We live in an age where almost everything of what we do is connected to data. Big data and datafication - the increasing transformation of multiple aspects of everyday lives into digital data - pose great opportunities but also risks for contemporary societies. This new MA course addresses, explores and creatively utilises this transformation. We place an emphasis on current and future technologies and practices such as algorithms, artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain, data analytics and data mining, the Internet of Things, and others.

This multidisciplinary course brings together media / communication studies and computer science. It combines hands-on and applied approaches with theoretical learning and critical analysis. It will encourage collaboration, creative practice, group work and problem-based learning. You will apply tools and technologies to your own data challenges and projects, including from your existing professional or cultural, political, social and economic environments. The course also features optional modules from a range of disciplines across the University: Media and Communication Studies, Law, Computer Science, Politics and International Relations, Cultural Studies.

You will be introduced to the tools and approaches that can be used for collection, analysis, management and visualisation of data, as well as to the skills needed to critically think about the ethical, cultural, social and political implications of their practice.

The course combines technical skills, critical use and creative production. It directly addresses graduates who may wish to acquire a set of skills in relation to data analytics, processing and visualisation, while maintaining and furthering a critical mode of enquiry into practices and trends that shape individuals, organisations and societies today. It also speaks to graduates with technical backgrounds and work experience in data-related industries, who wish to develop a more critical and multidisciplinary understanding of the social, cultural, political and economic implications of data-driven societies today.

The substantial growth in the number of jobs related to the digital and data world will further the need for graduates able to combine creative, applied and theoretical, and critical data skills with an ever wider range of subject areas. Graduates from this programme will be fully capable and confident to combine these skills during their careers. Students who complete the Data, Culture and Society MA can work in a wide variety of sectors connected to data in different ways: media and creative industries, PR & advertising, consulting and think tanks, start-ups, research and development, regulation and policy, data and knowledge-based companies and organisations, data management. Possible roles that graduates can work in may include Digital Campaigning, Marketing Insights; Marketing Data Manager; Archivist; Social Data Analyst; Data Analyst; Data Specialist; Data Strategist, Investigative analyst; Project Manager, Data Policy Advisor; Customer Data Analyst.

The skills provided in this course also enable you to be fully prepared for further study opportunities such as MPhil, PhD or other modalities of research that could also lead to future paths within the academic world.