placement or internship as part of your degree.

A student working on a piece of stained glass.

A placement year is an excellent way to...

  • try out a role that you may be interested in as a career path
  • start to build your professional network (some placement students are offered permanent roles to return to after they graduate)
  • develop skills, knowledge and experience to put you ahead of the field when you graduate

You'll spend your third year...

in a graduate-level position, where you’ll work for between nine and twelve months in the type of role that you might be considering for after you graduate. A very wide range of companies and organisations offer placements across all sectors.

As a full-time employee, you’ll have a job description with specific responsibilities and opportunities to access training and development, the same as other employees.

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Our Careers and Placements Team...

will help you to search and compete for a suitable placement with expert advice and resources, such as creating an effective CV, and tips for applications and interviews.

You will still be a Lancaster University student during your placement and we’ll keep in touch to check how you are getting on.

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The university will...

use all reasonable effort to support you to find a suitable placement for your studies. While a placement role may not be available in a field or organisation that is directly related to your academic studies or career aspirations, all offer valuable experience of working at a graduate level and gaining a range of professional skills.

If you are unsuccessful in securing a suitable placement for your third year, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent non-placement degree scheme and continue with your studies at Lancaster, finishing your degree after your third year.

Careers

As a graduate of this programme, you will have impressive knowledge of digital media and its impact on society combined with skills in critical analysis, research, presentation and writing. This means you will be well-placed to enter careers in the varied digital media and creative sectors.

You may go on to a career in roles such as:

  • Digital marketing executive
  • Social media manager
  • Digital content creator
  • Digital project manager
  • Journalist
  • Content editor
  • Communications consultant
  • Strategic communications specialist
  • Media researcher
  • Media buyer
  • Publisher
  • Arts manager

The programme will also prepare you for a career in areas beyond the media industries, where your critical understanding of digital media technologies will be vital for everyday working life. These include:

  • Teaching
  • Government and research bodies
  • Research or ethics units in industries, governance and policy
  • Think Tanks

This course also provides a strong basis for diverse types of postgraduate study, including areas like television production or teaching, or our MA in Global Media & Society.

You’ll even have the foundation of knowledge you need to create your own media company.

Careers and employability support

Our degrees open up an extremely wide array of career pathways in businesses and organisations, large and small, in the UK and overseas.

We run a paid internship scheme specifically for our arts, humanities and social sciences students, supported by a specialist Employability Team. The team offer individual consultations and tailored application guidance, as well as careers events, development opportunities, and resources.

Whether you have a clear idea of your potential career path or need some help considering the options, our friendly team is on hand.

Lancaster is unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which recognises activities such as work experience, community engagement or volunteering and social development. A valuable addition to your CV!

Find out more about Lancaster’s careers events, extensive resources and personal support for Careers and Employability.

Careers

Find out about some of the careers our alumni have entered into after graduation.

Entry requirements

These are the typical grades that you will need to study this course. You may need to have qualifications in relevant subjects. In some cases we may also ask you to attend an interview or submit a portfolio. You must also meet our English language requirements.

Find more about these qualifications and others not shown here

Learn about how we will assess your application

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Contact Admissions

If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, please complete our enquiry form and one of our team will get back to you.

International foundation programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Contextual admissions

Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.

Course structure

Enhancing our curriculum

We continually review and enhance our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning experience, and to make sure that the subject knowledge and transferable skills you develop will prepare you for your future.

We will publish more detailed information about the structure of this degree course for 2026-entry in June 2025, ahead of our summer undergraduate open days. This will include overviews of the core modules you will take and examples of optional modules which may be available to you.

Fees and funding

We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2026/27 entry fees have not yet been set.

Fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

Details of our scholarships and bursaries for students starting in 2026 are not yet available.

You can use our scholarships for 2025-entry applicants as guidance.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2026/2027 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

Undergraduate open days 2025

Our summer and autumn open days will give you Lancaster University in a day. Visit campus and put yourself in the picture.

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