Media studies is a discipline that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media, particularly mass media. It is an umbrella term that encompasses nearly every aspect of modern life, from creating video games to analyzing journalism to answering the question, "What is interactive media?". Media studies may draw on traditions from both the liberal arts and the social sciences. The study of media is not restricted to just media of communications but all forms of technology, and the study of this ecosystem is known as media ecology.
Media studies programs typically cover the history, content, and impact of various forms of widespread communication. The vast range of media that we encounter in our world can be generally broken up into two categories: contemporary media and traditional media. Contemporary media incorporates more modern forms of media and visual communication, such as social media, digital journalism, and video games, while traditional media includes more established forms of media, such as television, radio, and print journalism.
Media studies graduates typically enter careers in the media, cultural, and creative industries, including television and radio, film and video, digital media, computer games, journalism, writing and publishing, PR, marketing, and media practice. Media studies programs offer students the analytical tools available to investigate media, old and new, local and global, across the diverse media landscape. The mix of theory and practice in a media studies degree helps students develop skills in critical analysis, research, commercial and cultural awareness of the media and creative industries, and more.
