Masters applications for 2023 entry are now closed.
Applications for September 2024 will open on Monday 25 September. Applications are now open for programmes with a January 2024 start. View our programmes »
Overview
- Explore a wide range of media from an intersectional perspective and learn how media are produced, evaluated and consumed
- Understand the relations between different media and power and the ways in which media, and more generally culture, inform human agency and subjectivity
- Analyse portrayals of gender, class, race and sexuality in news and broadcasting, the entertainment industry, celebrity culture, advertising and gaming, among others
- Join a truly multicultural and culturally enriching postgraduate and research environment
- Develop a wide range of key transferrable skills that are highly valued by employers within a range of professions
100% of our Sociology research has internationally excellent impact
Top 15 for Sociology in the Complete University Guide 2025
Top 15 in the UK for Sociology
Entry requirements
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree with 53% or above in sociology, anthropology, statistics, data or English. While we normally only consider applicants who meet this criterion, if your first degree is in a different discipline, you are coming from a different academic background which is equivalent to degree level, or have relevant work experience, we would welcome your application.
All applicants should provide a personal statement explaining their interest in the programme and how it fits with their earlier studies.
Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
100% of our Sociology research has internationally excellent impact
Top 15 for Sociology in the Complete University Guide 2025
Top 15 in the UK for Sociology
Course content
In this pathway, you will examine media and its relationship with the social and cultural contexts of their production and use. The core module Understanding Media introduces you to the ways in which sociologists, anthropologists and cultural theorists have conceptualised media in Western society. You will be introduced to key issues in this multidisciplinary field and explore various facets of media through an intersectional lens. With the use of specific examples, you will critically appraise social change. You will be encouraged to reflect on how gender, class, sexuality and race have been represented and the implications of these depictions on individual and collective identities.
We’ll introduce you to key issues that both classical and contemporary social theorists have addressed in their work and equip you with a broad range of conceptual tools with which to understand and research the social world. You’ll also be able to choose from a range of optional modules covering fields such as research methods, gender at work, health and wellbeing, data visualisation and philosophy of science.
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
This programme consists of 120 credits of compulsory modules, plus 60 credits of modules selected from a list of options offered in the Department of Philosophy, Sociology and Anthropology.
120 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
| Code | Module |
Credits |
|---|
|
MA Society Culture and Media options |
| SOCM046 |
Meaning, Making Consuming |
30 |
| CMMM003 |
Gaming in Everyday Life: A Global Perspective |
30 |
| CMMM004 |
Investigating Media Infrastructure |
30 |
| CMMM006 |
Soft Power and International Communications |
30 |
| SOCM950 |
Science Technology and Society |
30 |
| SOCM022 |
Food, Body and Society |
30 |
| SOCM020 |
Research Methods in the Social Sciences |
30 |
| EAFM910 |
Stars, Stardom and Celebrity From the Classical Era to the Contemporary |
30 |
| EASM171 |
Expanding Queerness: Critical Debates in Theory, Literature, Film and Television |
30 |
| EASM185 |
Story Machines: Interactive Texts and Narrative Games |
30 |
| POLM158 |
Digital Politics and Policy |
30 |
| BEM3070 |
Media, Al and the Metaverse |
15 |
| SOCM033 |
Data Governance and Ethics |
15 |
| SOCM034 |
Social Data Science and Policy Analytics |
30 |
| POLM024 |
Security, Society and Algorithms |
30 |
| SSIM917 |
Programming for Social Data Science |
15 |
Fees
2025/26 entry
UK fees per year:
£12,500 full-time
International fees per year:
£25,300 full-time
Scholarships
The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year, such as our Exeter Excellence Scholarships*.
For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
*Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.
Teaching and research
The department is home to several leading figures in the subject areas covered by this pathway, giving students the opportunity to be taught by and learn from some of the most esteemed and respected scholars in their respective fields.
Research-centred teaching is at the heart of the programme. Teaching takes place over the first two terms, leaving the third for your dissertation. Teaching is done in small seminar groups to allow students the best possible interaction with academic staff, through individual presentations and round table discussions of common readings. Assessment is through coursework which will vary depending on the modules chosen and a dissertation, which will provide students with the opportunity to undertake a substantial piece of research on a topic of their choosing.
Many of the modules offered on in this pathway are taught by members of staff who are actively engaged in research within their specialist areas. Students are typically taught using journal articles and monographs that include their work, having thus direct access to the authors whose work they are reading and engaging with. Students will be able to discuss the ideas and themes presented in seminars and a range of more informal settings.
Dr Christopher Thorpe
Programme Director
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Professor Mike Michael
Head of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology (SPA)
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Professor Harry G West
Professor of Anthropology
Dr Christopher Thorpe
Programme Director
Christopher’s work explores issues and debates situated at the historical cultural sociology/ sociology of culture interface. He is particularly interested in the subjects of cultural representation, appropriation and the 'autonomy of culture' debate. His work draws on historical forms of 'data' spanning comparative English literature, social and cultural history, travel studies and other disciplines as they relate to the subject of discursive representations of Italy and appropriations of Italian culture, in England and later Britain during the period spanning approximately the English Renaissance to the present day.
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Professor Mike Michael
Head of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology (SPA)
Mike is a sociologist of science and technology. He joined SPA in 2017, having previously worked at Lancaster University, Goldsmiths, University of London, and the University of Sydney. His research interests have included: the relation of everyday life to technoscience; biotechnological and biomedical innovation and culture; the public understanding of/engagement with science; and process methodology. His teaching has covered such areas as social theory, microsociology, environmental sociology, science and society, animals and society, sociologies of everyday life, and qualitative methodology.
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Professor Harry G West
Professor of Anthropology
Harry teaches on the core module Social Theory. He is a socio-cultural anthropologist with expertise in political anthropology and the anthropology of food, farming and agrarian society. He has conducted research in Africa, as well as in Europe and North America. He is currently working on food, heritage and memory, with a focus on artisan cheesemaking.
He is Co-Director of the Centre for Rural Policy Research, and Coordinator of the Food Studies Network.
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Careers
Employer-valued skills
In addition to the specialist knowledge you will gain during your programme, you will also develop transferrable skills valued by employers such as:
- Researching, analysing and assessing sources of information
- Written and verbal communication skills
- Managing and interpreting information
- Developing ideas and arguments
Career support
The Department's Employability Officer works with our central Career Zone team to give you access to a wealth of business contacts, support and training, as well as the opportunity to meet potential employers at our regular Careers Fairs.
