Master's Programme in Social Sciences – Digital Media and Society

120 credits

The Master's Programme in Social Sciences, specialising in Digital Media and Society, provides you with the advanced tools to understand and analyse how media are shaping and being shaped by culture, education, politics and economy. You will also learn how they interact with our daily life, professional life and social life. You will gain a solid foundation in the area of digital media and at the same time have the opportunity to broaden your knowledge in a number of areas within social sciences.

Autumn 2023 Autumn 2023, Uppsala, 100%, On-campus, English

Autumn 2024 Autumn 2024, Uppsala, 100%, On-campus, English

The specialisation in Digital Media and Society provides you with the creative and critical thinking capacities that are needed in your future career and for becoming a critical, an ethically and responsibly active citizen who seeks to contribute to creating and maintaining open and inclusive societies. It will prepare you for work as communication and digital media professionals and researchers.

Upon completing the programme, you should have gained broad and specialised knowledge and academic skills in the field of media and communication studies.

During the programme, you can expect the following.

  • Apply advanced knowledge and skills in empirical research methods, theories and ethical reasoning important for investigating and analysing digital media in everyday life, organisations and society.
  • Formulate problems, conduct investigations and communicate the results verbally and in written form.
  • Carry out your own project based on solid academic tools of analysis.

The programme will also prepare you for PhD studies in the field of media and communication studies, with a special focus on digital media and society.

After graduation, you will be equipped with the theoretical, methodological and analytical tools to reflect on the major challenges and opportunities that digital media and information and communication technologies (ICT) pose for society, democracy and processes of societal change in different parts of the world.

Student profile

Digital Media and Society is very popular among both international and Swedish students and attracts hundreds of applicants every year. In 2018, applicants came from 134 different countries. The group of 20-30 students who attend the programme come from diverse academic, educational, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. This further strengthens the programme's focus on inclusion, diversity and multidisciplinary.

 

Degree

The programme and specialisation leads to the degree of Master of Social Science (120 credits) with Media and Communication Studies as the main field of study. After one year of study, it is possible to obtain a degree of Master of Social Science (60 credits).

Digital Media and Society has a duration of two academic years and is built around four main components that relate to different types of knowledge, skills and competencies. These components are:

  • core courses,
  • skills courses,
  • elective courses,
  • Master's thesis.

The first component of the programme consists of advanced core courses (30 credits) that focus on the theoretical knowledge and empirical skills required for understanding and analysing digital media and society. All four core courses are compulsory.

The second component (30 credits) is made up of basic social science skills courses that are taught together with the other specialisations in the Master's Programme in Social Sciences. The two courses on qualitative and quantitative research methods are compulsory, while the other two, are strongly advised.

The third component (30 credits) comprises elective courses, allowing you to deepen your knowledge and expertise in specific areas, based on your special interests. Part of the elective courses is two alternative kinds of internship courses: in organisations or in research projects, which give you the possibility to apply your theoretical knowledge and skills in real-life work or research environments.

The fourth component is the Master's thesis (30 credits), in which you will undertake independent academic research in the area of digital media and society.

If you choose to graduate after one academic year, you will instead produce a shorter Master's thesis (15 credits) in the second semester. You will also be required to take the two core courses in media and communication studies and the two skills courses in the first semester, and the other two core courses in media and communication studies in the second semester.

Courses within the programme

See the programme outline for courses within the specialisation.

The Master's Programme in Social Sciences, specialising in Digital Media and Society, is offered in Uppsala, and most of the courses are taught at the campus Ekonomikum. This specialisation is taught entirely in English and you are expected to master English for academic writing, presentation and discussion.

The programme is academically based and is deeply rooted in theory, empirical research and critical reasoning. Lectures, workshops and seminars are combined with, among other things, essays, debates and independent project work. This allows you to develop your methodological skills, theoretical knowledge and critical judgment capacities about topics that concern digital media and society.

At a seminar, you present your ideas and discuss with your classmates a course book or other study material that you are required to read before the seminar; while the teacher usually only moderates the discussion. The aim is to develop critical thinking and collaborative skills. All the students are expected to be active participants in all forms of discussions.

You are expected to gradually and increasingly take responsibility for your education as you progress with your studies and to gradually acquire professionally relevant and research-based knowledge and skills.

Faculty and research

At the Department of Informatics and Media, we conduct research within the fields of information systems, human-computer interaction, and media and communication studies. The strength of that combination is that we connect the capabilities, networks and researchers from various yet intertwining areas of interest. Through active collaboration, we achieve a synergy that through our similarities as well as our differences allows us to create a creative and thriving research environment. To help you decide if Digital Media and Society is right for you, explore our current research at the Department.

Learning to understand and master digital media and how they relate to daily, cultural, political, economic and professional life, gives you an excellent foundation to work as a digital media professional and researcher.

Graduates of the programme can work as digital media, internet or information society researchers, digital media or social media analysts, research managers, research administrators, digital media industry consultants or digital media experts.

Employers include:

  • public service,
  • government institutions,
  • civil society organisations,
  • non-governmental organisations (NGOs),
  • international development organisations,
  • information and communications technology (ICT) consultants,
  • ICT policy experts,
  • social media managers,
  • communication experts in the public or private sector, as well as in a broad area of professions in the new media and creative industries.

Many of the programme's graduates work in the media industry, as practitioners or as digital media and communication specialists, both in Sweden and internationally, while a number of the programme's graduates have pursued doctoral studies.

Career support

During your time as a student, UU Careers offers support and guidance. You have the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities and events that will prepare you for your future career.

Contact

  • For programme-specific information, please contact Programme Coordinator Johan Lindell:
  • johan.lindell@im.uu.se
  • For questions regarding admission requirements, please contact Study Counsellor Tina Kekkonen:
  • tina.kekkonen@im.uu.se
  • For admissions-related or general information, please contact our applicant support team:
  • masterprogrammes@uu.se

FOLLOW UPPSALA UNIVERSITY ON

facebook
instagram
twitter
youtube
linkedin