Digital Media BA (Hons)
Study level: Undergraduate
The Digital Media BA course focuses on creative production in the field of media using digital tools in 3D modelling, code as a creative medium, immersive technologies, and audio and video production among others.
Year of entry
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Sandwich
Duration
3 years full-time
4 years sandwich
Course code
P479
Start date
September 2023
Course overview
The course offers a space for students to experiment with a range of digital technologies, practices, processes, and theories.
- Our responsive, creative curriculum allows students to address the rapid developments concerning the impact of new, emerging and future media technologies and broader changes to the media and networked communications landscape.
- Our project-led approach supports students in becoming adept with a range of critical and creative media equipment and interactive technologies to inform their practice and understanding.
- Students will benefit from a course that sees critical digital theory, immersive skills development, and professional practice as mutually exclusive, along with a university-wide commitment to collaborative learning and supporting sustainable global citizenship development.

Joint Top Modern University for Career Prospects
Guardian University Guide 2021 and 2022
5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities
QS Stars University Ratings
Top 5 UK Student City (Coventry)
QS Best Student Cities Index 2023Why you should study this course
- Our course explores a mix of creative and technical skills and knowledge development through a range of modules that will take students through the entire software development workflow from concept to user testing.
- You will have free access to a wide range of high standard, professional media equipment via our Media Loan Service, with technicians who can support you and give advice and instructions for ease of use4.
- Past staff and students have a strong track record of collaborative applied projects with organisations including Genesys, Uber, Google, The United Nations (Mission 1.5) Jaguar Land Rover, Coventry Telegraph, Rolls-Royce, BBC Big Screens, The Gallery of Living History and BT2.
- In the past students have had the opportunity to attend talks from expert guest speakers such as Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes, Venom: Let there be Carnage), Luke Richards, CEO and Creative Director, Black Cat Entertainment and Simon Wright, Director of Genesys Creators, Genesys (subject to availability).
- On this course, you’ll be taught by staff with expertise in immersive technologies and 360 video, music and digital composition and sound recording, user interface design, digital marketing, and digital culture. (Staff may be subject to change.)
for Media and Film Studies in the UK
The Guardian University Guide 2023
Why study Digital Media BA (Hons) at Coventry University?
Coventry Degree Show 2023
The Coventry Degree Show is an annual event to celebrate and showcase our graduating students’ work.
Explore the work of our talented students

What you'll study
This course has a common first year.
The common first year enables you to work alongside students doing similar courses to you, to widen your knowledge and exposure to other subject areas and professions. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other students, so you can share your insights and experience which will help you to develop and learn.
If you discover an interest in a specific subject you have studied, upon successful completion of your first year, you could swap degrees with another course in your common first year (subject to meeting progression requirements).
Common first year courses
- Animation BA (Hons)
- Digital Media BA (Hons)
- Games Art BA (Hons)
- Games Design and Development BA (Hons)
- Visual Effects (VFX) BA (Hons)
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
We live in a world today where we breathe the digital. From the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep at night, it’s everywhere. The digital has become a membrane between us, and our idea of what reality can be. Digital media as a course explores this new digital reality and tries to pierce through the digital membrane to explore how reality has been changed and transformed by these creative technologies. We approach it at creative professionals and researchers who want to understand this new reality and unleash its potentials. We first understand it and then we play with it. Whether it’s through an immersive production, a digital marketing campaign, or a transmedia narrative experience.

How you'll learn
Your course will focus on areas such as immersive, transmedia, and digital storytelling, creative coding, web design, web coding, animation, digital marketing, and digital culture.
Students successfully completing the first two years of the course can opt to spend a year out between the second and third years on placement or study abroad2.
Your personal tutor will regularly review and discuss your progress on the course. We aim for you to develop through activity-led learning, with an emphasis on live projects, industry briefs, real-world working simulations, experimentation and play. You will also have the opportunity to take part in international trips2 where you will be able to develop your knowledge and skills through fieldwork and group projects. Previous students had the opportunity to participate in creating and hosting an immersive experience enhanced by augmented reality in Hong Kong together with students from the Hong Kong Design Institute2.
Teaching contact hours
We understand that everyone learns differently, so each of our courses will consist of structured teaching sessions, which can include:
- On campus lectures, seminars and workshops
- Group work
- Self-directed learning
- Work placement opportunities2
The number of full-time contact hours may vary from semester to semester, however, on average, it is likely to be around 12 contact hours per week in the first and second year dropping to around 10-12 contact hours per week in the third and final year as you become a more independent learner.
Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of approximately 15 hours each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.
Part of university life is undertaking self-directed learning. During a typical week you will have time that allows you to work independently to apply the skills and knowledge you have learnt in taught or facilitated sessions to your projects or assignment briefs. This self-directed learning allows you to use your research skills, consolidate your knowledge or undertake collaborative group work.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are prepared for courses due to start in or after the 2023/24 academic year to be delivered in a variety of forms. The form of delivery will be determined in accordance with Government and Public Health guidance. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
Assessment
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will could vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods include
- Practical or project work
- Coursework
- Essays
- Presentations and posters
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes. Assessments may include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.
International experience opportunities
We aim to encourage students to broaden their horizons by taking advantage of either study abroad or placement opportunities2. Our students may also have the opportunity to go on field trips or international trips2. Past trips have included Berlin, New York, Hong Kong, and Barcelona. These are often combined with industry or community projects on location in the international destination. Last year a group of our previous final year students had the opportunity to work on the AR Prison Break project and present this immersive experience using augmented reality at the Spark Festival in Hong Kong.
I like the Digital Media course because we are given a lot of opportunities to experiment with a wide variety of technologies in different fields, which I find helpful in figuring out the industry I want to work in after I graduate. There are also a lot of opportunities outside the course which are helpful in terms of applying the skills and knowledge from the course to a real-life project and expanding your professional network of contacts.

Entry requirements
Haven't met the entry requirements or don’t have the right qualifications? You may still be able to progress onto a degree you’d love by studying a foundation course.
View our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.
Typical offer for 2023/24 entry.
Fees and funding
2023/24 tuition fees.
Student | Full-time | Part-time |
---|---|---|
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man | £9,250 per year | Not available |
EU | £9,250 per year with EU support bursary** £19,850 per year without EU support bursary** |
Not available |
International | £19,850 per year | Not available |
If you choose to do a work placement2, you should consider travel and living costs to cover this. There is also a tuition fee3 of £1,250 that will cover your academic support throughout your placement year.
For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.
We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them. Find out what's included in your tuition costs.
The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:
- Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
- Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad)
*Irish student fees
The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.
**EU support bursary
Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in-line with that of UK students. Students studying a Degree with a Foundation Year with us are not eligible for the bursary.
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How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the government's Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.
If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.
Facilities
Coventry University is home to superb facilities4 and our new Arts and Humanities building is planned to fully open in 2023. We also have a well-stocked Media Loan Shop so you can borrow an extensive range of specialist, professional equipment, including 4K and HD video cameras, DSLR cameras, tripods, audio equipment and lighting.
- Hyperstudio
The Hyperstudio is designed to be an experimental space where staff, students, community, and industry can collaborate to solve real world problems. It is a cube with high-speed connectivity and power, that is both a making and showing space into which, an array of physical and digital technologies can be brought to support project needs. - Immersive media studio
The immersive media studio is a studio space designed to allow design, collaboration and testing of immersive experiences that combine audiovisual elements in diverse ways. It is centred on performance capture and high-end XR capabilities, and includes capability for immersive audio integration. - Hacklabs: Electronic and Digital
The two hacklab spaces are experimental spaces on the bleeding edge of emerging technologies and processes where students and staff can be guided in their exploration of new and emerging practices in an array of fields. A library of resources such as sensors and other physical computing solutions, and software for experimentation will be available.

Television Studio
You’ll have access to our on-site television studio The Tank, offering specialist equipment such as large cameras, mixing facilities and fibre-optic wiring throughout.

Photography Suite
This specialist facility is available to media students to take and process photos in a professional environment. There is also support for printing, high-end scanning and film processing.

Media Loan Shop
Our media loan shop provides you with access to the equipment and support you need to excel in your studies – from basic audio recorders to professional cameras and expert advice from our technicians.
Careers and opportunities
On successful completion, you should be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: the various processes and practices that combine towards the production, circulation and consumption of media, communication and cultural texts.
- Generate ideas, concepts, proposals, solutions or arguments independently and/or collaboratively in response to set briefs and/or as self-initiated activity.
- Appreciate the cultural and social significance of the emergence of new technological forms of media and communication practice and how these shape the lived experience of everyday domestic and professional life.
- Undertake a variety of forms of research appropriate to different forms of study and analysis and be able critically to reflect on the appropriateness of each form of research.
- Critically reflect on the chosen processes of production of media artefacts and products.
- Engage in creative, innovative and imaginative work.
- Analyse information and experiences, formulate independent judgements, and articulate reasoned arguments through reflection, review and evaluation of digital media practices.
- Work in flexible, creative and independent ways, demonstrating self-discipline, self-direction and reflexivity.
- Gather, organise and deploy ideas and information in order to formulate arguments cogently, and express them effectively in written, oral and other forms.
- Produce work which shows an effective manipulation of web, design, sound, image and/or the written word, demonstrating competences in operational aspects of digital media technologies, systems, techniques and professional and academic practices.
This course places your future employability at its core, so you will be well placed to go into several industries that require multi-skilled digital media professionals on graduation. Throughout your studies, you will develop your own Professional Practice Portfolio which you may use when looking for work.
Roles could include Digital Artists and Designers, Digital Project Managers, Creative Technologists, Web Developers, Content and Platform Developers, Digital Researchers, Learning Technologists, Digital Marketing and Business Professionals, as well as more traditional areas within the creative media industries.
We are committed to preparing you for your future career and giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. Our Talent team can offer tailored career and enterprise support if you wish to seek employment or discuss professional practice opportunities within course specific industries. Our dedicated enterprise officers also offer valuable assistance on how to begin as a freelancer/entrepreneur.
Where our graduates work
The School has a very long and impressive history of previous graduates who have gone on to establish themselves in extremely high profile media and cultural employment, examples of which include: executive producer for many highly prestigious Hollywood films, director for BBC documentaries, DJs for national radio stations such as BBC Radio 6 and Virgin Radio, developer at a customer experience company, digital marketing executive at a full-service agency, planners and creatives for a number prestigious London-based advertising agencies.
Further study
You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study.
How to apply
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UK students
Full-time students applying to start in September 2023 can apply for this course through UCAS from 6 September 2022. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
Part-time students should apply directly to the university.
If you'd like further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form
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International students
International codes:
AHU096Full-time students applying to start in September 2023 should apply directly to the university.
How to applyFor further support for international applicants applying for an undergraduate degree view our International hub.
You can also download our International guide which contains lots of useful information about our courses, accommodation and tips for travel.
Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form
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Disclaimers
Coventry University together with Coventry University London Campus, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the “University”) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.
1Accreditations
The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.
2UK and international opportunities
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or International opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel COVID and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the visa requirements, please contact the International Office.
3Tuition fees
The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.
For International Students, we may increase fees each year but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.
4Facilities
Due to COVID-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
Student Contract
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2023/24 contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
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