BA Digital Media and Society
About this course
BA in Digital Media and Society and Film Studies, a sociology and film studies degree focused on the social and cultural implications of digital media technologies. Core topics include Programming, Computer Architecture, Statistics, Research Methods, Marketing, Critical & Analytical Thinking, Human Behaviour, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, and Social & Cultural Analysis. Students examine the ethical dimensions of digital media products while employing digital methods for social research. The first year introduces foundational concepts through compulsory modules such as Data Visualisation: Coding and Design, Digital Media and Society I: Core Concepts, Introduction to Media and Communication, Digital Media and Society II: Contemporary Issues, and Introduction to Digital Methods Research, alongside optional studies like Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics. In the second year, students build research skills with compulsory modules including Digital Media and Social Change, Advancing with Digital Methods, Digital Storytelling, and Social Research Design and Methods, while choosing from diverse options such as Media Law for Journalists and The Sociology of Crime. The final year centres on independent research through the compulsory Dissertation in Digital Media and Society module, complemented by optional modules covering topics such as Digital Marketing and Consumer Culture, Global Data Industries, Organised Crime and Illicit Markets, and Algorithms, AI and Society.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A Level: ABB IB: 33; 32, with B in the extended essay
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Admissions (2022 entry, home applicants)
Offer rate 83%: 96 offers from 115 applications, from the university's Freedom of Information return.
What students say
Based on about 41 final-year students who answered
- Teaching on my course: 89%
- Learning opportunities: 80%
- Assessment and feedback: 86%
- Academic support: 90%
- Organisation and management: 84%
- Learning resources: 92%
- Student voice: 86%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 115 students who started
- Continued on course: 97%
- Left higher education: 3%
What graduates do next
Based on about 90 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Working: 69%
- Working and studying: 14%
- Further study: 5%
- Unemployed: 5%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 19%
- Administrative occupations: 12%
- Elementary occupations: 9%
- Welfare and housing associate professionals: 8%
- Legal professionals: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 81%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 69%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 55%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 95 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 2%
- North West: 11%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 28%
- East Midlands: 8%
- West Midlands: 3%
- East of England: 8%
- London: 29%
- South East: 3%
- South West: 3%
- Wales: 2%
- Northern Ireland: 2%
Who gets in
Based on about 70 students who started
- A levels: 96%
- Access course: 1%
- Other HE qualification: 1%
- Other qualifications: 1%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Data Visualisation: Coding and Design
- Digital Media and Society I: Core Concepts
- Introduction to Media and Communication
- Digital Media and Society II: Contemporary Issues
- Introduction to Digital Methods Research
- Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics
- Press, Politics and Democracy
- Theories of Society
- Sociology of hope, community and social justice
- Making Sense of Education: Facts, Fiction and Data
- Digital Media and Social Change
- Advancing with Digital Methods
- Digital Storytelling
- Social Research Design and Methods
- Media Law for Journalists
- Sociological Theory and Analysis
- The Sociology of Crime
- Sociology of Media and Consumer Culture
- Doing Quantitative Sociological Research
- Sociology of Family: Continuity and Change
- Children and Digital Cultures
- Journalism and Digital Activism for Social Justice
- Men, Feminism and Gender relations
- Sociology of the Body
- In Sickness and in Health: The Sociology of Medicine
- Crime, Justice and Social Policy
- Understanding 'Race' and Migration
- Social Problems: Policy and Practice
- Urban Analytics
- Ethics: From Theory to Practice
- Feminism
- Ethnography of Faith, Spirituality and Wellbeing
- Chinese Business and Management
- Contemporary Chinese Society and Culture
- Population and Environment in China
- East Asian Cinema
- Digital East Asia
- Dissertation in Digital Media and Society
- Digital Media Work Placement
- Digital Marketing and Consumer Culture
- Global Data Industries
- Organised Crime and Illicit Markets
- Digital Identities
- Protest, Movements and Social Change
- Whiteness, Power and Privilege
- Reimagining Care: Families, Services and Policies
- Journalism in Film and Fiction
- Intimacy and Personal Relationships
- Queer Identities in the Media
- Algorithms, AI and Society
- Sex Work: Rights, Regulation and Resistance
- Digital Health
- What it means to be human
- Education@Sheffield
- Free Speech and Censorship
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Digital Media and Society at University of Sheffield earn?
The median salary is £25,000 after 15 months, £23,500 after 3 years, £30,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £25,000 and £36,000. The £30,000 median after five years is £3,500 more than the UK median for Sociology.
What do graduates of BA Digital Media and Society at University of Sheffield do next?
88% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Digital Media and Society at University of Sheffield?
89% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Digital Media and Society at University of Sheffield?
The typical offer is ABB at A level. The average entrant had 128 UCAS points.
What is the offer rate for BA Digital Media and Society at University of Sheffield?
83% of home applicants received an offer for 2022 entry: 96 offers from 115 applications, according to the university's Freedom of Information return.
Does BA Digital Media and Society at University of Sheffield include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional placement year and an optional year abroad.
How many students continue on BA Digital Media and Society at University of Sheffield?
97% of students continued into their second year, and 3% left higher education.