The first year gives you a broad and rigorous introduction to Media Studies. You explore how media shape everyday life, culture and society, while developing the conceptual, analytical and research skills needed to study them critically.

Through courses on media theory, aesthetics, research and contemporary media change, you investigate film, television, digital media and other cultural forms. You will examine how media tell stories, produce meaning and influence the ways we understand the world. From the outset, many courses allow you to pursue themes and examples that reflect your own interests.

During the year, you will learn to:

• Analyse media forms and aesthetics. In ‘Media Aesthetics’, you learn how film, television and digital media use form, technique and technology to create meaning. You analyse how media objects shape perception, construct fictional worlds and represent reality in particular cultural and political contexts.
• Understand the role of media in everyday life. ‘Living Information’ considers the role of media and information in a world in which we record, store, edit and share so much of our daily lives digitally.
• Explore media in transition. In ‘Media and Culture in Transformation’, you examine how and why media has changed throughout history, and the consequence of these changes are.
• Engage with media theory. You will be introduced to key theoretical concepts for understand media cultures and their material practices.
• Develop academic and practical skills. Across ‘Doing Media Studies I’ and ‘Doing Media Studies II’, you will build your creative and professional skills.
• Conduct your own research. During ‘Media Research’ you will learn how to use the appropriate methods to conduct your own research on a topic of your choice.
• Investigate current questions. In research-oriented seminars in ‘Current Themes in Media Studies’, you will explore emerging or pressing issues in the field.

Throughout the year, you are assessed through a range of methods (including exams, written assignments, research projects and creative work).

In the second year of the Media and Culture programme, you decide whether you would like to focus on the in-depth study of either film, or television and cross-media culture. You can also opt for a combination and take on a broader approach to contemporary media culture, by selecting courses from the different tracks. The Film Studies track explores film history, theory and global cinema, alongside filmmaking practice. The Television and Cross-Media Culture track focuses on television in its wider media environment, considering how serial forms, digital platforms and other media interact, while also developing practical skills in television production.

Across both tracks, you will:

• Engage and analyse the various movements, methodologies, and  innovations in the history and future of film or television studies.
• Study the social and cultural role of media and learn how to critically analyse and assess films, television programmes and cross-media culture.
• Acquire (theoretical and practical) knowledge about the ways in which different media shape our experience of space, time, reality and virtuality, and even our interaction with other people.
•  Take  An additional course in the philosophy of the humanities, which introduces broad philosophical ideas that deepen and inform your understanding of media, culture and the construction of reality.
• Collaborate with a small group of fellow students to create a short film, documentary or a television programme in a practice-based course. In this course, you will learn to apply your research skills to a practical context and have the opportunityto work with equipment and work in a studio.
• Explore the role of media in and across different cultural and global contexts.

In the third year, you build on your chosen track and shape your programme around your own academic interests.

• You can use elective space to deepen your knowledge of Media Studies, explore another field through a minor or second major, or broaden your experience through a semester abroad or an internship.
• You may take electives within the Department of Media Studies, elsewhere in the Faculty of Humanities or at another faculty. Subject to the relevant arrangements, courses can also be taken at another university in the Netherlands or abroad.
• You can choose to specialise in a second major, opt for a minor in a related field or an altogether different discipline or take electives in a wide range of subjects, both within the department of Media Studies, within the Faculty of Humanities, or other faculties at the University of Amsterdam. You can also take electives at other Universities in the Netherlands or abroad.
• You conclude the degree by writing a Bachelor’s thesis: an extended research project on a topic of your choice, developed from the knowledge and interests you have built up during the programme. Working under the supervision of an expert member of staff, you research and present your own original academic argument.

Next to your regular courses and your specialisation, you will also have 42 ECTS worth of space to fill by doing electives, a minor, an internship or by studying abroad.

Electives

In theory, any course can be taken as an elective, from courses offered by the Faculty of Humanities to those offered by other faculties or even other universities. Most programmes offer separate electives.

Minor

A minor is a cohesive teaching programme that consists of 30 ECTS. Doing a minor is not mandatory. However, it may be a good way to prepare for a Master’s programme or for a certain profession.

The programme allows for you to do an internship and/or to study abroad for a period of time.

Internship

You can enrich your study programme as well as your CV by doing an internship. This will allow you to gain experience at an organisation in the field of Media Studies and gives you an impression of the job opportunities they offer.

Studying abroad

The UvA is closely involved with international programmes involved with cooperation and exchange within Europe, the United States and Canada. This gives you the opportunity to study abroad for a period of time.

Would you like to be challenged even more? You can choose to do two Bachelor’s degrees or follow the Honours programme.

Double Bachelor’s in Humanities

The Faculty of Humanities offers the possibility to obtain a degree from two different Bachelor's programmes. By means of exemptions you can obtain two degrees with a reduced effective workload. The double Bachelor's is intended for motivated students who are looking for an extra challenge and/or a broader perspective during their studies.

Honours programme

Highly-motivated students may qualify to take part in a selective Honours programme. This programme accounts for an additional 30 ECTS and will help familiarise you with various other aspects of academic research and prepare you for a subsequent Research Master's degree.

As a Bachelor’s student, you are expected to spend an average of 42 hours a week on your studies. Around 10 to 15 hours a week are spent attending lectures. The remaining time will be spent on self-study, preparing for lectures, seminars and exams, as well as completing coursework and assignments. In your second and third years you will have less hours of lectures and spent more time on self-study. 

• During lectures, the lecturer will discuss and explain the literature you read and studied beforehand.
• In the seminars, you will work closely with your fellow students, collaborating on assignments, presentations and talks.
• Assessment consists of written or oral exams, presentations, essays, reports and assignments.