Media, Communication and Development MA
Harrow, United Kingdom
MA
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 18,000 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
* International Deadline | Home Deadline – 4 September
** international | UK: £10,900
Key Summary
About: The Media, Communication and Development MA examines how media, technology and communication shape global development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. You’ll study policy, digital platforms, data and storytelling, with optional modules in fundraising, digital media production and campaign communications. A dissertation or professional project develops research and project-delivery skills with one-to-one supervision. Taught by scholars and practitioners with Global South expertise, you’ll join CAMRI and the Communication and Development Network (C4D).
Career Outcomes: This MA readies you for career opportunities in development, media, NGOs and policy. Roles include researchers, campaign managers and digital communication strategists. Employers include UNICEF.
Our Media, Communication and Development MA is a sharp, future‑focused course that shows you how media and communication can drive real global change and open up a wide spectrum of international careers.
You will critically explore how media, technology and communication shape, and are in themselves shaped by, social, political and economic transformations around the world, with a strong emphasis on global development debates and practice. You’ll gain a rigorous grounding in policy and in the fast‑evolving international development and communications landscape. This will enable you to critically interrogate how digital platforms, data and storytelling are being used to rethink development strategies and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Optional modules allow you to shape your studies in areas such as fundraising, digital media production and campaign communications. The dissertation or professional project enables you to specialise in a topic that matches your ambitions and to develop advanced research and project‑delivery skills, with one‑to‑one academic supervision.
The course is taught by leading scholars and practitioners in media and development, with particular expertise in the Global South, who bring their research, consultancy and policy experience directly into the classroom. You’ll also hear from high‑level guests from NGOs, international organisations and media industries, gaining insider insight into how state and non‑state actors use communication to shape development agendas.
Our graduates go on to influential roles in organisations such as UNICEF, UNESCO, NBC, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the BBC, and you’ll plug into the international Communication and Development Network (C4D) – a vibrant global community of professionals working in communication for social and environmental justice.
Top reasons to study with us
- Clear pathway into global media and development roles, where you can directly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
- Learn from research‑active academics and experienced practitioners with deep networks across NGOs, international organisations and media industries.
- Benefit from close links to the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI), a world‑leading research centre for critical, international media and communication studies.
- Supercharge your employability through targeted networking, mentoring and skills support from Zone 29, our dedicated careers and enterprise hub.
- Study at our spacious, creative Harrow Campus – just 20 minutes by tube from central London, a global hub for media, NGOs and development agencies.
Core modules
- Advanced Independent Study (Dissertation or Professional Project)
- Communications Policy and Global Development
- Critical Approaches to Global Development
- Doing Media Research: Methods, Evidence, Ethics
- Understanding Media: Questions, Theory, Practice
One Semester One module from the below:
Semester 1 (option modules)
- Digital Media Production
- Fundraising for Social Justice
- Political Economy of Communication
One Semester Two module from the below:
Semester 2 (option modules)
- Digital Media Business: Strategy and Entrepreneurship
- Media, Activism and Politics
- Media Audiences in the Digital Age
- Media Work Experience
- Strategic Campaign Communications
The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible students.
The media and communications landscape across the global South is expanding rapidly, creating exciting opportunities for professionals with the right expertise. The skills you develop on this course can open doors in many directions. Our graduates have built successful careers in both the private and public sectors—in consulting firms, broadcast media organisations, government bodies, regulatory authorities, and NGOs including UNICEF, UNESCO, NBC, Bill Gates Foundation and the BBC.
Many others have moved into research-focused roles or continued their academic journey by pursuing a PhD.
- Industry engagement
We have strong links with media and development organisations such as the BBC, CGTN/CCTV, Tencent, SABC, CNN, NBC, Al Jazeera and UNICEF. - Community of professionals
Join C4D and be part of a global community of communication and development professionals. - Employers
Access a network of over 3,000 employers at the University’s new home for careers and enterprise, Zone29.
Industry links
We have developed strong links with media and development organisations around the world including:
- BBC
- Bill Gates Foundation
- CGTN/CCTV
- China People’s Daily
- KBS (South Korea)
- Tencent
- UNICEF
- Xinhua News Agency
- NBC
- UNESCO
- BBC Media Action
- The Guardian
- The Times
- The Conversation
Job roles
This course will prepare you for roles such as:
- Academic researcher
- Communication campaign manager
- Communication information manager
- Digital communication strategist
- Journalist/information officer
- Media and development engagement specialist
- NGO media manager
- Public media manager
Graduate employers
Graduates from this course have gone on to exciting roles such as:
- Communications Business Advisor, Rwanda Development Board
- Media and Development Specialist, UNESCO
- Multimedia Journalist, BBC News Arabic
- Planning Coordinator, NBC News
- Visual Communication Specialist, UN
- Digital Literacy Coach/Pastor
- Programme Officer at the Gates Foundation
- Project Manager, BBC Media Action
Open days, both online and on campus, are an excellent opportunity to explore study options at Westminster. An open day allows prospective students to visit the facilities, learn more about specific courses and speak directly with academic staff.