Bachelor Program

Short Summary

The BA degree in media and communication science (PuK) offers a sound basic academic qualification. This qualification allows you to:

• start a qualified professional career or
• continue your academic studies (Master's degree).

Media and communication science deals with the analysis of public communication as deployed by media such as radio, TV, printed media and the Internet. We are however, interested not only in the media (media companies, editorial boards or communicators), but also in the legal and economic conditions under which media organisations act, what content they provide for public communication, how this content is received and its effects. When analysing the processes of public communication, we also take into account the conditions of production; how different actors in society aim to provide the media with interesting topics and, in doing so succeed in setting the agenda. We analyse the communication management of political, cultural or economic organisations and we consider their effects with the context of a modern “media society”.

A broad and differentiated knowledge of basic social media and communication science theories are required to analyse and evaluate public communication structures, organisations and processes. Furthermore, a very good knowledge of empirical social research methods is required for these analyses. Within the BA course you will thus be taught both theoretical principles as well as basic methodological skills to describe and analyse very different phenomena of public communication. On completion of the BA degree you will be able to perform your own empirical projects and carry out analyses and evaluations on a sound theoretical basis. This is taught in the BA course through work on and the study of examples that deal with selected problems and questions.

The student of the Bachelor program acquires the degree “Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences”. The program comprises 180 credit points (120 credit points in the major subject, an additional 60 credit points must to be acquired in one or two minor subjects). On completion of the BA with media and communication science as the major subject, the bachelor has acquired broad theoretical and empirical knowledge about the main areas of interest in communication science. This degree qualifies successful graduates for many varied careers in the communication and media business fields.

Usually, the program takes 6 semesters to complete (see regulations for students in the Bachelor and Master program)

As a minor subject, students can enrol in the Bachelor program in media and communication science for 60 credit points or in the Master program for 30 credit points.

“Please note that the courses are held in German”