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Areas of interest

Study media and communication , Ākona te ao pāpāho me te tuku kōrero

Study media and communication at Massey to uncover, shape and share stories – for the news media, for entertainment, for businesses and more.

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Top-ranked

QS World University Rankings lists Massey as one of the world's top 150 universities for communications and media.

Highly rated

Study with the best. Massey is ranked the top in New Zealand for communications by Shanghai Rankings.

The heart of the matter

Humanities and Social Sciences at Massey. Explore what it means to be human, why we act like we do and the ways we create meaning.

Get ahead at work

Expand your existing expertise at work or advance your career with Massey. Or change direction with a new qualification.

Overview

Engage with audiences and innovate, whether you're in journalism, creative production, or mass communications.

Learn from lecturers with industry experience and researchers with expertise in areas such as intercultural communication or investigative journalism. Gain hands-on experience with our state-of-the-art facilities, including broadcast-quality cameras and digital editing suites. Master in-demand skills with real-world projects, including internships. Graduate work-ready, with qualifications recognised in New Zealand and overseas.

Business internships via Massey

Media and communication is a good fit if you:

  • enjoy school subjects such as English, media studies or visual communication
  • want to uncover stories about people, places or current events
  • like talking with new people and working to deadlines.

Media and communication courses may cover:

  • expressive arts, which mixes creative writing, digital media production, and theatre
  • journalism, including reporting and producing online, radio and TV news
  • linguistics (how languages work)
  • media studies, which covers apps, film and TV, social media and more
  • PR, including media liaison and writing press releases
  • social media and digital marketing
  • storytelling
  • workplace communication.

How to study media and communication

Discover what we offer if you’re interested in media and communication – whether you’re coming to university for the first time, changing direction or returning to advance your study or career.

Undergraduate study

An undergraduate qualification is generally the first thing you’ll study at university.

Bachelor's degrees

Degrees are the standard qualifications you do at university – the most common is called a bachelor’s. Degrees give you enough time to explore your interests, and also focus on specific subjects.

Bachelor's degrees with honours

An undergraduate honours degree is a four-year bachelor’s degree.

Graduate certificates

Graduate certificates let you study in a subject you're interested in without doing a second bachelor's degree. Or you can use it as a bridge to postgraduate study if you already have an undergraduate degree.

Undergraduate diplomas

Undergraduate diplomas let you try university study before you commit to a degree. They’re also useful if you need to advance your career.

Graduate diplomas

Graduate diplomas can help you advance to postgraduate study or research in a subject you haven’t majored in for your undergraduate study.

Relevant undergraduate subjects to major or specialise in

When you apply to study at Massey, for some undergraduate qualifications you can choose what subject you’d like to specialise in. You can usually change your mind after you get to university, depending on the courses you enrol in.

Postgraduate study

Once you’ve graduated with a bachelor’s degree – or have equivalent experience – you’ll be ready to take on postgraduate study.

Postgraduate bachelor's degrees with honours

Go deeper into a major subject from your undergraduate bachelor's degree, graduate certificate or graduate diploma; at a higher level of study.

Master's degrees

A master's degree normally builds on a main subject of study from your undergraduate degree.

Postgraduate certificates

Postgraduate certificates give you an introduction to postgraduate-level study. They’re shorter than postgraduate degrees. If you’re successful, you may be able to use the credits towards a postgraduate diploma

Postgraduate diplomas

Postgraduate diplomas are postgraduate-level qualifications that are longer than a postgraduate certificate. If you’re successful, you might be able to use the credits towards the longer master’s degree.

PhD and other doctoral degrees

Doctoral degrees, including PhDs, are the highest degrees we award. They’re very demanding and their entry criteria reflect this.

Relevant research areas at Massey

Discover research expertise, projects and initiatives relating to media and communication at Massey.

Media and communication research

What our students say

“I've worked as a reporter in Sydney, London, Canberra and outback Australia. The Massey programme had a great emphasis on industry skills and practical learning, much of which I still use in the newsroom every day.”
Steve Trask

Digital editor, SBS News

Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism

“Be a creative thinker; challenge the status quo; and if you’re feeling bold, aim to become a change-maker. That’s what the BA did for me.”
Whaiora Patrick

Bachelor of Arts (Media Studies)

“What made me pick Massey was the variety. I didn’t want a degree that would limit my options and I can confidently say, I am happy with my decision. I’ve graduated with a range of skills including article writing, filming and editing skills, creative writing, marketing knowledge, and writing communication plans for companies.”
Leilani Baker

Bachelor of Communication (Journalism)

Our facilities

You'll have access to a wide range of first-class facilities when you study with us.

Filming

Filming studios including HD camera set up with teleprompter, green screens and controllable lighting rigs. Audio, video and lighting equipment necessary to conduct mobile, on-site filming.

Audio

Our world-class equipment and facilities include:

  • audio booths for interviews or podcasting
  • dubbing theatre
  • live-rooms controlled by two of the world’s most sought-after desks – 72ch Neve and 48ch SSL Duality analogue console
  • studio equipped with the latest Avid hardware.

Editing and visual effects

Leading-edge digital production and post-production tools including high-end digital cameras with green screen and lighting gear, motion capture facilities and post-production.

Video editing classroom/labs with iMacs with Adobe CC video editing applications. Some labs have video recording and live streaming.

Virtual and augmented reality

A specialised room where students can explore and prototype virtual spaces and experiences, or create virtual artworks or designs using virtual reality and augmented reality equipment.

Jobs in media and communication

Many jobs rely on strong communication skills. Then there are specialist media and communication careers, such as journalism or public relations.

Careers span from media jobs to working in communications for all sorts of industries – from the arts to business, charities to healthcare, government agencies to non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Some of our graduates go into marketing or research.

Media and communication careers include:

  • communications roles in government or businesses, which may include media relations, online content, speech writing or strategy-setting
  • digital marketing strategists
  • journalists
  • presenters on radio, TV or online
  • PR (public relations) specialists
  • social media advisers or managers.

Annual salary ranges for jobs

Becoming a journalist

Journalists help make sense of what's happening around us. It's a competitive career to enter, so you need the right mindset, technical skills and reporting experience – just what Massey's journalism qualifications can give you.

You'll also need to:

  • be curious
  • enjoy talking to people to find out more about their stories
  • relish uncovering new information
  • love writing.

We've been training journalists since 1966, with qualifications valued by employers and professional bodies. Our graduates work at news organisations in New Zealand and overseas – online, on-air broadcasting, and in print, from community news reporters to international correspondents.

Salary ranges disclaimer

Indicative pay rates are:

Which media and communication qualification?

Examples of where our qualifications may take you.

Table showing jobs and what you could study to enter them.
Jobs Examples of what you could study
Communications professional Bachelor of Communication (Media Studies)
Bachelor of Business (Strategic Communication)
Digital marketing strategist or manager Bachelor of Communication (Digital Marketing)
Journalist Bachelor of Communication (Journalism)
Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism if you already have a degree
Bachelor of Arts (Media Studies)
PR specialist Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations)
Bachelor of Business (Strategic Communication)

Accreditations and rankings

Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC)

Massey’s Bachelor of Communication is the only degree outside the Americas and the Middle East to be recognised by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC).

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ShanghaiRanking - Communication

Communication at Massey is ranked #1 in New Zealand, and 76th in the world, by ShanghaiRanking.

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QS Ranking - Communication and Media

Massey is ranked by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) as one of the top 100 universities for communication and media studies. QS is an organisation that ranks universities worldwide in various topics.

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QS Ranking - Art & Design

College of Creative Arts – Toi Rauwhārangi ranks in the global top 150 for art and design by QS World University Rankings.

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Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Massey Business School is rated in the top 5% of global business colleges by AACSB International.

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Get an information guide

Download our guides to find out more about studying media and communication at Massey.

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