Bachelor Degree Course: Media Research
The bachelor’s program “Media Studies and Praxis” has been offered by the Institute for Communication Sciences since 2004. It is a course of studies oriented towards the requirements of professional practice and is built upon the foundational knowledge of Communication Science. It prepares students for daily tasks in the field of public communication, particularly communication dealing with mass media.
By selecting one of two specializations, the students can focus their studies on either the field of “Media and Public Opinion Research” or “PR and Political Communication”. The students will be put in the position to discern problems dealing with communication and media, to analyze these problems appropriately and critically with scientific methods, and to find and weigh possible solutions. At the core of the academic studies are the terms, forms, content, and results of public communication.
The communication of knowledge is organized in such a way that it is oriented towards areas of career practices. They do not, however, simply strive for job-readiness (immediate employability in specific career positions). Much more importantly will the students be given the opportunity to apply their knowledge of communication science, research methods, practical skills, and their competency for abstraction and transferring, so that, after a short introductory period in their career, they will be able to manage multifaceted and complex tasks. Additionally, the students will acquire the necessary prerequisites for admission into a corresponding master’s program.
The bachelor’s program prepares students for careers in media, advertisement, opinion, and market research, using the focus “Media and Public Opinion Research”. The other specialization, “PR and Political Communication”, prepares students for conceptual, strategic operations in public and media work with institutions, organizations, and associations in the fields of politics and administration, as well as for editorial tasks, specifically in the fields of politics and current affairs.
The program begins in the winter semester and lasts six semesters. In addition to lectures (also with guest speakers from the working world), seminars, and tutorials, a practical research project and a career-practical task are required for graduation. The bachelor’s work forms the degree completion. Further information about the organization of studies can be found under Aufbau des Studiums.
Erich Kästner wrote about his hometown: “If it should be true that I not only know what is terrible and ugly, but also what is beautiful, I owe this gift to having the fortune to having grown up in Dresden. I could not simply learn what is beautiful from books. Not even in school or at the university. I was allowed to breathe in the beauty like a forester’s children breathe in the woodland air.” Since the days of Kästner, the face of Dresden has changed considerably, but it has remained just as beautiful. The Saxon capital of Dresden is one of the burgeoning cities of Germany with outstanding future prospects – and all of that with an affordable cost of living! Contained within charming surroundings, the city offers the best qualifications for art and culture, business and innovation, as well as tradition, education, and research. The students of the seven universities shaped the cityscape at least as much as the baroque period. The student life takes place outside the university, most of all in the lively and artsy neighborhoods of the Dresdner Neustadt.