Study Communication Studies at Otago

Dr Brett Nicholls:

Why would we study media, film and communication?

Well, the answer to that is simple. In today’s world, we are surrounded by media and communication devices. In fact, it’s at the centre of everything that we do in our working life. Whatever job you go into, you will encounter communication devices and you’ll have to communicate with people.

In our home life, it’s becoming increasingly filled with communication devices. In our social lives, we find it very difficult today to maintain a social relationship with anybody without some form of communication and communication device. And in our leisure lives, we spend a huge amount of time looking at and consuming various forms of media.

So this is why we would study communication today. It’s at the centre of everything that we do.

In our programme, what we do is we equip students with tools to be able to engage with this world — so that they can be successful within it, so that they can understand it, and so that in their lives they can make a difference.

Why would we study media, film and communication at Otago?

Well, we were actually the first communication programme in the country. So we have a very experienced and supportive staff who keep up with all of the latest trends.

We offer two majors in our programme. So if you have more of a bent towards studying film and images, then you can do our Film and Media Studies major. If you’re more interested in communication and how that works in contemporary life, then you can do the Communication Studies major — two emphases for this very, very diverse and interesting field.

It’s also the case that in our programme, you can combine that very well with other majors in the Bachelor of Arts. Works very well with History, works very well with Politics.

We also have students that do double degrees. So you can do a Bachelor of Commerce and then a Bachelor of Arts, and then you can do a major in Media and Communication. Or we have students — we’ve had several students — that do a Laws degree and then a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Media and Communication. So it’s a very flexible degree.

We work in a supportive environment and we would welcome you onto our campus.

What sorts of careers can we get from studying media, film and communication?

Well, the careers are many and varied.

We have, for instance, the current Mayor of Dunedin is one of our graduates. We have people that work at various levels of the public service, working as media officers or in other roles — in roles that require communication or some form of media knowledge to be able to work and to do their job really well.

We have people that work for the Otago Regional Council. We also have people that work in journalism in its various forms — in both television and in online and in print forms.

We have students that have gone on to work in advertising. We have students that go on to work in management.

So a Communication degree equips us — equips you — for very, you know, lots of different opportunities and possibilities for your future working life.