Why this programme

After my bachelor’s graduation, I spent a year working in social media marketing and web editing for a company operating in the beauty industry. As my days in the office went by, I knew we needed to make some structural changes in our language and representation practices. Our communication strategies and materials were far from inclusive and diverse, and I constantly felt the urge to turn things around.

However, although I have always been passionate about intersectional feminism and inclusion, I didn’t feel like I had the tools to implement such changes in my work at the time. That’s why I applied to the master specialisation Media, Culture & Society at Erasmus University, and I can happily say it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Research my own interests

Media, Culture & Society is everything I have hoped for: a solid, yet flexible dive into the complex workings of the media from a socio-cultural perspective. The most exciting aspect of the master specialisation is the opportunity to explore my own research interests within the structure of my studies. Every assignment, paper and essay I write allows me to use the knowledge co-produced in class with my peers and professors and apply it to real-life cases of my interest. In addition, the master specialisation is small-scale and easy to navigate as an international student. The professors speak excellent English, and the classroom is always an interesting and respectful site of intercultural exchanges. 

Favourite courses

My favourite courses so far are Media & Socio-Cultural Change, Digital Media & Cultural Identities and Television Audiences. These courses allowed me to understand how media can generate change in society, participate in better representational practices, challenge discriminatory narratives, and ultimately create more inclusive and fairer (digital) environments for everyone.

Minor difficulties

Throughout my studies at Erasmus University, I have encountered minor difficulties in getting acquainted with the research methodologies, typical of Media Studies. I had never applied any qualitative or quantitative research methods in my previous studies. Therefore, the contents of the Methods courses were new and foreign to me. However, the tutorials and professors were always very helpful, and I never felt overwhelmed by the assignments.

In addition, Media, Culture & Society is very fast paced and requires students to be on top of their deadlines at all times. That’s why time management and a good dose of organization are key to academic and personal achievements.

Future plans

My future plans (hopefully) include a PhD and a career as corporate communications director, expert in matters of diversity and inclusion.

Having done my Bachelor’s in Media Studies in my hometown of Pune, India, I always dreamed of pursuing my further education abroad. And so far, Erasmus University Rotterdam has exceeded all of my expectations.

Specifically talking about the master specialisation Media, Culture & Society, I love the holistic approach this master specialisation takes by providing students with a good theoretical foundation while giving relevant practical tools necessary for our future professional careers. This combined with the dynamic, multicultural and international-friendly environment on campus has only made my experience better and really memorable thus far.

I look forward to starting my career path in the field of media using all the knowledge I will have obtained from Media, Culture & Society and applying it in the real world. I believe calling Erasmus University as my alumnus university can only hold good things for me in the future!

Why did you choose the Master Media, Culture and Society? Was it a conscious choice for a specific career path? What other factors contributed to your decision?
I chose the Master Media, Culture and Society because it was a perfect addition to my Bachelor in Sociology and my strong interest in media. I read amazing things about the master and the Dutch teaching system and I wanted to add a more specialized education to my bachelor.

The fact that the master takes only one year while entailing the material of two years was just the cherry on the top, as I knew I'd gain a very intense education in the field of media culture. It was a very conscious choice for my career dreams, yes. I always wanted to become an editor. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the field of media and to conduct my own research on my special interest (fashion media) in order to really understand the sector.

Do you have any tips or recommendations for current students?
In the beginning it seems to be a huge workload. The important thing is not to panic and to have faith in your own abilities and the teachers: if you got in the master, you are able to pass it. The whole academic year is so perfectly organized, that it is more than possible to get everything done by the time it should be. So just breathe and go step by step.

How long did it take you to find a job after graduation?
It took me two months to get a traineeship. But in the meantime I was working already as a freelancer, so actually I was working right after I handed in my thesis.

How did you experience the job hunt and job application process?
I found it challenging, but manageable. Of course I was getting nervous and anxious to find a job as fast as possible, because I didn't want to depend on my parents anymore. But I had a quite high success rate with my applications: I was often invited to interviews and within the short period of two months I found a perfect match for me.

Were you well-prepared when you started your first job? Why/why not?
I started a traineeship, so it implies that I'm still being trained a lot. I had to learn a lot just by doing it. There are many practical things that are simply not taught in university, and that's okay. However I felt quite prepared with my degree and my specialized education.

For which organization or company do you currently work, and what is your position in the company or organization?
I am working at Mode Media GmbH in Munich, Germany. It is an international company with its headquarter in San Francisco. I am trainee editor.

What are your most prominent tasks?
I write and edit articles (for three websites), curated content from our network of blogs, I take pictures and edit them, but also I'm responsible for all our social network channels like Facebook, Instagram, Lookbook, Twitter, Pinterest. We just started the production of video content, so I'm part of that too, as well as communicating with PR agencies for different projects. 

Which components of your Master are useful in your current position or career trajectory?
Due to my thesis, I'm very familiar with the international blogosphere, which is a huge part of my job. Another point is that I'm super organized and can work under time pressure – two things that I've learned in my master as well. I just feel like I have a lot of knowledge that contributes to me feeling at home in this field. 

Is there anything you would like to add?
I enjoyed my master at Erasmus University very much and can only recommend the university to anyone who is serious about a certain field, especially when it comes to Media Studies. 

What was important in making up your mind?
Due my positive experience with IBCoM, I decided to pursue a Master program within the same faculty. Although my focus areas in IBCoM leaned towards another Master program, I reviewed the broad range of courses that I had taken during IBCoM and realized that my strengths and interests were more aligned with the Master in Media, Culture & Society. In my case, reading the course descriptions for this master program was very helpful because I got a better idea of what to expect in terms of content, which confirmed my interest in the program. 

What made you decide to choose for this master?
Accreditation of the program and the university, my positive experience with the faculty, as well as the research orientation and the international aspect of the program were all important factors in my decision. Having graduated from IBCoM, these decision factors needed no second thoughts. Instead, what was difficult for me in the decision-making process was to be sure that I was making the “right” decision (I emphasize the word “right” because there is no right or wrong decisions). Being an overthinker, I tried to predict my future career and include that as a factor in my decision. However, as it turns out, it can be hard to include that in your decision if you are uncertain about your future career plans. Therefore, my decision ultimately came down to listening to my strengths and interests. It might sound cliché but I realized that the only way for me to excel in my future career would be to build it on a master program that I’m passionate about. It was as simple as that; I just did not see it as clearly at the time.

How would you describe the connection between IBCoM and your master?
While there is a strong connection between IBCoM and Media, Culture and Society, the knowledge that you acquire during the master is more advanced. While you ‘dip your toes’ into many different aspects in IBCoM, you delve deeper into selective aspects in this master. What you learn in the Media, Culture & Society program is thus certainly not a repetition of what you learn in IBCoM!  

How would you describe your master?

• Intense but doable. You should expect a busy year, but it’s all worth it in the end. 
• Focused yet broad, meaning that you have the freedom to tailor the program to your interests within the realm of Media, Culture & Society. I was positively surprised to experience the different interests of my classmates, which was reflected in the diverse master thesis topics.
• Hands-on approach to the studies. More often than not, the students take the central role in this master through class discussions, presentations, debates etc.

In hindsight, what would you have liked to have known before, what you know now?
In hindsight, what I would have liked to realize more before, especially if you are graduating from IBCoM and you think that you know exactly what to expect: The Master in Media, Culture & Society is not the same as IBCoM or other Bachelor programs. It is on the next level and the expectations are in line with that (like it should be, of course). In my experience, your studies automatically become more of a priority in your master compared to before. This might seem evident, but many of us did not realize it beforehand. I guess you only know what I mean after experiencing it first-hand.

Any other points you’d like to add?
Studying and living in an international environment is, in my experience, one of the greatest ways of learning and developing as a person. The teaching approach in this master program, namely to explore the course subjects through discussions with students from many different backgrounds, takes great advantage of that. Consequently, you develop a more culturally sensitive and reflective attitude towards your studies, and surprisingly towards yourself.

More information about the Master can be found here: www.eshcc.eur.nl/english/mamedia/