"Digital Media and Communication for Social Impact": Major Programme (90 ECTS)

The Master’s programme in "Digital Media & Communication for Social Impact" is guided by the principle of "Shaping Media and Communication in the Public Interest". The programme focuses on understanding how media and platforms function in a digital society as well as dealing with the question of how they can be designed to promote democracy and used for the common good. The Master’s programme qualifies you for responsible positions in the media and communications industry, in politics and administration, in non-governmental organisations, and in media and communication research.

Study plan

• Module "Research Competencies"

  This module teaches the methodological foundations and practical skills needed to conduct sound empirical research on digital media and communication. It covers the entire research process – from developing research questions to data collection, analysis and presentation.

  • Exercise "Research Designs and Data Collection" (3 ECTS)
    Students learn to develop robust research designs, select appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods, and apply advanced techniques for obtaining reliable data in real-world contexts.
  • Exercise "Data Analysis and Visualisation" (3 ECTS)
    Students acquire practical skills in analysing complex data sets and presenting the results in visual representations.
• Module "Project Management and Transfer"

  This module teaches skills for successfully planning and implementing projects in the field of digital media and for effectively transferring the results into practice and the public sphere. It combines organisational, communicative, and strategic skills.

  • Exercise "Project Management and Leadership" (3 ECTS)
    Students learn to plan projects, manage resources and teams effectively, and apply agile leadership approaches to successfully implement creative and interdisciplinary projects.
  • Exercise "Communication Strategies and Science Communication" (3 ECTS)
    Students develop strategies for communicating research results and project content in a way that is tailored to the target audience, understandable and effective – both in scientific contexts and in public and media communication.
• Module "Core Topics"

  Mandatory lectures focusing on digital communication, its conditions & effects, democratic implications, and governance:

  • Lecture "Democracy, Media and Technology" (3 ECTS)
  • Lecture "Strategic Communication Management" (3 ECTS)
  • Lecture "Media and Platform Governance" (3 ECTS)
  • Lecture "Media Use and Effects" (3 ECTS)
  • Lecture "Persuasion and Digital Mobilisation" (3 ECTS)
  • Lecture "Digital Journalism and Content Creation" (3 ECTS)
• Module "Project Seminars"

  Three project seminars can be selected from the range of courses on offer. In these seminars, students work on projects in small groups. At the end, the results are presented and a project report (consisting of an introduction, a review of the state of research, a final product or its concept and documentation, a reflection on the work process, and a conclusion) is produced. Successful participation in each seminar results in 3 ECTS, and each project report is credited with 6 ECTS (27 ECTS in total). The seminars are offered in English or German, project reports can be written in English, German, or French.

• Module "Personalised Choice"

  Students can enrol in additional lectures and project seminars of this Master’s programme, lectures and seminars from the Master's programme in Business Communication, lectures and practical courses from the BA programmes "Kommunikationswissenschaft und Medienforschung" and "Sciences de la communication" (if not already attended in the bachelor’s programme), as well as lectures from other Master's programmes offered by the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences and lectures and seminars from the Master's programme in Digital Society, provided that the conditions for participation are met. Minimum 9 ECTS have to be obtained in this module.

• Module "Master's Thesis"
  • Master's Thesis in form of a journal article, including online preparation (21 ECTS)
  • Master's Colloquium, including oral defence (3 ECTS)

  Detailed information on the requirements and procedure for the Master’s thesis is available in the Department’s guidelines.

• The modules "Core Topics", "Research Competencies" and "Project Management and Transfer" consist of compulsory courses that teach you central content, methodological competencies and practical skills.
• As part of the module "Project Seminars", you can choose three project seminars from the range of project seminars on offer. In these seminars, you will work on projects in small groups during the semester. At the end, the results are presented and a project report (consisting of an introduction, the review of the state of research, a final product or its conception and documentation, a reflection on the work process and a conclusion) is submitted. We recommend that you only take project seminars from the second semester onwards, as they partly build on knowledge taught in the first se-mester as part of the modules "Research Competencies" and "Project Management and Transfer".
• Upon request, you can earn 3 or 6 ECTS credits from the "Personalised Choice" module through a four- or eight-week internship (incl. a written internship report in the language of the internship) in journalism, public relations, media, market and opinion research, or university research at DCM. An internship with 3 ECTS credits can also be earned as a tutoring position (80-90 hours) for teaching duties in bachelor’s programmes at DCM.

You have the option of supplementing your studies with a minor subject worth 30 ECTS credits from the wide range of Master’s programmes offered by the University of Fribourg.

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