Courses / Subject

Candidates for the MA in Critical and Creative Media must have the equivalent of a 2.1 honours degree in Media Studies, or in a related subject in Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, or Communication and Information Technology.

Applicants from abroad must have a recognised primary degree that is considered equivalent to Irish university primary degree level.

Minimum English language requirements: please visit Maynooth University International Office website for information about English language tests accepted and required scores. The requirements specified are applicable for both EU and non-EU applicants.

National University of Ireland Maynooth’s TOEFL code is 8850

Online application only www.pac.ie/maynoothuniversity

PAC Code

MHS59

The following documents should be forwarded to PAC, 1 Courthouse Square, Galway or uploaded to your online application form:

Certified copies of all official transcripts of results for all non-Maynooth University qualifications listed MUST accompany the application. Failure to do so will delay your application being processed. Non-Maynooth University students are asked to provide two academic references and a copy of birth certificate or valid passport.

The compulsory module, Critical and Creative Media Research, lays the foundation for the programme in Semester One. Students then have the freedom to select individual pathways that combine critical media studies and practical work, honing creative computing, audio-visual production, and screenwriting skills. Modules in Irish Media History, Media Archives, and Media Publics explore media in cultural and historical context across formats and platforms, from print to celluloid to digital. The MA programme culminates in a final compulsory module: a supervised individual thesis or practice project that may assume a variety of forms, from scholarly essay to a practice-based project, where creative outcomes are contextualised and framed theoretically.  A Postgraduate Diploma is available to students who do not wish to complete a thesis.

Duration: 2 year programme Part-time

Disclaimer
The modules below are indicative of the content associated with this course of study.
The modules are subject to change as the curriculum is revised and reviewed annually. Please check periodically for updates.

Year 1

CRITICAL AND CREATIVE MEDIA This two-year (part-time) MA advances practical, research, and analytical thinking skills while deepening creative and theoretical engagement with media of all kinds. The programme  combines critical thinking and cutting-edge creative practice to tackle the challenging environment of contemporary media industries. It develops a wide range of theoretical and practical approaches across several media forms, including film, interactive media, print, broadcast TV, and radio. It situates these media in their historic and social contexts, examining how people engage with them, their economic infrastructures, and technological forms, alongside hands-on practical engagement with media tools.  The programme’s flexible structure also allows you to build a degree that suits you.  Students can follow one of our 3 pathways: Creative Media; Society and Justice; or History and Culture, or a programme of their own design. The programme also allows students to pursue their own interests by taking related modules from across a range of subjects available at MU. Finally, students can choose between a final dissertation or creative project based on where they want the MA to take them.   Note re. registration Students should choose up to 40 credits from the following Media Studies modules across the two years of the programme: MD624, MD630, MD631, MD632, MD636. Students can choose up to 20 credits from cross-listed modules offered outside the department.   MDCP6 - CRITICAL AND CREATIVE MEDIA Credits: 30 Not compulsory: Module Code Credits Semester Compulsory AN GHAEILGE SNA MEÁIN Ó 2RN GO DTÍ AN RÉ DHIGITEACH NG630 10 1 ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT AN692 10 2 ANTHROPOLOGY OF DIGITAL MEDIA AN693 10 2 CREATIVE INTERACTIVE COMPUTING MD630 10 2 CRITICAL AND CREATIVE MEDIA RESEARCH MD622 10 1 DIGITAL CRITICAL SKILLS MD636 10 1 DIGITAL SOCIAL SCIENCE METHODS SO646 10 2 DUBLIN URBAN LABORATORY GY621 10 2 ETHNOGRAPHIC PRACTICE AN676 5 1 FIELD SCHOOL GY607 10 1 GENDER AND HISTORY IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND: A SURVEY HY697 10 Year-Long INDIVIDUAL PROJECT MU624 10 Year-Long INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LAW LW685 10 2 IRISH MEDIA HISTORY MD624 10 1 KEY CONCEPTS IN ANTHROPOLOGY I AN670 5 1 KEY CONCEPTS IN ANTHROPOLOGY II AN673 5 2 MEDIA PUBLICS: DIGITAL MEDIA, PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND POLITICAL FORMATIONS MD632 10 2 MEDIA THEORY MD635 10 2 MUSIC AND SCREEN MEDIA MU681 10 2 PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND SPATIAL JUSTICE GY619 10 2 SPATIAL JUSTICE: GEOGRAPHIES OF SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE GY629 10 2 THE GRAPHIC NOVEL: CRITICAL AND CREATIVE APPROACHES SPA649 10 2 THEORY IN ANTHROPOLOGY AN675A 10 1 UNDERSTANDING DIGITAL SOCIETIES SO639 10 2 UNDERSTANDING DIGITAL SOCIETY GY625A 10 1 WRITING FOR SCREEN MEDIA MD631 10 1

Year 2

CRITICAL AND CREATIVE MEDIA This two-year (part-time) MA advances practical, research, and analytical thinking skills while deepening creative and theoretical engagement with media of all kinds. The programme  combines critical thinking and cutting-edge creative practice to tackle the challenging environment of contemporary media industries. It develops a wide range of theoretical and practical approaches across several media forms, including film, interactive media, print, broadcast TV, and radio. It situates these media in their historic and social contexts, examining how people engage with them, their economic infrastructures, and technological forms, alongside hands-on practical engagement with media tools.  The programme’s flexible structure also allows you to build a degree that suits you.  Students can follow one of our 3 pathways: Creative Media; Society and Justice; or History and Culture, or a programme of their own design. The programme also allows students to pursue their own interests by taking related modules from across a range of subjects available at MU. Finally, students can choose between a final dissertation or creative project based on where they want the MA to take them.   Note re. registration Students should choose up to 40 credits from the following Media Studies modules across the two years of the programme: MD624, MD630, MD631, MD632, MD636. Students can choose up to 20 credits from cross-listed modules offered outside the department. MDCP62 - CRITICAL AND CREATIVE MEDIA Credits: 60 Not compulsory: Module Code Credits Semester Compulsory AN GHAEILGE SNA MEÁIN Ó 2RN GO DTÍ AN RÉ DHIGITEACH NG630 10 1 ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT AN692 10 2 ANTHROPOLOGY OF DIGITAL MEDIA AN693 10 2 CREATIVE INTERACTIVE COMPUTING MD630 10 2 DIGITAL CRITICAL SKILLS MD636 10 1 DIGITAL SOCIAL SCIENCE METHODS SO646 10 2 DISSERTATION/PROJECT MD628 30 Year-Long DUBLIN URBAN LABORATORY GY621 10 2 ETHNOGRAPHIC PRACTICE AN676 5 1 FIELD SCHOOL GY607 10 1 GENDER AND HISTORY IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND: A SURVEY HY697 10 Year-Long INDIVIDUAL PROJECT MU624 10 Year-Long INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LAW LW685 10 2 IRISH MEDIA HISTORY MD624 10 1 KEY CONCEPTS IN ANTHROPOLOGY I AN670 5 1 KEY CONCEPTS IN ANTHROPOLOGY II AN673 5 2 MEDIA PUBLICS: DIGITAL MEDIA, PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND POLITICAL FORMATIONS MD632 10 2 MUSIC AND SCREEN MEDIA MU681 10 2 PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND SPATIAL JUSTICE GY619 10 2 SPATIAL JUSTICE: GEOGRAPHIES OF SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE GY629 10 2 THE GRAPHIC NOVEL: CRITICAL AND CREATIVE APPROACHES SPA649 10 2 THEORY IN ANTHROPOLOGY AN675A 10 1 UNDERSTANDING DIGITAL SOCIETIES SO639 10 2 UNDERSTANDING DIGITAL SOCIETY GY625A 10 1 WRITING FOR SCREEN MEDIA MD631 10 1

Programme Director Dr Sarah Arnold
Tel   +353 (0)1 708 3624 (Anne Byrne, Department Administrator)
Email sarah.arnold@mu.ie
Website https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/media-studies
Address Department of Media Studies Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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This programme offers practical training and transferable skill development for individuals from a variety of educational and experiential backgrounds in humanities, social sciences, and IT fields. It is designed for students who aspire to careers in creative and research-driven areas within media industries such as Marketing, TV, Film and Web Production, and user design, as well as for those who intend to pursue doctoral research in Media Studies or Digital Arts and Humanities.

For further information on Postgraduate options please go to the Graduate Studies site