English and New Media Studies Major - Bachelor of Arts
If you love writing and using digital and social media to communicate, the English and New Media Studies major can help you turn your passion into a rewarding career.
Social media, the internet and digital technologies have massively changed how we communicate. There’s high demand for people who can communicate across different digital and social media channels – from blogs to wikis and web pages.
You’ll develop skills in web-based writing, theories of language, digital media, storytelling, language and culture, information and communication technologies, online research, new literatures, and digital performance.
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This is part of the Bachelor of Arts.
Start date: 2022
- Download our Language and Culture programme guide [PDF, 3.1 MB]
Start date: 2023
- Download our Culture & Society programme guide [PDF, 5.2 MB]
You'll learn how language is linked to power and how to communicate powerfully and persuasively. Many assessments are submitted in new media, including enhanced podcasts, videos, blogs and webpages.
Apart from the courses below you also need to complete courses from your second major, your chosen minor(s) or electives.
Core courses
All Bachelor of Arts students need to complete core courses that help you develop transferable skills and support your work in all other courses in the degree.
Academic Communication
Choose one of:
- CLSY508 Pathways to Academic Success
- COMM570 Academic Communication: Conventions and Expectations
- COMM590 Learning in a Digital World
Culture and Society
Complete one course from each of the following clusters. Each cluster aligns with one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Choose one of:
- CHIN501 Introduction to Chinese I
- CHIN502 Introduction to Chinese II
- CHIN504 Write Chinese I
- CHIN511 Speak Chinese I
- CLSY502 Intercultural Competence
- ENGL500 Contemporary Language Studies
- ENGL501 Critical Media Studies
- ENGL502 Reading New Zealand
- ENGL503 A Pacific Reader
- JAPA511 Speak Japanese I
- JAPA512 Write Japanese I
- KORE500 Introduction to Korean Language and Culture I
- KORE501 Introduction to Korean Language and Culture II
- MAOR500 Introduction to Conversational Māori
- MAOR501 Beginners Māori Language I
- MAOR502 Beginners Māori Language II
- NZSL502 Deaf Community and Culture I
- NZSL510 New Zealand Sign Language I
- NZSL520 New Zealand Sign Language II
- SPAN501 Spanish 1A
- SPAN502 Spanish 1B
- TIKA501 Noho Mārae Wānanga Maori Learning Experience A
- TIKA502 Noho Mārae Wānanga Maori Learning Experience B
Choose one of:
- CLSY500 Culture and Society
- CRIM580 Criminology and Criminal Justice
- HIST500 Introduction to New Zealand History
- HIST501 The Holocaust: Its Causes, Character, and Legacy
- HIST503 Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou: Struggle and Resistance in Aotearoa and South Africa
- PSYC580 Introduction to Psychology A
- SOSC582 Social Thinking
- SOSC583 Social Institutions
Knowledge and Inquiry
Choose one of:
English and New Media Studies courses
Level 5 courses
Complete the following courses:
- ENGL500 Contemporary Language Studies
- ENGL502 Reading New Zealand
Level 6 courses
Complete the following courses:
- ENGL600 Literature/Desire
- ENGL601 Language and Communication
- ENGL602 Popular Genres
Level 7 courses
Complete the following courses:
- ENGL700 Global English
- ENGL701 New Literatures
- ENGL702 Modern Rhetoric
Workplace experience
Workplace experience (the Work Integrated Learning course) is the final part of your degree and takes a full semester. This is a supervised work placement related to your major(s), for an organisation of your choice.
Recent placements included:
- United Nations Association of New Zealand
- Global Gurus
- Namseoul University
- Citizens Advice Bureau
- Gaming narrative designer
- Virtual and augmented reality content producers
- Immersia Ltd
- Booktrack, San Francisco
- Social media management
- Web content management
- Advertising
- Diplomacy
- Education
- Journalism
- Media
- Public relations
- The arts and cultural industries
- Trade
- Travel and tourism
- Gaming narrative designer
- Virtual and augmented reality content producers
Find out more about industry trends, job descriptions and what employers may be looking for.
Other majors in the Bachelor of Arts
- Chinese Studies
- Conflict Resolution
- Creative Writing
- Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Culinary Arts
- Economics
- Education
- Event Management
- History
- International Studies
- Interpreting
- Japanese Studies
- Māori Development
- Māori Media
- New Zealand Sign Language & Deaf Studies
- New Zealand Sign Language - English Interpreting
- Psychology
- Social Sciences
- Communicate effectively through podcasts, prezis and blogs, wikis and webpages
- Only major of its kind in New Zealand
- Develop an e-portfolio to show your achievements
- Workplace experience in your final semester
- Innovative
- Media informed
- Connected and confident in the digital world
- A communicator and writer
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.