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Our institute is part of the Faculty of Philology at the Ruhr University Bochum. It offers B.A. and M.A. degrees in Media Studies.
The syllabus consists of the following areas:

• broadcasting (radio and television)
• cinema
• digital media (computer and network communications)
• print media (book and press)

These topics are explored from a variety of perspectives and serve as the focus of both research projects and courses of instruction.
Key aspects in this context are media production and reception, media history, theory and analysis as well as issues of gender, media systems, media technology and aesthetics. Current research topics, national and international media developments and the development of practical media skills all contribute to an attractive teaching program for undergraduate and graduate students.

Students not only receive a firm foundation in the field of media studies but also provided with an orientation to the broad range of professional opportunities in the media and other cultural sectors open to students after graduation.

The B.A. program in Media Studies

The B.A. program in Media Studies lasts six semesters and ends with a B.A. examination. The program consists of eleven modules, including the following four introductory courses in the first year:

• media history and media aesthetics
• media systems and media institutions
• methods of analysis
• media theory, communications theory and history of the discipline

From the second year on, students select courses from the following modules:

• Modules focusing on specific media (print media, broadcasting, film, digital media)
• Modules focusing on specific systematic aspects (aesthetics and technology, gender, representation/reception, media history, media systems, theory and methods)
• Modules focusing on practical skills

The M.A. program in Media Studies

The M.A. program in Media Studies lasts four semesters and ends with an M.A. examination. We offer an M.A. program based on two majors (media studies in combination with another subject at our university) or based on the subject of media studies alone. Our M.A. program is research oriented, focusing on innovative scientific issues in the field of media studies.

The program is designed to enable students to design and undertake independent research projects on the basis of a broad and critical knowledge of the relevant disciplinary approaches. The M.A. program deepens the historical, theoretical and analytical competencies acquired during the B.A. phase and teaches practical research and presentation skills in a wide range of media.

M.A. Program Media Studies based on two majors

About half of the course work in our M.A. Program Media Studies based on two majors is geared towards the development of practical scientific competencies. Analytical, historical and theoretical competencies are brought to bear on concrete topics, while students also learn how to formulate and present their research results. The second half of the M.A. program consists of courses aimed at deepening the exploration of media issues begun in the B.A. phase regarding individual media as well as broader theoretical and historical aspects. The goal is to broaden the scope of scientific reflection beyond the basic level to include current discussions in the field and innovative lines of questioning.

M.A. program based on media studies alone

While the M.A. program based on media studies alone (singe M.A. major) consists of the same amount of coursework focusing on scientific competencies as in the two-major M.A. program, students in this program have to take a number of additional courses that will deepen their ability to work independently work and undertake more sophisticated historical and theoretical research.
Thus goal of the single-major M.A. program lies in a research-oriented education which addresses the full complexity of current debates in media studies and allows students to specialize in individual areas, whether in relation to specific media or particular research issues.

All courses are taught in German.