Visit Report from University of Lincoln

This week I visited the University of Lincoln's Media School. The department staff were still buzzing from their recent victory at the Royal Television Society awards ceremony, where students won three awards in the categories of Best Entertainment, Best Animation and Best Factual programme. I was given a very warm welcome when I met Mike Mason of the University of Lincoln’s Media School. Established around 1996 Media has a relatively long history at Lincoln. The Media department is housed in the Faculty of Media, Humanities & Technology and offers a number of general and very specific media related courses, these include:

BA(Hons) Media Production
BA (Hons) Film & Television
BA (Hons) Audio Production
BA (Hons) Documentary Production

The BA Film & Television can be combined with English, History, Drama or Journalism. Lincoln has an extremely highly regarded Journalism school and the Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design also offers BA(Hons) Animation.
How you get in…
The Media school doesn’t interview prospective students as the UCAS points they require are fairly high. Put it this way, it’s harder to get on the Media Production course here than it is to get onto Forensic Science! However, if a student doesn’t quite make the 300 points required then the content of the personal statement does become even more important. This is the time when media-related work experience etc could make the difference between getting in or missing out, this is something to think about if you are aspiring to go to Lincoln.
What they have to offer…
There are around 180-200 first year Media Production students so the cohort is really quite large, however the facilities are vast and all housed in the extremely modern faculty building. Edit suites for video using iMovie, Final Cut and Avid, audio recording and edit suites, design and photography studios are all in abundance, as is extremely helpful and experienced technical support. Two TV studios with gallery and green rooms facilities, a fully functioning theatre; the LPAC and auditorium at the East Midlands Media Technology Enterprise Centre just next door, fabulous library and social facilities make Lincoln extremely well equipped.

Industry links…
There is a community radio station based in the building that students can get involved in and numerous opportunities to make links with the industry. The 33 strong staff is comprised of academics and practitioners, from ex-BBC personnel to experimental film makers to working photographers. Industry guest speakers are the norm at Lincoln, a recent guest was the Deputy Director General of the BBC who commanded quite a crowd. And on the day of my visit a highly experienced actor was coming in to discuss his experiences of working in front of the camera in both TV and film. There is also a unit in the third year which requires students to conduct research into media orientated organisations, this has in the past led to students being offered work within those companies. All of this industry exposure pays dividends for the students who work hard and get themselves noticed.
What happens when you get there…
Most of the production work conducted is done in groups with a certain amount of paperwork attached; other forms of assessment include critical evaluations, log books, reports and essays. There are no exams in the Media Production course.
Typically in a semester students would have two practical projects to work on, from different disciplines i.e. Radio & Sound and Design & Visual Communication; these would have paperwork attached. They would also be required to produce two critical essays, one from a core module and another from an optional module.
Extras…
In the second year Media students can also apply to spend their first semester at the University of Minnesota in Moorhead, USA. The School of Communications and Journalism has been a part of an exchange programme with Lincoln since 2001.
Success rates…
77% of graduates from the Media Production course get either a First or a 2:1. Those are very impressive results. Graduates from Lincoln go on to have prosperous careers in organisations such as the BBC, ITV, Sky, Nintendo and even Mi6. They become runners, work in TV studios in either corporate or camerawork, work in public relations and even teaching. One thing seems very evident to me and that is that if you are interested in extending your media skills and equipping yourself with the necessary tools to make it in the industry then Lincoln should be a strong contender for your UCAS application.

Top three reasons to pick Lincoln:
* A strong emphasis on practical work with excellent facilities
* Regular industry guest speakers
* No exams