Overview
Introduction
The MSc Media and Communications (Data and Society) provides education and training in understanding the design, institutional context and social consequences of data- and information-driven systems (including AI) from a social science perspective.
The programme teaches critical skills in understanding, interpreting and governing data systems. While allowing students to build practical data science skills the programme introduces students to the wider implications of a social shift towards data and teaches them to effectively address ethical and governance questions that emerge.
You'll engage with the history, context and operation of data-driven systems as they are embedded in a range of communication contexts, learning about how power, value, commercial and public interest shape data-driven systems. You'll also consider the cultural aspects of the role of data within everyday life. Building from these insights you'll be able to develop skills and understandings critical for creating positive change within a range of settings, from public and private sector organisations to non-profit and research roles, evaluating and responding to the social and political contexts of data production and resulting AI technologies.
Preliminary readings
- J Cheney-Lippold We Are Data: Algorithms and The Making of Our Digital Selves (NYU Press, 2017)
- J Cohen Configuring the Networked Self: law, code, and the play of everyday practice (Yale University Press, 2012)
- K Crawford Atlas of Algorithms (Yale University Press, 2021)
- P Dourish The Stuff of Bits: an essay on the materialities of information (1st edition, MIT Press, 2017)
- L Gitelman, Ed “Raw Data” is an Oxymoron (MIT Press, 2013)
- R Kitchin The Data Revolution: big data, open data, data infrastructures and their consequences (Sage, 2014)
- S Mattern Code and Clay, Data and Dirt (University Of Minnesota Press, 2017)
- C O’Neil Weapons of Math Destruction: how big data increases inequality and threatens democracy (Penguin, 2017)
- B Schneier Data and Goliath: the hidden battles to collect your data and control your world (Norton, 2016)
- J van Dijck The culture of connectivity, a critical history of social media (Oxford University Press, 2013)
- C Wiggins and M Jones How Data Happened: A history from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms (Norton, 2023)
Also look at the Big Data and Society journal, open source journal.
Entry requirements
Upper second class honours (2:1) degree or equivalent in social science, or degree in a social science subject. We particularly welcome applications from people with professional experience in the media, communications, data or information technology fields.
Please select your country from the dropdown list below to find out the entry requirements that apply to you.
Overseas
English language requirements
The English language requirement for this programme is Higher. Read more about our English language requirements.
Competition for places at LSE is strong. So, even if you meet the minimum entry requirements, this does not guarantee you an offer of a place.
However, please don’t feel deterred from applying – we want to hear from all suitably qualified students. Think carefully about how you can put together the strongest possible application to help you stand out from other students.
Programme content
Year 1
You take one course on media and communications theories and concepts, a course in research methods and a data course, and will choose courses from a range of options within the department and across other relevant departments, such as Sociology, Government, Law and Management. In addition, you'll submit a dissertation of 12,000 words.
Courses to the value of one and a half units from a range of options
Why study with us
Discover more about our students and department.
Meet the department
The Department of Media and Communications is a world-leading centre for education and research in the field. Our department is ranked number 1 in the UK and number 2 globally for communication and media studies (2024 QS World University Rankings).
We offer students a wide selection of programmes, including master’s degrees, doctoral research training and short courses. At any one time, we have around 270 master’s students and 30 PhD students from around the world – all varying in age, professional experience and backgrounds.
Within the department, our research is organised around four key themes: media culture and identities, media participation and politics, communication histories and futures, and communication technology, rights and justice. The outputs from our research are shared with organisations such as the BBC, Facebook, Google, UNICEF, Ofcom and the UK/EU governments.
LSE’s location at the heart of London, one of the world's media capitals, allows us to foster close links with media and communications industries and policymakers.
Graduates from our programmes progress to interesting roles in broadcasting, journalism, advertising, new media industries, political marketing, market research, regulation and policy, media management and research in the public and private sectors.
Why LSE
University of the Year 2025 and 1st in the UK
Times and The Sunday Times - Good University Guide 20251st in London for the 13th year running
The Complete University Guide - University League Tables 20256th In the world
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024Carbon Neutral In 2021, LSE became the first Carbon Neutral verified university in the UK
Your application
Overview
We welcome applications from all suitably qualified prospective students. At LSE, we want to recruit students with the best academic merit, potential and motivation, irrespective of background.
We carefully consider each application and take into account all the information included on your application form, such as your:
- academic achievement (including predicted and achieved grades)
- statement of academic purpose
- two academic references
- CV.
See further information on supporting documents.
You may need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. See our English language requirements.
Personal statement requirements
If you're applying for this programme, please note the specific requirements for your personal statement in the Statement of Academic Purpose webpage.
Please note: The applications, intake and ratio values below includes MSc Media and Communications, MSc Media and Communications (Research) and MSc Media and Communications (Media and Communication Governance).
When to apply
Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis. This means that applications will close once the programme is full.
There is no fixed deadline. However, if you’d like to be considered for any funding opportunities, you must submit your application (and all supporting documents) by the funding deadline. See the fees and funding section below for more details.
Fees and funding
The table of fees shows the latest tuition fees for all programmes.
You're charged a fee for your programme. At LSE, your tuition fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It doesn't cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.
Learning and assessment
How you learn
How you're assessed
All taught courses are required to include formative coursework which is unassessed. It's designed to help prepare you for summative assessment which counts towards the course mark and to the degree award. LSE uses a range of formative assessment, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, mock exams and many others. You will be summatively assessed by written examinations (seen and unseen), research assignments, essays and the dissertation, which must be submitted in August.
Graduate destinations
Overview
Destinations of alumni from the MSc Media and Communications (Data and Society) have included: project manager for the Asset Data Question Project, Product Manager, Policy Assistant at Research Institutes, Content Strategist, Analysts, Planning Executives.
This programme will give you an understanding of how data shapes social life specifically through communication processes. This is useful for future careers in media and communication fields that are increasingly bound up with information systems and data development, such as: advertising and marketing, data analytics, legal and political consulting, information management, and editorial.
Further information on graduate destinations for this programme
Median salary of our postgraduate students 15 months after graduating:
Top 5 sectors our students work in:
Career support
From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.
Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.
See LSE Careers for further details.