Education

What can you find on this webpage?

Our (future) students can find the official study programme and other useful info here.

You can find information about admission requirements, further studies and more practical info such as ECTS sheets, or a weekly timetable of the current academic year.

Are you a future student?

Be sure to first take a look at the page about the Master of Communication Sciences: Digital Media and Society.

There you can find more info on:

- What’s the programme about?

- Starting profile

- Admission and application

- Future possibilities

- Why KU Leuven

- Contact

- ...

Objectives

Students acquire domain specific knowledge, skills and attitudes in our master’s programme. The graduated master in communication sciences…

1. Knowledge and insights

1.1 has advanced and broadened knowledge of and insight in the research, results and theoretical frames of communication sciences and especially in the chosen domain: ‘Media, culture and policy’, ‘Strategy and organization’, ‘Mediapsychology’ or ‘Journalism in the digital society’.

1.2 has advanced and broadened knowledge of and insight in the complex relations between media, communication technologies, the individual and the societal context from a domain specific perspective. Based on this, he can indicate and judge new phenomena and evolutions.

1.3 has advanced and specialized insight in socio-scientific research designs and their application in the communication sciences. He knows which designs are functional to solve domain specific problems.

2. Analyzing and reflecting

2.1 can relate his knowledge and insights from the chosen domain to each other and integrate them in the relevant theoretical frames from other related disciplines and/or domains.

2.2 can relate his domain specific knowledge of and insight in mediated communication and his own research to and integrate it in relevant theoretical frames from other related disciplines and/or domains.

2.3 can critically reflect on the scientific and societal relevance of domain specific research findings and insights.

2.4 can critically situate the communication scientific approach of relevant issues in relation to other social scientific approaches. He can judge the value and pertinence of the discipline and chosen domain competently in de wider context of societal and professional functioning.

2.5 can acknowledge the realization that each theory is based on presuppositions in his own research or argumentation and can contribute to the statement that scientific insights can be questioned, changed and abandoned.

2.6 can critically evaluate the used approach, methodology and quality and reliability of the formulated solution.

3. Researching

3.1 can critically and analytically read complex scientific literature from his own discipline and related disciplines and relate it to diverse trends and developments in the chosen domain. He can give a well-founded judgement on the quality of the literature.

3.2 shows an interested, studiously and searching attitude to understand and solve multidisciplinary and domain specific questions and answers. Therefore, he connects with relevant questions and problems within the discipline or the domain.

3.3 can translate complex, realistic, (multi)disciplinary or domain specific problems autonomously to specific research questions, can compose a research design (both quantitative and qualitative), and can run through the entire empirical cycle to formulate an answer to his research questions. He doesn’t shrink away from the boundaries of his discipline or domain.

3.4 can apply the ethical and deontological regulations of communication sciences and the scientific research in general in his own research. He carefully and conscientiously conducts research and communicates about the findings in a verifiable manner.

4. Feed-back

4.1 can integrate and reformulate discipline and domain specific, but also interdisciplinary, knowledge and insights on his own initiative and in unpredictable, complex circumstances. He can also translate his expertise into the professionally relevant context of policy and strategy.

4.2 sees possibilities to embed research findings in a meaningful and justified manner in new scopes. Whilst taking into account the societal and ethical dimension, he can translate the acquired insights and findings to and implement them in a professionally relevant context.

4.3 can report about his own research in a scientific justified paper and can change minds constructively with colleagues and specialists about both the conclusions of (his own) research and the underlying knowledge and insights.

5. Process-based thinking and acting

5.1 can collaborate in a multidisciplinary and eventually international work- or research environment.

5.2 can work effectively and efficiently in a project. He therein shows attention to quality, carefulness, scheduling and organization.

5.3 can critically reflect on his own thinking and acting and adjust where necessary. He can construct an argumentation with attention to the social, societal, deontological and ethical dimensions.

5.4 can obtain, process, interpret and judge information.

5.5 can evaluate his own competences and actualize, broaden or deepen them by supplementary training or self-study with an eye on embedding his skills in a societal context.

I. Analysis and reflection

1. Graduated master students are prepared for lifelong learning and following up on scientific evolutions and current debates within the communication science discipline as a whole and the domain of digital media in particular.

2. Graduated master students show an intellectual interest in the complex relationships between media, communication technologies, the individual and the social context, and are capable of interpreting these analytically and critically, using in-depth disciplinary knowledge.

3. Graduated master students are prepared to use communication-scientific frameworks and theories in various professional contexts.

 

II. Research

1. Graduated master students develop a thorough research-oriented attitude to problematize social themes, to place them in a communication-scientific perspective and critically asses them.

2. Graduated master students show a commitment to apply the methods and techniques of research in the communication (and general social) sciences in an adequate, context-specific way in their active career.

3. Graduated master students are prepared to act in accordance with a scientifically sound and reflective attitude, and to adhere to the applicable professional code of ethics.

 

III. Feedback

1. Graduated master students are aware of the possibilities and pitfalls in the use of communication research and theory for the development of policy and strategy in various professional contexts.

2. Graduated master students are willing to contribute constructively to the formulation of alternatives to cope with current and future problems, relying on media-sociological, media-psychological or strategic perspectives. 

 

IV. Process-oriented thinking and action

1. Graduated master students show a willingness for collegial and effective multidisciplinary cooperation with other (human) scientific disciplines.

2. Graduated master students are committed to present their own ideas and reflections in a reasoned and self-critical manner for various target groups and/ or to defend them in the public debate.

3. Graduated master students cultivate an open attitude towards various worlds, groups and cultures. 

 

Educational quality of the study programme

Here you can find an overview of the results of the COBRA internal quality assurance method.

Educational quality at study programme level

Blueprint
Blueprint_MA_Master in Communicatien Sciences Digital Media and Society.pdf

Educational quality at university level

• Consult the documents on educational quality available at university level.

More information?

• More information on the educational quality at KU Leuven
• More information on the available documents