Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: £9,535 per year
International/EU: £17,155 per year (£1,200 for placement year) -
How long will I study?
4/5 Years
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Where will I study?
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What are the entry requirements?
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What is the UCAS code?
A041
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When do I start?
September 2025
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Placement year available?
Yes
Come to an open day
Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
Course summary
- Study your foundation year, then progress to a degree with industry accreditation from the British Kinematograph Sound and Television Society (BKSTS).
- Learn to use industry-standard systems to create, capture, store, edit, compose and distribute digital media.
- Work with a wide range of professional industry standard equipment.
- Build your employability by working with nationwide digital media companies.
- Gain valuable experience by working on live projects.
This course enables you to develop the creative and technical skills needed to work with industry-standard technologies and current emerging platforms in disciplines such as film, animation, interactive media, gaming, mobile applications, web-based media, social media, virtual reality and cross-media.
Find out more about our course here.
View our students' work
Find out more about the Media Arts and Communications department and view the work of some of our students.
How you learn
The course is suitable if you don't meet the entry requirements for our BA (Hons) Digital Media Production course, or you want extra preparation before starting degree-level study. You share the first year with other media arts and communication foundation year students, then move on to the degree.
We employ a practice-based approach to teaching and assessment set within the context of creative and industry-focused activities. You will build up a portfolio of creative work suitable for use after you graduate.
You learn through
- lab based specialist workshops
- lectures, seminars and tutorials
- self-directed study
- live projects
In the foundation year, you'll study wide-ranging media arts and communication topics, while also focussing on your particular subject area and completing assignments in that field. You'll grow as a creative, and begin developing a professional portfolio. You'll also become familiar with Hallam's exceptional facilities and staff, so you're fully prepared for undergraduate study.
Course leaders and tutors
Richard Mather
Senior Lecturer and Course Leader in Digital Media ProductionRichard is currently Course Leader for BA (Hons) Digital Media Production and teaches a range of modules that focus on the development of digital media, including Di … Read more
Applied learning
Work placements
You will have the opportunity to arrange a year-long work placement in between your third and fourth years. This gives you a real-world experience to prepare you for your future career. You are supported in finding a placement by our experienced Placement and Employability Team who have a large range of employer contacts.
Live projects
The entire course, in terms of both content and approach, is geared towards producing employable digital media professionals through live projects. Many modules on the degree make use of Applied Projects (a University service which sources clients for live projects) that gives you the experience of working within your specialist industry.
Networking opportunities
We can provide you with the skills you need to set up your own business through our Enterprise Centre. For those involved in this opportunity, our specialist business start-up unit, The Hatchery, also provides additional free support and office space, as well as business mentors with experience in your business area. A series of guest lectures from industry professionals, networking events, competitions and other industry-based research opportunities also provide you with the opportunity to develop your network.
Future careers
This course prepares you for a career in
- Digital content creation
- Digital creative direction
- Digital marketing and branding
- Marketing management
- Social media management
- Project management
- Front end development
- App design and development
- Graphic and motion design
- Mixed reality design
- Games cinematics
- Graphic design
- Illustration
- Videography
Previous graduates of BA (Honours) Digital Media Production have gone on to work for
- Hallmark
- Joi Polloi
- Remedy Entertainment
- Sheffield Doc/Fest
- talkSport
- Spotify
- The Financial Times
- Hydra Creative
- Wildcat Digital
- Rise at Seven
Others have established their own companies or work in freelance roles.
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreLearn more about your department
Media, Arts and Communications Facilities Tour
Take a look around the media, arts and communication facilities at Sheffield Hallam University with lecturer Saskia Wilson.
Equipment and facilities
On this course you work with
- professional film and stills cameras
- 360 video, lighting and studio equipment
- VR, mobile and interactive media devices
- specialist film, animation and photography studios
- a full-sized professional green screen studio
- state-of-the-art PC and mac labs
- industry-standard software tools
- a purpose-built cinema
Media Gallery
Media Gallery
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 80
With at least 32 points from one A level or equivalent BTEC National qualifications. For example:
- CDD at A Level.
- MMP in BTEC Extended Diploma.
- Pass overall from a T level qualification with C from core.
- A combination of qualifications which must include an A level grade C or BTEC grade M.
GCSE
- English Language or Literature at grade C or 4 or equivalents
You can find information on UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
• An Access to HE Diploma with at least 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2. At least 15 level 3 credits must be at merit grade or above from a QAA-recognised Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate.
We may also accept you, if you have limited qualifications but can show evidence of ability and a genuine commitment to studying Media Arts and Communication.
We treat the foundation year as part of the Media Arts and Communication degree programme. Offers made to students will be for four years of study (or five years of study including a placement). This is made up of the foundation year plus one of our Media Arts and Communication degrees.
Some applicants may be invited to attend an informal interview with the course leader to ensure that the programme is suitable for themselves and their aspirations.
If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.0 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Creative Synergies In Media Production
Media In Context
Media Project
Preparing For Independent Practice And Study
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Content Creation And Production
Creative Media Fundamentals
Digital Storytelling
User Experience Design (Ux)
Year 3
Compulsory modules
Immersive Technologies
Interactive Realities
Photography And Video Production
Working In Cultural, Media And Creative Industries
Elective modules
Study Abroad - Creative Industries
Year 4
Optional modules
Placement Year
Final year
Compulsory modules
Alternate Realities
Digital Media Futures
Digital Media Project Proposal
Independent Project In Culture And Media
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students on full-time undergraduate degree courses in 2025/26 is £9,535 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year). These fees are regulated by the UK government and therefore subject to change in future years. We are currently reviewing our tuition fees for the foundation year stage of this course following the Government announcement of fee changes for some foundation year courses and will confirm fees as soon as possible.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,155 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Sheffield Creative Industries Institute (PDF, 268.6KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
