Communications & Media is not a ‘Mickey Mouse’ degree

No, I didn’t do a BTEC


If I had £1 for every time someone asked me “is Communication and Media even a real subject?”, I wouldn’t need this degree.

I study BA English and Communications at a Russell Group university, yet still get told far too often that half of my degree is pointless. I’m sick of it. There’s literally nothing more awkward than telling people, especially a distant family member, about your course and watching their confused and disappointed reactions.

Then comes the “why don’t you just stick to English?” discussion. Before you know it you’re being reminded that “too many people are going to university these days” and that Medicine is the only degree worth getting. Well, thanks for the advice Auntie Carole, but Communication and Media is a real degree and it’s actually something I enjoy.

Isn’t that the point? Studying something that you actually like at uni, rather than spending £9000 a year (thanks, Dave) on a ‘proper’ degree that you have absolutely no interest in?

Our uni trips are better than yours

Learning about the media is exciting, it’s inspiring and above all else it’s relevant. Lectures are about more than watching films or flicking through the gossip section of Heat magazine.

Our course is both dynamic and demanding.  We’re able to discuss complex issues about society and engage in philosophical debates that affect everybody.  International politics, the media’s role in ending the Vietnam War and the gender distortion in Rihanna’s new music video? All in my 9am mate.

You learn about everything from how media creates moral panics (uh hello, Ebola), the damaging representation of class and austerity in our fave shows like Jezza Kyle, and even how to  write, edit and produce your own magazines and documentaries.  Meaning that when we graduate we are really prepared for one of the most ruthless industries.

This is not to forget the sociology, philosophy, anthropology and linguistics we cover, which you can’t deny are hugely important to our world. Structuralism? Done. Animal vs. Human communication? Easy. From Karl Marx to George Orwell, we cover a huge range of thinkers and theoreticians who shaped the world we know today. Remember, we know where Big Brother really came from.

Studying Communications gives you a wealth of practical and transferable skills that makes it all the more challenging, exciting and valuable. And in such a competitive and pressured society, why wouldn’t you go to university to study something you love?

Communications and media might be seen as a soft degree, but hey, we don’t live in a Mickey Mouse world, and this is certainly no Mickey Mouse subject.