Aims and goals

The aim of this Official Master Degree is that students acquire specialized training oriented to the promotion of research and innovation in the field of the generation of audiovisual and advertising contents in the digital age. These studies are directed to analyze and understand the contents in the industries that promote them, its strategies of production, distribution and commercialization and the modes of consumption of its public.

The Master provides advanced knowledge oriented to communication research in relation to the industries and the policies of communication, the contents (information, advertising, entertainment and fiction) and the design of products and formats, the strategies of programming, the interactive communication and the factors of reception and consumption in the different media and contexts.

Skills acquired

• Identify and understand the main phenomena existing in the digital context of audiovisual and advertising industries, policies, contents and receptions.
• To know the different instrumental techniques from scientific research that allow to select, design and apply methodologic strategies in the study of the audiovisual communication.
• Draft, plan, direct, coordinate and manage academic and/or professional research projects in the fields of audiovisual communication and advertising according to criteria of quality and equality and ethical and social responsibility.
• Apply valid models of contents analysis, evaluation of policies, reception and analysis of industries of the audiovisual and advertising sector.
• Prove capacity to be critical when studying theories and analytical models in communication.

Core competences

• Team work.
• Searching for scientific and technical information.
• Managing your time correctly and efficiently.
• Plan the tasks according to the human and instrumental resources available.
• Having operational ICT skills.
• To make decisions, assuming the responsibilities that these can entail.
• Capacity to improve your work and be self-critical.
• Demonstrate an alert, innovative and analytical attitude when facing research doubts.
• Sketching out the structure of a research project.
• Solving methodological problems by knowing which work tools and techniques to use.
• Applying your acquired knowledge and the capacity for problem solving.
• Demonstrating independent working skills.
• Clearly displaying and presenting your research results both orally and in writing.

Once the students have finished the Research Master: Contents in the Digital Age, they will be able to apply scientific methodology to the study of communicative phenomena in the cultural industries, their contents and the modes of reception and consumption. In addition, they will obtain necessary and essential knowledge to communicate and transfer the results of research in communication in science-technical environment and in the sociocultural scene.

Applicant’s profile

The ideal student profile includes specific abilities related to the knowledge and management of research related documentary and bibliographical database sources.They must also have an instrumental knowledge of a foreign language like English to be able to follow the coursework and consult any documents or texts written in these languages.

Admission requirements

• Hold an official university qualification in the field of social sciences in general and in communications studies particularly (Audiovisual Communication, Advertising or Journalism).
• Students coming from other degrees related to Social and Legal Sciences or the Humanities can also have access to the Master. A similar degree in these studies obtained in a European country or other countries.
• Finally, the admission commission will evaluate the different applications.

Selection criteria

• Degree. Graduates in Communication Studies will be prioritized.
• Student record.
• Additional studies.
• Interest in the studies (motivation letter).
• Curriculum vitae.
• Ability to work both within a team and also in an individual capacity (two introduction letters of teachers/professors that have worked with the student).
• Professional experience.
• Other commendable work.
• English knowledge (independent user B1 of the Common European Marco- reference for the languages of the Council of Europe.

In addition, the Committee will hold personalised interviews before reaching a final decision in which it will assess your research or professional experience.

Program

The Master’s curriculum consists of 60 ECTS to complete in one academic year. It is organized in two semesters within the same academic course. In the first semester, students will attend 35 credits and during the second, 25 credits.



Compulsory Modules

1. - Module: Methodology

Credits: 10 ECTS
Type: Academic
Sequence: 1st semester
Description: Introduction to the scientific work. Quantitative methodologies. Qualitative and experimental methodologies.

2. - Module: Industries, contents and reception

Credits: 15 ECTS
Type: Academic
Sequence: 1st semester
Description: Innovation and technological convergence. Transformations in the audiovisual industry. Contents studies. Evolution and trends of the genres and formats. Audience studies.

3. - Module: Initiation to the investigation. Work aim of Máster.

Credits: 15 ECTS
Type: Academic
Sequence: 2nd semester
Description: Introduction to research methodology. Accomplishment of a project of integral research within any field of the policies, the industry or the generation, production, distribution and consumption of the audiovisual or advertising contents.

Optional Modules

You must choose two of the following:

1. - Module: Industries and policies

Credits: 10 ECTS
Type: Academic
Sequence: 1st semester
Description: Transformation of the audiovisual system in the transition to the digital standard. Knowledge management and technological change in the audiovisual sector. Media policy in the era of the convergence: the challenge of pluralism. European policies of electronic contents: e-content. Sport’s audiovisual rights in the era of convergence.


2. - Module: Audiovisual contents

Credits: 10 ECTS
Type: Academic
Sequence: 1st semester
Description: Trends of the cinematographic fiction in the digital era. Trends of the contemporary documentary film. International trends of television programming. Trends of radio programming. Information contents: a perspective of genre.


3. - Module: Interactive communication

Credits: 10 ECTS
Type: Academic
Sequence: 2nd semester
Description: Interactive multimedia applications. Digital Infography. Videogames and their audience. Evolution and trends in interactive fiction.


4. - Module: Advertising Contents

Credits: 10 ECTS
Type: Academic
Sequence: 2nd semester
Description: Trends in advertising formats and insertion strategies in television. Animation as an advertising resource. The advisable photography. Advertising strategies in crisis communication. Advertising and construction of leadership and the political image.


5. - Module: Reception and Consumption

Credits: 10 ECTS
Type: Academic
Sequence: 2nd semester
Description: Narrative reception by the audiences. Consumption and use of mass media by immigrant population. Child and youth audience in the educative policies of communication. Production and consumption of the scientific communication through the net.

Teaching staff

The Official Research Master: Contents in the Digital Age develops from the experience of the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising and is promoted by the Image, Sound and Synthesis Research Group (GRISS), recognised and consolidated by the Generalitat de Catalunya (2005SGR00846). The GRISS has a lengthy and productive experience of more than 25 years in academic production, and this has given rise to a number of important training and research activities in the Area of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising. An important number of teaching staff belongs to the GRISS team (www.griss.org).

The academic staff

University professors Josep Maria Català, Rosa Franquet and Emili Prado.
Lecturers: Juan Bautista Hernández, Montse Bonet, Matilde Delgado, Emilio Fernández, Núria García, Maria Gutiérrez, Gemma Larrègola, Carles Llorens, Virginia Luzón, Amparo Huertas, Josep Maria Martí, Joaquim Puig, Nati Ramajo, Esteve Riambau, Francesc Xavier Ribes, Maite Soto, José Luís Terrón, José Luís Valero, Anna Ullod.