Studying by distance learning has the benefit of allowing you to

develop your career without having to leave employment, or to pursue a qualification when family or other personal commitments make full time study on campus impractical. Distance learning now enjoys a key role in many of the world’s higher education systems and it is likely to expand in the future as new ways of teaching and studying which make use of new communications technologies become available. As the UK’s leading provider of distance taught postgraduate courses the University of Leicester is a centre for e-learning and is committed to the further development of flexible learning systems.

In distance learning, students acquire course knowledge principally through their study of texts and other media. They are assessed in much the same way as for other modes of learning. There is often provision for some face-to-face tuition, although this is not as substantial as in conventional full-time learning; there is more intensive use of means of communications such as mail, email, the worldwide web and other audio-visual media.

Benefits of studying via Distance Learning

• You can study part-time.
• You can continue in full-time or part-time employment.
• You can combine domestic and child-care responsibilities with learning.
• You do not have to live in close proximity to the University.
• The academic standards of distance-taught courses offered by recognized, chartered universities such as the University of Leicester are at least as high as their conventional courses, and are subject to the same rigorous quality assurance procedures.
• The materials produced for distance-taught courses are the product of very considerable preparation, in this case drawing on a range of expertise from universities around the world and assessed by experts of high standing.
• Distance learning allows a department such as Media and Communication at the University of Leicester, with a strong record of media teaching and research, to make these strengths available to a much broader audience of students than would otherwise be possible.
• The flexibility of materials-based learning offers you more scope to develop study patterns that fit in with your preferred pace of study and are adapted to your particular needs and circumstances.

Making the most of Distance Learning

In producing our distance learning programmes in media and communication we have been able to call on the expertise of leading scholars and teachers from many different institutions and countries from around the world to create learning materials which are exclusive to our courses and which build into an invaluable resource for the study of the media. The very best scholars have been brought together to provide written course material that reflects a far broader range of research and scholarship than is likely to be available in any conventional campus-based postgraduate course anywhere in the world. By following the distance learning mode you will be guided through this rich and varied material and encouraged to pursue your own lines of interest in the field as your knowledge expands and your experience grows. We have designed programmes that will:

• serve as a broad introduction to the study of communications media as well as offering opportunities to specialize
• deal with the key themes and issues in media and communication research
• introduce the skills and approaches that can be used to study the media
• emphasize the importance of analyzing the media and communication processes in their social, political, economic and global contexts
• provide direct access to the current thinking of key researchers and writers in the field from around the globe
• offer those already employed in the communications industries a chance to review current professional and industrial practices
• present a challenging and comprehensive introduction to the media for those who plan to work in the communications field in the future

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