Talk to our Admissions Team
Enquire nowExplore the ways digital media is transforming the world and learn how to use it meaningfully to address social justice issues.
Delivered 100% online 
Start dates in January, March, May, July, September and October 2023 
Course fee: £12,960 (£1,080 per module) Taught 100% online, this flexible course offers you the opportunity to study our Media, Ethics and Social Change MA from wherever you are in the world. Designed for professionals striving to progress their career and make a real impact, you’ll graduate with the confidence to lead change and challenge the status quo.
A version of this course is also available to study on campus.
Course start dates
There are six start dates every academic year, providing maximum flexibility for our students.
January | March | May | July | September | October
Fees
Course fee: £12,960
More information on fees, scholarships and funding can be found below.
Our Media, Ethics and Social Change MA (online) offers you the opportunity to engage with the ways in which digital media is both transforming the world and is a medium for transformation. It will teach you how to use digital media in a meaningful way to bring about positive change across various sectors.
The course will explore digital media in the context of activism and social justice; how can media practice lead to social change? How can we engage in activism and achieve ethical citizenship through digital media?
You will study the intersection of three key phenomena in modern societies:
Through a combination of theoretical concept analysis and practical application, you’ll be equipped with the skills to challenge a variety of social issues faced by societies around the world.
The course is organised around three key areas:
Media and Film at the University of Sussex is ranked 14th in the UK (Complete University Guide, 2021)
The University of Sussex is ranked 42nd for Communications and Media Studies (THE World University Rankings, 2021)
The University of Sussex is jointly ranked 20th out of 101 UK institutions (THE World University Rankings, 2021)
Each module lasts seven weeks and is delivered via Canvas, a state-of-the-art online learning platform, which can be accessed by a computer, tablet or smartphone alike so you can truly study whenever and wherever you like. You can take control of your schedule by fitting the recommended 20 hours study time per week around your existing commitments and lifestyle.
In order to graduate the course, all of the below modules must be successfully completed.
This course is part-time and can be completed in a minimum of two years. You have the opportunity to step on and off the course, pausing your studies if your work or life commitments require, providing you complete the course within four years from enrolment.
The course uses multiple assessments methods to assess students’ knowledge, competence development and engagement through individual and groupwork exercises, such as written reports, simulations, essays, project reports, MCQs, and portfolios. An indication for the likely assessment methods of this module is given, though this may be subject to change.
An upper second-class (2:1) undergraduate honours degree or above from any UK university or international equivalent. You could also be considered for entry to this course with relevant professional experience and may be required to submit a portfolio of work as part of your application.
Applicants whose first language is not English (and whose first degree was not taught in English) need to supply evidence of IELTS (Academic) High level (6.5 overall, including at least 6.0 in each component).
Course fee: £12,960
Cost per module: £1,080
Fees can be paid on a module-by-module basis, or as a single fee at the start of the course. You may also consider corporate sponsorship and employer funding. Our Admissions Team will be able to assist you with next steps for this method of payment.
Course fees will remain fixed for 24 months from your initial course start date. Thereafter, the course fee will rise at a rate of 2.5% per calendar year (subject to rounding for administration purposes).
20% Alumni discount
If you have previously graduated from an undergraduate, postgraduate or PhD course with the University of Sussex you will be eligible* for a 20% discount on this online course.
Find out more about the alumni discount and eligibility criteria.
*T&Cs apply.
The course has been designed to give you the broad range of skills employer’s desire; digital marketers and journalists will enhance their knowledge and use of digital platforms to reform the ways they work and bring more ethical practices to their workplace.
You will receive career-related content on our VLE and relevant web pages. As well as tailored one-to-one career consultations and workshops – delivered digitally.
With the knowledge and practical skills you’ll gain from this course, you will be well placed to take the next step in your career.
Many of our ambitious alumni are now in managerial positions in the UK and overseas at Bloomberg News, Citibank, the BBC, Yahoo! Japan, Oracle, and Fleet Entertainment Group. As a graduate from the University of Sussex, you will join a global network of alumni who continue to support and enhance each other’s development and careers long after graduating.
Course Director
School of Media, Arts and Humanities
Lecturer in Digital Media Practice
School of Media, Arts and Humanities
Lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies
School of Media, Arts and Humanities
Lecturer in Digital Practice
School of Media, Arts and Humanities
Delivered by the School of Media, Arts and Humanities this MA brings together a unique cluster of academics who are leading experts in digital media, social activism and justice, journalism, digital culture and technology.
Our research-led teaching means you’ll benefit from the latest research insights. Our academics are actively working on singular research projects while also collaborating with their colleagues and institutions globally in expert research units.
Interdisciplinarity has always been a fundamental component of a Sussex degree. The course provides both theoretical concepts and practical training for the development of media content from an interdisciplinary perspective. This involves analysing perspectives taken from media theory, sociology, journalism studies and ethics and equips you with the tools to understand the impact of media content in many different contexts.
You will produce media content that is driven by a constructive and ethical approach to the challenging social issues faced by societies around the world.
Leading academics from the School of Media, Arts and Humanities share where Sussex’s graduates are now, the importance of leading in media research, examples of their recent research projects and also what you can expect to learn on our online course.
Professor Mary Agnes Krell:
Our school’s rich research and expertise prepare you for a range of possibilities. After you complete your degree. We have students working in industry in the UK and around the world in journalism, in filmmaking, in activism, in creative and cultural contexts, both with nonprofits as well as with charities and commercial organisations.
Dr Monika Metykova, Senior lecturer:
I believe that it is important to lead in research not just to follow other researchers lead, because that way we are the ones who are setting the big questions about issues that impact on the media industries.
Dr Tanya Kant, Senior Lecturer
My most recent projects explore the predictive promises and pitfalls of personalization apps, such as those used by Google and Facebook. I’ve been analysing how fertility targeting on social media platforms might intersect and reshape how we see.
Dr Marina Dekavalla, Senior Lecturer
My research is mainly around politics and the news I have worked on representations of referendums in the media and particularly on television. I have also done research around Youtubers and how Youtubers articulate. Transparency in their digital videos, in their online accounts.
Dr Monika Metykova, Senior lecturer:
My most recent research is linked to the impact of the COVID pandemic on news production. I am very interested in news flows in watts from foreign countries. Get into the knees in the country where I live in the UK. I am interested. Whether with the pandemic, we have become more inward looking, preferring news from the UK and. From countries that. Are culturally and politically close to us. Or maybe the alternative happened, and actually our news flows became more open and enriched with stories from other countries that are normally outside of our horizons. I can then translate the findings of my research. Into what I teach and also into the broader curriculum that we offer here at Sussex.
Rob Sharp, Lecturer:
My research considers the role of participatory creative mediation among those without formal citizenship rights. Students will learn how to apply theory around the idea of participation to practical situations to produce collaborative digital media content.
Dr Marina Dekavalla, Senior Lecturer
A teaching module called public relations. This module focuses both on the theoretical and practical aspects of public relations and as part of the module you’re going to engage with key key debates in understanding PR theory and practise as well as learn how to design. A public relations campaign of your own.
Professor Mary Agnes Krell:
Studying here at Sussex in an online format allows you access to all of our faculty members.
Rob Sharp, Lecturer:
Online distance learning is a flexible way of bringing together a unique community to consider how the media can become more inclusive in its production.
Professor Mary Agnes Krell:
Studying at Sussex will help you to develop, refine and use skills to work across cultures, across parts of the world. And in unique and innovative ways, we look forward to welcoming you.
If you’d like to find out more about this course, please complete this form to receive information from our Admissions Team.
I missed the opportunity to complete a Masters in my previous career and had always hoped to do one, one day. I have a lot of commitments at home with family and running a business. This format suits both my lifestyle and my choice of subject.